TL;DR
The right alternative depends on what you're missing in Personio. On this list, only Rippling runs German payroll itself. If your payroll data goes to your tax adviser through DATEV, look at HRworks, Factorial, Kenjo or Leapsome. For OKRs, engagement surveys and learning, look at Leapsome; for UK or US payroll, HiBob. If you want AI agents to handle HR work on their own, for one published price with every module, Worklayer is built for that. Worklayer is our product.
The alternatives at a glance
In alphabetical order. Prices as each vendor publishes them, with every module where that's possible.
| Platform | Suits | Price with every module | Payroll and DATEV | AI | Getting started |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Factorial | Recruiting, a DATEV export, IT and finance in one system | On request, at least 10 to 19 seats | Preliminary payroll, DATEV connector and electronic sick notes | One asks before it acts, daily limit by plan; recruiting agent calls and screens candidates | Demo and quote |
| HiBob | UK or US payroll, compensation planning | On request | UK and US payroll as an add-on, DATEV LODAS integration | Approval for every action, monthly limits possible | Demo and quote |
| HRworks | DATEV or ADDISON, monthly contracts | On request, at least 20 users, plus paid setup and training | Preliminary payroll, DATEV and ADDISON | Helps with requests and receipts | Test account on request |
| Kenjo | Shift work, many HR tools in one system | €10.50 on the Connect plan, recruiting €69 to €249 a month on top | DATEV payroll import and electronic sick notes | AI shift planning | 14-day self-serve trial on Starter and Growth |
| Leapsome | OKRs, surveys and learning | €40 | Preliminary payroll, DATEV on Pro | Pre-built agents | Call, then a trial sandbox |
| Rippling | German payroll, IT and finance from one vendor | On request | German payroll, DATEV | Actions confirmed except IT Helpdesk, access on request | Demo and quote, trial for Rippling IT only |
| Worklayer | AI agents that handle HR work on their own | €10, all included | Preliminary payroll with an export for your tax adviser | Your own agents, with permissions you grant, unlimited | 14-day self-serve trial |
| Personio (for reference) | German payroll and recruiting in one system | On request, plus a one-time setup fee | German payroll, DATEV | Assistant, credits for some features | Demo and quote |
All prices per employee per month.
Why companies look for an alternative
Personio only publishes starting prices. The full price is a quote after a demo, and there's a one-time setup fee. Annual contracts run for at least 12 months, and Personio's terms also offer monthly contracts. Recruiting, surveys and more are paid add-ons, and some AI features run on credits and stop when they run out, until an admin buys more or turns on paid usage. Personio's Talent Screening Agent checks job applications against your criteria, and a person makes every decision. An AI system that runs multi-step workflows on your behalf is on Personio's roadmap.
Personio is still the right choice if you want German payroll and recruiting in the same system. It has more than 200 integrations and is used by more than 16,000 companies.
The alternatives in detail
Factorial
An HR, finance and IT platform from Barcelona, founded in 2016 and used by more than 17,000 companies. Core HR is the base, and time, payroll, expenses, recruiting and IT tools are sold as separate modules.
- Suits
- Companies that want recruiting, a DATEV export or IT and finance tools in the same system.
- Price
- On request with every module. Each module is priced separately, and every account pays for at least 10 to 19 seats, depending on the country.
- AI and agents
- Factorial's AI agent, One, asks before it acts. Usage has a daily limit that depends on each person's plan.
- Strengths
- Recruiting, a DATEV export, and IT and finance tools on one platform.
- Limits
- Time tracking, expenses and preliminary payroll are paid modules. Contracts renew automatically, and you can only reduce seats at renewal.
HiBob
An HR platform founded in 2015 and used by more than 5,500 companies, with offices in New York, London, Berlin and other cities. Bob Core covers the HR basics, and payroll, recruiting, compensation and time and attendance are add-ons.
- Suits
- Companies that need UK or US payroll, recruiting or compensation planning.
- Price
- On request. HiBob builds a proposal from your headcount, the add-ons you choose and any implementation services you need.
- AI and agents
- Bob AI needs a person to approve every action. HiBob's fair use policy allows monthly limits on AI requests and extra fees for heavy use.
- Strengths
- UK and US payroll, recruiting and compensation planning, each as an add-on.
- Limits
- No published prices. No expenses module. Time and attendance costs extra.
HRworks
A German HR suite for mid-sized companies, on the market for more than 25 years and used by more than 400,000 people. It covers HR administration, time tracking, travel expenses and preliminary payroll.
- Suits
- Companies of 20 people or more that want payroll data handed straight to DATEV or ADDISON, on monthly terms.
- Price
- On request. Billed monthly, for at least 20 users, with no minimum contract term. Setup is billed by consulting hours, and a paid training is required before you start.
- AI and agents
- AI writes job ads, fills in requests from text or voice and reads receipts. There are no AI agents, and HRworks says decisions stay with people. Workflows you set up start from a trigger, then send reminders, route approvals and log each step.
- Strengths
- DATEV and ADDISON interfaces, travel expenses, no minimum term.
- Limits
- No published prices. At least 20 users. Getting started means a request form or a call.
Kenjo
An HR platform on the market since 2017, with more than 1,000 customers by its own count and offices in Berlin, Zurich and Madrid. It bundles many HR tools, from shift planning to a whistleblowing system.
- Suits
- Businesses with shift work, and companies that want a deep DATEV connection and many HR tools in one system.
- Price
- Kenjo's largest plan, Connect, costs €10.50 per employee per month in its price calculator, or €9.45 billed annually. Connect's plan card shows no price and offers only a demo booking. Recruiting costs €69 to €249 a month on top. If Kenjo's team does your onboarding, Starter and Growth add a one-time fee from €400 or €900. From Growth, Kenjo's team can also set up the DATEV integration for a one-time €250 to €600, depending on headcount.
- AI and agents
- From the Growth plan, AI plans shifts from a description in plain words, and a person applies or discards the result. There is no AI assistant for employees. Kenjo is taking early-access applications for Motor, a paid add-on of AI agents for shift planning and onboarding. Its shift planning follows a playbook that Kenjo's product team creates, and nothing goes live until you have reviewed it.
- Strengths
- Shift planning with swaps and open shifts, a time clock kiosk, qualified e-signatures, a whistleblowing system, training, surveys and OKRs. DATEV payroll import and automatic retrieval of electronic sick notes. A 99.5% availability commitment.
- Limits
- Contracts run 12 to 60 months and renew for 12 months unless you cancel 8 weeks ahead. The price calculator only offers the trial to companies of up to 20 employees. In its plans, the only AI feature is shift planning, from Growth upward. Motor's agents are still in early access.
Leapsome
A people platform from Berlin, founded in 2016 and used by more than 2,000 companies. It started with performance management, and has since added core HR and pre-built AI agents.
- Suits
- Companies that want OKRs, engagement surveys and learning alongside core HR.
- Price
- €40 per employee per month with every module, at list prices: the Pro plan at €10 plus all seven modules. Two add-ons, compensation benchmarks and a learning content library, cost from €4 more.
- AI and agents
- Pre-built agents. You can't build your own agents inside Leapsome. Agents you build elsewhere can connect through its MCP connector, included in every plan, and a person approves each change they make. AI features are limited on the Foundation plan; advanced AI agents come with Pro.
- Strengths
- OKRs, surveys and learning on the same platform as core HR.
- Limits
- Time tracking is a paid add-on and there are no expenses. Getting started begins with a call, and implementation usually takes 1 to 4 weeks.
Rippling
An HR, IT and finance platform used by more than 30,000 businesses by its own count, with more than 600 integrations. Each product is bought separately on top of the core platform.
- Suits
- Companies that want German payroll, device management and finance tools from one vendor, including across several countries.
- Price
- On request. Contracts run for a year or more, are paid up front, renew automatically and can't be cancelled early. The committed user count can't be lowered during the term.
- AI and agents
- Rippling AI, launched in March 2026, answers questions and prepares actions, and a person confirms every action. Existing customers have to request access, and no price is published. Only an IT helpdesk agent resolves requests such as password resets on its own.
- Strengths
- Its own German payroll, ITSG-certified since June 2025 according to Rippling and connected to DATEV, plus payroll in many other countries, employer of record, device management and finance tools.
- Limits
- No published prices. There's no trial of HR or payroll, only a 14-day trial of Rippling IT. Long contracts paid up front.
Worklayer
An HR platform run by AI agents. Agents handle onboarding, leave, expenses and payroll preparation on a schedule or when something happens, within the permissions you set.
- Suits
- Companies of 3 people or more that want AI agents to take on HR work, with clear permissions, a published price and no sales call.
- Price
- €10 per employee per month, billed annually, with every module, every integration and unlimited AI. No setup fee.
- AI and agents
- You build your own agents, which run on a schedule or on events such as a new hire or a time-off request. Each agent starts with no permissions. Admins grant them per area, and a run that needs more stops and asks. Every run is logged step by step. Every employee also gets an AI assistant, on the web and in Slack. No credits and no caps, subject to fair use.
- Strengths
- Agents that do the work themselves. One price covering time off, attendance, expenses, documents and analytics. A 14-day self-serve trial, and you can be up and running the same day.
How to choose
Start with what you're missing today.
| If you need | Look at |
|---|---|
| German payroll in the same system | Stay with Personio, or Rippling |
| Payroll data to your tax adviser through DATEV | HRworks, Factorial, Kenjo, Leapsome |
| AI agents that do the work themselves | Worklayer |
| OKRs, surveys and learning | Leapsome, Kenjo |
| Shift planning and a time clock | Kenjo |
| UK or US payroll | HiBob, Rippling |
| Monthly contracts | HRworks |
| Getting started without a sales call | Worklayer, Kenjo on Starter and Growth |
| One published price with every module | Worklayer |
Moving from Personio
- 1.
Check your contract end date
Annual Personio contracts run for at least 12 months and renew for a year unless you cancel 90 days before the renewal date. Monthly contracts need 15 days' notice. Plan the switch for the end of yours.
- 2.
Export your data
Export your employee list from Personio as a spreadsheet. Most platforms can import it.
- 3.
Run a trial alongside Personio
Try the alternative with real data before Personio ends. With Worklayer that's free for 14 days.
How we compared
Worklayer is our product. We included it on this list and put it where it falls alphabetically. Everything about the other vendors comes from their own websites, pricing pages and terms, read on 13 October 2026. Prices are shown as each vendor publishes them, with every module where that's possible. No vendor paid for a place, and there are no affiliate links. When a price or feature changes, we update the page.
Questions
It depends on what you're missing. For German payroll in the same system, Rippling. For a DATEV export, HRworks, Factorial, Kenjo or Leapsome. For OKRs and surveys, Leapsome. For AI agents that do the work themselves, Worklayer.
On this list, Rippling. HRworks, Factorial, Kenjo and Leapsome prepare payroll and hand it over through DATEV. Worklayer prepares it and exports it for your tax adviser.
Worklayer is €10 per employee per month with every module and unlimited AI. Leapsome comes to €40 with every module, at list prices. Kenjo shows its plans in a price calculator. Factorial, HiBob, HRworks and Rippling quote on request.
In Worklayer you build your own agents that act on their own, within the permissions an admin grants. Leapsome has pre-built agents. At HiBob and Rippling a person confirms every action, apart from Rippling's IT Helpdesk agent, which resolves routine requests such as password resets on its own. At Factorial, the personal agent One asks before it acts, while the recruiting agent calls new candidates and moves those who meet your threshold to the next stage. HRworks uses AI for individual tasks. Kenjo's AI plans shifts, and Kenjo is taking early-access applications for its Motor AI agents.
With Worklayer, yes: you sign up yourself and nothing is charged for 14 days. Kenjo offers a 14-day free trial on its Starter and Growth plans, though its price calculator shows it only to teams of up to 20. The others start with a demo, a call or a request form.
With Worklayer you import your team from a spreadsheet while AI maps the columns, and you can be up and running the same day. Leapsome quotes 1 to 4 weeks for implementation. Plan the switch for the end of your Personio contract.
No. Worklayer is our product. That's why the list is alphabetical, every other vendor gets strengths and limits, and every claim comes from the vendor's own public pages.