Guide
HR & recruiting software pricing index (2026): the real numbers
There is no single 'HR software price' because vendors charge on different models: per seat, flat, per job posting, per employee, or by quote. This index lists real 2026 figures for the tools we have tested or found published, names the model each one uses, and cites a source for every number.
Why this page exists
Every “how much does X cost” round-up quotes a single number and moves on. That number is almost always the least useful thing about a tool’s price, because HR and recruiting vendors do not charge the same way. One bills a flat rate per company, the next charges per user, a third charges per job you post, a fourth charges per employee on your payroll, and a fifth will not tell you at all until you take a sales call.
So the figure that actually decides your bill is the pricing model, not the headline. A $189-a-month flat plan is cheap for a team of twenty-five and expensive for a team of two; a $19-per-seat plan is the reverse. This page collects the real 2026 numbers we have either tested on a paid account or found published, puts the model next to each one, and cites a source for every figure. Nothing here is a vendor estimate we could not verify.
How to read this index
Every row carries a basis, because a price is only as good as where it came from:
- Tested — we set up and paid for a real account and confirmed the figure ourselves (Manatal, Breezy HR, Gusto, Deel). These also carry a hands-on review.
- Published — the vendor’s own pricing page, with the date we checked it. Real, but a list price, not a negotiated one.
- Third-party reported — no official price exists, so the figure comes from buyer-data services (Vendr, Outsail) or pricing teardowns (Pin). Treat these as a range to sanity-check a quote, never as a promise.
All figures are US-dollar list prices captured in June–July 2026. Prices move; the date on each source is the point of truth. See how WiserStaff tests tools for the full method.
Recruiting and ATS pricing
The applicant-tracking category is where pricing models diverge the most, so read the middle column before the price.
| Tool | Pricing model | Entry & key figures (2026) | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breezy HR | Flat, by active positions (unlimited users) | Free Bootstrap (1 position); Startup $189/mo ($157 annual); Growth $329 ($273); Business $529 ($439); Custom by quote | Tested 9/10, in-app Jul 2026 |
| Manatal | Per user | Professional $19/user/mo ($15 annual); higher plans add automation + API | Tested 9/10, Jul 2026 |
| Workable | By total company headcount | From $299/mo; 3,000 AI credits included, top-ups from $600 per 5,000 (expire after one year) | Published (workable.com), Jul 2026 |
| JazzHR | By job postings | Hero $1,000/yr (postings start at ~3/mo); Plus $3,480/yr (up to 200 jobs); Pro $5,508/yr | Published (jazzhr.com), Jul 2026 |
| JazzHR add-ons | Metered / per feature | Extra Hero postings $9/job/mo; texting $39/mo; offers + eSignature $59/mo; advanced reporting $59/mo | Third-party reported (Pin teardown) |
| Bullhorn | Per user, contract term | Starter $99/user/mo; Core $165/user/mo; Pro quote-only | Published (bullhorn.com), Jul 2026 |
| Bullhorn rollout | One-off project fees | Implementation $1,000–$5,000 (1–10 users); training $100–$500/user | Third-party reported (Pin teardown) |
| Greenhouse | Quote-only (no public list), by total headcount | Core, Plus and Pro all behind “Get a demo”; buyer-reported: ~$5,100/yr under 50 employees, median contract $12,250/yr, implementation $1,000–$15,000, renewal uplifts 8–15% — see the Greenhouse alternatives round-up | Vendor page checked 24 Jul 2026; buyer data third-party reported (Pin, Jun 2026; Vendr) |
| Zoho Recruit | Per user, with a free tier; 2 editions | Corporate: Free $0 (1 active job), Standard $17, Enterprise $35/user/mo annual; staffing edition Standard $17, Professional $35, Enterprise $52 annual ($21/$42/$63 monthly); add-ons: client portal $4/mo, video interviews $8/job — full split in the Zoho Recruit alternatives round-up | Rendered on zoho.com, 22 Jul 2026; not yet tested by us |
The pattern to notice: for occasional hiring, a flat or free plan (Breezy) usually wins over a year; for a steady per-recruiter desk, a per-seat tool (Manatal) stays cheap while you are small; and a per-posting model (JazzHR) rewards you only if you post very few roles at once. Full workings are in the JazzHR alternatives, Workable alternatives and Bullhorn alternatives round-ups. → See Breezy HR · See Manatal
Payroll and core HR pricing (US)
Payroll pricing is more honest than recruiting pricing: most vendors publish a base fee plus a per-person fee. The trap here is the add-on stack, not the headline.
| Tool | Pricing model | Entry & key figures (2026) | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto | Base + per person | Contractor-only $35/mo + $6/contractor ($0 base first 6 mo); Simple $49/mo + $6/person; Plus $80 + $12; Premium $180 + $22 | Tested 8/10, Jun 2026 (re-scored Jul 2026) |
| BambooHR | Per employee (+ flat for small teams) | Core $10, Pro $17, Elite $25 per employee/mo; flat from $250/mo at ≤25 employees; payroll/benefits are add-ons | Published (bamboohr.com), Jul 2026 |
| Rippling | Quote-only (no public list) | Core ~$8/employee/mo + $35/mo base; add-on modules ~$4–$12/employee each; realistic mid-market $15–$25/employee/mo; median annual contract $45,862 | Third-party reported (GetApp, Outsail, Vendr) |
| Paychex | Quote-only (no public list) | Flex Select, Pro and Enterprise all behind “Request Pricing”; a single Reddit data point ran ~$10k/yr vs ~$6k on Gusto — see the Paychex alternatives round-up | Vendor page checked 20 Jul 2026; anecdote attributed |
| ADP Run | Quote-only (no public list) | Four small-business packages behind “Get Pricing” | Vendor page checked 12 Jul 2026 |
A worked Gusto example, because the per-person fee is the part that compounds: five employees on Simple is $49 + 5 × $6 = $79/mo; twelve employees on Plus is $80 + 12 × $12 = $224/mo. The BambooHR alternatives and Rippling alternatives pages run the same maths against those two.
Global hiring: EOR, PEO and contractor pricing
This is the most misread category, because the headline fee is only ever a platform fee. The real cost adds salary, local employer taxes, a currency-conversion spread and, for an employer of record, often a refundable deposit.
| Product | Pricing model | Figure (2026) | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deel EOR | Per employee, platform fee | From $599/employee/mo (Enterprise reported at $899) | Tested 8/10; published (deel.com), Jul 2026 |
| Deel global payroll | Per employee | $29/employee/mo (where you own the entity) | Published, Jul 2026 |
| Deel US PEO | Per employee | From $125/employee/mo | Published, Jul 2026 |
| Deel contractor mgmt | Per contractor | $49/contractor/mo; Contractor of Record $325/contractor/mo | Published + tested, Jul 2026 |
| Deel HR & hiring | Per worker | From $14/worker/mo (fuller HRIS quote-only) | Published, Jul 2026 |
| Remote EOR | Per employee | $699/employee/mo | Published (remote.com), Jul 2026 |
| Remote US PEO | Per employee | From $99/employee/mo | Published, Jul 2026 |
| Justworks PEO | Per person | $59–$109/person/mo | Third-party (US Chamber, Jan 2025) |
The honest comparison for an EOR is not “EOR versus PEO” but “EOR fee versus the cost of opening and running a foreign entity”. The full framework is in the EOR vs PEO guide, and Deel’s caveats are in the Deel review.
The five pricing models, and who each one punishes
| Model | How it charges | Cheap for | Punishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat, per company | One price, unlimited users | Larger or growing teams | The two-person team paying for twenty-five |
| Per seat / per user | × number of users | Small teams, few logins | Every new hire who needs access |
| Per job posting | × concurrent open roles | Teams that hire one role at a time | Anyone hiring in bursts |
| Per employee | × headcount on payroll | Tiny headcounts | Growth, and add-ons that also stack per head |
| Quote-only | Sales call decides | Nobody predictably; you lose price transparency | Small teams with no procurement leverage |
Match the model to your shape, not your size in the abstract. A five-person team that hires constantly and a five-person team that hires twice a year should buy on opposite models.
What we have not priced yet
Zero-fabrication cuts both ways: if we have not tested a tool or found a real published figure, it is not in the tables above with an invented number. On the list to price or test next: Zoho Recruit (free tier and staffing edition, published but untested by us), plus the fuller quote-only tiers of Deel and Rippling that no public page states. When those are verified, they land here with a source, not before.
If a figure on this page looks out of date, the source and date in the final column is where to check. Prices in this category move quarterly.
FAQ
How much does HR software actually cost in 2026?
It depends entirely on the pricing model, not just the tool. On real 2026 figures: a recruiting ATS runs from free (Breezy HR Bootstrap) or $19 per user per month (Manatal) up to $99 to $165 per user per month for an agency platform like Bullhorn. US payroll and core HR starts around $49 per month plus $6 per person (Gusto) or $10 to $25 per employee per month (BambooHR). Global employer-of-record fees start near $599 per employee per month. The model, per seat versus flat versus per employee, changes the bill more than the sticker does.
Which HR tools publish their prices and which hide them?
As of July 2026, the ones that publish a real price list include Gusto, BambooHR, JazzHR, Bullhorn, Workable, Breezy HR, Manatal and Deel (its headline platform fees). The notable quote-only holdouts are Greenhouse, Rippling, Paychex and ADP Run: the figures circulating for them come from third-party buyer research or user reports, not their own pages. Publishing prices is itself a useful signal for a small team without procurement help.
What is the cheapest way to start?
For recruiting, Breezy HR's free Bootstrap plan (one active position, unlimited users) and Zoho Recruit's free tier are the genuine zero-cost starts; among tools we have tested hands-on, Manatal is $15 per user per month billed annually. For US payroll there is no free tier worth trusting, but Gusto's contractor-only plan at $35 a month (currently $0 base for six months) is the floor if you have no W-2 employees.
Why is the same tool quoted at different prices on different sites?
Three reasons. First, model confusion: a flat plan and a per-seat plan cannot be compared on the sticker alone. Second, add-ons: a headline like Deel's $599 employer-of-record fee is a platform fee, before salary, employer taxes and currency spread. Third, source: a vendor's published rate, a hands-on tested rate, and a third-party estimate (Vendr, Pin, Outsail) are three different things. This index labels which is which.
