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Software · head to head

BambooHR vs Podio

BambooHR logo

BambooHR

Software

HR software with heart

From
$10/month per employee
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Podio logo

Podio

Software

The flexible team collaboration platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: BambooHR organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price; Podio the free plan stops at 5 users and 100 items across the whole organisation
  • They diverge on capability: BambooHR covers Employee database, Podio covers Workspaces.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BambooHR and Podio actually diverge.

Attributes where BambooHR and Podio differ
AttributeBambooHRPodio
Starting price$10/month per employeeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20082009

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in BambooHR

  • Employee database
  • Time-off management
  • Benefits tracking
  • Performance reviews
  • Onboarding
  • Reporting & analytics
  • Mobile access
  • Document management

Only in Podio

  • Workspaces
  • Apps
  • Workflows
  • Tasks
  • Calendar
  • Google Drive
  • Dropbox
  • Zapier

Both cover

  • Slack
  • GDPR

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

BambooHR

  • HR system of record with employee data and documentsnot Podio
  • Time off tracking and approvalsnot Podio
  • Applicant tracking and onboardingnot Podio
  • Performance reviews and 1:1s on the Pro tiernot Podio
  • Compensation planning and benchmarking on Elitenot Podio

Podio

  • Building custom workspaces and apps without codenot BambooHR
  • Project and task management for a small teamnot BambooHR
  • Client collaboration with external users on the paid plansnot BambooHR
  • Simple workflow automation between appsnot BambooHR

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BambooHR

  • Organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price
  • Per-employee pricing starts at 26 employees, from $10 on Core
  • Performance management, 360 reviews and recognition all require Pro at $17 per employee per month
  • Compensation management, salary benchmarking and advanced analytics are Elite only at $25 per employee per month
  • Compliance training is rationed by tier, at 1 course on Core against 300 on Elite

Podio

  • The free plan stops at 5 users and 100 items across the whole organisation
  • Workflow automation is capped at 25,000 actions a month even on Premium at $19.20 per user
  • API access is a paid add-on from $23 a month, and higher call rates run to $159
  • Extra automation is billed separately, from $39 up to $559 a month
  • Visual reports, email integrations and PDF generation all require Premium

Pricing, plan by plan

BambooHR

$10/month per employee

No published plan breakdown. See the BambooHR review.

Podio

On request
  • FreeFree
    • 5 employees
    • Basic features
  • Basic$7.2/month
    • Unlimited employees
    • User management
    • Automations

Which should you pick?

Choose BambooHR if

  • You need employee database.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want time-off management.
BambooHR review

Choose Podio if

  • You need workspaces.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want apps.
Podio review

Questions people ask

Is BambooHR or Podio better?
Neither clearly leads. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Podio at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BambooHR or Podio?
BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Podio at On request.
Does BambooHR or Podio run on more platforms?
BambooHR runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Podio runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is BambooHR best used for?
BambooHR is most often used for hr system of record with employee data and documents, time off tracking and approvals, applicant tracking and onboarding, performance reviews and 1:1s on the pro tier. Of those, hr system of record with employee data and documents and time off tracking and approvals are not what Podio is typically brought in for.
What can BambooHR do that Podio cannot?
BambooHR covers Employee database, Time-off management, Benefits tracking, Performance reviews. Podio covers Workspaces, Apps, Workflows, Tasks. Both handle Slack, GDPR.
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