Software · head to head
BambooHR vs Zenefits
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; Zenefits product discontinued by parent company TriNet
- They diverge on capability: BambooHR covers Employee database, Zenefits covers HR Administration.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which BambooHR and Zenefits actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Zenefits
- HR Administration
- Benefits Management
- Payroll
- Time and Scheduling
- Compliance
- Performance Management
- Xero
- Web support
Both cover
- Slack
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft 365
- QuickBooks
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 Zenefits
- Time off tracking and approvalsnot Zenefits
- Applicant tracking and onboardingnot Zenefits
- Performance reviews and 1:1s on the Pro tiernot Zenefits
- Compensation planning and benchmarking on Elitenot Zenefits
Zenefits
No use cases recorded yet. See the Zenefits review.
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
Zenefits
- Product discontinued by parent company TriNet
- Remaining customers forced to migrate to more expensive TriNet products
Pricing, plan by plan
BambooHR
$10/month per employeeNo published plan breakdown. See the BambooHR review.
Zenefits
$8/month- Essentials$8/month
- HR Administration
- Time Off Tracking
- Scheduling
- Growth$16/month
- All Essentials features
- Compensation Management
- Performance Management
Which should you pick?
Choose BambooHR if
- You need employee database.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want time-off management.
Questions people ask
- Is BambooHR or Zenefits better?
- Neither clearly leads. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Zenefits at $8/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, BambooHR or Zenefits?
- BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Zenefits at $8/month.
- Does BambooHR or Zenefits run on more platforms?
- BambooHR runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Zenefits runs on Web.
- 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 Zenefits is typically brought in for.
- What can BambooHR do that Zenefits cannot?
- BambooHR covers Employee database, Time-off management, Benefits tracking, Performance reviews. Zenefits covers HR Administration, Benefits Management, Payroll, Time and Scheduling. Both handle Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, QuickBooks.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Zenefits: Is Zenefits still available as a standalone product?
No. Zenefits was discontinued as a standalone product after TriNet's acquisition in 2022. Existing customers are being migrated to TriNet HR Plus (ASO) or TriNet PEO at higher costs.
SourceZenefits: What were Zenefits' main features before discontinuation?
Zenefits provided HR, benefits management, payroll as optional add-on, time and attendance tracking, and compliance tools for small to mid-sized businesses with 10-200 employees.
SourceRelated pages
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