Softwr

Recruitment · head to head

Factorial vs Personio

Factorial logo

Factorial

Recruitment

HR software that employees love

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Personio logo

Personio

HR

All-in-one HR software for SMEs

From
$5/employee-per-month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Factorial has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Factorial no published tier names or feature-based pricing breakdown; Personio payroll processing only available in Germany, UK, and Ireland, limiting multi-country deployment
  • They diverge on capability: Factorial covers Time Off, Personio covers Performance Management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Factorial and Personio actually diverge.

Attributes where Factorial and Personio differ
AttributeFactorialPersonio
Starting priceFree$5/employee-per-month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Mobile (iOS, Android)
CategoryRecruitmentHR
Founded20162015

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Factorial

  • Time Off
  • Documents
  • Performance
  • Shift Management
  • QuickBooks
  • Zapier

Only in Personio

  • Performance Management
  • Onboarding
  • Offboarding
  • DATEV
  • LinkedIn

Both cover

  • HR Management
  • Time Tracking
  • Payroll
  • Recruiting
  • Slack
  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft 365
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Factorial

  • Managing employee records, onboarding and offboardingnot Personio
  • Tracking time off, attendance and shiftsnot Personio
  • Running recruitment and performance reviews alongside HR datanot Personio

Personio

No use cases recorded yet. See the Personio review.

Where each one falls short

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

Factorial

  • No published tier names or feature-based pricing breakdown
  • Pricing customization requires sales consultation

Personio

  • Payroll processing only available in Germany, UK, and Ireland, limiting multi-country deployment
  • Recruiting module lacks advanced reporting and LinkedIn integration functionality
  • Limited reporting customization requires manual exports and workarounds
  • Mobile app has reduced capabilities compared to desktop experience

Pricing, plan by plan

Factorial

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic HR
    • Time Off
    • Documents
  • Business$5/month
    • All Free features
    • Payroll
    • Performance

Personio

$5/employee-per-month

No published plan breakdown. See the Personio review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Factorial if

  • You need time off.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want documents.
Factorial review

Choose Personio if

  • You need performance management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android).
  • You also want onboarding.
Personio review

Questions people ask

Is Factorial or Personio better?
Neither clearly leads. Factorial starts at Free and Personio at $5/employee-per-month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Factorial or Personio?
Factorial has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Factorial and $5/employee-per-month for Personio.
Does Factorial or Personio run on more platforms?
Factorial runs on Web, Ios, Android. Personio runs on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android).
Can I use Factorial for free?
Yes. Factorial has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Personio starts at $5/employee-per-month.
What is Factorial best used for?
Factorial is most often used for managing employee records, onboarding and offboarding, tracking time off, attendance and shifts, running recruitment and performance reviews alongside hr data. Of those, managing employee records, onboarding and offboarding and tracking time off, attendance and shifts are not what Personio is typically brought in for.
What can Factorial do that Personio cannot?
Factorial covers Time Off, Documents, Performance, Shift Management. Personio covers Performance Management, Onboarding, Offboarding, DATEV. Both handle HR Management, Time Tracking, Payroll, Recruiting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Factorial: What is Factorial's starting price?

Factorial starts at $8 per month per user. The company offers modular pricing where customers select features across categories including time management, talent management, finance management, and IT management.

Source
Personio: Does Personio offer payroll processing in my country?

Personio provides native payroll support in Germany, UK, and Ireland, with limited support in other European markets through integrations. Coverage varies by country.

Source
Factorial: Can I customize my Factorial plan?

Yes. Factorial offers customizable plans for all businesses and budgets. A specialist will design a plan based on specific business needs. All plans include the Factorial Core platform with employee directory, onboarding/offboarding, payslip distribution, legal e-signature, and custom notifications.

Source
Personio: What is Personio's pricing model?

Personio uses a per-employee-per-month (PEPM) model starting at $5-15/employee/month depending on the plan and features. There is no public pricing page, and exact pricing requires a sales consultation.

Source
Personio: Can Personio integrate with other tools?

Yes. Personio provides a public API and maintains a marketplace of pre-built integrations. The Core Pro plan is required for API access and custom integrations.

Source
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