Is BambooHR or Homebase better?

Neither clearly leads. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Homebase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, BambooHR or Homebase?

Homebase has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $10/month per employee for BambooHR and Free for Homebase.

Does BambooHR or Homebase run on more platforms?

BambooHR runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Homebase runs on Web.

Can I use Homebase for free?

Yes. Homebase has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee.

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 Homebase is typically brought in for.

What can BambooHR do that Homebase cannot?

BambooHR covers Employee database, Time-off management, Benefits tracking, Performance reviews.

HR · head to head

BambooHR vs Homebase

BambooHR

HR software with heart

From: $10/month per employee
Rated: -

Full review Website

Homebase

Scheduling, time tracking and HR for hourly teams

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Homebase has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
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; Homebase free Basic plan is capped at 10 employees and a single location
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BambooHR and Homebase actually diverge.

Attributes where BambooHR and Homebase differ
Attribute	BambooHR	Homebase
Starting price	$10/month per employee	Free
Free tier	No	Yes
Platforms	Web, Ios, Android, Api	Web
Founded	2008	Unknown

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (HR).

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 Homebase

Nothing recorded that BambooHR does not also cover.

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 Homebase
Time off tracking and approvalsnot Homebase
Applicant tracking and onboardingnot Homebase
Performance reviews and 1:1s on the Pro tiernot Homebase
Compensation planning and benchmarking on Elitenot Homebase

Homebase

Managing shift schedules across restaurant locationsnot BambooHR
Automating tip pool calculations and distributionnot BambooHR
Processing payroll directly from time trackingnot BambooHR
Onboarding and verifying hourly employeesnot 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

Homebase

Free Basic plan is capped at 10 employees and a single location
Paid plans are billed per location per month ($30, $70 or $120), so a multi-location business pays the rate again for each site
Payroll is a separate add-on at $39 per month plus $6 per month per employee paid
Tip Manager and Task Manager are further add-ons billed per location per month on top of the base plan

Pricing, plan by plan

BambooHR

$10/month per employee

No published plan breakdown. See the BambooHR review.

Homebase

Free

BasicFree
- Up to 10 employees per location
- Basic scheduling
- Time tracking
Essentials$24/month
- Unlimited employees per location
- Advanced scheduling
- Time tracking
Plus$56/month
- Unlimited employees per location
- AI-powered scheduling
- PTO controls
All-in-One$96/month
- Unlimited employees per location
- Employee onboarding
- Labor cost 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.

BambooHR review

Choose Homebase if

You want to start without paying.

Homebase review

Questions people ask

Is BambooHR or Homebase better?: Neither clearly leads. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Homebase at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BambooHR or Homebase?: Homebase has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $10/month per employee for BambooHR and Free for Homebase.
Does BambooHR or Homebase run on more platforms?: BambooHR runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Homebase runs on Web.
Can I use Homebase for free?: Yes. Homebase has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee.
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 Homebase is typically brought in for.
What can BambooHR do that Homebase cannot?: BambooHR covers Employee database, Time-off management, Benefits tracking, Performance reviews.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

BambooHR: Does BambooHR offer a free trial?

Yes, BambooHR offers a free trial available at bamboohr.com/signup/.

Source

Homebase: Does Homebase offer annual billing discounts?

Yes, Homebase annual billing offers savings: Essentials saves $72/year, Plus saves $168/year, All-in-One saves $288/year compared to monthly billing.

Source

BambooHR: How is BambooHR pricing calculated?

Pricing varies depending on the number of employees at your organization and the features you select. Contact BambooHR at 1-866-387-9595 for a free price quote specific to your company size.

Source

Homebase: Is there a free trial for Homebase?

Homebase offers a free 14-day trial of the All-in-One plan with no credit card required.

Source

BambooHR: Is payroll included in the core plan?

Payroll and time tracking are offered as separate add-on solutions, not included in the base HR modules. The payroll add-on provides seamless data flow, comprehensive reporting, full-service tax filing, and dedicated customer support.

Source

Homebase: What does Homebase Payroll cost?

Homebase Payroll costs $39 per month base plus $6 per employee per month, with add-ons available for Tip Manager ($25/month) and Background Checks ($30 each).

Source

BambooHR: In which countries can I use BambooHR?

BambooHR is available in 150+ countries worldwide.

Source

BambooHR vs Homebase

BambooHR

Homebase

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in BambooHR

Only in Homebase

What people use each for

BambooHR

Homebase

Where each one falls short

BambooHR

Homebase

Pricing, plan by plan

BambooHR

Homebase

Which should you pick?

Choose BambooHR if

Choose Homebase if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on BambooHR

More on Homebase

Keep looking

Other head to heads