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Software · head to head

Personio vs SmartHR

Personio logo

Personio

Software

All-in-one HR software for SMEs

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

SmartHR

Software

Japanese back-office cloud for labor management, payroll and talent management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Personio payroll processing only available in Germany, UK, and Ireland, limiting multi-country deployment; SmartHR pricing is not published for any of the three named plans (HR Strategy, HR Essential, Talent Management); the vendor states price varies by company size and requires a quote request form

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Personio and SmartHR actually diverge.

Attributes where Personio and SmartHR differ
AttributePersonioSmartHR
Starting price$5/employee-per-monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWeb, Mobile (iOS, Android)Web
Founded2015Unknown

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 Personio

  • HR Management
  • Recruiting
  • Payroll
  • Time Tracking
  • Performance Management
  • Onboarding
  • Offboarding
  • Slack

Only in SmartHR

Nothing recorded that Personio does not also cover.

Where each one falls short

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

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

SmartHR

  • Pricing is not published for any of the three named plans (HR Strategy, HR Essential, Talent Management); the vendor states price varies by company size and requires a quote request form
  • Many core functions (payroll, attendance tracking, hiring management, surveys) are separate paid add-on modules rather than included in the base plan price

Pricing, plan by plan

Personio

$5/employee-per-month

No published plan breakdown. See the Personio review.

SmartHR

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the SmartHR review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Personio if

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

Choose SmartHR if

Nothing in the data separates SmartHR from Personio on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

SmartHR review

Questions people ask

Is Personio or SmartHR better?
Neither clearly leads. Personio starts at $5/employee-per-month and SmartHR at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Personio or SmartHR?
Personio starts at $5/employee-per-month and SmartHR at On request.
Does Personio or SmartHR run on more platforms?
Personio runs on Web, Mobile (iOS, Android). SmartHR runs on Web.
What can Personio do that SmartHR cannot?
Personio covers HR Management, Recruiting, Payroll, Time Tracking.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
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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Related pages

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