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HR · head to head

Sesame HR vs SmartHR

Sesame HR logo

Sesame HR

HR

Spanish HR and time recording platform built around the legal obligation to record daily working hours

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SmartHR logo

SmartHR

HR

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: Sesame HR there is no payroll calculation, so the payroll relationship stays with an external gestoria or payroll system and Sesame is only feeding it data.; SmartHR no specific pricing published on vendor website
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Sesame HR and SmartHR actually diverge.

Attributes where Sesame HR and SmartHR differ
AttributeSesame HRSmartHR
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), 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 Sesame HR

  • Time and attendance
  • Legal time reports
  • Shift planning
  • Absence management
  • Document management
  • Expenses
  • Performance
  • Payroll export

Only in SmartHR

Nothing recorded that Sesame HR does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Sesame HR

  • A Spanish employer that must produce daily working time records for a labour inspectionnot SmartHR
  • A company with shift workers across several sites that needs rota planning and real clock-in data in one placenot SmartHR
  • A business whose gestoria wants clean hours and absence data each month instead of emailed spreadsheetsnot SmartHR
  • A Latin American subsidiary of a Spanish group standardising on the same attendance systemnot SmartHR

SmartHR

  • Reducing combined processing time by 88% across HR functionsnot Sesame HR
  • Centralizing employee information through onboarding to offboardingnot Sesame HR
  • Distributing payroll and salary statements via mobile appnot Sesame HR
  • Automating document distribution and employee communicationsnot Sesame HR
  • Integrating with 120+ external systems for extended functionalitynot Sesame HR

Where each one falls short

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

Sesame HR

  • There is no payroll calculation, so the payroll relationship stays with an external gestoria or payroll system and Sesame is only feeding it data.
  • The product is built around Spanish and Latin American regulation, so a buyer employing in northern Europe gets attendance tracking without the local statutory logic that made the product valuable in the first place.
  • Modules beyond time and attendance are noticeably shallower, and companies expecting the performance or recruitment features to replace dedicated tools are usually disappointed.
  • Support, documentation and legal templates are Spanish-first, and English-language material lags behind, which slows adoption in mixed-language organisations.
  • Pricing is per employee per month across module tiers, so a company that only wants compliant time recording still pays a headcount-scaled fee for a suite it uses a fraction of.

SmartHR

  • No specific pricing published on vendor website
  • Requires direct quotation for customized pricing
  • Multiple plan options create complexity in pricing structure

Pricing, plan by plan

Sesame HR

On request
  • Sesame HR$undefined/year
    • Priced per employee per month with module-based tiers
    • Time and attendance in the base tier
    • Shift planning, performance and expenses as higher tiers or add-ons

SmartHR

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the SmartHR review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Sesame HR if

  • You need time and attendance.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want legal time reports.
Sesame HR review

Choose SmartHR if

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

SmartHR review

Questions people ask

Is Sesame HR or SmartHR better?
Neither clearly leads. Sesame HR starts at On request and SmartHR at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Sesame HR or SmartHR?
Sesame HR starts at On request and SmartHR at On request.
Does Sesame HR or SmartHR run on more platforms?
Sesame HR runs on Web, iOS, Android. SmartHR runs on Web.
What is Sesame HR best used for?
Sesame HR is most often used for a spanish employer that must produce daily working time records for a labour inspection, a company with shift workers across several sites that needs rota planning and real clock-in data in one place, a business whose gestoria wants clean hours and absence data each month instead of emailed spreadsheets, a latin american subsidiary of a spanish group standardising on the same attendance system. Of those, a spanish employer that must produce daily working time records for a labour inspection and a company with shift workers across several sites that needs rota planning and real clock-in data in one place are not what SmartHR is typically brought in for.
What can Sesame HR do that SmartHR cannot?
Sesame HR covers Time and attendance, Legal time reports, Shift planning, Absence management.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Sesame HR: Why is time recording mandatory in Spain?

Royal Decree-Law 8/2019 requires every employer to record daily start and finish times for all employees and to retain those records for four years for labour inspection.

SmartHR: How much does SmartHR cost?

SmartHR pricing is customized per organization based on features and user count. The vendor does not publish standard pricing rates. Customers must use the estimation tool or contact the vendor directly to receive a personalized quote. No additional charges are assessed beyond monthly usage fees.

Source
Sesame HR: Does Sesame HR run payroll?

No. It exports hours, absences and variable pay to a gestoria or payroll system such as A3 or Sage.

SmartHR: What is SmartHR's free tier?

SmartHR offers a free plan (¥0プラン) for small businesses with up to 30 employees. This tier provides basic employee data management without additional charges, making it suitable for very small organizations or trials.

Source
Sesame HR: Does it work outside Spain?

It is used across Latin America and Portugal. Outside those markets you get the tooling without the country-specific legal logic.

SmartHR: What are SmartHR's plan options?

SmartHR provides multiple plans including HR Strategy Plan (labor and talent management), Essential Plan (labor management focus), Talent Management Plan (employee growth focus), and a specialized plan for companies with 50 or fewer employees. Optional add-ons including payroll, attendance tracking, and recruitment are available.

Source
Sesame HR: Can it handle shift workers across multiple sites?

Yes. Kiosk and QR clock-in with geolocation is designed for exactly that, and rota planning sits on top of the same data.

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