HR

What are hr tools?

HR tools cover applicant tracking, onboarding, time-off management, performance reviews, and lightweight payroll. Free tiers are limited compared to enterprise HRIS platforms, but they handle the first 10–25 employees without the per-seat tax. This list prioritizes tools that scale gracefully as headcount grows.

Who this list is for

Founders making the first 5 hires, ops leads at sub-25-person teams, and any company replacing spreadsheet-based people ops with structured tools.

How we picked

• Free tier supports the full hire-to-onboard flow
• Compliant with US, EU, or UK employment basics
• Exports employee data in standard formats
• Clear upgrade path beyond the free seat cap

Buyer's guide

Free HR tools almost always cap at a seat count — usually 10–25. Pick one that lets you import existing employee records cleanly, because migrating people data mid-growth is the most painful HR project. Pay for HR software when you cross the cap, not before.