A HiBob alternative for a team this small

Who is HiBob built for?

HiBob's page title calls Bob "All-in-one HR software for people, payroll & finance", and its homepage groups the product into four pillars: Core HR, Talent, Payroll & Benefits, and Planning & Compensation. It also states that 5,500+ companies and 1,230,200 people use Bob. Those are HiBob's own figures and we have not checked them.

Two details matter for a small team. HiBob's FAQ describes its Growth tier as "<200 employees" for smaller teams that need an easy-to-use platform. And in a comparison post HiBob says Bob is designed for growing and scaling companies "from 50 employees upward". So a 12-person company is not shut out, but it sits below where HiBob describes its centre of gravity.

HiBob's own UK software roundup goes a step further. Under the heading "Suits very small UK teams on tight budgets" it recommends Breathe. When a vendor's own guide points the smallest teams elsewhere, take it as honest information, not a hint to look away.

What will HiBob cost you?

HiBob's pricing page says pricing is "customized based on your company's size, needs, and the modules you choose", and that it is generally calculated per employee. The FAQ adds that your quote is primarily determined by the number of employees, the products and modules you choose, and any implementation or support services you require. The pricing page shows no currency amounts and no free trial. You fill in a request form and talk to sales.

HiBob's own blog says that many vendors do not publish a fixed price list and quote instead, which applies to HiBob too. So the honest answer for any headcount is: quote required. There is no public rate to multiply, and a number found elsewhere on the web is not a price you can rely on.

What HR FLARE charges instead

HR FLARE publishes flat prices in US dollars, by team size and not per seat. See the pricing page for the current plans.

• Free: $0 for up to 5 employees, every feature, no credit card.
• Starter: $29 a month or $290 a year, up to 10 employees.
• Growth: $79 a month or $790 a year, up to 30 employees, with help moving existing data.
• Business: $149 a month or $1,490 a year, up to 75 employees.

Your sixth employee moves you to Starter, and 76 or more means contacting us. Eight people is $29 a month. Twenty-five people is $79 a month. Sixty people is $149 a month. We deliberately put no HiBob figure next to these: a flat price and a quote that depends on modules and services cannot be compared until HiBob has quoted you.

If payroll has to live inside the HR system

HiBob's UK roundup says Bob has "native UK payroll that handles HMRC compliance, RTI submissions, pension auto-enrolment, tax updates, and year-end reporting". Its UK payroll page lists a single platform for payslips, P11Ds and P60s. The pension and RTI detail comes from that roundup post, which is marketing, so ask HiBob for specifics.

HiBob also says all approved time off and tracked hours sync with its UK and US payroll without manual input. That is the real argument for an integrated suite: fewer hand-offs between HR and payroll.

HR FLARE does none of this. It keeps payroll records and payslips with gross, deductions and net. It does not calculate tax or National Insurance, submit anything to HMRC, run pensions or pay anyone. If you want payroll inside the HR system, that alone may decide the question in HiBob's favour. If a payroll bureau or accountant already runs it, HR FLARE sits next to them and holds the people data, leave and hours.

If you mostly track leave and hours

HiBob puts Time Off in Core HR and sells Time & Attendance as an add-on for working hours and timesheets. Its UK roundup says the Time Off module automatically calculates statutory sick pay, maternity leave and holiday accrual. Those are HiBob's claims for its UK product, and we have not tested them.

HR FLARE handles leave requests and approvals, balances with a full annual grant or monthly accrual, carry-over and public holidays. Leave requests need a free-text reason. Hours come from clock in and out in the browser, the Mac app or a phone, with timesheets your manager approves. The team week is self-planned: each person marks working, remote, off or away, and everyone sees approved leave on top. There is no manager-built rota, no shifts and no blackout rules that stop a date being booked.

If a customer asks for your security paperwork

HiBob's security page states ISO 27001:2022 certification and SOC 2 Type II reports, available on request under a signed NDA. It says its data sits in AWS data centres in Ireland, with Germany as backup. Its FAQ says Bob aligns with the GDPR's core principles. If your customers send you security questionnaires, those certifications are real value and HR FLARE cannot match them: it claims none. It is GDPR-ready, offers a full data export and is hosted in Europe.

If you want to be live this week

HiBob's FAQ speaks of mid-market organisations that can go live in weeks. That fits a platform with several modules, integrations and payroll to configure. HR FLARE has no trial clock: you sign up, add a few people, set leave rules and see whether it works. On the Growth plan we help move existing data. The trade is depth, and a quick start only helps if the product has what you need.

Pick HiBob if

• You are 50 people or more and growing. That is where HiBob says Bob is designed to sit.
• You need native payroll connected to HR. UK, US or several countries.
• You want planning, compensation and finance modules. HiBob lists Planning & Compensation as its own pillar. HR FLARE has nothing equivalent.
• Certifications are a purchasing requirement. ISO 27001 and SOC 2 reports are on HiBob's side of the table.
• You rely on marketplace integrations. HiBob has a marketplace. HR FLARE has the short list in the table.

Try HR FLARE if

• You are under about 30 people. You need leave, hours, documents, payslip records and hiring behind one login.
• An outside provider runs payroll. You may not need payroll depth in the HR system.
• You want a known cost. Flat plans change only when you cross 10, 30 or 75 people.
• You prefer people to plan their own week. No manager rota to maintain.

What HR FLARE cannot do

• No payroll calculation, tax or social security, and no filing or paying. Records and payslips only.
• No manager-built shifts, swaps or open shifts, and no GPS clocking.
• No ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification.
• A short integration list and two interface languages.
• No planning or compensation suite on the scale of HiBob's.

Sources

Sources checked on 6 October 2026. Prices and terms can change, so confirm them with the vendor. Quotes are HiBob's own wording.

• hibob.com: product pillars, customer figures.
• hibob.com/pricing-plans/: customised, per-employee pricing.
• hibob.com/faq/: quote drivers, Growth tier, payroll, go-live time, GDPR wording.
• hibob.com/blog/hr-software-pricing/: vendors that quote instead of listing prices.
• hibob.com/blog/hibob-vs-personio-vs-workday/: designed for companies from 50 employees upward.
• hibob.com/blog/best-hr-software-uk/: Breathe heading, UK payroll wording, Time Off automation.
• hibob.com/payroll/uk/: payslips, P11Ds, P60s.
• hibob.com/platform/payroll/time-and-attendance/: Time & Attendance add-on, payroll sync.
• hibob.com/security/: ISO 27001:2022, SOC 2 Type II, AWS Ireland and Germany.
• hibob.com/integrations/: API-based integrations, marketplace.
• HR FLARE pricing: our plans.