BambooHR pricing: what it costs in 2026
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BambooHR costs $10, $17 or $25 per employee per month on its Core, Pro and Elite plans, or a flat $250, $425 or $650 a month if you have 25 or fewer employees, according to its pricing page (checked October 16, 2026). The same page's FAQ shows $10.25 and $17.50 for Core and Pro, and payroll is an add-on with no published price.
BambooHR is HR software (an HRIS) for small and midsize companies that keeps employee records and runs onboarding and performance tools, with US payroll sold as an add-on.
On this page
BambooHR pricing at a glance
- Core
- $10/employee$250 flat for 25 or fewer; FAQ says $10.25
- Pro
- $17/employee$425 flat for 25 or fewer; FAQ says $17.50
- Elite
- $25/employee$650 flat for 25 or fewer
- Payroll
- Not published$0 through Dec 31, 2026 on a 12-month agreement
What BambooHR costs for 10, 25, 50 and 100 employees
| Plan | 10 employees | 25 employees | 26 employees | 50 employees | 100 employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core | $250 | $250 | $260 to $266.50 | $500 to $512.50 | $1,000 to $1,025 |
| Pro | $425 | $425 | $442 to $455 | $850 to $875 | $1,700 to $1,750 |
| Elite | $650 | $650 | $650 | $1,250 | $2,500 |
Math: 25 or fewer employees pay the flat rate; above 25, per-employee price x headcount. Ranges show the plan price and the FAQ price ($10.25 Core, $17.50 Pro), which disagree on the same page; we show both. Example: 50 x $10 = $500, 50 x $10.25 = $512.50. Source: BambooHR pricing page, checked Oct 2026 (Oct 16, 2026).
The flat rate means small teams pay a high price per head: 5 employees on Core is $250, or $50 each. At 26 employees the bill moves to per-employee pricing with only a small step up. Elite at 26 people works out to exactly the flat $650. A year of Core for a 10-person team is $250 x 12 = $3,000 before payroll.
Does BambooHR do payroll?
Yes, as an add-on for US employees only. BambooHR does not publish its payroll price. What its pricing page does say (checked October 16, 2026):
- A promotion makes payroll $0 through December 31, 2026 if you sign a 12-month agreement.
- The promotion excludes implementation fees and multi-state fees, and neither amount is published.
- Payroll customers get a dedicated project manager during setup.
- No payroll tax filing guarantee is published.
Ask for the payroll price that applies from January 1, 2027 before you sign the 12-month agreement. The promo saves money only for the months left in 2026; the rest of the term is billed at whatever your quote says.
For comparison, Gusto Premium includes payroll plus HR and compliance tools for $180 plus $22 per person: $400 a month for 10 people. BambooHR Core plus Gusto Simple payroll for 10 people is $250 + $49 + 10 x $6 = $359. See Gusto pricing and the HRIS and payroll trade-offs.
What each plan covers
BambooHR's pricing page documents HR records, onboarding and performance tools, payroll and benefits as add-ons, and 150+ integrations. Elite adds dedicated customer support. Time off and HR compliance help were not documented on the pages we checked. Because we could not confirm which plan carries each feature, ask for the feature list for the plan you are quoted, especially whether performance reviews need Pro.
How we score BambooHR
| Criterion | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Price transparency | 20 of 30 | All three plans priced, but the FAQ shows different figures (minus 5) and payroll has no price (minus 5) |
| Core HR features | 18 of 30 | Records, onboarding and performance documented; time off and compliance help not published on the pages we checked |
| Payroll included or integrated | 10 of 20 | Own payroll add-on, price not published |
| Documented complaint patterns | 6 of 20 | Trustpilot 3.3 from 154 reviews (1 of 4); complaint patterns not yet researched (default 2 of 6); 3 of 10 scaled to 20 |
Source: HRPricing HR scores, updated Oct 17, 2026. Method: how we score providers.
BambooHR ranks third of six on HR score, behind Gusto (61) and Justworks (59), and ahead of Rippling (30), Paycor (23) and Paylocity (23). Full ranking in small business HR software.
Contract, cancellation and your data
- BambooHR offers "flexible month-to-month terms or an extended term" (pricing page, checked Oct 16, 2026). The payroll promotion needs 12 months.
- Implementation fees are not stated.
- Cancellation steps and notice are not published.
- Data export and access after you leave are not published.
Get the notice period, the export format for employee records and documents, and the payroll register export in writing before you sign an extended term. If you move payroll later, the payroll setup guide lists what the next provider needs, and the best payroll services compares where to go.
BambooHR reviews
On October 16, 2026, BambooHR had 4.4 out of 5 from 7,705 reviews on G2 and 3.3 out of 5 from 154 reviews on Trustpilot. We have not yet researched recurring complaint themes for BambooHR, so we do not summarize them here. BambooHR payroll reviews are not separated from the HR product on either site.
Who BambooHR fits, and who should pick something else
What works
- Most documented HR features of the six systems we score
- Published per-employee prices for every plan
- Month-to-month option
- 150+ integrations
Watch out for
- $250 a month minimum for Core, even for 3 people
- Payroll price not published; promo needs 12 months
- Price contradiction between plan cards and FAQ
- No published cancellation or export terms
- Fits: 15 to 100 employees, managers who approve time off and run reviews, payroll already handled or about to be.
- Skip it if you have fewer than about 10 employees and only need onboarding and pay stubs: payroll HR add-ons cost far less (Patriot $6 + $2 per employee, OnPay $15 + $2 per worker).
- Skip it if you want HR, IT and devices in one system: compare Rippling vs BambooHR and Rippling pricing.
- Skip it if you want a full suite with your own payroll at 50 or more employees: get quotes from Paylocity and Paycor.
- Skip it if benefits are the reason you are buying: a PEO such as Justworks includes benefits access. See the Justworks review.
Bottom line: BambooHR documents more HR features than any other system with posted prices in our set (it ranks third overall at 54), but you pay $250 a month from the first employee and you buy payroll without a published price. Get the post-promo payroll price in writing. Other options are on the HR software hub and in HR and payroll software.
Frequently asked questions
How much does BambooHR cost?
Does BambooHR do payroll?
How much is BambooHR for 10 employees?
How much is BambooHR for 50 employees?
Does BambooHR have a contract?
Is BambooHR good for onboarding?
Sources (7)
- BambooHR: BambooHR pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- G2: BambooHR reviews (4.4 from 7,705 reviews) (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Trustpilot: BambooHR reviews (3.3 from 154 reviews) (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Gusto: Gusto pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- OnPay: OnPay pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Patriot Software: Patriot payroll pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Justworks: Justworks pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
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