Find out which software is the best fit for your business needs, Zenefits or BambooHR? Our comprehensive comparison guide has got you covered.
Zenefits and BambooHR are both prominent human resources, payroll and management platforms for businesses. Both services can be great for your enterprise, though they aren’t equal in their capabilities. This in-depth guide compares the two platforms.
Zenefits is a prominent operations platform that users have come to know and love. You can use the service as an all-in-one solution for your organization by utilizing this payroll, HR and benefits software. Zenefits allows you to purchase certain aspects of their suite as you need them and is priced on a per-employee basis.
Check out our full review of Zenefits for more information.
BambooHR is a similar platform that focuses primarily on HR. While it does include payroll and employee management tools, you’ll likely make the most of the HR features before anything else. For detailed pricing, visit BambooHR’s website and receive a quote.
Check out our full review of BambooHR for more information.
Jump to:
| Features | Zenefits | BambooHR |
|---|---|---|
| Direct deposit | Yes | Yes |
| Automated syncing between payroll and HR | Somewhat | Yes |
| Mobile connectivity | Yes | Somewhat |
| Tax compliance tools | Yes | Yes |
| Detailed analytics | Yes | Yes |
Zenefits’ pricing is relatively straightforward. There are three different packages that include different features for your business. These are:
You can also purchase payroll software, recruiting, benefits admin (your own broker) and advisory services for an additional monthly fee of between $5-35 per month, per employee.
BambooHR pricing is a little more complicated than Zenefits simply because it’s difficult to find exact figures. There are two available plans:
According to users, the Essentials plan begins at roughly $5 per month, per employee. As with Zenefits, there are additional tools that you can choose to purchase. These include payroll, benefits administration, performance management and time tracking.
Rippling is the first way for businesses to manage all of their HR, IT, and Finance — payroll, benefits, computers, apps, corporate cards, expenses, and more — in one unified workforce platform. By connecting every business system to one source of truth for employee data, businesses can automate all of the manual work they normally need to do to make employee changes.
Payroll and HR that move you in the right direction. We give you everything you need to navigate payroll, HR, and benefits — so you can keep running your business smoothly.
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Timely, accurate payroll – in house! Workzoom is the all-in-one people management software that will help you confidently handle complexities with a simple pay process so you can spend less time journalizing pays and updating your G/Ls while remaining totally compliant.
Both Zenefits and BambooHR offer direct deposit for your business. Because payroll data automatically integrates with other Zenefits features, it’s easier to utilize direct deposits on that service. BambooHR requires your employees to use a clunky website to update bank info when they wish to use direct deposit.
Zenefits and BambooHR sync data between payroll and HR. BambooHR autofills information from HR to payroll so that you don’t waste time. This includes info like benefits, hours, wages and deductions. Zenefits primarily syncs benefits and salary changes regularly between payroll and HR platforms.
SEE: Here’s a roundup of the best HRIS tools for small businesses.
Though both platforms offer mobile applications, BambooHR’s mobile solution isn’t rated nearly as high as Zenefits on Google and Apple stores. Indeed, Zenefits uses its mobile app to incorporate payroll and employee management features with its main platform. BambooHR, alternatively, uses third-party software to provide a piecemeal solution.
If you’re worried about tax compliance, Zenefits and BambooHR will both be helpful for you. Both of the services automatically file federal, state and local taxes for your organization so that you don’t have to use HR software to do it yourself. Zenefits also alerts your U.S. state authorities when you hire a new employee.
SEE: We have highlighted the top six HR and payroll software options for 2023.
Zenefits and BambooHR both provide detailed analytics. BambooHR compiles extensive payroll reports for you to view. Zenefits reporting is a little more comprehensive, because it allows you to customize the information that you’d like to regularly see.
This review features information compiled from multiple relevant sources. The above information about Zenefits and BambooHR was collected from users, the vendor websites and reputable third-party organizations.
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Deciding which service to use can be complicated. In the end, it comes down to what features you’re looking to utilize for your business. If you are more focused on HR, or if your organization is large, you might choose BambooHR. If you’re focused on payroll, integration of features and scalability, Zenefits is probably the better fit. If you’re still unsure what will work best for you, however, you can also try these renowned platforms for yourself to see which one is best equipped to handle the needs of your business.
