The best HR software of 2026: Expert reviewed

Deel is my top pick because it actually solves the biggest challenge of the remote working era: hiring and paying people anywhere in the world. It handles payroll across 150+ countries while automatically managing local compliance that would otherwise require teams of lawyers. Companies can save months of legal work just by using Deel's built-in Employer of Record services, which are admittedly expensive but still much cheaper than the alternative.

User experience feels smooth once you get past the initial setup. Global teams can submit timesheets, request time off, or access their equipment orders through one dashboard. Managers get real-time visibility into team costs across different countries and currencies without dealing with exchange rate headaches.

Still, Deel's pricing transparency might be its all-time best feature. At $599 per employee per month for EOR services and $49 per contractor per month for basic vendor management, it's hardly cheap. But the service includes everything: legal compliance, benefits, tax filing, and 24/7 support. For companies expanding internationally, this by far beats hiring local recruitment agencies and legal teams in each country.

Deel features: Global payroll processing | EOR compliance services | Contractor management | Multi-currency payments | Automated tax calculations | Team equipment management | Compliance monitoring

Rippling takes a fundamentally different approach by treating your entire workforce as connected data points. Their proprietary Employee Graph system understands relationships between people, processes, and systems in ways other platforms can't match. When someone gets promoted, Rippling automatically updates their access permissions, salary, benefits, and even provisions new software licenses.

While many platforms are mostly limited to basic HR automation, Rippling can automate complex multi-step processes like onboarding remote employees across different countries. It provisions their laptop, creates accounts in all necessary systems, enrolls them in benefits, and starts payroll – just as soon as the hiring is greenlit.

Rippling works best for companies that want deep automation but also have the technical resources to set it up properly. Pricing starts at $8 per employee monthly but can reach $21-29 per employee once you add the features that make it really worthwhile. Most companies use separate tools for managing employee data and company devices, creating security gaps and data inconsistencies. Rippling marries them into a single platform so that access never becomes a vulnerability.

Rippling features: Employee lifecycle automation | Device management | App provisioning | Global payroll | Benefits administration | Custom workflow builder | Identity management

BambooHR was built for growing teams who need solid fundamentals without complexity. It handles core HR functions like employee records, time tracking, performance reviews, and hiring through a UI that actually makes sense to all users. HR workers can get productive within days with little to no training.

Its applicant tracking system impressed me most during testing. Everything from job posting to candidate communication is handled without the overwhelming feature bloat common in enterprise recruiting tools. Their new AI-powered HR assistant also speeds up routine tasks and answers common employee questions automatically.

This vendor works best for US-based companies with 50-500 employees who want proven HR functionality without global complexity. Some customers report saving up to $40,000 annually through automated performance management alone. While pricing isn't fully clear upfront, most mid-sized companies find the cost reasonable as long as their needs are simple. And if you have less than 25 employees, you just pay a flat $250/month.

BambooHR features: Employee data management | Performance management | Applicant tracking | Time-off management | Custom reporting | Benefits administration | Mobile accessibility

Workday reshapes enterprise HR by treating it as part of a unified business platform. Unlike traditional HR systems, Workday connects people data directly with financial operations, giving you real-time visibility into workforce costs and business impact. It also offers embedded AI through Workday Illuminate, which goes beyond tracking employee data to predict flight risks, recommend career paths, and suggest compensation adjustments based on market trends.

It can also handle complex global operations that smaller HR tools can't touch. Workday runs payroll in 50+ countries while automatically adapting to local compliance requirements and currency fluctuations. Not as good a number as Deel, but still pretty significant.

That said, implementation is the biggest challenge here. Most deployments take 12-18 months, even with dedicated change management resources. Its premium pricing makes sense for enterprises with 1,000+ employees, but feels excessive for smaller organizations that still need many of the same features. Still, companies that complete the implementation typically see significant returns through process automation and improved forecasts.

Workday features: Global HCM management | AI-powered workforce insights | Financial system integration | Skills-based talent management | Real-time reporting | Benefits administration | Organizational modeling

UKG specializes in the operational side of HR that most platforms overlook. It focuses on managing when, where, and how people actually work. The platform combines traditional HR functions with workforce scheduling tools that handle shift patterns, labor compliance, and real-time schedule adjustments. Retail and healthcare organizations choose UKG specifically for its scheduling capabilities.

It's best for handling frontline workers who don't sit at desks all day. UKG's mobile apps let employees clock in/out, swap shifts, and request time off from their phones while automatically calculating overtime and tracking compliance. Managers get predictive analytics that help them optimize schedules based on demand and employee availability.

UKG offers two main solutions: Ready for growing businesses and Pro for enterprises. Both include comprehensive payroll processing that handles complex scenarios like multiple pay rates, union requirements, and multi-location operations. Talent management features cover the full employee lifecycle from recruiting through succession planning, with particular strength in performance management and learning development.

UKG features: Advanced workforce scheduling | Time and attendance tracking | Payroll processing | Talent management | Performance reviews | Learning development | Employee engagement