“Human resources isn’t a thing we do. It’s the thing that runs our business.” — Steve Wynn, Real Estate Developer and Art Collector
People are the backbone of literally everything that’s part and parcel of your business. If you’re not actively recruiting the right people and managing them effectively throughout the employee lifecycle, it can stall or, worse, negatively impact the success of your business.
In a hurry? These are a few top-rated HR apps:
| Greenhouse | 🧲 Attract and hire the best talent | Visit Greenhouse |
| Willo | 🎥 Screen candidates with video interviews | Visit Willo |
| WorkTango | 🏆 Create a culture of recognition via digital rewards | Visit WorkTango |
| Deel | 💼 Hire and onboard employees in 150 countries | Visit Deel |
| BambooHR | 🌍 HR management software that brings it all together | Visit Bamboo |
| 👉 Compare more HR-vetted and approved options here | ||
At the same time, if you’re not deploying technology, at the very least on a foundational level using software like Human Resources apps, your HR function can quickly get left behind in the race for relevance.
Up next, we’ll discuss what HR apps are and set the context for why they’re important for HR teams.
We’ll also recommend our list of the best human resources apps worth considering if you’re looking to automate, digitize, and upgrade your HR operations.
What is an HR app?
An HR app is a workplace application (software) that can be installed and run from your desktop, mobile device, tablet, and laptop devices. Its primary function is to help you automate, streamline, and manage HR tasks.
HR apps can be downloaded by employees securely on their own devices, making it easy for them to access their employee information and request services remotely (i.e. employee self-service portals).
Using an HR app can provide multiple benefits for your organization:
⏰ It reduces the time, effort, and costs associated with manual management
📊 Minimal to low risk of data loss, as compared to paper filing and retrieval methods
📨 Improved stakeholder collaboration and employee engagement
🗃 Easy access to real-time data, reporting, and analytics enhancing data-driven decision making
✅ Helps reduce the risk of non-compliance through accuracy and transparency of data
List of Best Human Resources Apps
Before diving into the list, take a moment to think about your expectations from a potential HR app.
Ask yourself these important questions:
- What are the core HR processes I want it to take care of?
- How easily can I integrate it into my current tech stack?
- How much will I be paying, and can we afford it?
- How easy is it to install the software and run it? How long will it take to set up?
- Is it fairly intuitive/user-friendly, or is there a long learning curve?
- Does the company provide reliable customer service and onboarding support?
Use the answers to guide your choice. If you’re considering multiple options, connect with the business directly and ask for a demo. Remember, don’t hesitate to ask questions!
1) Motivosity
Best HR app for: Retaining employees via rewards
Motivosity is another value-add HR app purpose-built for boosting employee retention via best-in-class employee experiences.
The app’s core focus areas are connectedness (building a tight-knit community), recognition and rewards (building a culture of gratitude), manager development (training for adding to the employee experience), and employee insights (people metrics).
Top Features
- Dispense with the titles and get to know your employees on a much deeper level. Employees can build their own personality profiles, maps, and interest groups (hobbies, movies, and more). A refreshing change from dull employee records!
- Peer-to-peer recognition where employees can extend public appreciation (with dollars if preferred) to their team members. It’s like a personalized shout-out!
- Generate anonymous eNPS (Net Promoter Score) and pulse surveys to understand employee sentiment. Identify trends and use them to make decisions that drive a positive employee experience.
Why we love this HR app: The “manager development” feature empowers managers with the resources they need to create those precious coachability moments. AI-driven prompts and tools help managers and employees prepare for 1-to-1s and extract the most mileage from a continuous feedback and goal-setting loop.
Mobile app? Yes
Desktop app? Yes
Motivosity addresses the most crucial aspect of human capital management, or HCM, today — retaining high-quality talent and leveraging technology to do so more effectively.
It not only helps you appreciate your employees better. It also trains your managers to become more employee-responsive. It’s an all-round winner.
2) Willo
Best HR app for: Sourcing and screening job candidates for hiring
The award-winning Willo is designed for one thing only — helping you screen candidates at scale without breaking the bank. But it seemingly does a fantastic job at it, judging by the over 5,000 high-volume businesses that use it for their hiring needs.
This video interview tool also includes some true stand out features like its digital identification verification and virtual interviewing options.
Top Features
- A browser-based application that works even on slow data connections. No download needed.
- Invite candidates individually or at scale. Willo will do the grunt work of sending email or SMS alerts and automated reminders.
- Integrates with over 5000 apps, including Zapier, Slack, Gmail, Recruitee, and more.
Why we love this HR app: We love how easy it is to implement, use, and integrate with your existing recruitment/HR stack.
Mobile/Desktop app? Willo is a browser-based application that doesn’t require separate apps or downloads.
Willo is a game-changer screening software that checks all the right boxes. The best part — it integrates easily with the popular software you use every day.
3) Deel
Best HR app for: Global HR
Deel will be right up your alley if you’re looking for a globally scalable HR solution. Use it to onboard in as little as seconds, pay your workers anywhere in the world, ensure compliance, prevent misclassification risks, and, most importantly, manage HR for a global workforce!
So far, Deel is available in 150 countries worldwide. It also supports over 15,000 businesses, including Reebok, Shopify, Subway, and Notion.
Top Features
- Global HR management from one place inclusive of hiring contractors and employees in more than 150 countries, payroll, visa support, provision of workspaces/equipment worldwide, visa support, and localized benefits.
- End-to-end payroll management solution compliant with your worker’s location. Deel manages salary and tax payments, local filings with the relevant authorities, payslip creation and delivery, benefits, and deductions.
- Comes with Slack plugins to connect your teams, foster collaboration, and promote inclusivity with all your Slack apps.
Why we love this HR app: It’s hands down one of the best HR apps for businesses serious about going global. Easily connect with, hire, and manage a global workforce from your dashboard!
Mobile app (Android/iOS)? Yes
Desktop app? Yes
Think of Deel as combining the best of global HR, employee onboarding, and payroll solutions in one place, giving you access to expertise and compliance minus the stress and ambiguity of hiring from foreign countries.
4) BambooHR
Best HR app for: Offering employee benefits
Want to make your employees feel valued and recognized for all the great work they’ve been doing? You can’t go wrong with BambooHR!
While the software is a great all-in-one HR software solution, it’s best known for its easy-to-use benefits administration, which ranks right up there among the best.
Top Features
- Feature-rich benefits administration with which you can easily create and update enrollment windows for new hires, qualifying life events, and more. You can review and update elections in seconds instead of days, plus access comprehensive reporting, making strategic benefits planning a breeze!
- The BambooHR platform, with the inbuilt Applicant Tracking System (ATS), simplifies the end-to-end management of the recruitment process. Think customizable offer letter templates, custom permissions for collaborations and approvals, automatic alerts, and a seamless candidate experience.
- Day-to-day time tracking, timesheets, leave, and PTO request management (ditch the spreadsheets!) is fast, easy to navigate, and accurate.
Why we love this HR app: We love the ability to sync enrolment data with BambooHR’s (growing) list of carrier connections featuring the top benefits providers in the country. No more switching between multiple windows or time spent in manual updates.
Mobile app? Yes
Desktop app? Yes
BambooHR is a great add-on if you’re looking for an all-in-one employee management solution with superior benefits administration capability.
5) Bonusly
Best HR app for: Upgrading your employee recognition program
Bonusly is a peer-to-peer recognition platform that helps you build a culture of appreciation from the foundation up through timely and meaningful rewards.
Use the software to drive higher levels of employee engagement, boost productivity, and save time by automating the rewards process end-to-end.
Top Features
- With Bonusly, every employee is eligible for a monthly points allowance, usually 100 to 200 points or US$10-US$20. Choose your coworker and assign points to them. The employee can then cash in these points for rewards.
- Automate milestone recognition but not the messaging so your employees get warm, personalized messages on their key milestones.
- Comprehensive analytics dashboard that shows you team connections, participation trends, recognition frequency, and more.
Why we love this HR app: We love how Bonusly automates your entire rewards and recognition processes without losing the human touch in the messaging.
Mobile app? Yes
Desktop app? Yes
The aptly-titled Bonusly strengthens connections among your team members, boosts engagement, and fosters a culture of appreciation and productivity.
6) WorkTango
Best HR app for: Offering engagement tools for surveys and insights
If you need a super-specialist human resources management software (HRMS) to engage and inspire your employees, with the end goal of boosting employee retention, WorkTango is worth checking out.
It’s an employee experience platform with a three-pronged approach — recognition and rewards, surveys and insights, goals and feedback.
Top Features
- Creative and comprehensive recognition and rewards portal that helps you provide a wide range of rewards, add personal messages and GIFs, add high-fives and comments, and so much more. The rewards catalog contains over US$10 million worth of rewards in over 85 countries!
- Use existing expertly designed questions or customize your own to understand employee sentiments, identify themes, and generate concrete insights and action plans to share with key stakeholders.
- Build a continuous feedback loop with 1-on-1 meetings, ongoing evaluation, goal setting and review.
Why we love this HR app: A high-five for WorkTango’s comprehensive and highly engaging rewards catalog which is sure to appeal to even the most discerning of employees.
Mobile app? Yes
Desktop app? Yes
Experts agree that strong employee engagement creates a positive work environment which eventually provides rich dividends in terms of bottomline profitability. Want an HR app that will help you drive and motivate your employees?
Let WorkTango lead the way!
7) Rippling
Best HR app for: Running HR at a small business
Rippling is primarily a workforce management tool that offers HR, finance, and IT solutions. It’s worth considering if you’re looking for smaller-scale solutions designed for small businesses and startups. If you’re a larger business or enterprise, check out our other guide on the nine best HR software for enterprises in 2024.
Top Features
- Rippling has a full suite of solutions for HR/Finance, and IT (all cloud-based), making it ideal for small businesses to select only the specific services they want. Prices start at US$8/per seat/per user.
- The HR suite contains all the functions HR departments typically require, such as payroll (US and global), time and attendance, learning management, pulse surveys, compensation and benefits, recruitment, and more.
- Full cycle employee management inclusive of onboarding, employee changes, and offboarding.
Why we love this HR app: We love how you can choose only the modules you need and ask for a custom quote. It’s ideal for even small businesses starting with just two employees.
Mobile app? Yes
Desktop app? Yes
Just starting with your business, or need something that works with smaller teams?
Rippling offers a full suite of HR, IT, and Finance solutions. You can customize your tech stack by picking and choosing just the modules you need while not having to pay for the rest. Alternatively, you can go for the more comprehensive Workforce management platform solution.
8) monday.com
Best HR app for: Online collaboration and communication
The uniquely named monday.com helps you design and customize your workflows just the way you want them. Think Kanban boards, automations, integrations, dashboards, and even monday.com’s purpose-built apps.
The software is popular among enthusiasts. and if you sign up to use it, you’ll join the company of industry heavyweights like Coca-Cola, Carrefour, OXY, and Universal Music Group.
Top Features
- Connect and collaborate with your team members on documents and convert the contents to workflows (traditional documenting flipped 360 degrees!).
- Custom-create workflows for your hiring process and create a centralized resource that tracks each candidate and the stage at which they’re at.
- Employees can easily submit leave requests and have these approved by you. You’ll also get timely reminders if you’re behind schedule.
Why we love this HR app: We love how simple it is to design workflows. And converting content in documents to workflows? Super like!
Mobile app? Yes
Desktop app? Yes
If collaboration and connectivity are key to what you do, you’ll love monday.com. Use it to create, automate, and streamline your HR processes from the ground up.
9) Papaya Global
Best HR app for: Running payroll at your company
Papaya Global is best known for being an innovator and pushing the envelope as far as global workforce payroll/payment solutions go. It holds the unique distinction of being the world’s first integrated, licensed, and regulated global payroll and payments system.
Papaya, incidentally, is also a regulated financial institution authorized to hold and transfer funds globally, with segregated accounts held at J.P. Morgan and Citibank.
Top Features
- With Papaya Global, you’re no longer outsourcing global payroll or payments. Papaya has built technology specifically for you to manage global payroll.
- Fund in 12 currencies and pay in over 160 countries in local currency. The payments are accurately classified to ensure 100% local compliance.
- Easily integrate with well-known compensation, expense management, HR, and PTO tools to unify your operations and data.
Why we love this HR app: Papaya Global is another true game changer with affordable and flexible pricing options for global payroll management.
Mobile app? Yes/No
Desktop app? Yes/No
Papaya Global is a feature-rich global payroll management platform worth checking out for businesses serious about growth and scaling.
10) HiBob
Best HR app for: Simplifying HR for all employees
This award-winning HRIS (Human Resources Information System) is your go-to HR tool for amplifying employee productivity, engagement, and retention. Hibob’s interface has been uniquely designed to suit all levels of interaction and engagement, whether it’s C-suite executives, managers, team members, or the employees themselves.
Top Features
- Core HR functions aside, Hibob really shines when it comes to engaging your employees and increasing adoption rates across the organization. When employees use the software, it feels like they’re on a favorite social media network.
- Easily generate anonymous surveys to gather feedback, identify areas for improvement, and share results with key stakeholders. The employee experience is critical to optimizing productivity and performance.
- Because of how centralized yet connected the platform is, you can just as easily carry out 360-degree performance reviews without missing a beat.
Why we love this HR app: We love how Hibob has configured its platform to make it appealing to all levels of stakeholders. It makes for an inclusive experience for everyone who’s part of the company.
Mobile app? Yes
Desktop app? Yes
A centralized and user-friendly HR system that connects easily and effortlessly to all levels of the organization creates a company culture of inclusivity and connectedness. Hibob is a great way to engage and motivate your biggest assets — your employees!
Conclusion
Between recruitment, employee scheduling , onboarding, leave planning, payroll, performance management, employee engagement, learning management, benefits administration, end-to-end HR management, and all the other required HR functions — life can get pretty crazy.
The HR applications in this post are there to help make this job possible. Having the right tools in your toolkit is very important to running an efficient HR department — so we hope these apps can help you reach your full potential.
People Also Ask These Questions About HR Apps
Q: Are there free HR apps for Human Resources departments?
- A: Yes, some of the best HR apps are completely free to use. Others employ a freemium model where users can utilize the HR software with limited capabilities or only a certain number of users can use the app at one time. For more information, explore our guide to HR apps to find out which applications offer a free trial and which apps don’t.
Q: What do HR apps do?
- A: For HR departments of all sizes, HR apps allow professionals to manage their various HR responsibilities in a centralized location. Many of these HR apps offer resources and tools to help with hiring and onboarding. Others make it possible to run payroll, tax filing, accounting, and other financial processes. Furthermore, many of the best HR apps offer employee engagement strategies and tools to engage with current employees.
