Employee Onboarding Software: 7 Options Compared (2026)

What Onboarding Software Actually Needs to Do

Every HR vendor with a website calls itself “onboarding software.” Most aren’t. Here’s the short list of things onboarding software needs to do before you should pay for it:

1. Assign a workflow to a new hire — without you editing a spreadsheet
2. Track progress automatically — you should not be chasing people
3. Handle documents — offer letters, I-9s, handbook acknowledgements
4. Work for non-desk employees — restaurants, churches, agencies, field teams
5. Give the new hire something useful on day one — not a 40-tab spreadsheet

Anything beyond that is a bonus. Anything less is a task manager, not onboarding software.

The Seven Options

1. What’s the Process For

Best for: Small-to-midsize teams (2-500 employees), SMBs without dedicated HR, client onboarding

What it does well:

• Build a workflow once, assign it to every new hire
• Mobile-first: designed for kitchen staff, church volunteers, field workers
• Auto-generated completion certificates
• Client onboarding (not just employees)

Price: Free plan; paid starts at $29/mo

Try it free →

2. BambooHR

Best for: HR-led organizations with 50-500 employees

Strengths: Established brand, solid HRIS capabilities Weaknesses: Expensive; onboarding is a module, not the focus; overkill for small teams Price: Custom quote (typically $6-$12/employee/month)

3. Rippling

Best for: Tech-forward companies that want payroll + IT + HR in one

Strengths: Deep integrations with payroll, IT provisioning, and benefits Weaknesses: Pricey; learning curve; built for venture-backed startups Price: Starts at $8/employee/month plus modules

4. Gusto

Best for: Small businesses that primarily need payroll

Strengths: Simple payroll, some onboarding included Weaknesses: Onboarding is basic — fine for forms, weak for actual training workflows Price: $40/month + $6/employee

5. Trainual

Best for: Companies with serious training content to document

Strengths: Strong training/SOP module, good quiz functionality Weaknesses: More SOP tool than onboarding tool; limited HR features Price: Starts at $99/month

6. Lattice

Best for: Performance-management-heavy cultures

Strengths: Great performance reviews and 1-on-1 tools Weaknesses: Onboarding is a minor feature; aimed at tech companies Price: Custom quote (typically $11+/employee/month)

7. Workday

Best for: Enterprises with 1,000+ employees

Strengths: Everything — but that’s also the problem Weaknesses: Six-figure contracts, six-month implementations Price: Six figures annually

The Decision Framework

Under 50 employees, non-tech industry: What’s the Process For or Gusto.

50-500 employees, HR lead in place: BambooHR or What’s the Process For for workflows, Gusto or similar for payroll.

Tech startup, remote team: Rippling.

Training-heavy role (franchises, restaurants): What’s the Process For or Trainual.

1,000+ employees: Workday, painfully.

What Actually Matters

Most onboarding “failures” are not software failures. They’re process failures. Before you shop:

1. Write down what a new hire should do in their first week
2. Write down who owns each step
3. Write down how you’ll know it was completed

If you can’t answer those three questions, no software will fix your onboarding.

Once you can, any of these tools will work. Pick the cheapest one that fits your workflow.

The Common Upgrade Path

Most companies evolve like this:

1. Year 1: Google Docs + email
2. Year 2: Spreadsheet + manual tracking (breaks around hire #10)
3. Year 3: Dedicated onboarding tool (this is where we come in)
4. Year 5: Integrated HRIS (BambooHR, Rippling)

If you’re still in year 1 or 2, don’t skip to year 5. Start simple.

Start with a free template →

Related Reading

• Employee Onboarding Checklist for Managers
• New Employee Training Plan
• How to Create SOPs for Your Business