BambooHR is a mature global HR suite. HollyHR is a focused product for small UK teams. The right choice depends on whether you need BambooHR's breadth or HollyHR's simpler shape and lower entry price.
No card, no sales call and no trial clock.
The short answer
Choose HollyHR when people records, leave, sickness, documents and onboarding cover the job, and you want a free plan for up to 10 active employees with simple public pricing. Choose BambooHR when hiring, e-signatures, custom reporting, performance, compensation or a large integration marketplace are requirements today.
BambooHR is the broader and longer-established platform. HollyHR is the more focused and lower-cost option for a small UK team that does not need to buy that breadth.
BambooHR applies automatic volume discounts above 25 employees.
Monthly prices before applicable tax. BambooHR also publishes a 15% discount for registered nonprofit organisations. Confirm the final price and contract terms in your quote.
The price difference is substantial because the products are selling a different amount of software.
HollyHR
Free
No card and no trial clock.
BambooHR
From £200 per month
The UK price floor applies to companies with 25 employees or fewer.
HollyHR
£2 per active employee per month
Standard has no headcount bands or employee cap.
BambooHR
Flat floor, then per person
Above 25 employees, BambooHR uses per-person pricing and volume discounts.
HollyHR
Included
BambooHR
Included
HollyHR
Included
BambooHR
Included
Core also includes e-signatures and an applicant tracking system.
BambooHR reaches well beyond HollyHR's current product. That breadth is useful when these jobs belong in one suite.
HollyHR
Not included today
BambooHR
Included on Core
Core includes five open jobs, with higher allowances on Pro and Elite.
HollyHR
Standard reports
BambooHR
Report builder on Core
HollyHR
Coming with Plus
Coming soonPlus is not available to buy yet.
BambooHR
Included on Pro
Reviews, 360 feedback, one-to-ones and goals are listed on Pro.
HollyHR
Not included today
BambooHR
Included on Elite
Elite lists compensation planning, salary benchmarks and HR benchmarks.
BambooHR has the broader established ecosystem. HollyHR makes its smaller developer surface available from the Free plan.
HollyHR
No native catalogue
BambooHR
150+ partners
HollyHR
Reads on every plan
Standard adds governed writes with explicit scopes.
BambooHR
REST API and OAuth
API access follows the authenticating user's permissions.
HollyHR
Bounded signed events
BambooHR
HMAC-signed webhooks
BambooHR documents global and permissioned webhook models.
HollyHR
TypeScript SDK
BambooHR
Official PHP SDK
BambooHR lists its older .NET and Java SDKs as unmaintained.
Both products serve UK teams, but they come from different starting points and different stages of maturity.
HollyHR
Built for small UK teams
BambooHR
UK pricing and service
HollyHR
New in 2026
BambooHR
30,000+ companies
BambooHR states that customers span 150 countries.
HollyHR
Organisation export
Includes supported datasets and eligible uploaded files within published limits.
BambooHR
Reports and API
Confirm document and full-account export requirements before buying.
HollyHR
50% off Standard
Eligible charities and non-profits pay £1 per active employee.
BambooHR
15% off
BambooHR publishes this discount for registered nonprofit organisations.
List the BambooHR features your team uses before you compare subscriptions. If applicant tracking, e-signatures, custom reports, performance, compensation or marketplace integrations are active, decide how that work will continue.
Export the records and documents you need to keep, then test HollyHR's CSV import with a small sample. Permissions, leave balances, custom fields and connected systems all need a deliberate reconciliation plan.
See more BambooHR alternativesPublic prices and product details were checked on 28 August 2026. Packages can change, so confirm the terms of any quote.
Yes at the published entry points. HollyHR Free is £0 for up to 10 active employees, while its paid plan costs £2 per active employee per month. BambooHR's UK pricing page states a monthly flat rate from £200 for companies with 25 employees or fewer, then per-employee pricing with automatic volume discounts above 25. BambooHR includes far more software, so price should be considered alongside the work you need.
No. BambooHR Core includes applicant tracking, e-signatures, custom reporting, workflows and employee experience features. Pro adds performance, recognition and community. Elite adds compensation, advanced analytics and benchmarks. HollyHR is intentionally narrower and currently focuses on people records, leave, sickness, documents, onboarding, reports and export.
HollyHR is the more proportionate option when its focused core covers the whole job because the Free plan supports up to 10 active employees. BambooHR can still provide better value when hiring, e-signatures, custom reports, workflows, employee experience or its integration marketplace solve immediate problems that would otherwise require separate tools.
Yes. BambooHR publishes a REST API, OAuth, global and permissioned HMAC-signed webhooks, and an official PHP SDK. HollyHR includes API and MCP reads on every plan, signed events for documented public API-origin changes, and governed writes on Standard. Compare the exact records, permissions, event types and write controls your integration needs.
Yes. BambooHR's UK pricing page states that registered nonprofit organisations receive 15% off. Ask BambooHR to confirm your organisation's eligibility, the discounted quote, applicable tax and contract terms before you decide.
You can move the records HollyHR supports, but there is no one-click BambooHR migration. Export and test a small sample first, then reconcile permissions, leave balances, documents and custom fields. Hiring, e-signature, performance, compensation, advanced analytics and connected-app data need a separate retention or replacement plan.
Bring your team over from a spreadsheet. There is no card, no sales call and no lock-in. For up to 10 active employees, everyday HR is free.
