A Personio alternative for small business
Personio is an HR system for companies with 10 to 10,000 employees: from €7.60 per employee a month, a one-time setup fee, and hiring and reviews as separate apps. PapaHR is free up to 25 employees, then $1.50 per employee a month with every module.
No card, no demo. Personio prices are from personio.com/pricing as of Oct 27, 2026.
What a month costs
Personio's price is the starting price from its site; the total comes after a demo. PapaHR is paid yearly.
Personio Core from €7.60 per employee, plus a one-time setup fee
Personio Core plus the Performance and Recruiting apps — priced on request
PapaHR and Personio: what is included
| PapaHR | Personio | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | ✓ up to 25 employees, no time limit | — 14-day trial |
| Price | $1.50 per employee a month paid yearly, $1.80 monthly | from €7.60 per employee a month, exact price after a demo |
| Setup fee | ✓ none | one-time, depends on company size |
| Reviews, goals, 1:1s | ✓ in Pro | Performance app, priced on request |
| Hiring (ATS) | ✓ in Pro | Recruiting app, priced on request |
| Surveys | ✓ in Free | Surveys app, priced on request |
| Time tracking | timesheet included, no clock-in/out | ✓ in Core |
| Payroll preparation | ✓ timesheet to Excel for accounting, pay calculations in Pro | ✓ preliminary payroll in Core |
| Ukrainian interface | ✓ yes | — no |
| HR methods and templates | ✓ Mike Pritula Academy built in | — |
Personio prices are from its site as of Oct 27, 2026. Check the current prices before you decide.
Why teams switch to PapaHR
- No setup fee and no demo — sign up in a minute.
- Reviews, goals, 1:1s, hiring and surveys at one price, no separate apps.
- A Ukrainian interface — Personio does not have one.
- Daily nudges: probation ending, a time-off request, a missed 1:1.
- Mike Pritula Academy methods built in: onboarding templates, 1:1 questions, review forms.
When Personio is the better fit
If you need clock-in time tracking, preliminary payroll, several legal entities and 200+ integrations, and you have an HR team and a budget for rollout. PapaHR is made for companies where HR is one person or the manager.
How to switch
- Export your employee list from Personio to Excel.
- Upload the file to PapaHR — profiles, departments and managers appear by themselves.
- Invite managers: they approve time off and run 1:1s.
Questions
Is PapaHR cheaper than Personio?
Yes: PapaHR is free up to 25 employees, then $1.50 per employee a month with every module. Personio's core starts at €7.60 per employee, plus a one-time setup fee and separate apps for reviews and hiring.
Can I move my data?
Yes, through Excel: export your employee list and upload it to PapaHR.
Which languages?
English, Ukrainian, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish.
What does PapaHR not have?
Clock-in, payroll with taxes and an integrations marketplace. If you need them, choose Personio.
Try it with your team
Free up to 25 employees, no card and no demo — your first time-off request can go through PapaHR today.