Factorial alternatives

Factorial publishes a starting point of $8 per user a month and quotes its add-on modules, verified September 2026. Companies leaving it usually compare Personio, BambooHR, HiBob, Breathe HR and BrightHR. For HR and client project delivery on one record, PeopleMuster is the strongest alternative: $3 per person a month with every module included.

Why people leave

The $8 is where the quote starts. Factorial is modular, and the page states a starting point with add-ons on top. What you'll actually pay for leave, time tracking and projects together arrives from sales.
Every module is a new line. Buying HR in parts means each addition is priced and approved on its own, which makes next year's budget hard to set in advance.
Client work lives outside HR. Factorial is sold as HR software. An agency that plans capacity and logs project hours still keeps that work in a separate tool.

The real options

Six HR systems were compared on 24 September 2026. Each was ranked on how much of its price is published, what an extra module costs, any fixed term or headcount band, and whether client project work shares the staff record. Evaluated from Factorial's own documentation and pricing, September 2026; the other figures came from each vendor's own pricing page, in the currency it quotes. Disclosure: PeopleMuster is our product.

PeopleMuster

$3 per person a month. Every module included, nothing added by quote, from the first person.

Who it suits: Agencies, software houses and consultancies that want HR and delivery on one price.
Where it wins: Leave, attendance, the directory, devices, SOP checklists and timesheets by project are all in the $3. Leave you approve drops out of the capacity plan straight away.

Personio

Core starts from €7.60 per employee a month. Tiers beyond that entry figure are demo-gated. Verified 22 September 2026.

Who it suits: European small and mid-sized companies buying HR through a demo.
Where it wins: An entry figure published in euros for the Core plan.
Where it falls short: No per-tier price beyond €7.60 is published.

BambooHR

Core $10, Pro $17 and Elite $25 per employee a month. Flat from $250 a month for 25 employees or fewer. Verified September 2026.

Who it suits: Companies that want the full HR ladder priced on the page.
Where it wins: Every tier has a published USD price, plus volume discounts.
Where it falls short: Pro costs $17 per employee against $10 for Core.

HiBob

No public price. The pricing page leads into a demo request. Checked September 2026.

Who it suits: Mid-market companies focused on HR and culture that buy through sales.
Where it wins: An HR-and-culture suite aimed at the mid-market.
Where it falls short: There's no figure to compare until a sales call.

Breathe HR

Per business a month by headcount band, in GBP: Micro (1 to 10 people) £24, up to Plus (151 to 200) £579. 14-day trial; about 15% off annual. Verified 24 September 2026.

Who it suits: UK small businesses that like a flat price per headcount band.
Where it wins: A published flat price for each band of headcount.
Where it falls short: Crossing into the next band moves the whole bill to the next price.

BrightHR

In GBP for a 5-employee example: Core HR from £16.67, Enhanced from £21.20 and Full from £31.30 per employee. Fixed terms of 24, 36 or 60 months. Verified 24 September 2026.

Who it suits: UK firms comfortable signing a multi-year term.
Where it wins: Three published packages with worked per-employee figures.
Where it falls short: Every package sits on a fixed term of two to five years.

Questions people ask

How much does Factorial cost in 2026?

Factorial's pricing page gives a starting point of $8 per user a month, with modules added on top and quoted by sales. No full per-module price list is published. Read from factorialhr.com in September 2026.

How do I switch from Factorial to PeopleMuster?

We load your people, leave types and projects with you during setup, and there's no setup fee. The CSV importer also takes people, leave balances and projects from a spreadsheet if you want to run the import yourself. You're live inside the 14 free days.

Why is Rippling not on this list?

Rippling sells products on top of a required core platform and publishes no price, checked September 2026, so there's no figure to set against Factorial's $8. It has its own page at /alternatives/rippling-alternatives.