How do I evaluate an HR software vendor I haven't heard of?
Judge an unfamiliar HR software vendor on four checks you can run yourself: a public price, a real-data trial, an easy exit and portable records. PeopleMuster publishes $3 per person per month and gives 14 days free with no card. Billing is monthly, and your data stays in your own database.
A familiar name is a shortcut, not a test. When you haven't heard of a vendor, check what they put in writing, then try the product with your own people and your own month.
Start with the price page. A vendor that publishes one number lets you work out the bill before the first call. Gated pricing is common in HR software. Rippling, HiBob and Darwinbox all send you to sales for a figure, as their pricing pages showed in September 2026. PeopleMuster is $3 per person, per month, with every module included, no tiers, no base fee and no seat minimum.
Run the trial on a real stretch of work. Load a department, approve some leave, log a week of hours, and watch what happens downstream. In PeopleMuster, approved leave empties the capacity plan straight away, because HR and project delivery share one database. Every new customer gets 14 days free, with no card required.
Ask who does the setup, and what it costs. PeopleMuster has no setup or implementation fee. We set it up with you, loading your people, leave types and projects, and configuring your modules and roles.
Read the exit terms before the entry terms. PeopleMuster bills monthly, and you can cancel any time, with no long-term contract. Annual billing is there if you want it, at $30 per person per year, which is two months free.
Find out where your records sit and how they come out. With PeopleMuster, your data lives in your own database, in your own account, in the region you choose. Attendance, leave, the directory, the org chart and the device register each export to CSV from their own screens.
Then put the security questions to them in writing. PeopleMuster's answers are short. People sign in with a one-time code sent to the work email, and roles are built from 64 permissions. Access rules are enforced in the database, and the activity log keeps before and after values for every change.
The usual mistake is judging the demo instead of the trial. A demo shows a vendor's best path. A trial shows your team's Tuesday, and that's the day you're buying for.
Related questions
How long should an HR software trial run?
Long enough to cover one real cycle of your work: a fortnight of attendance, some leave approvals and a week of timesheets. PeopleMuster gives every new customer 14 days free with no card. We set it up with you, so the trial starts on your real structure.
What should an HR vendor put in writing before I sign?
The price per person and what it includes, the trial terms, the notice period for leaving, and where your data lives. PeopleMuster's answers: $3 per person per month with every module, 14 days free, cancel any time, and your own database in your own account.
Does PeopleMuster charge a setup fee or need a minimum team size?
No to both. A team of any size pays $3 per person per month from the first person, and setup is part of the subscription.