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BambooHR vs Sage HR

Verified ratings, feature by feature comparison and real pricing. Everything a North American business needs to pick between these two.

BambooHR logo

BambooHR

The HR system small companies actually finish implementing

4.3(294)
Visit BambooHR website
Sage HR logo

Sage HR

Leave tracking that grows into HR, priced per person

3.9(241)
Visit Sage website

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Ratings

Every score, at a glance

Verified user ratings across every dimension. BambooHR against Sage HR, nothing weighted.

Dimensions won

41BambooHR 4, Sage HR 1

BambooHR vs Sage HR, across 5 rating dimensions

Widest rating gap

+0.8

BambooHR leads on customer service

Verified reviews

535

294 for BambooHR, 241 for Sage HR

BambooHR logoBambooHR
4.3 out of 5

294 verified reviews

Sage HR logoSage HR
3.9 out of 5

241 verified reviews

Ratings by dimension

  • BambooHR
  • Sage HR
Overall
4.3
3.9
Ease of use
4.8
4.3
Value for money
4.1
4.2
Customer service
4.5
3.7
Functionality
4.0
3.5

Share of verified reviews

Which product reviewers actually write about.

535verified reviews
  • BambooHR294
  • Sage HR241

Cost to get started

Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.

BambooHR$10/mo
Sage HR$6.50/mo

Sage HR is the cheaper way in. Lower is not automatically better, so weigh it against the ratings above.

Head to head

Where each one wins

Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.

BambooHR against Sage HR, row by row
BambooHRSage HR
Overall rating4.33.9
Reviews294241
Ease of use4.84.3
Value for money4.14.2
Customer service4.53.7
Functionality4.03.5
Starting price$10/mo$6.50/mo
Free trialYesYes
Free versionNoNo

Features

Feature by feature, checked off

Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.

Features BambooHR and Sage HR each ship
FeatureBambooHRSage HR
Central employee record with permissions
Onboarding with electronic I-9 and W-4
Time off tracking with accrual rules
Performance management on Pro and above
Applicant tracking available
Employee satisfaction surveys
Headcount and turnover reporting
Mobile app employees actually use
Electronic signature for HR documents
US payroll available as a separate product
Employee records and self service
Leave and absence management
Accrual and carryover rules
Shared team calendar
Performance reviews as a module
Shift scheduling as a module
Timesheets as a module
Expense claims as a module
Recruitment as a module
Org chart

Pricing

Both price lists, side by side

Every plan from both vendors, side by side, priced in US dollars.

BambooHR plans

Core

Per employee per month at 25 employees and above.

$10/mo

per month

Start free trial
  • Employee records and documents
  • Time off tracking and approval
  • Onboarding and offboarding
  • Standard reporting
  • Mobile app
  • Under 25 employees is a flat rate from 250 a month

Pro

Per employee per month. Adds performance and deeper workflows.

$17/mo

per month

Start free trial
  • Everything in Core
  • Performance management
  • Employee satisfaction surveys
  • Advanced workflows and approvals
  • Company branded experience
  • Advanced reporting

Elite

Per employee per month. Adds priority support and migration help.

$25/mo

per month

Start free trial
  • Everything in Pro
  • Priority support
  • Dedicated migration assistance
  • Multi tier approvals
  • Enhanced implementation
Straight from the vendor

Get current pricing

These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with BambooHR for the figure you will actually pay.

Visit BambooHR

Sage HR plans

Core HR and Leave Management

Per employee per month. The base everyone starts on.

$6.50/mo

per month

Start free trial
  • Employee records
  • Leave and absence management
  • Approval workflows
  • Shared team calendar
  • Employee self service
  • 30 day free trial

Performance

Per employee per month. Added to Core HR.

$3.25/mo

per month

Start free trial
  • Goal setting
  • Review cycles
  • 360 feedback
  • One to one tracking

Timesheets

Per employee per month. Added to Core HR.

$3.25/mo

per month

Start free trial
  • Time capture
  • Project time
  • Approval workflow
  • Timesheet reporting

Expenses

Per employee per month. Added to Core HR.

$1.75/mo

per month

Start free trial
  • Expense claims
  • Receipt capture
  • Approval chains
  • Reimbursement tracking
Straight from the vendor

Get current pricing

These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Sage for the figure you will actually pay.

Visit Sage

Verdict

Our verdict

Sage HR is the cheaper, narrower tool and it earns that reputation honestly: leave and absence management that people actually use, priced at six fifty a head with modules you add only when you need them. BambooHR costs more and does more, particularly onboarding, which handles the I-9 and W-4 electronically rather than leaving new hires to fill out PDFs. If leave tracking and a shared calendar are genuinely the whole problem, Sage HR is enough and cheaper. If you are hiring often enough that onboarding paperwork is a real weekly cost, BambooHR's extra four dollars a head pays for itself fast.

Written from the reviews on both products. No vendor saw this before publication.