5 Best HR Apps for 2026

Paycor's mobile app is best if you’re looking to minimize administrative follow-up with employees on payroll-related processes. Whether your workforce is in the office or not, the app makes it easy to manage timesheets and pay stubs, eliminating the need for you to produce them for employees when requested.

Moreover, time tracking, PTO, and benefits changes completed on Paycor's mobile app flow automatically to its payroll tool, speeding up the process at the end of the pay period.

Paycor is an all-in-one human capital management (HCM) platform with modules covering:

• Core HR.
• Payroll.
• Benefits administration.
• Talent acquisition.
• Workforce management.
• Performance management.
• Employee engagement.
• Learning and development.

As an HCM suite, its advanced functionality is best for businesses shifting priorities from automating rote HR tasks to strategic workforce planning — for example, monitoring turnover rates or succession planning. Despite this, Paycor also offers small business plans should you need payroll, paid time off (PTO) management, onboarding, and basic accounting tools.

Paycor’s strength lies in payroll, and this is especially apparent in its mobile app. Most of its mobile app features directly impact or relate to payroll processes, like mobile clocking in/out or self-service open enrollment to ensure accurate overtime calculations or benefits deductions on payroll.As you scale product tiers, functionality on Paycor’s mobile app expands to include more advanced features. Examples include employee recognition and mobile learning lessons, features that only Connecteam on this list offers. Thus, Paycor is scalable, starting with core payroll features but layering on performance and engagement functions as you grow.

Financial wellness

Employee financial wellness tools, including budgeting, financial counseling, direct bill pay, and discounts, are available from Paycor’s mobile app. These tools give employees more control over their money for greater financial security, like saving for future goals or managing debt.

In addition, Paycor gives employees access to up to 50% of their wages before payday. Known as on-demand pay or earned wage access (EWA), this capability allows employees to access their money outside of normal pay periods.

Payroll document self-service

Employees can print, view, or download pay stubs and important tax documents like W-2s or 1099s from Paycor’s app. Because these items are needed for important things like buying a house, applying for financial aid, or preparing for tax season, convenient access prevents employees from contacting HR for these and causing delays.

Paycor no longer publishes standard small-business package pricing on its pricing page. You have to contact its sales team to get a custom quote. Businesses with up to 49 employees can choose from four plans:

• Basic: Call for a quote
• Essential: Call for a quote
• Cor: Call for a quote
• Complete +ASO: Call for a quote

You also have to contact Paycor for custom pricing on its HCM mid-market solutions.

Like its desktop version, the barrier to entry on BambooHR's mobile app is very low. You and your team do not need to be technically savvy to complete self-service tasks, like updating your employee profile with the correct direct deposit information, as it only takes a few taps from the screen's navigation tabs.

Moreover, because of BambooHR's extensive functionality, it is a great solution if you have a diverse team of onsite, remote, or out-in-the-field employees. BambooHR's mobile app unifies these distributed teams by giving them access to information in the format of their choice without loss of data or communication.

BambooHR is a favorite all-in-one HR software solution for small and mid-sized businesses. It combines employee records, workflows, hiring, onboarding, time off, reporting, and employee self-service in one platform. Payroll, Benefits Administration, Time & Attendance, and global employment services are available as additional solutions.

Without the add-on modules, BambooHR functions as a human resources information system (HRIS) with a centralized employee database and simplified workflows for automating time off requests and policy acknowledgments. However, adding BambooHR's separate modules transforms the module into a full-fledged human resource management system (HRMS) to streamline workforce management.

Its mobile app covers a wide range of everyday HR tasks. Employees can request time off, enter hours, enroll in benefits, sign documents, review personal information, update goals, complete performance activities, and use the Ask BambooHR AI assistant. Managers can handle approvals from their phones as well.

Because BambooHR’s app offers most must-have HR features in mobile form, it’s a great option if you lack dedicated HR, office, or IT staff — or a physical location. However, it is a more expensive plan than Sage HR, Connecteam, or Homebase to start, so it may not be the best solution if you’re only looking for an employee directory or communication app.

Learn more about BambooHR’s mobile capabilities in our video below:

Time-off requests

Employees can request time off from the BambooHR app, triggering approval workflows with managers. This eliminates manual PTO request procedures, generates an audit trail, and provides transparency to teams on mobile calendars.

Plus, having employees complete time-off procedures from the mobile app makes it easier to add and track — especially in the case of a sudden illness — and increases the likelihood that employees will leverage their time off to avoid burnout.

Employee directory

Employees can access their coworkers’ information from the app, including work phones and emails, and message them with a tap. This is especially useful for employees who need to communicate with coworkers late for shifts, for instance, without contacting their manager or the HR department.

For companies with 25 or fewer employees, BambooHR uses flat pricing that starts at $250 per month. Businesses with more than 25 employees pay per employee per month (PEPM) fees. You can choose from three plans:

• Core: $10 per employee monthly
• Pro: $17 per employee monthly
• Elite: $25 per employee monthly

BambooHR also offers add-on tools:

• Payroll: Call for a quote
• Benefits administration: Call for a quote
• Time and attendance: Call for a quote
• Global Employment (powered by Remote): Call for a quote; this is BambooHR’s employer of record (EOR) services for global hiring and payroll

Sage HR offers a useful middle ground for businesses that want mobile HR functionality but do not need a larger all-in-one HCM suite. It provides tools to track time and performance while on the go, promoting precise goal-tracking and auditable records for performance reviews.

Its modular approach is particularly helpful if your workforce needs are changing. You can start with employee records, then add time tracking, schedules, recruiting, or performance management instead of paying for all of those functions from the beginning.

Moreover, Sage HR is the only app on our shortlist with an expense management option to help with employee reimbursements and business accounting.

Sage HR is a similar HRIS to BambooHR but lacks payroll or benefits administration modules. However, Sage makes up for these missing elements with a stronger emphasis on remote team management, especially for those who travel or perform individual, project-based work.

For example, besides the ability to clock in and out within the Sage HR app, users can also:

• View company documents and employee directory.
• Receive push notifications, including reminders for shifts or to-dos within the app.
• Manage and update goals.
• Send feedback and recognition.
• Track and submit expenses.
• Manage goals and performance.

Although these features are well-suited to any remote teams, its expense tracking and goal management options can help support field workers in particular. Plumbers, for example, can submit material and gas expenses for reimbursement and quickly update their goals on customer satisfaction following their service visit.

Sage HR follows a modular-based pricing scheme. While it does not offer a free plan, it can be more affordable than BambooHR, especially if you manage fewer than 20 employees.

Goal tracking

Employees can update their goals and objectives and key results (OKRs) from the Sage HR app. They can view or filter goals by activity, comments, updates, and attachments. Employees can also add comments to their goals to provide context for their progress.

Especially for teams that do not use desktop computers, the ability to update goals and schedule 1:1 meetings with managers from the mobile app fosters transparent goal-tracking no matter where they are.

Employee surveys

Sage HR can help you gain insight into employee sentiment through surveys that employees can complete on their mobile devices.Collecting feedback from employees on workplace satisfaction or new hire training via a mobile device increases the likelihood they are completed timely, with less interruption to work priorities. You can then use this data to analyze ways to improve company processes and culture.

All customers must purchase the core HR + leave management module for $6.50 per employee monthly. You can then add the following modules.

• Performance: $3.25 per employee per month.
• Scheduling: $3.25 per employee per month.
• Timesheets: $3.25 per employee per month.
• Expenses: $1.75 per employee per month.
• Recruitment: $210 per month.
• HR Advice Essentials: $105 per month.

Connecteam's mobile app is especially useful for distributed teams as it eliminates the need for multiple communication apps. It provides a comprehensive range of communication features, such as chat functions, an employee directory, feedback surveys, a suggestion box, and a live company newsfeed. Others on our shortlist only include some of these features or none at all.

These features also eliminate the need to integrate or use separate communication apps for timely announcements. Thus, Connecteam is an excellent option to centralize company communication among your people in the field.

Although Connecteam does include a web-based application, its entire line of products is built with mobile in mind. As a result, you can use every feature Connecteam offers in its mobile app without needing a desktop computer.

Connecteam offers three product “hubs” — Operations, Communications, and HR and Skills — as outlined below:

• The Operations hub covers workforce management processes, including time tracking, scheduling, forms, task lists, and reporting.
• The Communications hub offers tools to inform employees about work-related items through direct messaging, a newsfeed, an employee directory, feedback surveys, event announcements, and company document storage.
• The HR and Skills hub includes onboarding, learning and development, and employee engagement modules, with specific features like rewards and recognition, training courses, employee milestones, and a career timeline.

These hubs include manager permission settings for more granular control over who can view or change documents or access particular functions.

Despite the separate hubs and pricing tiers, Connecteam allows teams to mix and match hubs and tiers for a completely customized solution. As a result, it is also the most flexible on our shortlist. If you need nothing more than basic time-tracking and scheduling, choose Basic Operations. Then, add Basic Communications to support team chat among your shift workers.

Even more interesting is Connecteam’s Small Business tier for each product. Unlike most free plans, Connecteam allows businesses with fewer than 10 employees to use all of their hubs — including almost every feature — for free. Therefore, new companies or very small teams can save money on employee communication and only pay for the features they need as they grow.

Group chat

Connecteam allows you to create department or location-based group chats, ensuring secure communication among various teams without sharing personal phone numbers. It also offers the flexibility of texting for your employees while providing you with moderation controls to protect private company information.

Even Connecteam’s read receipts allow you to track that employees received messages, reducing the chances of team ignorance on essential communications.

Company newsfeed

You can keep employees informed by posting company announcements and other updates on Connecteam’s newsfeed. You can even personalize them with gifs, images, videos, polls, or emojis. Backend insights let you know which updates received the most employee engagement through comments or reactions so that you can optimize your future messaging.

Connecteam offers a Small Business Plan free for up to 10 users, and includes full access to all hub features. For larger teams, you have to match each hub (Operations, HR and Skills, and Communications) with a plan:

• Basic: $35 per month for the first 30 employees + $1 for each additional employee monthly
• Advanced: $59 per month for the first 30 employees + $3 for each additional employee monthly
• Expert: $119 per month for the first 30 employees + $5 for each additional employee monthly
• Enterprise: Call for a quote

Homebase's scheduling features, in-app chat functions, and POS integrations make it ideal for industries like retail, restaurants, or manufacturing that require complex shift schedules. Likewise, its GPS location tracking, mobile clock-in/out, and shift notifications make it a more robust and affordable solution for employee time management than Paycor, BambooHR, or Sage HR.

Homebase is built around the needs of hourly and shift-based teams. Its platform combines employee scheduling, time clocks, messaging, payroll, hiring, onboarding, HR tools, PTO, and labor-cost management.

The mobile app lets managers build and update schedules, review timecards, communicate with employees, approve time off, and handle other day-to-day workforce tasks. Employees can check schedules, trade or pick up shifts, clock in using GPS and geofencing, and access payroll information from their phones.

What’s great about Homebase is that it has mobile payroll functionality. Owners and authorized managers can review timecards and run payroll end-to-end through the mobile app, including wages, tips, taxes, and direct deposits.

However, the app can be glitchy or runs slowly at times. Plus, more complex administrative tasks, including detailed payroll tax management, advanced reporting, and applicant tracking, remain better suited to the web application.

Shift scheduling

Homebase is the only app in our roundup that allows managers to build and post team schedules in the app. This is especially helpful if you don’t have a dedicated scheduler on your team as managers can work on schedules on their mobile devices between other priorities.

At the same time, employees have more control over their attendance, with the ability to change or pick up shifts without contacting managers of HR departments. Access to their schedules on their phones also means they do not have to report to headquarters for posted schedules if their primary duties are offsite.

Labor cost management

With integrated time tracking, payroll, and sales data, managers can access Homebase’s labor costing tool. Homebase uses your historical data to predict sales for future dates so that you can schedule strategically to maximize your profits —  while continuing to offer great products or services to your customers.

Homebase offers four plans: 

• Basic: Free for up to 10 employees at one location.
• Essentials: $30 per location monthly (unlimited employees).
• Plus: $70 per location monthly (unlimited employees).
• All-in-one: $120 per location monthly (unlimited employees).

You can also get these tools if you want to enhance the platform’s functionality: 

• Payroll: $6 per employee monthly + $49 base fee per month.
• Tip manager: $25 per location monthly.
• Background checks: $30 each.
• Task manager: $13 per location monthly.
• Job post boosts: Starts at $50 per job post.
• Hiring assistant: Starts at $99 per month.