TalentHR vs HourSquare: a limited free plan against every module free for now
TalentHR has a free plan for up to 10 users. HourSquare is free for now with every module included, so the choice comes down to what each free offer includes and what happens when TalentHR's free plan runs out. TalentHR wins if you need an applicant tracking system, performance reviews or a native mobile app, and can live without payroll. HourSquare wins if you want payroll, timesheets, surveys and an anonymous reporting channel for free rather than gated to a Premium plan. TalentHR's paid plans charge USD 2 or 4 per user but start at 15 users, so an 11-person team pays for 15. TalentHR has no payroll at all; HourSquare has no ATS and no performance module.
Who this is for: Teams that started on TalentHR's free plan, are growing past 10 people, and need payroll and full time tracking without moving to a Premium tier with a 15-seat minimum.
- Pricing
- Free for now, every module included
- Free tier
- Free for now, every module, no card to sign up, no trial expiry
- Team size
- Any size, from 1 employee up
- How you buy
- Self-serve signup
- Hosting
- EU-hosted
- Pricing
- USD 2/user/month (Essential)
- Free tier
- Free plan for up to 10 users with no time limit
- Team size
- Startups and SMBs
- How you buy
- Self-serve signup
- Hosting
- Not published
Vendor facts as published on 2026-09-05. (source)
Choose HourSquare if…
You need payroll in the same system as leave and time. You are 11 to 14 people and do not want to pay for 15 seats. You want time tracking, surveys and an anonymous channel free, not gated to Essential or Premium. You need documented EU hosting, 2FA and passkeys, and an audit log. You need leave accrual in finer units than full and half days.
Choose TalentHR if…
You need an applicant tracking system with a careers page, including on the free plan. You need 360 performance reviews and goals. You need a native mobile app or a public API today. You are 15 or more people, do not need payroll, and the Essential tier at USD 2 per user per month covers what you use.
Teams of up to 10 that want a free, simple HRIS with ATS and onboarding, or small teams that can accept a 15-seat minimum for cheap paid tiers.
Side by side
Every TalentHR cell links to the page it was read from. HourSquare cells describe what ships today — nothing on our roadmap counts.
Pricing & buying
People & records
Time off & time
Payroll
Engagement & insight
Access & security
Platform
Vendor facts for TalentHR were checked on 2026-09-05. If something has changed, email support@hoursquare.com and we will fix it within a day.
About TalentHR
Lightweight HRIS for startups and SMBs from Epignosis (maker of TalentLMS), with a free plan for up to 10 users and low per-user paid tiers.
Where TalentHR is genuinely strong
Free plan for up to 10 users with no time limit, including ATS, onboarding and time off Paid tiers at USD 2 and USD 4/user/month with published pricing and self-serve signup Native anonymous whistleblowing channel (Safe Voice) from the Essential tier Reviewers rate ease of use 4.9/5 on Capterra Multi-language portal and iOS/Android apps
Where it tends to fall short for our typical buyer
No payroll; reviewers cite missing payroll integration Paid plans require a 15-user minimum, so 11-14 person teams pay for 15 Time tracking, performance and surveys are Premium-only Time off tracks only full or half days per reviewers Hosting region and 2FA not documented; small review base (20 on G2)
Public reviews: G2 4.6/5 (20) · Capterra 4.8/5 (source)
What TalentHR costs
TalentHR publishes its pricing. The free plan covers up to 10 users with no time limit and includes the employee database, onboarding, offboarding, time off, file management and the ATS with a careers page. Paid plans are Essential at USD 2 per user per month and Premium at USD 4, with annual billing saving 20% and a 14-day trial on Premium. Two conditions matter above 10 people: paid plans require a minimum of 15 users and change in increments of 5, so an 11-person team pays for 15; and time tracking, performance reviews and surveys are Premium-only, while e-signatures, Slack and the Safe Voice anonymous channel start at Essential. HourSquare is free for now with every module, with no seat minimum. At 11 people TalentHR bills 15 seats (USD 30 a month on Essential, USD 60 on Premium, before the annual discount).
Where TalentHR is stronger
- An applicant tracking system with a careers page on every plan, including free. HourSquare has no ATS; onboarding starts at the signed contract.
- 360 performance reviews and goals on Premium. HourSquare has no performance module.
- Native iOS and Android apps and a public API with Slack and TalentLMS integrations. HourSquare is a responsive web app with a phone layout and no native app, and its public API covers time clocks, employees and time entries, with no chat integrations.
- A multi-language portal, and a parent company (Epignosis) with a learning product if you want TalentLMS alongside.
- Reviewers rate ease of use 4.9 on Capterra.
Where HourSquare is stronger for a self-serve team
- Payroll: pay runs, payslips, payment and accountant exports, and tax packs for 24+ countries. TalentHR has no payroll product, and reviewers cite the missing integration.
- Timesheets with manager approval, shift schedules, surveys, pulse surveys and announcements for free; on TalentHR, time tracking, performance and surveys require Premium.
- No 15-seat minimum: HourSquare is free for now, so there is no seat count to buy.
- Documented security: per-company SSO with enforce mode, 2FA and passkeys, an audit log of sensitive-data reads and record changes, and EU hosting with GDPR-native export and deletion. TalentHR's security page states AWS hosting without a region and does not mention 2FA; its activity logs are described only on the parent company's page.
- Leave policies with accrual and balances and an ICS team calendar; reviewers note TalentHR's time off tracks only full or half days.
Moving from TalentHR
There is no automated migration between the two. Export your employee list, time-off records and files from TalentHR, sign up for HourSquare and configure the company yourself. Leave policies and onboarding templates are re-created. If TalentHR's ATS is part of your hiring process, keep a hiring tool: HourSquare does not include one. If you later leave HourSquare, you can export the employee list and reports as CSV or Excel, and each person's data, from the product.
How to decide
- Count your team now and in a year. TalentHR is free up to 10 users. At 11 to 14 people TalentHR bills for 15 seats (USD 30 to 60 a month). HourSquare is free for now.
- Decide whether you need payroll in the HRIS. TalentHR does not offer it.
- Decide whether you need an ATS or performance reviews. HourSquare does not offer either.
- Check which features you need on a free plan: TalentHR's free tier excludes time tracking, surveys and performance; HourSquare includes every module for free.
- Check hosting and security requirements: EU hosting, 2FA and an audit log are documented on HourSquare; TalentHR states AWS without a region and does not mention 2FA.
Frequently asked
Does TalentHR publish its pricing?
Where does each product host data, and what about GDPR?
Both are free right now. What is the actual difference?
How do we switch from TalentHR to HourSquare?
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