The Solo HR Stack
Honest reviews. No sponsors. No nonsense.
What it does, what it costs, who it's actually for, and the tradeoff nobody else mentions.
Editor's pick · HRIS
Deel
Global HRIS and contractor payments in one platform.
The strongest option if cross-border is your reality. The wrong option if you are one-country and 20 people.
Pricing
From US$49 per employee per month
Best for
Remote-first scaleups
Not for
Single-country teams under 30
The rest of the stack
15 tools- 02
BambooHR
HRISClean HRIS built for small teams without an HRBP.
The tradeoff · Payroll only covers the US. For Asia, pair it with a local payroll tool — that's two systems to reconcile.
From
From US$5.25 per employee per month
- 03
Ashby
ATSATS built for hiring teams that want real data.
The tradeoff · Too much tool if you hire 3 times a year. For low-volume hiring, a spreadsheet beats it.
From
From US$400 per month
- 04
Workable
ATSAffordable ATS with a generous free tier.
The tradeoff · Reporting is shallow. If you want funnel metrics or sourcing analytics, you'll hit limits within a year.
From
From US$149 per month
- 05
Talenta by Mekari
PayrollIndonesia-native HRIS and payroll.
The tradeoff · Outside Indonesia, it's not useful. If you plan to expand regionally, you'll outgrow it.
From
From IDR 30,000 per employee per month
- 06
Kayaroll
PayrollSingapore and Malaysia payroll for SMBs.
The tradeoff · Limited reporting and no real HRIS. Pair with a separate employee record system.
From
From S$3 per employee per month
- 07
Rippling
HRISHRIS plus IT and finance in one platform.
The tradeoff · Asia payroll coverage is uneven. Check your country before committing — some markets still require a local partner.
From
From US$8 per employee per month
- 08
Lattice
EngagementPerformance and engagement for growing teams.
The tradeoff · Heavy for under 30 employees. A shared doc and a recurring meeting cover most of what you need at that size.
From
From US$11 per employee per month
- 09
Officevibe
EngagementPulse surveys and 1:1 prompts for managers.
The tradeoff · Reporting is opaque. You see scores, not always the why.
From
From US$3.50 per employee per month
- 10
Sapling by Kallidus
OnboardingOnboarding workflows that don't fall apart.
The tradeoff · Best used alongside a full HRIS. Standalone, you'll still need a system of record.
From
From US$5 per employee per month
- 11
Checkr
Background CheckBackground checks that are actually fast.
The tradeoff · Asia coverage is improving but uneven. For some countries you'll still wait 7–10 days.
From
From US$30 per check
- 12
Veremark
Background CheckBackground check platform built for APAC.
The tradeoff · UI is functional rather than delightful. Reports take some interpretation.
From
From US$25 per check
- 13
Culture Amp
EngagementEngagement surveys with research-backed question banks.
The tradeoff · Annual contract minimums put it out of reach for sub-100 teams. The implementation is a project.
From
From US$4,500 per year
- 14
Leapsome
EngagementPerformance + engagement + learning, integrated.
The tradeoff · Integrations with US HRISs are good; with regional Asian payroll, less so.
From
From US$8 per employee per month
- 15
Docebo
LMSEnterprise LMS with strong AI-driven content recommendations.
The tradeoff · Built for enterprise, priced for enterprise. Implementation is measured in months.
From
From US$25,000 per year
- 16
LearnWorlds
LMSLightweight LMS that doesn't feel like one.
The tradeoff · Reporting is basic. If you need compliance audit trails, you'll outgrow it.
From
From US$24 per month