DutyDuke vs SovoHR

DutyDuke is a free, open-source HR management platform for small and mid-sized companies. It runs on the web or through self-hosting. Employee profiles can contain skills, education, employment history, documents, equipment, benefits, feedback, salary history, and absence records. Leave tools handle requests, approvals, calendar views, and iCal export. Company documents support version and deadline tracking, while equipment records cover inventory and assignments. Additional functions include benefit plans, performance feedback sessions, and PDF exports of employee profiles as CVs. Employees have self-service access, with role-based permissions and API access. Email notifications use configurable SMTP, including production setups pointing to Amazon SES, SendGrid, or Mailgun. Documentation describes field-level encryption, JWT authentication, and role-based access control. Self-registration is unavailable: the initial owner account must be created with a command-line script.

SovoHR is a web-based HR platform for hiring and employee administration, aimed at SMEs and growing businesses. Its recruitment tools include applicant tracking, AI-generated interview questions, recorded video interviews, candidate scoring, and AI-generated offer letters and contracts. For ongoing HR work, it covers employee records, digital onboarding, documents, leave, attendance, rotas, and payroll. UK Right to Work checks support passport, Identity Service Provider, and online share code routes, with evidence storage and visa-expiry tracking; the platform also supports visa sponsorship and sponsor licence compliance management. SovoHR lists SMTP email configuration and Azure Blob Storage integration, while its Custom plan adds CRM and attendance-device integration. It describes role-based access, encrypted storage, audit trails, and GDPR and SOC 2 compliance. English and Arabic, multi-company management, and cross-border payroll are listed. The free Starter plan is limited to one employee. Paid monthly plans start at £19.99 for Micro, capped at five employees; Enterprise is £99.99 per month for up to 60 employees. The product is based in London and was founded in 2023.