Overview

Frappe HR is open-source software for HR and payroll operations, with workflows covering recruitment through employee management, attendance, payroll, and income tax. It suits organizations that want configurable workflows and control over deployment; teams seeking a managed, low-overhead HR service may find self-hosting and implementation a poor fit.

Its breadth and connection to ERPNext accounting are compelling for organizations consolidating HR and payroll. The trade-off is that software with no license charge can still require substantial hosting, setup, maintenance, and support decisions. See HR Software for other options.

Key features

Recruitment and employee lifecycle

Recruitment spans staffing plans, job listings, applicant tracking, interview scheduling, feedback, offers, and analytics. Employee records and onboarding carry the workflow beyond hiring, making the product more suitable for organizations seeking a broad HR system than a narrow recruiting or personnel database.

Attendance, leave, and performance

Shifts, attendance, time tracking, leave, expenses, and performance management cover routine workforce administration alongside employee development. This range can bring varied HR processes into one system, but organizations should expect to decide how those workflows fit their own policies.

Payroll and integrations

Payroll supports rule-based salary structures, bulk assignments, payroll runs, off-cycle payments, multi-currency payroll, employee loans, and timesheet-based payroll. ERPNext accounting integration is a particular advantage for organizations using that system; connections to biometric tools, banks, and third-party software broaden its operational reach.

Customization, security, and deployment

Using the Frappe Framework, organizations can create custom forms, fields, workflows, reports, and dashboards. That flexibility is useful when standard workflows do not match internal processes, but it places more responsibility on implementation choices. Role-based permissions, audit logs, and activity trails support oversight. Frappe Cloud provides regular backups and encrypted communication, while self-hosting using installation scripts offers deployment control under the AGPL-3.0 license.

Smartphone access is available through mobile apps, alongside web, Android, iOS, API, and self-hosted platforms. Frappe says the modular product can serve small businesses through enterprises with thousands of employees; scale alone is not the issue, since implementation and support capacity also matter.

Pricing

Frappe HR itself is free under AGPL-3.0, but hosting and implementation cost extra. A free trial is also available. The paid prices below are for hosting and infrastructure, not a paid HR software license.

Frappe HR (open-source software): Free. Hosting and implementation are extra.
Frappe Cloud Sites: 5.00 USD per month (billed onwards /mo) for 1 site. The lower entry price fits a single-site deployment, not organizations needing multiple sites and benches.
Frappe Cloud Servers: 20.00 USD per month (billed onwards /mo) for multiple sites and benches. This suits deployments that need more than one site.
Frappe Cloud Servers - Dedicated: 125.00 USD per month (billed onwards /mo) for multiple sites and benches. It is the higher-priced server option for organizations considering that setup.
Frappe Cloud Sites hosting: 5.00 USD per month (billed onwards /mo) for a single site on shared servers, with multiple apps. Its shared-server setup is the lower-cost hosting option.
Frappe Cloud Servers hosting: 125.00 USD per month (billed onwards /mo) for superior dedicated server isolation, snapshots and autoscaling, and global data centre locations. It is aimed at organizations that need those hosting characteristics.

For self-hosting, a VPS starts around $40/month; email, security, backups, setup, and maintenance add cost. Those responsibilities make self-hosting most attractive to organizations able to manage infrastructure or arrange partner support. Certified Frappe partners can provide implementation support. Product Warranty covers bug fixes, not functional support, so teams needing help with day-to-day use should account for that distinction.

Platforms

Frappe HR supports web, Android, iOS, API, and self-hosted deployments. The mobile app provides smartphone access to HR functions; self-hosting is the option for organizations that want to control deployment rather than rely solely on hosted service.

Who it's for

Frappe HR is a strong fit for organizations that need connected HR and payroll workflows, want to tailor forms and processes, or prefer self-hosting. Its stated range from small businesses to enterprises with thousands of employees makes it relevant across company sizes, but the practical fit depends on willingness to implement and maintain the chosen setup. It is less suitable for a team that wants functional support bundled with bug fixes or wants to avoid infrastructure and implementation decisions.

Pros and cons

Pros: Broad coverage from recruitment and onboarding to payroll and income tax can consolidate varied HR operations.
Pros: Custom forms, workflows, reports, and dashboards allow organizations to adapt the system to their processes.
Pros: Free, open-source licensing and self-hosting provide deployment choice, while ERPNext accounting integration benefits users of that system.
Cons: The free software price does not remove hosting and implementation costs; even a VPS adds costs for email, security, backups, setup, and maintenance.
Cons: Product Warranty excludes functional support, so organizations may need to arrange partner help or handle user support themselves.
Cons: Choosing between self-hosting and cloud infrastructure requires weighing cost, maintenance, and deployment needs rather than simply selecting a software tier.

Alternatives

TalentHR is worth considering for a small team that wants core HR tools on a free plan capped at 10 active users; its stated platforms include Android, iOS, API, and web.

IceHrm is another freemium option with self-hosted support and stated coverage for employee profiles, attendance, payroll, documents, projects and timesheets, and reports.

Happy HR is an alternative for organizations focused on free recruitment software and job advertising.

Zoho People may suit a very small team looking for a free plan capped at five users.

Runtime HRMS offers a free plan for five employees and a paid plan that includes 10 employees, a mobile app, payroll, and HR management.

WebHR is an option for organizations considering a free plan for five employees or a prepaid yearly plan for up to 1,000 employees.

factoHR offers a free plan for up to 20 employees and a Core plan for up to 50 employees billed yearly.

Rippling is another HR software option.

Verdict

Choose Frappe HR if you want broad HR and payroll coverage, meaningful customization, and the option to self-host or connect with ERPNext accounting. Its strongest case is flexibility without a software license charge; its main drawback is that hosting, implementation, maintenance, and functional support remain separate decisions and costs. Organizations seeking a more managed experience with less implementation responsibility should look elsewhere.

	Frappe HR	SmartOffice
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	Yes	Yes
Paid from	$5/mo
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, self-hosted, Web	Web
Free plan	Yes	No
Employee records	Yes	Yes
Time-off management	Yes	Yes
Employee onboarding	Yes	Yes
Performance management	Yes	Yes
Time tracking	Yes	Yes
Mobile apps	Yes

Frappe HR vs SmartOffice

Frappe HR

SmartOffice