OrangeHRM review: free open-source HR software plus paid Advanced HRMS. Compare features, PEPM pricing, and alternatives like BambooHR and Zoho People.
OrangeHRM is a long-established human resource management system (HRMS) founded in 2005 by Sujee Saparamadu, now headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey, with a global team spread across Asia, North America, and Europe. It is one of the most widely deployed open-source HR platforms in the world, having built its reputation over two decades before many modern cloud HR SaaS competitors existed.
The product follows a two-tier model: a completely free, open-source Starter edition suited to smaller, tech-savvy organizations, and a paid Advanced edition with enterprise-grade features, modular add-ons, and both cloud and on-premises deployment options.
The free Starter edition includes HR administration, employee records management, PTO/leave management, reporting and analytics, performance management, recruitment, time tracking, a mobile app, onboarding/offboarding, an employee request desk, and career development and training tools, covering the core needs of a small-to-mid-size HR function out of the box.
The paid Advanced edition builds on this foundation with expanded, modular capabilities, letting organizations select and add specific modules such as deeper payroll integration and advanced recruitment or performance tooling as their needs grow, available on a flexible cloud-hosted or on-premises basis.
OrangeHRM Starter is completely free and open source, with no cost for the core HR platform, making it accessible to small businesses and startups willing to self-host.
OrangeHRM Advanced is priced on a per-employee-per-month (PEPM) basis with a custom quote required from OrangeHRM's sales team, and includes a 30-day free trial for organizations to evaluate premium features like advanced recruitment, performance management, and payroll integration before committing.
Yes, the Starter edition is completely free and open source, covering core HR administration, leave management, recruitment, and more. The Advanced edition is a paid, per-employee-per-month product.
OrangeHRM was founded in 2005 by Sujee Saparamadu and is now headquartered in Secaucus, New Jersey, with a global team.
OrangeHRM Advanced is priced on a per-employee-per-month (PEPM) basis with a custom quote from OrangeHRM's sales team, and includes a 30-day free trial.
Yes, the open-source Starter edition can be self-hosted, and the Advanced edition also offers an on-premises deployment option alongside cloud hosting.
The free Starter edition is popular with organizations around 20-50 employees, while the paid Advanced edition scales to larger mid-market and enterprise organizations.
Common alternatives include BambooHR, Zoho People, Gusto, and Rippling, though OrangeHRM differentiates itself with a free open-source option.
OrangeHRM supports payroll through integrations and modules within the Advanced edition rather than as a single universal built-in payroll engine for every region.