Personio vs Factorial: HR for onboarding staff
Personio is the better fit when you have a dedicated HR person and hire often: onboarding, recruiting, absences and performance reviews sit in one system built around European labour rules, with solid reporting. Factorial suits smaller companies replacing HR spreadsheets, where staff clock in, request time off and submit expenses from the app. Factorial starts at $8 a month in our data, while Personio does not publish a price we could confirm. Choose by who runs HR, not by headcount alone.
Which one to pick
You have an HR manager, hire several people a quarter, and want onboarding steps, documents and reports in one system that also prepares data for payroll.
You run a team of up to a few dozen without HR staff, need time tracking, absences and expenses in a mobile app, and want a low entry price to start.
Side by side
Questions
Which handles onboarding better?
Personio lists onboarding as a core module next to recruiting and employee records, which suits companies that hire on a schedule. Factorial keeps people data and documents in one place, so a new starter's contract and details are ready on day one. If you onboard someone every month, Personio's structure helps. If you hire a few times a year, Factorial covers the basics.
How much do Personio and Factorial cost?
Factorial starts at $8 a month according to our data. Personio does not show a price we could confirm, so ask for a quote. Neither has a free plan in our data. Costs at both depend on headcount and the modules you add.
Do they run payroll?
Factorial includes payroll among its modules. Personio prepares payroll data, such as absences and salary changes, for your payroll provider or tax adviser. Check how each one works with your country's payroll before you sign. Many small companies keep their existing payroll partner and feed it from the HR tool.
Are they GDPR compliant?
Both are European companies, Personio from Munich and Factorial from Barcelona. Personio says it built the product around European labour rules and GDPR. Sign the data processing agreement with whichever you pick. Set access rights so managers only see their own team's records.
Can employees use them on their phones?
Factorial's app lets staff clock in and request time off from their phones. For shop floors, kitchens or field teams without desks, mobile clock-in matters most. Test it with two employees before rolling it out.