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There are seemingly countless onboarding software solutions available, so figuring out which is best for you is tough. You want to simplify the process of integrating new employees into a company, handling paperwork, training, and initial tasks, but need to figure out which tool is the best fit. In this post, I make things simple, leveraging my experience as an HR and recruitment specialist using dozens of different onboarding tools, to bring you this shortlist of the best onboarding software.

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Best Onboarding Software Comparison Chart

Here’s a comparison chart that summarizes basic details about each of my top onboarding software selections. You can view pricing details and the availability of free trials or demos side-by-side to help you find the best software for your budget and business needs.

Tools Price
Deel Flat rate user pricing, with a free version for businesses with up to 200 people
Trakstar Pricing upon request
ClearCompany Pricing upon request
BambooHR Pricing upon request
Rippling From $8/user/month (EOR pricing upon request)
WeSchool From $49/month (25 licenses)
Absorb LMS Pricing upon request
TalentReef Pricing upon request
iSpring Learn From $2.87/user/month (billed annually)
Leapsome From $8/user/month
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Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.

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How to Choose Onboarding Software

Onboarding software can help you organize all elements of your orientation process for new employees, providing a smoother and better experience. To help you figure out which onboarding software best fits your needs, you need to pinpoint your key users and document their specific challenges first.

As you work through your own unique onboarding software selection process, keep the following points in mind:

  • What problem are you trying to solve - Start by identifying the challenges you're trying to overcome. This will help you clarify the features and functionality the onboarding software needs to provide.
  • Who will need to use it - To evaluate cost and requirements, consider who will be using the software and how many licenses you'll need. You'll need to evaluate if it'll just be your senior HR professionals who need admin-level access or your entire department. Once that's clear, it's also useful to rank the needs of your different users to identify the key priorities for your power users, managers, and employees, to ensure they're all met.
  • What other tools it needs to work with - Clarify what tools you're replacing, what tools are staying, and the tools you'll need to integrate with, such as training management software, learning management systems, or HR management systems. You'll need to decide if the tools will need to integrate together, or alternatively, if you can replace multiple tools with an all-in-one learning platform.
  • What outcomes are important - Review the capabilities you want to gain or improve, and how you will be measuring success. For example, you may want to digitize your entire onboarding process to work better for remote employees, or house all your onboarding activities within one platform rather than asking your new staff to switch between tools. You could compare onboarding software features until you’re blue in the face but if you aren’t thinking about the outcomes you want to achieve, you'll waste a lot of valuable time.
  • How it would work within your organization - Consider the software selection alongside your existing workflows and systems. Evaluate what's working well, and the areas that are causing issues that need to be addressed.

Remember every business is different — don’t assume that because a tool is popular that it's automatically the best fit for your organization.

Best Onboarding Software Reviews

In this section, I’ve included a brief description of each onboarding software system and explained what each does best to help you find the best system for you. I’ve also included a screenshot of each to show you their user interface too.

Best for onboarding employees and contractors worldwide

  • Free demo available
  • Flat rate user pricing, with a free version for businesses with up to 200 people
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Deel is a full-scale HR platform that brings a global approach to onboarding, allowing HR teams to provide a seamless and unified experience to any worker, no matter their location. It offers a secure and compliant solution for businesses to manage employee data, automate workflows, and set up local benefits and payroll.

Why I picked Deel: Their employer of record service offers a simple and compliant way to hire and onboard employees using one of their 100+ local entities, while its contractor management service helps you collect necessary compliance paperwork and generate localized contractor agreements. In addition, Deel’s HR tools allow you to easily provision software access, send out company equipment, or initiate background checks too.

Deel Standout Features and Integrations:

Deel provides an easy-to-use interface that guides users through creating contracts, including a library of templates and clauses that you can pick from to customize your contracts and offer letters. Its employee onboarding tracker lets you add new employees to the system and track their progress throughout the orientation and onboarding process. Deel automatically keeps track of all documents and forms that need to be completed and allows users to securely sign and store compliance docs.

Integrations are available with Ashby, BambooHR, Expensify, Greenhouse, Hibob, Netsuite, Okta, OneLogin, Quickbooks, SCIM, Xero, Workday, and Workable, and more through the Deep API, allowing you to have a single source of truth for your workforce data.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Add-ons available for localized benefits and global payroll
  • Knowledgeable support staff
  • End-to-end global employee lifecycle management

Cons:

  • Limited customization for some tools
  • Contract templates could be simplified

Best for building onboarding programs connected to learning paths

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4.3/5

Trakstar Learn is a cloud-based learning management system that helps employers manage their onboarding process quickly and effectively. It simplifies the process of bringing new hires into an organization by automating many administrative tasks associated with onboarding, such as reviewing stacks of training materials.

Why I picked Trakstar Learn: Their LMS is customizable and allows you to create courses for your new employees to consume on demand. The platform also includes real-time analytics, customized forms, and automated reminders to ensure that all necessary steps are completed on time and without any errors. Trakstar’s user-friendly UI makes navigating through the various stages of the onboarding process easy. You can also customize their dashboard so that you only view the relevant information, without searching multiple menus or tabs, providing a better user experience.

Trakstar Learn Standout Features and Integrations:

Trakstar's business analytics expedite and improve the onboarding process. It provides administrators with access to real-time data captured through employee onboarding surveys, enabling them to track progress on goals and objectives for new employees. Through automated reporting capabilities, administrators can also monitor various performance indicators and key metrics from within the application, such as how quickly employees are mastering core tasks or how closely they're adhering to company-set standards.

Trakstar's integration with other leading HR technologies gives organizations access to further analytics functions, such as predictive HR forecasting and custom-built dashboards, helping organizations foster more cohesive work environments by integrating data from diverse sources into one holistic performance measure. Key software integrations to note include ADP Workforce Now, Azure Active Directory, BambooHR, Google Workspace, Office365, Okta, and Slack.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Training progress can be linked to specific employee performance goals
  • Strong team collaboration features
  • Integrates with other Trakstar modules

Cons:

  • Pricing details and plan features are not transparent
  • Small list of pre-built integrations

Best for an adaptable, paperless & mobile-friendly onboarding experience

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4.6/5

ClearCompany is a comprehensive talent management system with integrated modules that cover the full employee lifecycle, from applicant tracking to hiring and onboarding, employee engagement, performance management, and analytics. They're best for companies based in the U.S. and Canada.

Why I picked ClearCompany: Their modern system makes paperless onboarding simple with automated online delivery, tracking, collection, and storage of all forms and documents. You can save time and money while eliminating errors by using ClearCompany's smart forms, which put an end to redundant data entry by pre-filling previously entered information and validating data for formatting and accuracy.

ClearCompany Standout Features and Integrations:

Their integrated, behind-the-scenes compliance management tools also make their platform stand out. Without leaving their platform, you can check employment eligibility (for U.S. employees), run background checks, and verify tax forms like I-9's and W-4's. Their software also supports digital signatures, making the process of signing off on HR forms more user-friendly for your new staff.

Integrations are available with tools for background checks, skill assessments, calendars, job postings, payroll, benefits, and single sign-on (SSO) applications.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Easy to connect hired candidates into onboarding workflows
  • Referral Management feature tracks internal employee referrals
  • Recruiting and onboarding in the same platform

Cons:

  • User interface is a little bit dated
  • Pricing details are not transparent

Best HR onboarding for startups

  • 7-day free trial
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4.4/5

A staple in the startup world, BambooHR allows for a high level of customization for each new hire. This can be broken down by the job, the department, the location, and more. Onboarding tasks can be automated, with tasks assigned to the new hire, as well as to managers and other employees to help them on their way.

The simplicity and customization allows for a unique user experience for each hire. With the templates, you can make an onboarding guide aimed at specific roles, seniority, and departments for a better overall experience. Bamboo’s overall user experience makes it easy for the HR team to track progress and focus on the bigger picture of the onboarding process.

Bamboo has a number of common integrations that you see with other similar HR platforms, such as Workday, LinkedIn, Google, Slack, Microsoft, and other digital workplace apps.

BambooHR costs from $6.19/user/month and comes with a 7-day free trial.

Best workforce management platform built for onboarding and HR needs

  • Free demo available
  • From $8/user/month (EOR pricing upon request)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Rippling is an employee management platform with onboarding tools for administrative data entry, payroll, benefits enrollment, and learning management modules to streamline the welcome process for new team members. Instead of needing to rely on traditional paperwork and signatures, Rippling sends e-documentation to employees that can be signed electronically on the spot.

Rippling has a full feature suite for managing employee device set-up, configuration, security, and monitoring. Their IT onboarding tools ensure all workplace apps and software are installed and password protected before the employee ever gets to their desk. You can even control team password management (with single sign-on and multi-factor authentication) to ensure no one’s password is left as “1234” or “password.”

Rippling integrates with over 400+ apps, including Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, Asana, Zendesk, and more.

Rippling starts at $8/user/month and offers a free 30-minute demo.

Best solution for automating and personalizing onboarding experiences

  • 14-day free trial + free plan available
  • From $49/month (25 licenses)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.5/5

WeSchool is a learning management system (LMS) that guides businesses and educational institutions to create effective in-person and online courses, training programs, and other learning activities. But it goes a step further. WeSchool’s social learning features and easy-to-use interface engages users to favor retention and participation, which is further enhanced by its analytics and dashboard metrics.

Why I picked WeSchool: 

I chose WeSchool because not only is it much easier to use than other LMSs out there, but the platform guides you to create personalized training paths regardless of your level of experience. This platform simplifies the process of automating pre-boarding, monitoring workplace analytics, and fostering interaction among both new hires and current employees within a single digital workspace.

With WeSchool, you can create engaging and interactive onboarding paths, from company policies to paperwork and induction videos, with a simple drag-and-drop. Instructors can also easily create and manage courses, set up quizzes and assessments and upload or embed content directly into the platform or by uploading it from a service of their choice in whatever format they prefer. Moreover, organizations can seamlessly customize the look and feel of their WeSchool platform, allowing it to reflect their branding and be instantly recognizable to their users. 

The platform also offers a variety of communication touchpoints, including a discussion forum, private messaging, and conversations centered around content materials. These features enhance collaboration among users, ensuring a smooth and engaging learning experience. Finally, real-time data can be used to improve training experiences by understanding how users are engaging with onboarding materials, the total number of training materials completed, and the average time spent on individual assessments.

WeSchool Standout Features and Integrations

Features include AI-powered course creation and management, social learning features, assessment and engagement surveys creation, progress tracking, course usage reports, workplace analytics, communication tools (both private and public), organizational tools, live sessions, and a mobile app for learning on the go. You can also design your own certificates for course completion and personalize your learning environment.

Integrations include Single Sign-On, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zooms, Webex, and many other HR tools through the WeSchool API.

Best for engaging new employees through learning experiences

  • Free trial + free demo
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4.7/5

Absorb LMS is an award-winning learning management system with smart administrative features, high quality learner engagement tools, and even ecommerce options to sell your own custom built courses. All of this makes it an excellent solution for onboarding new employees with flexible training programs online.

Absorb LMS empowers organizations to onboard employees with the skills needed to stay modern and relevant in today's fast-paced world. Delivering employee onboarding training with Absorb LMS fuels employee confidence and productivity. Not only is it an intuitive online employee training software but—thanks to both the administrator and learner interfaces being designed to meet WCAG 2.0 accessibility standards—it's also one of the most accessible.

Absorb LMS has all the features and functionalities you'd expect from award-winning onboarding software, except it doesn't require a dedicated eLearning expert to use it. Whether you're training one hundred employees or one hundred thousand, with everyone under one roof or many, Absorb LMS uses automation and artificial intelligence to scale learning at SMBs and global corporations alike.

Absorb LMS integrates with ADP, Salesforce, Zoom and Microsoft Teams, and provides access to thousands of ready-to-use courses through content library partners such as BizLibrary, Skillsoft, and LinkedIn Learning.

Absorb LMS offers pricing upon request, as well as a free trial or free demo.

Best for recruiting and onboarding hourly workers

  • Free demo available
  • Pricing upon request
Visit Website
Rating: 4/5

TalentReef is a staffing software that caters to the needs of companies hiring hourly workers. It has recruiting and hiring tools to help you find the best candidates for your open roles, and it can facilitate new employee onboarding and performance management for your existing team.

Why I picked TalentReef: The software allows you to manage multiple job boards and parse through resumes as people apply to your open roles. You can create customized workflows for how candidates move through the hiring process, ensuring EEOC compliance. Once you've found the right fit for a role, you can send the candidate a personalized offer.

You can run background checks and have tax forms filled out by new hires easily through the software. Once an employee is up and running, you can set goals with them and schedule regular performance check-ins. Position and pay changes can also be managed, ensuring employee records stay up-to-date and reflective of their standing.

TalentReef Standout Features and Integrations

Features include chat applications, SMS management, branded career pages, job board management, applicant tracking, interview scheduling, a talent community, campaign communications, onboarding, compliance, performance management, and reporting and analytics tools.

Integrations include various job boards and social media platforms, payroll and HRIS systems, training and LMS software, POS systems, and background check services.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Customizable workflows and templates
  • Specifically designed for the needs of hourly workers
  • Recruitment, onboarding, and talent management in one place

Cons:

  • May not be suited to salaried workers
  • Pricing is not transparent

Best for building customized new hire training in multiple languages

  • 30-day free trial
  • From $2.87/user/month (billed annually)
Visit Website
Rating: 4.6/5

iSpring Learn is a cloud-based learning management system (LMS) from iSpring Solutions. It's designed to facilitate online corporate training, serving as a platform for companies of all sizes to create and launch eLearning content quickly.

Why I picked iSpring Learn: Their LMS system is a great choice for organizations that have a lot of training requirements built into their onboarding process, since you can easily customize their training portal to match your corporate identity. This includes adding corporate logos and favicons, and applying the desired color schemes.

There's also the localization aspect, which enables training managers to easily translate the user portal into any language to accommodate new learners. This can help organizations who are multinational train their workforce at scale. Using their localization feature, platform admins can assign a specific language version of the portal to every subsidiary or branch office around the globe.

iSpring Learn Standout Features and Integrations:

iSpring Learn features an intuitive user interface that’s easy to use for training managers as well as learners. One of their core features is the content management function, which allows you to either upload or create your own content right within the platform. You can upload content in various formats, including PowerPoint presentations (PPT), video tutorials (MP4 or FLV), audio lectures (WAV or MP3), and complete eLearning courses in SCORM. The LMS also supports Flash clips (SWF) as well as other supplementary document formats like XLS, DOC, and PDF.

Integrations are available natively with ADP, BambooHR, Salesforce, Workday, and Zoom. Or, additional integrations can be configured using their REST/SOAP API.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Works on mobile devices
  • Easy to create onboarding workflows
  • Creates a branded learning environment

Cons:

  • More software integrations would be welcomed
  • Convoluted pricing rubric (many add-on options)

Best to manage learning, performance, and engagement

  • 14-day free trial
  • From $8/user/month
Visit Website
Rating: 4.8/5

Leapsome offers an employee onboarding tool that helps organizations connect the dots between learning, engagement, and performance. Chosen by companies like Spotify, Northvolt, and Babbel, Leapsome enables a continuous cycle of performance management and personalized learning that powers the growth of your people and business.

Why I picked Leapsome: With Leapsome, you can bring new hires up to speed with content that is easy to sequence and customize for specific teams or functions within the company. Team leads can control the pace of learning paths to make sure that people spend the right time on each module. Plus, you can define intervals and milestones in the progression of each path.

Leapsome Standout Features & Integrations:

Leapsome enables you to design and publish quizzes to test the effectiveness of your learning paths and gauge how individuals absorb the information. Using this, you can check on the learning progress of your employees to understand exactly what is working and what needs tweaking within the process.

Integrations are available with HRIS systems, SSO, and other workflow tools.

Other Onboarding Software

Here are a few more worthwhile options that didn’t make the best onboarding software list:

  1. SkyPrep

    Best for streamlining the employee onboarding process

  2. Trainual

    Best business playbook software

  3. Looop

    Best learning management system (LMS) tools

  4. Enboarder

    Best for onboarding, transitions, and reboarding

  5. Qualtrics Employee Experience

    Best enterprise-grade onboarding software

  6. Eddy

    Best for small, local businesses with deskless workers

  7. Kallidus Sapling

    Best for creating engaging preboarding workflows

  8. Atlas

    Best for onboarding remote employees in 160+ countries

  9. Newired

    Best onboarding software with contextual overlays

  10. Constructor

    Best for customizing onboarding programs

If you still haven't found what you're looking for here, check out these other related tools that we've tested and evaluated:

Selection Criteria for Onboarding Software

Selecting the best onboarding software for this list requires a deep understanding of the onboarding process and how common pain points can be alleviated by choosing the right tool. Drawing on my personal HR experience, including nine years of onboarding employees, I developed a comprehensive approach to evaluating onboarding software. My experience also made it easier to highlight each system's standout onboarding features — features I wish I'd had in the past!

Core Onboarding Software Functionalities (25% of total score): To create this list, I started out by evaluating and comparing a wide range of HR software systems with dedicated onboarding checklists and workflows. For a software system to land a spot on my long list, it needed to fulfill the following basic use cases:

  • Automation tools for repetitive onboarding tasks
  • Tools to support digital learning for in-office, hybrid, or fully remote employees
  • Self-service access to essential information for new hires
  • Progress tracking tools for both administrators and new hires
  • Software integrations with HR database systems (or be a module within an existing HR system) to simplify data management

Additional Standout Features (25% of total score): To help me hone in on the best onboarding software available, I also took note of any unique features, including:

  • Advanced AI-driven personalization options for learning paths based on roles
  • Gamification tools for onboarding processes to maximize engagement
  • Advanced analytics and predictive insights that monitor the success of individual onboarding components
  • Robust integration capabilities that cut down on manual data entry and provide a better experience for HR administrators and new hires alike

Usability (10% of total score): To evaluate the usability of each onboarding tool, I considered the following:

  • An intuitive design that simplifies complex processes
  • A clean, user-friendly interface that you can customize with your company branding to enhance the user experience
  • Quick access to essential features without overwhelming users
  • Role-based access control that's straightforward to configure
  • Administrative tools to ensure the day-one onboarding experience is intuitive, fun, logical, and well-paced

Customer Onboarding (10% of total score): To get a sense of each software provider's customer onboarding process, I considered the following factors:

  • Quick setup processes and clear guidance for first-time users, including customizable templates
  • The availability of training materials such as videos or interactive tutorials
  • Support for migrating data from previous systems into the new platform

Customer Support (10% of total score): To evaluate the level of customer support each vendor offered, I considered the following:

  • The availability of multiple support channels, including email, phone, and chat
  • The existence of a self-service knowledge base or other self-help resources to speed up troubleshooting
  • The overall quality, responsiveness, and helpfulness of the support team during customer onboarding and post-purchase, as inferred from customer reviews

Value for Price (10% of final score): To gauge the value of each software, I considered the following factors:

  • The availability of free trials or demos to test the software before purchasing
  • Transparent pricing models that clearly explain which features are included at each level
  • Tiered pricing plans that cater to different business sizes, from small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) up to enterprise-level organizations

Customer Reviews (10% of final score): Evaluating customer reviews is the final element of my selection process, which helps me understand how well a product performs in the hands of real users. Here are the factors I considered:

  • Whether a product has consistently high ratings across multiple review platforms, indicating a broad level of user satisfaction
  • Specific praises, criticisms, or trends in customer feedback that indicate the software's strengths or areas for improvement
  • Whether customer feedback specifically mentions issues with ease of use, customer support responsiveness, or lacking features

By using this assessment framework, I was able to identify the onboarding software that goes beyond basic requirements to offer additional value through unique features, intuitive usability, smooth onboarding, effective support, and overall value for price.

Onboarding processes are always evolving, driven by advances in technology as well as shifting workplace structures. Here are some trends that are currently developing in the onboarding software space:

  • Remote and Hybrid Onboarding Solutions: With remote and hybrid work arrangements continuing to dominate many industries, onboarding software has become more specialized for remote employees. These solutions have started incorporating more elements from employee engagement software, including tools to enhance team cohesion, culture, and communication, regardless of an employee's physical location.

    Are you plugged into this trend? If you're not sure, these tips for effectively onboarding remote employees will bring you up to speed quickly.
  • AI and Automation: Using AI-driven onboarding software makes it easier to personalize the onboarding process for your new hires, and by personalize I don't just mean filling in a field with the new hire's name. A truly personalized onboarding process takes into account each person's role in the company and the specific set of skills they will need to acquire, and in which order. Using AI in this strategic way can enhance the efficiency of your onboarding process by focusing on the most important and foundational aspects of integrating each person into the team first.
  • Data-Driven Onboarding Practices: As onboarding software becomes more specific, the data and analytics that these systems collect have increased in quality as well. Your HR professionals will be able to review their onboarding data to track, measure, and analyze all the key metrics that relate to their new hire orientation process. For example, they can dig into which onboarding items appear to take too long to complete or remain incomplete despite automatic reminders. This signals to your team that those items are likely confusing, or should be broken down into smaller tasks to make it more achievable.
  • Increased Focus on Employee Well-Being: Some onboarding platforms have begun incorporating features to monitor new hires' mental and emotional health as part of the onboarding process, such as pulse check-in prompts that ask your employees how they're feeling at the start or end of each day, or requests for feedback at the end of each orientation training session. It may also include an increased focus on offering your new hires links to employee resources, such as an employee directory, a dynamic org chart, or a Frequently Asked Questions wiki to solve common issues.

    If you're wondering how your most recent new hires feel about their orientation process, consider administering an onboarding survey. Not sure where to start? Read Onboarding Surveys: A Complete Guide With Questions.
  • Continuous Learning and Development: A proper onboarding period can last between 6 to 12 months, depending on the role requirements. Modern onboarding software has started to support a more continuous approach to employee learning and development, allowing managers to create 30-60-90 day plans, and beyond. Other features that support continuous learning include internal mentorship matches or onboarding buddies, task shadowing, and integrations with internal training or learning management systems.

    If you need help expanding the reach of your onboarding program, this article might help: How to Write a 30 60 90 Day Plan for Your Org's Onboarding + Template.

Investing in onboarding software that leverages these trends — such as the systems in this list — will help you create a more welcoming, holistic, strategic, and far-reaching onboarding program. And doing so is sure to positively impact your employee retention in the long run.

What is Onboarding Software?

Onboarding software is a digital tool designed to efficiently manage and facilitate the process of welcoming and integrating new employees into an organization. Key features of onboarding software include automated paperwork processing, employee training modules, task assignment tracking, and tools for communication and information sharing.

The purpose of onboarding software is to efficiently integrate new employees into a company, ensuring a smooth transition and quick adaptation to their roles.

Features of Onboarding Software

The specific features included in each onboarding system will depend on the type of software you choose (a standalone tool versus a module within an HR management system or an L&D-focused system). However, these are the key features I assessed when selecting the best onboarding software for this list:

  • Customizable Onboarding Checklists: Many systems offer the ability to tailor onboarding requirements for different roles using digital checklists. Doing so ensures that the hiring manager and new employee both have a transparent record of the tasks that need to be completed.
  • Automated Workflows: The best employee onboarding software allows your power users (your HR team) to create criteria and triggers to automate HR processes across the employee lifecycle, eliminating repetitive tasks.
  • Electronic Documents and e-signatures: Official papers can either be paperless through the onboarding system or scanned into the system for document management purposes. As well, many systems simplify the process by supporting electronic signatures on internal documents, avoiding the need to print documents out. 
  • Employee Self-Service Portal: Streamlining your onboarding tasks through a self-service portal allows your new hires to complete paperwork, access training materials, and find essential information independently, reducing the amount of assistance required to get your new staff on track.
  • Training Modules: Onboarding includes a lot of process orientation and employee training; software can help organize, facilitate, and track learning initiatives and certifications on your behalf automatically. 
  • Social Integration Features: Onboarding tools should connect new employees to the names, faces, and contact information of the people who can help them, especially your core human resources staff and immediate team members.
  • Company Wiki: Well-organized information and FAQs are extremely useful for any new employee needing basic how-to information, organizational charts, and company culture guidance.
  • Self-service Benefits Administration: Onboarding software may include the ability to sign up for company benefits like health care, parking passes, and supply requests, which can all be done virtually.
  • Employee Feedback: The ability to collect feedback and questions across the onboarding process helps ensure employees feel satisfied with the structure and pace of their onboarding tasks.
  • Analytics & Reporting: You can gain insights into the effectiveness of your onboarding process with detailed analytics and reporting. This data helps identify areas for improvement and ensures the onboarding experience meets the needs of new hires and the organization.

By focusing on these features, companies can ensure their onboarding software provides a comprehensive, efficient, and engaging start for new employees. The right software not only simplifies administrative tasks but also plays a critical role in building a solid foundation for new hire success and long-term employee engagement.

Benefits of Onboarding Software

Onboarding software is designed to help organizations automate and optimize the onboarding process with the goal of enhancing both the employee experience and organizational efficiency.

By selecting the best onboarding software for your needs, you can expect to gain the following benefits:

  • Streamlined Administrative Processes: Onboarding software reduces the time and effort required to complete paperwork and administrative tasks, minimizing the manual workload associated with new hire documentation and compliance.
  • Improved New Hire Engagement: Onboarding software offers interactive and personalized learning paths that help new hires feel welcomed and valued from day one, increasing job satisfaction and morale.
  • Consistency in Onboarding Experiences: By delivering a uniform onboarding experience, companies can maintain high standards of training and integration, regardless of department or location, ensuring every new hire receives the same level of information and support.
  • Faster Time to Productivity: Through structured training modules and easy access to essential resources, employees can quickly learn about their roles and responsibilities, significantly reducing the time it takes for them to settle into their roles and contribute effectively to their teams.
  • Data-Driven Insights & Reporting: With detailed analytics and reporting features, organizations can continuously improve their onboarding strategies based on real user data, uncovering areas that need future adjustments.

Investing in the right onboarding software can transform how organizations welcome new employees, laying the foundation for a successful and productive working relationship.

Costs & Pricing for Onboarding Software

Pricing for onboarding software varies widely due to the fact that there are different sub-types of onboarding software on the market. Some onboarding platforms are standalone tools, whereas others are a dedicated module within an HR management system or onboarding-specific workflows with a learning management system.

Below, I've broken down the typical plan options you'll encounter, including a free option that's well-suited to small businesses looking to try out a software system before committing to a contract.

Plan Comparison Table for Onboarding Software

Plan TypeAverage PriceCommon Features Included
Free$0Basic onboarding features, limited user access, and essential integrations
Basic$4-7 per user/monthAutomated workflows, electronic document management, and self-service portals
Standard$8-15 per user/monthCustomizable onboarding checklists, e-signature capability, and integration with HR systems
Premium$16-30 per user/monthAdvanced analytics and reporting, training and development tools, and performance tracking
EnterpriseCustom pricingCustom integrations, advanced security features, dedicated support, and unlimited access
A breakdown of onboarding software plans and pricing details depending on the level of features required.


When considering which plan to choose, it's essential to assess not only the immediate needs of your organization but also future requirements as you scale. Start with a plan that meets your current demands while keeping an eye on features that will support your growth. Remember, the best choice balances functionality, scalability, and cost.

Onboarding Software: Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to frequently asked questions you may have about HR onboarding software and how it can help you create a positive employee experience for your new hires:

What is onboarding?

Onboarding is the process of bringing new employees up-to-speed as they get settled into their new roles with your company. This includes everything from meeting the team, accessing and learning the company’s technology, understanding their roles and responsibilities, completing any required internal or health & safety training, and more.

The onboarding timeframe can last anywhere from one day to one year, depending on the role. However, it is most commonly completed within 2 to 4 weeks. Even though it does cost time and resources to properly onboard new hires, it’s well worth the investment. Research has shown that a good onboarding experience can increase employee retention by up to 82% and productivity by 70%.

Why is onboarding important?

A well-designed and thoughtful onboarding process is important because it has lasting impacts on the way your new hires will feel towards your company. They’ll form their first impression quickly, and many research studies have shown the positive impacts a proper onboarding program can have.

Here are some key statistics to help me make my point:

  • Employees who undergo extensive onboarding programs will become competent in their roles 34 times faster than colleagues with limited onboarding experiences.
  • 92% of new employees credit an effective onboarding program to feeling productive and valued within their first month in a new role.
  • Employee who participated in a structured and engaging onboarding program are 69% more likely to remain with a company for three years or longer.
  • Other research has shown that positive onboarding processes can improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by 70%.
  • Meanwhile, a poor onboarding experience makes an employee twice as likely to search for a new position.

I could go on and on (believe me), but I think you get my point. If you’re struggling with your employee retention, improving your onboarding experience could be a key piece in your puzzle. And, with the help of onboarding software, you’ll soon be welcoming your future new hires like a pro.

How long does onboarding take?

Employee onboarding generally takes between 2 weeks up to 6 months or even a year. It ultimately depends on factors like the role the employee is starting, the complexity of your business, the employee’s background and experience, and more. According to Gallup, it takes around 12 months for new hires to fully perform in their role.

The truth is, new employees continue to learn and adapt to your workplace over time. So encouraging employees to be learners from their first day onward is a key to their successful onboarding at your organization.

What are the phases of onboarding?

Generally there are considered to be 4 distinct phases of new employee onboarding. Here’s each one, and what it means:

  1. Pre-onboarding (or ‘preboarding‘): Preparing for your new hire to join the team. For example, getting their accounts and equipment set up, putting together a checklist or schedule for them, and getting documentation ready and completed.
  2. Onboarding: The period of time specifically set aside for a new employee to get their footing. This usually includes meet and greets; accessing technology; learning about the company’s mission, vision, and values; and gaining a deeper understanding of their role.
  3. Training: Once an employee is settled in, they’re ready for job-specific learning. This might include hands-on training, shadowing a peer, or working through a modular training program virtually or in-person.
  4. Transitioning: This is the phase where a new hire begins to embody their role. They’re ready to take on more complex tasks and managers can take a more hands-off approach. At this phase, an employee is an established member of the team and contributing consistent value in their day-to-day.

Are there different types of onboarding software?

There certainly are different subsets of onboarding software, and I’ve taken care to give you a blend of options within this list. The three main types of HR onboarding software are as follows:

  • An integrated onboarding module or workflow that is part of a larger HR management system (e.g., a human resources information system [HRIS], human capital management [HCM] system, or human resource management system [HRMS])
  • A software solution focused on employee training and learning & development (a great choice for onboarding processes that are very training-heavy, such as for safety-sensitive positions)
  • A standalone workflow or task management software that functions as a virtual checklist for onboarding tasks (a great choice for small businesses wanting to improve their onboarding process without a large financial investment)
  • While change management software is typically associated with managing organizational changes and transitions, it can also support the onboarding of new employees or team members

The best choice for you will depend on the nature of your business and the depth of your new hire orientation requirements.

Are there any free employee onboarding software systems?

Free-forever software is hard to come by, and I have to say, anything completely free isn’t going to offer you the benefits of the paid plans described above. However, if you really can’t afford to invest in HR onboarding software just yet, you can make improvements to your onboarding process using the tools you have.

In a previous role, I completely overhauled my company’s orientation process using a combination of onboarding checklists in Word and PDF documents, with hyperlinks to the employee training resources each person needed to complete. Once the documents came back to me, I updated the information in a massive Excel spreadsheet with formulas incorporated to help me track our training compliance.

Even though this got the job done, I had no way of monitoring where staff were in their onboarding tasks, and no means of automating reminders or collecting electronic signatures either. Instead, I had to send out individual emails to remind staff to return their forms to me. I would have absolutely preferred to have used one of the onboarding software systems mentioned above as it would have saved me countless hours of menial admin work!

If you’re in a similar situation, take a look at our Free New Hire Checklist Template for Employers to help you get started.

How do I onboard remote employees?

New hire onboarding can be tricky even when they’re in the office, surrounded by their new team members and peers. You want your new recruit to feel welcomed and prepared for their first day, and that can be tricky when they’re on the other side of a screen. Here are some tips to get remote employee onboarding right:

  • Outline an onboarding workflow that’s specifically designed for remote employees. Include things like getting access to accounts, reading the employee handbook, and virtual meet and greets with team members.
  • Give your new employee a list of all the SaaS tools and apps they’ll be using in their day-to-day. This includes project management software, time tracking apps, performance management tools, HR platforms, and communication software.
  • Create interactive experiences for new hires. It could be fun quizzes about the company, a scavenger hunt to help them tick off their onboarding checklist, or social training through a learning management system (LMS).
  • Keep a record for every new employee that includes their background check, offer letter, personal information, and other important paperwork. You might be able to do this with your applicant tracking system or onboarding platform.

How can you digitize and automate HR onboarding?

Today, making use of technology is a natural part of all stages of the employee lifecycle. Companies in all industries are seeking out ways of digitizing their processes and alleviating manual workloads. And this goes just as much for onboarding new employees as anything else.

Many of the HR onboarding software on this list have features and functionalities that help you digitize and automate your onboarding process. Here are some of the ways you can use technology to your advantage for employee onboarding:

  • Digitizing documents like contracts and policies and using e-signatures.
  • Using an employee database to manage contact and other important information.
  • Creating virtual calendars for new hires to manage their tasks with.
  • Giving new employees a digital checklist of items to complete in their first 30, 60, and 90 days.
  • Providing a digital org chart that employees can easily refer to.
  • Setting up automatic notifications for when onboarding tasks are completed, or when they need attention.
  • Creating an automated workflow to streamline the onboarding process.

What is offboarding?

Offboarding covers the very end of the employee lifecycle. It’s the phase where an employee has decided to leave the company and you offboard them from your payroll and other related systems. While it follows a different process then onboarding, it’s actually just an altered workflow within the same type of system — either dedicated onboarding/offboarding software, or a module within an HR management system.

I’ve personally offboarded hundreds of employees myself. If you need extra help with your offboarding process, I’ve got several resources to help you. Here are my tips for how to nail your offboarding process, plus tips on how to conduct a proper exit interview with your departing staff.

What security features do these onboarding platforms offer?

Since onboarding platforms are designed to collect sensitive employee data, they need to have robust security and data protection mechanisms in place. They commonly offer features like end-to-end encryption, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and compliance with global data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA). These measures ensure that personal and financial information is stored and transmitted securely, minimizing the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access.

What is the typical learning curve for onboarding software?

The learning curve for new users can vary widely between onboarding systems. Solutions designed with user-friendliness in mind typically offer intuitive interfaces, comprehensive onboarding tutorials, and responsive customer support to facilitate a smoother transition. However, more complex systems with extensive customization options might require additional training. Choosing a system that aligns with the technical proficiency of your HR team and employees is essential.

Do onboarding solutions offer analytics or reporting features?

Yes, many onboarding solutions provide analytics and reporting features to help HR teams monitor the effectiveness of their onboarding processes. This includes tracking metrics such as time-to-productivity, completion rates of onboarding tasks, and new hire satisfaction levels. This data is crucial for identifying bottlenecks and areas for improvement in the onboarding experience.

Other Resources to Create a Top-Notch Onboarding Experience

Wondering what else you can do to create a better onboarding experience for your new staff? Don't sweat, we've got you covered! Here are a few other articles that will help you get the most out of your onboarding process:

Final Thoughts

This list contains a number of software types you can use to onboard new hires. Whether you're a small business or a Fortune 500 company, I'm confident something here will work for you. 

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By Kim Behnke

Kim Behnke is an HR Tool Expert & Writer for People Managing People. She draws on her 9 years of human resources experience and her keen eye for systematic processes to support her analyses of the top HR tools on the market. She is passionate about maximizing efficiencies and streamlining workflows to ensure internal systems run smoothly. Kim's HR experience includes recruitment, onboarding, performance management, training and development, policy development and enforcement, and HR analytics. She also has degrees in psychology, writing, publishing, and technical communication, and recently completed a Certified Digital HR Specialist program through the Academy to Innovate HR. When away from her desk, she can usually be found outside tending to her ever-expanding garden.