When you launched your startup and had maybe just three people crammed into the small office on top of the dry cleaners, handling HR and payroll was a non-issue.
Now, you’re growing, and your headcount is doubling. You’ve got 50+ employees across different states, and remote teams in Ukraine and Turkey. It goes without saying that your trusty Excel spreadsheet will not be able to keep up.
What you need now is an HR and payroll system that’s reliable, scalable, and perfect for growing startups. But which one should it be? The HR and payroll software market is so huge that revenue is expected to exceed $57 billion by 2034.
This figure tells you something important: HR and payroll software is no longer just a nice-to-have for growing startups; it’s key to managing the core infrastructure that keeps your company moving: its people.
To help point you in the right direction, let’s look at seven scalable HR and payroll systems you should consider for your growing startup in 2026.
1. Paylocity
Paylocity isn’t exactly new to the scene. Founded in 1997, this cloud-based HR platform has spent nearly three decades figuring out what growing businesses actually need. They went public in 2014 and have been quietly building one of the most comprehensive HCM platforms out there. The result? A unified suite of workforce management, payroll, talent, and benefits for growing startups.
Paylocity has consistently won several industry awards, including G2 recognition as a leader in Core HR, Payroll, Time & Expense, and Enterprise Payments.
Key Features
- Complete payroll processing with tax filing and compliance
- Recruiting and onboarding tools that sync smoothly
- Benefits administration, including health and 401k
- Performance management and compensation tools
- AI-powered scheduling to help manage shifts and workloads
BEST if you’re past the “we’re just figuring things out” stage and ready for something more structured. Paylocity works especially well if you want everything in one system instead of bouncing between different apps for hiring, payroll, benefits, and time tracking.
2. Rippling
Rippling was founded in 2016 by Parker Conrad (who also co-founded Zenefits) and boasts the ability to solve not just HR and payroll, but the entire employee operations for growing startups. Even though it’s not been very long on the scene, this company has grown explosively, hitting $570 million in revenue by 2025 and a $16.8 billion valuation.
Rippling offers powerful features at a competitive price, so startups can easily scale from a few employees to thousands.
Key Features
- Unified platform for HR, IT, and finance operations
- Benefits management, including health, 401 (k), and PTO requests
- Global payroll capabilities across 180+ countries
- App marketplace with 500+ integrations
- Automated onboarding and offboarding workflows
BEST if you’re planning to enter into new markets or you’re already managing a distributed team. Some say the platform can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll appreciate it.
3. Deel
Deel popularized the “hire anyone, anywhere” software category. Founded in 2019 by Alex Bouaziz, Shuo Wang, and Ofer Simon, Deel is built for today’s global-first startup, helping them hire, pay, and manage employees and contractors across countries with varying labor laws. In fact, Deel is synonymous with global payroll and compliance.
Key Features
- Employer of Record (EOR) services in 150+ countries
- Contractor management and payments
- Global payroll with local compliance
- AI-powered HR tools
- Benefits administration across countries
BEST if you’re thinking of tapping into global talent pools but don’t want to deal with the traditional headaches. Deel has built legal frameworks for 100+ countries, which means you can hire a developer in Brazil or a designer in Poland without setting up your own legal infrastructure.
4. BambooHR
BambooHR was launched in 2008 and, in less than two decades, has become one of the most trusted HRIS tools for small and mid-sized companies. It boasts a user-friendly interface and is well-suited to growing startups with 500 employees or fewer, looking to streamline HR and payroll operations.
It takes the stress out of HR and payroll, so your small team doesn’t feel overwhelmed.
Key Features
- Single source of truth for all employee data
- Applicant tracking system for recruiting
- Onboarding and offboarding functionality
- Performance management with customizable review cycles
- Payroll and benefits administration
BEST if you’re running a growing startup of say 50 to 500 people, and want a clean, easy-to-use system to manage hiring, PTO, employee records, and HR, without overpaying.
5. HiBob
HiBob is often called the Instagram of HR because of its intuitive design and people-first interface. Launched in 2015 by Ronni Zehavi and team, HiBob has quickly become one of the fastest-growing HR platforms in the mid-market, and has, in just ten years, consistently made it onto the Forbes Cloud 100 list.
Key Features:
- Consumer-grade user interface
- Core HR and people management
- Centralized payroll management
- Bob hiring (integrated ATS)
- Bob learning (LMS for training)
- Compensation management
- 360° Performance reviews
According to HR analyst Josh Bersin, HiBob is one of the software companies that successfully cracked the code on user experience. So, HiBob is BEST if design and user experience matter to your team.
6. Zoho People
Zoho People is the HR management platform of Zoho Cloud software line, and it’s part of a larger suite of 55+ business applications.
Launched in 2008 to simplify HR administration for businesses, it has quickly evolved into a full employee experience platform. Zoho People delivers a full-on-HRIS solution that’s modular, customizable, and affordable, making it a favourite for small–medium orgs or budget-conscious startups.
Key Features:
- Entire employee lifecycle management
- Core HR, including leave, attendance, shifts, and more
- Performance management
- Integrated payroll, including deductions, and compliance
- Integration with 45+ other Zoho apps (and 500+ external apps)
BEST if you want an affordable, scalable HR and payroll system that connects seamlessly with most of the tools you already use. Zoho People gives you a customizable, flexible, all-in-one HRIS that grows as you grow.
7. Gusto
Gusto is an all-in-one HR platform designed specifically for small and medium-sized businesses. Launched in 2011, it offers user-friendly payroll, benefits, and HR tools that scale as you grow, making it a great choice for startups with minimal needs or those planning to start taking on remote teams within the USA.
Key Features:
- Multi-state payroll management, including tax and compliance
- Employee benefits administration, including 401(k) and health insurance
- Digital onboarding for remote hires
- Integrates with most business apps
- Complete HR tools, including employee data, time-off, and performance management
BEST if you’re a fast-growing startup with under a few hundred employees looking for a friendly, affordable, and streamlined way to manage payroll + HR without needing a huge HR team. Gusto’s tax and compliance feature only covers the USA, though.
Wrapping Up
There you have it. The top 7 scalable HR and payroll systems for fast-growing startups in 2026. So, which one is right for you? The truth is that it depends.
For one thing, you need to think about where you’ll be in a few years, because a system that works well for 200 employees might struggle with 2000. And if possible, talk to other founders to know the HR and payroll system they’re using. Sometimes, it takes just one small conversation to point you in the right direction.