HR Software for Nonprofits in 2026: Staff Records, Payroll, Volunteers and Low-Cost Options

No HR product in Enlisted's catalogue is built only for nonprofits, so the practical question is which general HR tools are used by charities and what they say to nonprofit buyers. BambooHR, Paycor, Paylocity and Gusto each have a nonprofit page on their own sites. For tight budgets, Zoho People and CitoHR have free plans, and Frappe HR is open source.

This guide to HR software for nonprofits covers ten products grouped by job: paid suites with nonprofit pages, low-cost hosted options, open-source systems you host yourself, and one tool for volunteer shifts. Enlisted's own descriptions of these HR tools do not mention nonprofits, so the nonprofit points below come from vendors' pages and are attributed to them. Rules on payroll, tax and charity reporting vary by country, so this is not legal or tax advice.

How we picked

Enlisted looked for HR tools with a listing in the HR category whose vendor pages address nonprofits, or that suit a small team on a limited budget. Enlisted's data shows each product's licence or pricing model, whether there is a free plan or trial, and, for open-source projects, whether you can self-host and how recently the code changed. Tools built only for recruiting, resumes or enterprise HR are left out. Anything nonprofit-specific is repeated only where the vendor's own pages say it. Read how Enlisted ranks tools for the method and browse the HR category for the wider list.

Best paid HR and payroll suites with a nonprofit page

These four vendors speak to nonprofit buyers on their own sites. All are hosted and closed source, so the question is how well their nonprofit features match your needs and budget.

1. BambooHR: best for nonprofits that want an HRIS with recruiting and wellbeing tools

BambooHR is a hosted HR platform for employee records, hiring, onboarding, time off, payroll and performance reviews. Its nonprofit page describes a customizable employee database that can handle several employee types and union requirements, a built-in applicant tracking system with job board posting, offer letters and e-signatures, pre-boarding checklists, and tools to track burnout and compassion fatigue.

The page does not list a nonprofit discount, and Enlisted shows paid per-employee pricing with no free plan, so confirm pricing for registered nonprofits with BambooHR directly. See its pricing page and BambooHR alternatives.

• Best for: established nonprofits with a dedicated HR or operations person who want hiring, onboarding and records in one system.
• Watch out for: per-employee pricing and no free plan, and the nonprofit page does not mention grant-specific fields or volunteer tracking.

2. Paycor: best for payroll, time tracking and hiring in one nonprofit-aware suite

Paycor is a human capital management suite covering payroll, HR, recruiting, talent, workforce management and benefits. Its nonprofit page describes time and attendance with hours tracked against specific projects, time-off requests, employee self-service for signing documents and updating details, branded careers sites with referral programs, reporting on hours, headcount and overtime, and tax experts who help with ACA reporting.

Hours tracked against projects is worth asking about if staff time is charged to grants, because you need to know whether the project categories can match your funders' codes. Paycor publishes no prices; you request a quote. See Paycor alternatives and the Paycor listing.

• Best for: midsize nonprofits that want payroll, time tracking and HR from a single vendor.
• Watch out for: quote-based pricing, and a suite pitched at midsize and larger employers, which can be more than a very small charity needs.

3. Paylocity: best for grant-linked payroll tracking

Paylocity is a cloud payroll and human capital management suite for mid-sized US companies, covering HR, time, talent and benefits. Its nonprofit page lists grant tracking and labor allocation among its features, a time clock that volunteers can use, and reporting to support Form 990 preparation.

Enlisted could not read the vendor site when the listing was written, so check the current modules on the Paylocity nonprofit page before you rely on any of them. Pricing is by quote. More on the Paylocity listing and in Paylocity alternatives.

• Best for: US nonprofits that charge payroll to multiple funding sources and want that built into the payroll system.
• Watch out for: aimed at mid-sized US employers, quote-based pricing, and grant and Form 990 features should be demonstrated before you buy.

4. Gusto: best for small US nonprofits that start with payroll

Gusto is a hosted payroll, benefits and HR administration platform for small US businesses. Its nonprofit page describes multi-state payroll tax filing, payments to staff, contractors and volunteers, and integrations with QuickBooks and Aplos that link payroll to grant accounting and donor reporting.

Gusto also says it has no free plan aimed specifically at nonprofits. Enlisted lists it as paid with no free plan. See the Gusto pricing page and Gusto alternatives. A planned guide covers payroll software for nonprofits in more depth.

• Best for: small US nonprofits that want payroll, benefits and basic HR in one account and use QuickBooks or Aplos.
• Watch out for: US-only, no free plan, and HR features are secondary to payroll.

Best low-cost HR software for small nonprofit teams

If your team is a handful of staff and budget is the main constraint, start with a free plan and see what you outgrow.

5. Zoho People: best free edition, plus a nonprofit program to ask about

Zoho People is a cloud HR information system from Zoho for employee records, leave, attendance and performance. Zoho's pricing page describes a free edition for a small team that covers an employee database, time-off management, vacation planning and document management. Paid editions add onboarding workflows, attendance and shift rosters, performance and compensation tools, and an HR help desk.

Zoho also runs a Zoho for Nonprofits program for registered organizations. Applicants are verified through TechSoup or by submitting registration documents, and the benefit is credit toward Zoho subscriptions. Zoho's page does not say whether Zoho People is included, so ask before you plan around it. See the Zoho People pricing page and Zoho People alternatives.

• Best for: very small nonprofits that want a free HR system and may use other Zoho apps.
• Watch out for: onboarding workflows are not in the free edition, and nonprofit program coverage for Zoho People is unconfirmed.

6. CitoHR: best simple free plan for leave, documents and onboarding

CitoHR is a cloud HR information system for small and midsize businesses and startups that pitches setup in minutes. Its feature list covers holiday planning, leave and sickness tracking, document management, onboarding with automated document generation, equipment tracking, policies, expenses, recruitment and an AI assistant for employee questions.

Enlisted lists a free plan, a paid Pro plan and a free trial, with prices shown in pounds on the vendor site. The free plan has a team-size cap, and you should ask which modules it includes. See the CitoHR listing.

• Best for: small charities that mainly need leave tracking, documents and onboarding.
• Watch out for: it is not nonprofit-specific, and it lists no grant or volunteer features.

Best open-source HR software for nonprofits

Open-source systems have no licence fees, which suits nonprofits, but a person has to install and look after the server. They are general-purpose and list nothing nonprofit-specific.

7. Frappe HR: best open-source suite for payroll, leave and appraisals

Frappe HR is open-source HR and payroll software under GPL-3.0 from the team behind the Frappe framework and ERPNext. It covers onboarding, transfers and exit management, leave policies, attendance, expense claims with approvals, appraisal cycles and payroll with salary structures and salary slips. A mobile app handles leave requests and check-ins.

Self-hosting is free, and Frappe Cloud offers managed hosting billed per site rather than per user, which can be easier to budget if you have no technical volunteer. Check payroll and tax rules for your country in its documentation. See the Frappe HR listing.

• Best for: nonprofits with a technical volunteer or contractor who can run a server.
• Watch out for: setup and upkeep fall to you, and nothing in its modules is specific to nonprofits.

8. OrangeHRM: best simple self-hosted system for records and leave

OrangeHRM is an open-source human resource management system built with PHP and MySQL under GPL-3.0 or later. It covers core HR functions and leave management, with a REST API, installation guides for Linux and Windows, a live demo and a mobile app.

It suits a charity that wants staff records and leave tracking under its own control and no more. The catalogue shows an older last-commit date than the other two open-source picks here, so check recent activity on the OrangeHRM listing.

• Best for: small organizations that want simple self-hosted HR records and leave tracking.
• Watch out for: no payroll, recruiting or volunteer features listed, and you manage the server yourself.

9. Horilla: best open-source suite that includes recruitment and an HR help desk

Horilla is an open-source human resource management system built with Python and Django under LGPL-2.1. Its modules include employee management with LDAP integration, recruitment, onboarding and offboarding, attendance with biometric integration, leave management, payroll, performance reviews and goals, asset management and a help desk for HR requests.

It is the broadest of the three open-source picks, which helps if you want one self-hosted application for the whole employee lifecycle. Confirm payroll and tax calculations against your country's rules before you use them. See the Horilla listing.

• Best for: mid-sized nonprofits with technical staff that want recruitment, leave and payroll in a single self-hosted tool.
• Watch out for: you run and secure the server, and nothing is nonprofit-specific.

Best for coordinating volunteers

10. SignUpGenius: best for volunteer shift sign-ups, not for HR records

SignUpGenius is an online sign-up and payments tool for groups such as schools, churches, sports clubs and nonprofits. Organizers build web-based sign-up sheets for volunteer shifts and events, and participants pick slots without a chain of emails. The vendor has added fundraisers, event tickets with mobile check-in, dues collection, forms and online stores to the same account, and a free option is available to start.

It is not an HR system, so it does not hold employment records or run payroll. It addresses the volunteer-scheduling gap that many HR products leave open. For donor and supporter records, CiviCRM is an open-source constituent relationship management system built for nonprofits, though it is a CRM and not an HR tool.

• Best for: nonprofits that recruit volunteers for shifts and events and want to stop coordinating by email.
• Watch out for: it complements an HR system rather than replacing one, and paid plans are listed on the vendor's pricing page.

What should a nonprofit check before buying HR software?

Two requirements decide most nonprofit purchases.

First, how does the pricing treat volunteers and discounts? Most of these products charge per employee or seat, so ask whether volunteers count toward paid seats or can be recorded in a free tier. Ask about nonprofit pricing directly. Zoho has a program with a verification step, Gusto says it has no nonprofit-specific free plan, and the BambooHR and Paycor nonprofit pages reviewed for this guide state no discount. Open-source tools cost no licence fee but need someone to run them.

Second, can it split time and payroll the way funders require? Paylocity describes grant tracking and labor allocation, Paycor describes hours tracked against projects, and Gusto lists accounting integrations for grant accounting. Ask each vendor to show a worked example with your own funding sources, and ask what the payroll data can export to your accounting system. A planned guide covers accounting software for nonprofits if that is the next system to choose.

For a general HR comparison, see best HR software, and for very small teams the planned guide to HR software for small business.

Which HR software should a nonprofit choose?

Before you commit, ask the vendor to show one real staff member and one volunteer in the system, with the grant coding you use today. Pages and plans change, so treat the facts above as a shortlist, not a final answer.