Zenefits vs BambooHR

by Gralio Feb 28, 2025

Zenefits and BambooHR are both HR software solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. Zenefits excels in payroll and benefits administration, while BambooHR offers a broader set of HR features with greater customization. Both offer mobile access, but Zenefits has reported customer service challenges.

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Logo of Zenefits
Logo of BambooHR

About

Zenefits, now known as TriNet, is an all-in-one HR software designed for small and mid-sized businesses. It combines several HR functions like hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits administration, and performance management into a single platform. TriNet aims to simplify HR processes, improve compliance, and provide useful data insights. It offers mobile access for employees and managers and boasts numerous integrations with other business applications.
BambooHR is an HR software platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It brings together various HR functions like hiring, onboarding, payroll, benefits, and employee data management into one system. This allows for streamlined workflows, automated tasks, and easier access to employee information. BambooHR aims to simplify HR processes, improve data accuracy, and enhance the employee experience. It is used by companies in various industries and boasts features like custom reporting and integrations with other software.

Summary

Main difference
Zenefits (now TriNet) offers a tightly integrated platform focusing on core HR functions with an emphasis on payroll and benefits, while BambooHR provides a broader range of HR features with a strong focus on employee experience and customizable reporting. Zenefits is better for businesses prioritizing payroll and benefits administration, while BambooHR suits those needing a wider range of HR tools and greater flexibility.

Relative strengths of Zenefits (compared to BambooHR)

  • Strong payroll and benefits administration capabilities.

  • Integrated platform for core HR functions.

  • Mobile accessibility for employees and managers.

Relative weaknesses of Zenefits (compared to BambooHR)

  • Potential for payroll and tax filing errors.

  • Slower customer support response times.

  • Less flexibility and customization options compared to BambooHR.

Who should use Zenefits VS. BambooHR

Zenefits, now TriNet, streamlines HR for SMBs. It centralizes core functions like payroll, benefits, and onboarding, offering a user-friendly interface and mobile access. While praised for ease of use and onboarding efficiency, some users report slow support and occasional payroll inaccuracies.

BambooHR is a user-friendly HR platform ideal for small to medium-sized businesses. It streamlines HR tasks such as hiring, onboarding, payroll, and benefits administration. Users praise its intuitive interface and comprehensive features, while some note cumbersome re-onboarding processes and slow customer support.

  • Ideal for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) seeking an all-in-one HR solution.

  • Strong fit for Healthcare, Finance, Education, and IT; suitable for Retail, Manufacturing, and Professional Services.

  • Best for small to medium-sized businesses (50-1000 employees).

  • Suitable for various industries, from healthcare and finance to retail and technology.

Zenefits and BambooHR features

Supported
Partially supported
Not supported
Type in the name of the feature or in your own words tell us what you need

  • Hiring and Onboarding
    Supported

    Zenefits supports hiring and onboarding with features like applicant tracking, mobile hiring, onboarding tools, offboarding software, and electronic signatures.

    Supported

    BambooHR supports hiring and onboarding tools, including onboarding, offboarding, and e-signatures.

  • Payroll, Time, and Benefits
    Supported

    Zenefits supports payroll, time tracking, PTO, and benefits administration.

    Supported

    BambooHR supports payroll, time tracking, PTO, and benefits administration.

  • Employee Experience
    Partially supported

    Zenefits supports performance reviews and feedback but not satisfaction tracking or surveys.

    Supported

    BambooHR supports a positive employee experience with satisfaction tracking, surveys, performance reviews, and open communication tools.

  • HRIS integration
    Supported

    Zenefits is a human resource information system (HRIS).

    Supported

    BambooHR supports HRIS integration via API, custom reports and pre-built integrations.

  • Mobile payroll
    Supported

    Zenefits provides mobile access to payroll information via their app.

    Supported

    BambooHR provides a mobile app that allows employees to access their payroll information, including viewing pay stubs and editing payroll details.

  • Employee database
    Supported

    Zenefits provides tools to store and manage employee data.

    Supported

    BambooHR provides tools to store and manage employee data, including personal information, benefits, salary, time off, documents, training, and more. It allows for custom fields, data security, and reporting.

Qualities

  • Value and Pricing Transparency
    No data
    -0.5
    Rather negative sentiment
  • Customer Service
    No data
    +0.48
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Ease of Use
    +0.33
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0.98
    Strongly positive sentiment
  • Reliability and Performance
    +0.33
    Rather positive sentiment
    +0.01
    Neutral sentiment
  • Ease of Implementation
    No data
    +0.47
    Rather positive sentiment
  • Scalability
    No data
    -0.62
    Rather negative sentiment

Zenefits and BambooHR Pricing

TriNet offers PEO and HR solutions, but specific pricing details are not available on their website. They encourage users to contact them for a personalized quote.

User sentiment

Strongly negative
-1

See full Pricing page

No data

See full Pricing page

Zenefits and BambooHR review insights

Users love

  • User-friendly interface for employees, providing easy access to paystubs, benefits, and time-off requests.
  • Streamlined onboarding process, reducing paperwork and time spent on new hire setup.
  • Centralized platform for HR functions, consolidating employee information and documents.
  • Mobile app accessibility, allowing employees to manage their HR needs on the go.
  • Cost-effective solution for small and medium-sized businesses, offering a range of features at a reasonable price.
  • User-friendly and intuitive interface, praised for its ease of use.
  • Streamlined onboarding and offboarding experience.
  • Comprehensive HR features, including hiring, time off tracking, and reporting.
  • Effective for maintaining compliance and generating helpful reports.

Users dislike

  • Slow customer support response times, often requiring multiple follow-ups and causing delays.
  • Payroll and tax filing errors, leading to penalties and compliance issues.
  • Inaccurate data and reporting, requiring manual reconciliation and corrections.
  • Issues with benefits administration, including incorrect enrollments and coverage lapses.
  • Lack of customization options for key features, especially time off policies.
  • Rehiring and re-onboarding processes are cumbersome and time-consuming.
  • Two-factor authentication can be time-consuming and disrupt workflow.
  • Limited functionality for managing groups of companies.
  • Customer support response times can be slow and inefficient.

Zenefits and BambooHR Ratings

  • G2
    3.9/5
    (461)
  • G2
    4.4/5
    (2208)
  • Capterra
    4.6/5
    (2425)

Company health

Employee growth

3% increase in the last year
18% increase in the last year

Web traffic

4% decrease in the last quarter
1% increase in the last quarter

Financing

No data
April 2016 - $0

How do Zenefits' and BambooHR's onboarding processes differ?

Zenefits (TriNet) focuses on streamlining onboarding with e-forms, digital signatures, and integrated benefits enrollment and payroll deductions. BambooHR emphasizes the overall employee experience during onboarding, including automated workflows and e-signatures, but its rehiring/re-onboarding process is reportedly cumbersome. Neither product's specific onboarding features are described in enough detail to discern further granular differences.

Which product best supports a rapidly scaling SMB?

BambooHR is better suited for a rapidly scaling SMB. Its broader industry applicability, stronger website traffic growth, and significantly higher LinkedIn employee growth suggest a company experiencing more rapid growth and wider adoption compared to Zenefits/TriNet. While both offer similar core HR features, BambooHR's focus on streamlining processes and improving the employee experience aligns well with the needs of a scaling company. Additionally, user reviews for Zenefits/TriNet highlight concerning issues with payroll and customer support, which could be detrimental to a rapidly growing business.

What are the advantages of Zenefits?

Zenefits (TriNet) offers a centralized platform for various HR functions, including hiring, onboarding, payroll, and benefits administration, streamlining these processes for SMBs. Its mobile accessibility allows employees and managers to handle HR tasks on the go. Zenefits focuses on simplifying HR processes and improving compliance, making it beneficial for businesses seeking an all-in-one, user-friendly HR solution.

What are the disadvantages of Zenefits?

Zenefits (TriNet) suffers from slow customer support, payroll and tax filing errors, inaccurate data and reporting, issues with benefits administration, and a lack of customization options. Users report needing to follow up multiple times with support, leading to delays. The payroll issues have caused some users to incur penalties for compliance issues. Furthermore, users have found the reporting data to be inaccurate, requiring manual reconciliation.

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Page co-authored by
MK
Michal Kaczor
CEO at Gralio

Michal has worked at startups for many years and writes about topics relating to software selection and IT management. As a former consultant for Bain, a business advisory company, he also knows how to understand needs of any business and find solutions to its problems.

TT
Tymon Terlikiewicz
CTO at Gralio

Tymon is a seasoned CTO who loves finding the perfect tools for any task. He recently headed up the tech department at Batmaid, a well-known Swiss company, where he managed about 60 software purchases, including CX, HR, Payroll, Marketing automation and various developer tools.

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