Best OrangeHRM Alternatives
OrangeHRM's free edition covers only core HR and leave, so teams needing recruiting, reviews or less self-hosting work weigh paid alternatives.
The free OrangeHRM Starter edition stops at core records and leave. Recruitment, performance reviews and payroll integration sit in the commercial Advanced edition, which is priced per module through sales rather than on a public list. Self-hosting the open-source version also hands patching, backups and upgrades to the buyer's own IT staff.
OrangeHRM and its alternatives at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starting price |
|---|---|---|
| OrangeHRM (current) | HR departments wanting free self-hosted core HR with paid add-ons | Free |
| ActivityWatch | Individuals who want private, on-device time tracking for free | Quote-based |
| Kimai | Freelancers and agencies self-hosting time tracking with invoicing | Free |
| TimeTrex | Cost-conscious employers wanting time, scheduling and payroll together | Free |
Teams with an in-house developer and data-residency needs get real value from running Starter on their own servers. Companies without IT support, or that need payroll processed rather than integrated, should look at hosted HR suites. Before migrating, take a full database backup, since custom fields added to a self-hosted install may not appear in standard CSV exports.
The alternatives buyers shortlist
ActivityWatch is a free, MPL-2.0 licensed automatic time [tracker](/software/tracker) for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android that logs the active app, window title and idle time, with browser extensions and editor plugins for more detail.
- Pricing
- Free / open source
- Deployment
- Self-hosted
- Free trial
- Not stated
Kimai is a free, open-source time tracking tool built for teams that want a more structured way to track time, activity, attendance, or workforce visibility in self-hosted or open environments.
- Pricing
- Free / open source
- Deployment
- Self-hosted
- Free trial
- Not stated
TimeTrex is time and attendance software with a free self-hosted community edition and paid cloud or on-site editions.
- Pricing
- Free / open source
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Free trial
- Available
Questions buyers ask
Why do companies leave OrangeHRM's open-source edition?
Usually because of scope. Starter handles employee records, leave and reporting, but recruitment, performance management and payroll integration need the paid Advanced edition. Others leave because keeping a self-hosted server patched takes IT time they do not have.