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Sentrifugo pricing: free open-source software and what self-hosting really costs

Sentrifugo's pricing story is short: the software is free and open source, and you run it yourself. There is no per-user license fee and no hosted subscription. Instead, you download the software and deploy it on your own infrastructure under a self-hosted model. The seed set also references a Standard commercial plan with custom packaging, but it does not publish a price.

This pricing breakdown covers what the free open-source route actually costs once you account for self-hosting, what to validate about any commercial packaging, and how the model compares to hosted and commercially supported alternatives. The analysis is grounded in the PeopleOpsClub seed set; exact figures for any commercial plan should be confirmed directly with the vendor.

Written by Maya PatelFact-checked by ChandrasmitaReviewed Jun 13, 2026Last updated Jun 13, 2026

Use this Sentrifugo pricing page to understand what buyers actually pay, what changes the cost, and what to verify before procurement.

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No free trial; free open-source software is self-hosted. No commitment required.

Sentrifugo pricing overview: free open-source software and where real costs live

Sentrifugo is structured as free, open-source software under a self-hosted deployment model. The headline is that there is no per-user license fee — you download and run it on infrastructure you own. That makes the software cost effectively zero and removes the seat-based math that drives most workforce visibility pricing.

Because the software is free to obtain and host, there is no conventional free trial; you evaluate by deploying it yourself. The trade-off is operational: provisioning, updates, and support move from a vendor to your team, so the real cost of a deployment is infrastructure and internal effort rather than a subscription.

The seed set references a Standard commercial plan with custom packaging, but it does not publish figures. Treat any commercial pricing as requiring validation, and confirm exactly what is included, since implementation depth varies by plan.

For budgeting, the cleanest approach is to separate the free software from the cost of running it. Free open-source software does not mean a free deployment — model the hosting, maintenance, and support costs explicitly, and get any commercial packaging quoted in writing before comparing options.

Open Source: Free (Free, self-hosted HR and workforce visibility software; hosting, maintenance, and support are the buyer's responsibility)
Standard: Custom pricing (Commercial packaging referenced in the seed set; contact the vendor for exact pricing and packaging details)

Pricing source: official pricing page, verified 2026-06-16.

How to evaluate Sentrifugo pricing before you talk to sales

Sentrifugo pricing should be evaluated in the context of team size, operating complexity, and the commercial metric that makes cost rise over time.

Buyers should use this page to understand more than the headline price. The real decision usually depends on implementation scope, support level, add-on exposure, and whether the pricing model still makes sense once the team grows.

  • Clarify whether cost scales by employee count, recruiter seats, payroll runs, locations, or another metric.
  • Confirm what implementation, premium support, compliance, or service add-ons do to total spend.
  • Model pricing against the actual team size and operating complexity expected over the next 12 months.

Sentrifugo pricing breakdown: open-source self-hosting versus commercial packaging

For teams with engineering capacity, the free open-source self-hosted route is the natural entry point. There is no license cost to evaluate the software, so the decision rests on whether your team can deploy and maintain it sustainably. Map your time, activity, attendance, and workforce visibility requirements against what the software covers before committing.

For teams that want vendor-backed support or defined packaging, the referenced Standard commercial plan is the path to explore — but only after getting exact pricing, support scope, and update cadence in writing. Because implementation depth varies by plan, validate precisely what is included so the commercial option is comparable against the free self-hosted route.

Sentrifugo Open Source — what 'free' covers and what it does not

The open-source plan is free with no per-user license fee. It gives you the self-hosted HR and workforce visibility software — workflow coverage, approval and automation support, and operational and people insights reporting — to run on your own infrastructure. What 'free' does not cover is the operational side: provisioning servers, applying updates, securing the deployment, and handling support are all your team's responsibility. The software cost is zero; the deployment cost is whatever your infrastructure and internal effort add up to. This route fits teams that treat self-hosting and data control as requirements and have the capacity to maintain open-source software.

Sentrifugo Standard — the custom commercial plan to validate

The seed set references a Standard commercial plan with custom packaging and no published price. It is the path for teams that want a commercial or supported arrangement rather than pure self-hosting. Because pricing requires validation and implementation depth varies by plan, request exact pricing, support scope, update cadence, and any limits in writing before committing. Without that detail, the Standard plan cost is unknown, so treat it as a custom quote to confirm directly with the vendor rather than an off-the-shelf tier.

Sentrifugo hidden costs: infrastructure, maintenance, and support you own when self-hosting

Self-hosting infrastructure, maintenance, and updates

The biggest unstated cost of free open-source software is running it. Under Sentrifugo's self-hosted model, you provision the infrastructure, apply updates, monitor uptime, and secure the deployment. None of this is a license fee, but it is a real recurring cost in infrastructure spend and engineering time. Teams should budget for this operational overhead explicitly rather than assuming free software means a free deployment, and confirm they have the capacity to keep the deployment current over time.

Internal support and the absence of a managed vendor environment

Because the software is self-hosted, day-to-day support is your team's responsibility unless you arrange a commercial plan. There is no hosted environment a vendor keeps running for you, and no free trial environment to fall back on. If internal maintenance capacity is lost, the deployment is at risk, so factor in the cost and continuity of internal support. Any vendor-backed support comes through the referenced Standard commercial plan, whose pricing requires validation.

How Sentrifugo pricing compares to hosted and commercial workforce visibility tools

Sentrifugo vs hosted managed platforms: free self-hosted versus subscription

Hosted, managed workforce visibility platforms typically charge a per-user subscription but remove the self-hosting and maintenance burden. Sentrifugo flips that: the software is free and open source, but you own deployment, updates, and support. For teams that value control and have engineering capacity, the free self-hosted route can be cheaper on a software basis. For teams that prefer a managed, supported product out of the box, a hosted subscription may have a lower total cost once internal operational effort is counted.

Sentrifugo vs other open-source self-hosted tools: comparable model, different scope

Other open-source, self-hosted HR and monitoring tools share Sentrifugo's core economics — free software with operational costs you own. The comparison comes down to feature scope and maintenance burden rather than license price. When evaluating open-source alternatives, weigh workflow coverage, reporting depth, and the effort required to deploy and maintain each, since the license cost is effectively zero across the category.

Sentrifugo vs commercially supported options: custom packaging versus published tiers

Commercially supported workforce visibility tools usually publish defined tiers with support SLAs and managed updates. Sentrifugo's referenced Standard commercial plan is custom-priced with no published figure, so a direct comparison requires getting that quote in writing first. For teams that want predictable pricing and vendor-backed support, a commercially packaged alternative may be easier to budget, while Sentrifugo's free self-hosted route remains the lower-software-cost option for teams that can self-manage.

Sentrifugo pricing buyer checklist: what to verify before deploying or signing

Separate the free software cost from the cost of running it

The open-source software is free, but a deployment is not. Model your infrastructure, maintenance, and internal support costs explicitly so you have a true total-cost picture rather than assuming free software equals a free deployment.

Confirm your team's capacity to deploy and maintain a self-hosted tool

Sentrifugo is self-hosted, so provisioning, updates, and support are your responsibility. Confirm you have the engineering capacity to run it sustainably before adopting, since the maintenance burden is the real ongoing cost.

Request exact Standard commercial plan pricing and packaging in writing

The Standard commercial plan is custom-priced with no published figure. If you are considering a supported or commercial arrangement, get exact pricing, support scope, update cadence, and any limits in writing so it is comparable against the free self-hosted route.

Map workflow, reporting, and automation needs to what you actually require

Sentrifugo covers workflows, approvals, automation, and operational reporting. Validate these against your real time, activity, attendance, and workforce visibility requirements so you only take on the deployment effort the software justifies for your team.

Plan for data ownership, backups, and long-term maintenance

Because data lives on your infrastructure under the self-hosted model, you own backups, retention, and security. Confirm your backup and update process and how you will keep the deployment current, since continuity depends entirely on your internal maintenance.

Frequently asked questions about Sentrifugo pricing

Sentrifugo's pricing is as low as it gets on a software basis — the open-source product is free with no per-user license fee, which is the headline advantage for teams that can self-host. But 'free' applies to the software, not the deployment: under the self-hosted model you own infrastructure, maintenance, and support, and those operational costs are the real spend. The referenced Standard commercial plan is custom-priced with no published figure, so any commercial route requires validation in writing. For teams with engineering capacity that prioritize control and data ownership, Sentrifugo is a cost-effective, flexible choice. For teams that want managed hosting, predictable pricing, and vendor-backed support out of the box, a hosted or commercially packaged alternative will be easier to budget and run.

Frequently asked questions

How much does Sentrifugo cost?

Sentrifugo is offered as free, open-source software under a self-hosted deployment model, so there is no per-user license fee to use it. You download and run it on your own infrastructure. The seed set references a Standard commercial plan with custom packaging, but it does not publish an exact price — that requires direct validation with the vendor. Even with free software, plan for the operational cost of hosting, maintenance, and support.

Is Sentrifugo really free?

The open-source software itself is free, with no license fee. What is not free is the operational side of running it: you provision and maintain the infrastructure, apply updates, and handle support internally because it is self-hosted. So while the software cost is effectively zero, the total cost of a deployment depends on your infrastructure and the internal effort required to keep it running.

Does Sentrifugo have a free trial?

No. Because Sentrifugo is free, open-source software, there is no hosted free trial. You evaluate it by downloading and running it yourself rather than signing into a vendor-managed trial environment. The upside is that the software is freely available to obtain and host without a license fee or time limit.

What does the Sentrifugo Standard commercial plan cost?

The seed set references a Standard commercial plan with custom packaging but does not publish a price. Pricing requires validation directly with the vendor, and implementation depth varies by plan. If you are considering a commercial or supported arrangement rather than pure self-hosting, request exact pricing, support scope, and update cadence in writing before committing.

What is not included in Sentrifugo's free pricing?

The free open-source software does not include managed hosting, vendor-run maintenance, or guaranteed support — those are your responsibility under the self-hosted model. There is also no free trial environment, since you self-host to evaluate. Any commercial support or packaging is separate and custom-priced, so confirm exactly what a Standard commercial plan includes before assuming it covers hosting or support.

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