BambooHR vs UKG — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
BambooHR starts at $10/mo. UKG uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
HRIS for small-to-mid businesses (5-500 employees), acquired by KKR-backed private equity in 2023. Positioned as the alternative to Workday for teams that don't need enterprise-grade complexity. Distinctive for its non-technical HR generalist UX and its e-signature + onboarding flows. Priced per employee monthly (~$8-$12) with all-in-one plans. Real cost bloat comes from add-ons: Performance, Time Tracking, Payroll (US only).
The Workforce Operating Platform formed from the 2020 merger of Kronos and Ultimate Software ($22B combined). Positioned as the workforce-management-first alternative to Workday for shift-heavy industries (retail, healthcare, manufacturing) where time tracking + labor forecasting matter as much as HRIS. Distinctive for combining Kronos's deep time-and-labor engine with Ultimate's people-first HRIS. Priced quote-based (~$8-$15/employee/mo reference) across UKG Ready (SMB-mid), UKG Pro (mid-large), and UKG Pro Enterprise. Private-equity owned by Hellman & Friedman + Blackstone. Serves 80K+ organizations globally.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | BambooHR monthly | BambooHR annual | UKG monthly | UKG annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid | Core / UKG Ready | $10 | $10 | $21 | $21 |
| Mid tier | Pro / — | $17 | $17 | — | — |
| Pro / power | Elite / UKG Pro | $25 | $25 | $27 | $27 |
| Enterprise | — / UKG Pro Enterprise | — | — | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
BambooHR is worth it if… SMBs (30-500 employees) that need core HR (records + time-off + reporting) plus lightweight performance and hiring modules — without Workday's complexity. Per-employee pricing on Core; Pro adds performance management and advanced analytics.
UKG is worth it if… mid-market to enterprise companies (500-50,000+ employees) with shift-based workforces — particularly retail, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality where time-tracking accuracy and labor-forecasting matter as much as HR. UKG Ready covers SMB-mid (50-500 employees); UKG Pro for mid-large (500-5K); UKG Pro Enterprise for 5K+.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose BambooHR over UKG if…
Choose BambooHR if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (per seat, from $10/mo).
- You match the profile BambooHR is built for: SMBs (30-500 employees) that need core HR (records + time-off + reporting) plus lightweight performance and hiring modules — without Workday's complexity.
- You need a general-purpose hr & people option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose UKG if…
- You're comfortable with UKG's a free entry tier entry point.
- You match the profile UKG is built for: mid-market to enterprise companies (500-50,000+ employees) with shift-based workforces — particularly retail, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality where time-tracking accuracy and labor-forecasting matter as much as HR.
- You're building for healthcare and hospitality.
At a glance
| BambooHR | UKG | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | No |
| Entry price | $10/mo | Custom pricing |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Per Seat | — |
| Verification | Checked September 28, 2026 | Pricing under review |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 28, 2026. Tracked daily.