Frappe HR is an open source HR and payroll system you can self-host — a Workday, BambooHR, and Gusto alternative that runs employee records, leave, attendance, expenses, performance, and payroll from one system with no per-user fees.

What is Frappe HR?

Frappe HR is an open source HRMS and payroll system that runs the full employee lifecycle — records, onboarding, leave, attendance, expenses, performance, and payroll — from one self-hostable application. Built on the Python-based Frappe framework, it covers more than 13 HR modules and ships with a mobile app for check-ins and leave requests.

What is Frappe HR best for?

Small and mid-sized companies that want to run HR and payroll in-house without per-employee SaaS fees, and teams already on ERPNext or the Frappe framework who want HR to share the same data and accounting. Its multi-company support also suits larger organizations comfortable self-hosting.

What can Frappe HR do?

Manage the full employee lifecycle: onboarding, promotions, transfers, and exit
Handle leave and attendance with policies, holiday lists, and geolocation check-ins
Run payroll with salary structures, tax slabs, and income-breakup reports
Track expense claims and employee advances through multi-level approval workflows
Set goals and run appraisal cycles with KRA-based performance reviews
Post payroll entries straight into ERPNext accounting when the two are installed together
Give employees a mobile app for leave, check-ins, and profile self-service

Where does Frappe HR fall short?

Payroll is powerful but region-dependent. Tax slabs and statutory compliance are strongest for markets like India; other countries often need manual salary-structure and tax configuration rather than turnkey local filing.
It lives inside the Frappe ecosystem. You’re adopting Frappe’s conventions and admin model, and getting the most out of payroll accounting means running ERPNext alongside it — a bigger commitment than a standalone HR app.
Deep customization leans on Frappe framework knowledge (DocTypes, server scripts), so tailoring it beyond the built-in settings expects developer familiarity with the platform.

Is Frappe HR free?

Yes — Frappe HR is 100% free and open source under the GPL-3.0 license, and self-hosting costs only your own server. Frappe Cloud, the vendor’s managed hosting, is billed by compute rather than per user: Sites plans start at $5/month and Servers plans at $20/month, so you pay for hosting convenience, not the software.

What does Frappe HR replace?

Frappe HR is a self-hosted alternative to proprietary, per-seat HR and payroll suites like Workday, BambooHR, Gusto, and ADP. It does the same core job — employee records, time off, and payroll — but you own the data and drop the recurring per-employee fees.

FAQ

Is Frappe HR open source? Yes. It’s licensed under GPL-3.0, and the full source is on GitHub. You can self-host, inspect, and modify it freely. (The vendor site sometimes labels it AGPL, but the repository’s license file is GPL-3.0.)

Can I self-host Frappe HR for free? Yes. The software is free; you only pay for the server it runs on. Frappe Cloud is the paid, managed option starting at $5/month.

Is Frappe HR a good BambooHR alternative? For teams willing to self-host, yes — it covers records, leave, and onboarding without per-employee pricing, and adds full payroll. BambooHR stays simpler to start with as a hosted service.

What do I need to run Frappe HR? A server running the Frappe framework (Frappe Bench) with Python, MariaDB, Redis, and Node.js — most commonly deployed via Docker — and ERPNext installed alongside it if you want integrated payroll accounting.