Best Canadian HR Software for 2025

Choosing HR software is one of the most important technology decisions you’ll make for your business. From onboarding and time off tracking to payroll and performance, the right platform saves hours each week, keeps you compliant, and helps you build a stronger employee experience. An applicant tracking system (ATS) now comes as part of many HR platforms.

But Canadian companies often face a tough choice: many HR platforms are built for the U.S. market, or are clunky enterprise solutions that don’t fit small and medium-sized teams. That’s why it’s important to pick a tool that is simple, compliant, and built with Canadian businesses in mind.

We reviewed the top HR software platforms used in Canada today. Some are global providers, some are lean Canadian players, and some try to do it all. The focus is on Canadian small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) and the best all-in-one HR software for them. Here are our picks for the best HR software in 2025, starting with our favourite.

1. Collage HR: Best Overall HR Software for Canadian SMBs

We might be a little biased. But we believe Collage HR is the #1 HR platform for Canadian businesses. It’s Canadian, modern, easy to use, and built specifically for SMBs in Canada.

Collage HR combines everything you need to manage employees in one platform: recruiting, onboarding, time off, timesheets, performance, benefits, and payroll. Whether you’re hiring your first employee or managing a team across multiple provinces, Collage simplifies HR without cutting corners. They are great for companies scaling to 1,000 employees and have the case studies to show it.

What we love about Collage:

• All-in-one HR, payroll, benefits, and AI enabled recruiting in one place
  
• CRA-compliant payroll with automatic remittances and reporting
  
• Bilingual Canadian support from real HR and payroll experts
  
• Self-serve portals for employees (time off management, benefits and employee training)
  
• Scales from 1-person to teams of 1,000+ employees
  
  

Who it’s for:
Canadian SMBs who want to manage HR and payroll together in a simple, compliant, and scalable way, without juggling five different tools.

Buy Canadian offer: Collage is offering 10% off your current bill or new quote for eligible vendors (including some of the below!). Better HR software at a better price.

Book a demo with Collage HR.

2. Employment Hero (previously Humi)

An all-in-one HR platform with payroll, recruiting, and benefits. Originally Canadian, now owned, managed, and operated by Australia-based Employment Hero.

Pros: Centralized platform, easy onboarding tools
Cons: Not Canada-focused anymore, limited functionality above 50 employees, pricing grows quickly with add-ons

Buy Canadian -> Eligible for 10% savings on current bill or new quote with Collage

3. BambooHR

A U.S. HR platform with strong name recognition. Good for teams focused on time off (PTO), culture, and integrations.

Pros: Intuitive interface, wide app marketplace
Cons: Expensive for Canadian SMBs, lacks Canadian payroll, U.S. compliance focus

Buy Canadian -> Eligible for 10% savings on current bill or new quote with Collage

4. Dayforce (Ceridian)

Enterprise-level HR software with deep payroll and compliance features. More suited to larger organizations.

Pros: Scalable, advanced compliance tools
Cons: Too complex for SMBs, steep learning curve, very expensive

Buy Canadian -> Eligible for 10% savings on current bill or new quote with Collage

5. Rippling

A global HR, IT, and finance platform. Offers Canadian payroll, but is heavily U.S. focused.

Pros: Scalable, automation-driven
Cons: Very expensive, more enterprise than SMB, not Canada focused, ongoing legal disputes with Deel

Buy Canadian -> Eligible for 10% savings on current bill or new quote with Collage

6. ADP Workforce Now

One of the longest-standing HR and payroll providers in Canada. Best known for payroll, but offers HR modules too.

Pros: Trusted global brand, full payroll suite
Cons: Outdated interface, inconsistent support, limited HR functionality

Buy Canadian -> Eligible for 10% savings on current bill or new quote with Collage

7. Rise

Canadian platform offering HR, payroll, and benefits in one. Good for very small teams.

Pros: Employee self-serve, local presence
Cons: Limited functionality, support challenges

8. UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group)

Enterprise HR platform for larger organizations with complex workforce management needs.

Pros: Strong time tracking and workforce tools
Cons: Expensive, not SMB friendly, clunky

Buy Canadian -> Eligible for 10% savings on current bill or new quote with Collage

9. Workday

A global enterprise HR suite. Built with ability to customize but requires significant development effort.

Pros: Deep functionality, scalability
Cons: Very costly, overbuilt for SMBs, U.S. centric

Buy Canadian -> Eligible for 10% savings on current bill or new quote with Collage

10. PeopleForce

A growing HR platform focused on SMBs, with performance and engagement tools.

Pros: Intuitive design, affordable for smaller teams
Cons: Limited Canadian compliance support, lighter feature set than bigger players

What to Look for in HR Software

Here are a few must-haves when picking your HR platform:

• Employee self-serve for time off, performance, and payroll
  
• Seamless payroll and benefits integration (with CRA compliance)
  
• AI enabled applicant tracking and onboarding tools that save you time as you scale your team
  
• Reporting and analytics for decision-making
  
• Local support that understands Canadian laws and compliance
  
  

Why We Rank Collage HR #1

Most HR software platforms fall into one of three camps:

• U.S. products not designed for real Canadian businesses
  
• Overbuilt and overpriced enterprise systems
  
• Small tools that don’t scale as you grow
  
  

Collage HR sits in the sweet spot being Canadian-first, simple enough for small teams, and robust enough to scale as you hire. With payroll, benefits, recruiting, and HR all in one platform, plus real Canadian support, Collage makes HR simple and compliant.

Get started with Collage HR
Want help deciding if it’s the right fit? Ask us anything. Our Canadian team is here to help your Canadian team.

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