Onboarding software replaces the folder of paper forms and the first-week checklist that lives in someone's head. For a small business the right choice is the one your new hires can finish on a phone and your manager can check at a glance, not the one with the longest feature list.
What it should do
- Send new hires their forms before day one, and let them sign on a phone.
- Handle the I-9, W-4 and state withholding forms correctly for US employees.
- Collect direct deposit, emergency contacts and policy signatures.
- Give managers a checklist: equipment, accounts, training, first-week check-ins.
- Keep everything in the employee's record afterward, not in an inbox.
Questions to ask before you buy
- Does the price include onboarding, or is it an add-on per employee?
- Can the new hire finish everything without creating a complicated account?
- Does it connect to how you hire, or will you retype every new hire?
- Does it cover the states and countries where you have employees?
- Can you try it with a real hire before you commit?
How the common choices differ
Payroll companies such as Gusto include onboarding with payroll, which suits businesses that mainly need forms and pay set up. Full HR platforms such as BambooHR and Rippling offer broad onboarding and HR tools and usually price per employee with add-ons. Applicant tracking systems often stop at the offer. An all-in-one HRIS for small business, like HRGP, carries the same record from applicant to onboarding to employee, which saves retyping and keeps the history in one place. For side-by-side details, see how HRGP compares.
How HRGP does it
When you hire someone in HRGP, their onboarding starts from the same record: forms, signatures, the I-9, W-4 and state forms for US employees, and a first-90-days plan, all on their phone. It is included in the flat monthly price. See onboarding in HRGP.
Common questions
Do I need separate onboarding software if I use a payroll service?
Not always. Payroll services cover tax forms and direct deposit. You may still want software for policies, training, equipment and the manager's checklist.
More guides
One place for your people
Keep the work connected, from applicant through payroll
HRGP is the HRIS for small business. It keeps applicants, messages, interviews, onboarding, employee records and payroll preparation together in one system. Your payroll processor pays your people and files the taxes, and employers make the final hiring decisions.
See the HRIS