Quick answer: "onboarding software" means two different things. HR onboarding tools (Gusto, Rippling, BambooHR, Personio) get the paperwork done: offer letters, e-signatures, tax forms, payroll and accounts. Training and know-how tools (Helpable, Trainual, Waybook, TalentLMS, Whale) get new people productive: how the work is done, which procedures to follow, and proof they learned it. Most small businesses with a few hires a year need both. For the training side, pick Helpable if you want your knowledge base, procedures and onboarding in one place. For the HR side, pick the tool that also runs your payroll.
A cleaning company hiring for a new contract, a dental practice adding an assistant, an agency hiring a junior designer and a startup hiring its tenth engineer all need two things: the admin sorted, and a clear way to learn the work. Below we split the tools into those two groups.
| Tool | Best for | Standout | Starting price | Free trial / plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helpable (training) | Small teams that onboard with their own procedures and know-how | Onboarding, knowledge base and read confirmations in one tool | From the Business plan, see pricing | 14-day free trial |
| Trainual (training) | Growing teams of 25+ that tie training to roles | Roles, org chart and SOPs linked to training | See vendor's pricing page (demo; $1,000 one-time implementation fee) | Not listed |
| Waybook (training) | Growing teams that want SOPs plus learning paths | Training paths by role with acknowledgement tracking | $99/month for 20 seats (billed annually) | 7-day free trial |
| TalentLMS (training) | Teams that need a full LMS with SCORM | SCORM, xAPI and cmi5 on all plans | Free; Core $119/month (monthly billing) | Free plan (up to 5 users) |
| Whale (training) | Teams that onboard with screen recordings and SOPs | Training flows that start when a new hire is added | Free; Scale $249/month (billed yearly) | Free plan |
| Gusto (HR & payroll) | US small businesses that want payroll and onboarding together | Offer letters, e-signatures and onboarding checklists | See vendor's pricing page | See vendor's pricing page |
| Rippling (HR, IT & payroll) | Teams that want onboarding to also set up apps and devices | Device shipping and app account setup | From $8 per employee/month plus a monthly base fee | Not listed |
| BambooHR (HR) | Small and mid-size companies that want a full HR system | New hire packets and onboarding tasks | Core: $250/month flat for 25 employees or fewer | Not listed |
| Personio (HR) | European small and mid-size companies | Automated onboarding plans by department | See vendor's pricing page | See vendor's pricing page |
Prices are taken from each vendor's own website on 15 October 2026. They change often, so check before you buy.
HR onboarding vs training onboarding: which do you need?
HR onboarding is everything that makes a new hire an official employee. Think offer letter, contract signature, tax and ID forms, bank details for payroll, benefits enrollment, and a work email. It is mostly a one-time process with legal deadlines. HR and payroll tools are built for this.
Training onboarding is everything that makes a new hire good at the job. Think how you open the shop, how a client file is set up, the safety steps on site. It is ongoing: procedures change, and every change needs to reach the people doing the work. Training and know-how tools are built for this.
You need an HR tool first if you hire often, pay people through payroll, and spend hours on contracts and forms. You need a training tool first if new people keep asking the same questions, mistakes repeat, or experienced staff lose hours explaining the same routine.
Many small businesses need both. The two connect simply: the HR tool gets the person on payroll, and the training tool gives them a clear first-week plan.
How we evaluated
We looked at each tool for a business of 5 to 50 people: shift teams with new and temporary staff, teams working at client sites, office and client teams such as agencies and accountancy firms, care and education teams, fast-growing startups, and multi-location businesses. For training tools we scored:
- Speed to a first onboarding plan. Templates, AI help, reuse of existing documents.
- Tracking. Assignments, deadlines, reminders, progress per person.
- Proof. Read confirmations, quizzes, certificates.
- Daily answers. Can a new hire find or ask for an answer in week two?
For HR tools we scored offer letters and e-signatures, onboarding checklists, self-onboarding, and the link to payroll and IT. For all tools we looked at price clarity for small teams.
We checked each vendor's own website and pricing page on 15 October 2026. Where we could not confirm a price on the vendor's page, we write "See vendor's pricing page."
Full disclosure: Helpable is our own product, and we list it first. It is a training and know-how tool; it does not handle HR or payroll. We have tried to be fair to every tool and say who each one fits. See When Helpable is not the right fit.
1. Helpable
Best for: small teams that want to onboard new people with their own procedures and know-how, and see who finished what.
Helpable is training and knowledge software for teams of about 5 to 50 people. You keep your know-how in an internal knowledge base, write routines as step-by-step procedures, and bundle them into onboarding that new people get assigned on day one. New hires can also ask questions in their own words and get answers from your own content.
Key features:
- Onboarding templates and training with lessons: text, video (YouTube and Vimeo), documents, articles, procedures, tasks and quizzes
- Automatic assignment rules for new members and teams; deadlines and email reminders
- Read confirmations for key procedures, with a re-confirm after a change
- Quizzes with six question types; certificates with PDF and public verification
- Reports per team and per person, with CSV export
- AI course creator: pick published articles and procedures and AI drafts lessons and a quiz that link to the sources; you review before publishing
- AI answers for new hires: a short answer from your own articles, procedures and documents, with the source linked
Pricing: from the Business plan, see pricing. Every plan includes unlimited training, assignments, progress tracking, read confirmations and certificates. Business Plus adds automatic assignment for new people; recurring training is on Business Max. 14-day free trial.
Pros:
- Onboarding uses the same procedures people use every day, so nothing goes stale in a separate tool
- Clear view of who finished which step and who confirmed which procedure
- New hires keep getting answers long after day one
- Works in the browser on phone, tablet and laptop
Cons:
- No HR or payroll features: no offer letters, contracts or tax forms
- No SSO, no SCORM, no native mobile app
- No Slack or Teams integration (Slack is in development and not available yet)
- No free plan
Read more on our employee onboarding software page.
2. Trainual
Best for: growing service, multi-location, remote and field teams that want training tied to roles.
Trainual's line is "Make every employee your best employee." It combines SOPs and checklists with roles and responsibilities, an org chart, training paths and onboarding. Its FAQ says it is best suited for companies with 25 to 1,000 employees.
Key features:
- Training paths and onboarding
- Process docs, SOPs, checklists and flowcharts
- Roles, responsibilities and an org chart
- Tests and e-signatures
- AI help to draft content and AI knowledge search (Q&A)
- HRIS and payroll integrations, Slack, a mobile app and a Chrome extension on all plans; SCORM storage from Pro
Pricing: see vendor's pricing page. Prices are not published and Trainual offers a demo. Its FAQ lists a one-time implementation fee of $1,000. No free trial or free plan is listed.
Pros:
- Strong role-based structure
- Connects to HR and payroll tools
Cons:
- No public price and a one-time implementation fee
- Aimed at 25 employees and up
3. Waybook
Best for: growing teams that want onboarding, SOPs and a knowledge base in one place with learning paths.
Waybook puts training, onboarding and documentation in one place. You build training paths by role, add knowledge checks, and track acknowledgement.
Key features:
- Training paths by role and learning paths
- Knowledge assessments and progress tracking
- SOPs with AI templates and a searchable knowledge base
- Acknowledgement tracking
- Waybook AI Ask for answers from your own content
- Mobile app; SSO and directory sync on Pro
Pricing: Core is shown at $99/month for 20 seats, billed annually, with extra members at $5/month. Pro is $198/month for 20 seats. 7-day free trial.
Pros:
- Learning paths on the entry plan
- Knowledge base and training together
Cons:
- Short trial (7 days)
- Review dates, approvals and SSO sit on Pro
4. TalentLMS
Best for: teams that need a full learning management system, including SCORM content.
TalentLMS is a learning management system (LMS). It suits teams that run formal courses, buy ready-made content, or need SCORM support. A free plan lets you try it with a small group.
Key features:
- Courses, learning paths (from Grow) and branches for different teams or locations
- SCORM 1.2, Tin Can (xAPI) and cmi5 on all plans
- AI tools for content, test creation, translation and an AI coach (credits per plan)
- SSO (SAML 2.0, LDAP, OpenID Connect) on paid plans
Pricing: Free plan for up to 5 users and 10 courses, with no time limit. Core is $119/month on monthly billing; annual billing is cheaper. Grow is $229/month and Pro $449/month.
Pros:
- SCORM and standards support on every plan
- Free plan with no time limit
- Many AI tools for course building
Cons:
- A full LMS can be more than a small team needs for simple routines
- Your procedures and knowledge base live elsewhere
5. Whale
Best for: teams that onboard with SOPs and screen recordings and want training to start automatically.
Whale is an SOP platform with training flows. A flow can start when a new hire is added, and Alice, Whale's AI, generates quizzes from your content.
Key features:
- Training flows with a "new hire added" trigger
- SOPs from screen recordings, video and imported documents
- AI quizzes and the Alice AI agent
- Tracks who has read and understood each policy
- Mobile app; works with Slack and Microsoft Teams
- Hosting in the EU or the US
Pricing: Free plan with 1 creator and up to 10 members. Scale is $249/month (billed yearly) with 3 creators; Advance is $499/month (billed yearly) with 5 creators.
Pros:
- Automatic start of onboarding for new hires
- Fast content from recordings
- EU hosting option
Cons:
- Training flows are limited on lower plans (1 on Free, 5 on Scale)
- Creator-seat pricing takes some planning
6. Gusto
Best for: US small businesses that want payroll, benefits and onboarding paperwork in one tool.
Gusto is a payroll and HR platform for small businesses. Its onboarding covers offer letters, e-signatures, self-onboarding and a checklist for each new hire.
Key features:
- Offer letters sent from Gusto; once signed, you add the hire to payroll
- E-signatures for forms such as W-4, I-9 and direct deposit; documents stored in Gusto
- Self-onboarding: the new hire enters their own details
- An onboarding checklist per new hire that you can add to and delegate
- Background checks through a partner (Checkr)
Pricing: see vendor's pricing page (we could not load it on 15 October 2026).
Pros:
- Paperwork and payroll in one flow
- Self-onboarding cuts data entry
Cons:
- Focused on US payroll and forms
- Training on how your work is done needs a separate tool
7. Rippling
Best for: teams that want onboarding to set up payroll, apps and devices in one go.
Rippling combines HR, IT and payroll. Onboarding can send offer letters and NDAs for e-signature, create app accounts such as Slack and Google Workspace, and order and ship a laptop to the new hire.
Key features:
- Offer letters, NDAs and other documents sent for e-signature
- Device selection during onboarding, with ordering and shipping
- App accounts and permissions set up from the employee's profile
- Workflow automation (Workflow Studio)
- Learning management listed as part of its HR suite
Pricing: from $8 per employee per month, plus a monthly base fee. Pricing is modular, so the total depends on the products you choose; Rippling gives custom quotes.
Pros:
- HR, IT and payroll onboarding in one flow
- Useful for remote hires who need equipment
Cons:
- Modular pricing adds up as you add products
- Setup takes planning: org structure, access rules and automations
8. BambooHR
Best for: small and mid-size companies that want a full HR system with structured onboarding.
BambooHR is an HR platform with hiring and onboarding. New hires get a new hire packet with first-day details and tasks, and can e-sign documents before day one.
Key features:
- New hire packet with first-day details, "get to know you" questions and pre-start tasks
- E-signatures attached to onboarding tasks
- Onboarding checklists with tasks assigned to staff and new hires, with reminders
- Applicant tracking with offer letter templates (job openings per plan)
- Compliance training courses through EasyLlama (number of courses per plan)
Pricing: for companies with 25 employees or fewer, Core is $250/month, Pro $425/month and Elite $650/month (flat rates). Larger companies pay per employee.
Pros:
- Clear flat pricing for small companies
- Structured onboarding tasks for HR, managers and new hires
Cons:
- New hires sign onboarding documents in the web app; the mobile app does not support this step
- Company-specific training needs a separate tool or the compliance course add-on
9. Personio
Best for: European small and mid-size companies that want onboarding inside an all-in-one HR platform.
Personio is an HR platform popular in Europe. Its onboarding uses templates and automation to build onboarding plans per role, team or department.
Key features:
- Best-practice templates for automated onboarding plans
- Plans segmented by department or team
- A dashboard of overdue and completed tasks, with reminders and due dates
- One place for a new hire's documents and tasks; employee self-service
- Part of the wider Personio HR platform
Pricing: see vendor's pricing page (we could not load it on 15 October 2026).
Pros:
- Automated, role-based onboarding plans
- Onboarding connected to the HR record
Cons:
- No public price
- Teaching how your work is done needs a separate tool
A simple setup that covers both
Here is how a 20-person business can combine the two kinds of tools:
- Before day one (HR tool): offer letter, contract, tax and bank forms, payroll setup.
- Day one (training tool): the new hire is added to a team and gets an onboarding plan automatically: company basics, the five procedures for their role, and where to find answers.
- Week one: they confirm they read the key procedures and pass a short quiz.
- Week two and beyond: they ask questions in their own words and get answers from your knowledge base; you see which questions had no answer and write them down.
- Every time a procedure changes: everyone assigned confirms the new version.
Steps 2 to 5 are what Helpable does. For step 1, use the HR or payroll tool you already have. If your know-how is still in people's heads, see internal knowledge base software, the best internal knowledge base software and the best SOP software for small businesses.
When Helpable is not the right fit
Pick another tool, or add one, if:
- You need contracts, tax forms, payroll or benefits. Helpable is not an HR tool. Use Gusto, Rippling, BambooHR, Personio or your payroll provider.
- You need SCORM for bought courses. TalentLMS supports SCORM on all plans.
- You need SSO. Helpable has no SSO. Waybook (Pro), TalentLMS (paid plans) and Trainual (Premium) offer it.
- You need a native mobile app. Helpable runs in the phone's browser.
- You need Slack or Teams integration. Helpable has none yet (Slack is in development and not available yet).
- You need a free plan. Helpable has a 14-day free trial; TalentLMS and Whale have free plans.
- You onboard at enterprise scale.
FAQ
What is onboarding software for small business?
Onboarding software helps a small business bring new employees on board. HR onboarding tools handle paperwork such as contracts, tax forms and payroll setup, while training tools teach new hires how the work is done. Helpable is a training and know-how tool; Gusto, Rippling, BambooHR and Personio are HR tools.
Do I need HR onboarding software, training software, or both?
If you hire a few people a year, a payroll tool with basic onboarding often covers the paperwork, and the bigger gap is training. Once mistakes repeat or experienced staff spend hours explaining routines, add a training tool such as Helpable. Many small businesses end up using both, each for its own job.
How much does onboarding software cost?
On vendor pages checked on 15 October 2026, BambooHR Core is $250/month flat for 25 employees or fewer, Rippling starts at $8 per employee per month plus a base fee, and Waybook starts at $99/month for 20 seats (billed annually). TalentLMS and Whale have free plans. Helpable starts with the Business plan; see pricing and the 14-day free trial.
What should a small business onboarding plan include?
A good plan covers paperwork before day one, a clear first-day welcome, the key procedures for the role, a short check that the person understood them, and a place to find answers later. Assign it automatically so nobody is forgotten. In Helpable you can build this from onboarding templates and your own procedures; see employee onboarding software.
Can I track whether new hires finished onboarding?
Yes, most training tools track progress. In Helpable you assign onboarding with a deadline, people get email reminders, and you see progress per person and per team, on every plan. HR tools such as BambooHR and Personio track paperwork tasks.
How can I onboard shift workers and deskless staff?
Pick a tool that works well on a phone and keeps lessons short. Helpable runs in the phone's browser, so staff can open procedures and onboarding on the floor or on site with no app to install. Trainual, Waybook and Whale offer native mobile apps.
Can AI help build onboarding training?
Yes. In Helpable, the AI course creator drafts lessons and a quiz from your published articles and procedures, with links to the sources, and you review before publishing. TalentLMS, Whale and Trainual also offer AI tools for content or quizzes. Always check AI drafts against how the work is really done.
Related reading
- 8 Best Internal Knowledge Base Software for Small Teams (2026)
- 7 Best SOP Software for Small Businesses (2026)
- Employee training software
- SOP software
- Knowledge base software
Sources
- Trainual pricing, plans and FAQ: https://trainual.com/pricing (checked 15 October 2026)
- Trainual product overview: https://trainual.com/ (checked 15 October 2026)
- Waybook pricing: https://www.waybook.com/pricing (checked 15 October 2026)
- Waybook product overview: https://www.waybook.com/ (checked 15 October 2026)
- TalentLMS pricing: https://www.talentlms.com/prices (checked 15 October 2026)
- Whale pricing: https://www.usewhale.io/pricing (checked 15 October 2026)
- Whale product overview: https://www.usewhale.io/ (checked 15 October 2026)
- Gusto hiring and onboarding: https://gusto.com/product/hr/hiring-onboarding (checked 15 October 2026)
- Gusto Help Center, onboarding checklists: https://support.gusto.com/article/210728175340400/view-and-complete-onboarding-checklists-for-admins (checked 15 October 2026)
- Gusto pricing: https://gusto.com/product/pricing (checked 15 October 2026; page could not be loaded)
- Rippling pricing: https://www.rippling.com/pricing (checked 15 October 2026)
- Rippling remote workforce management: https://www.rippling.com/remote-workforce-management (checked 15 October 2026)
- Rippling device management: https://www.rippling.com/products/it/device-management (checked 15 October 2026)
- BambooHR pricing: https://www.bamboohr.com/pricing/ (checked 15 October 2026)
- BambooHR onboarding: https://www.bamboohr.com/platform/onboarding/ (checked 15 October 2026)
- BambooHR Help Center, new hire packet: https://help.bamboohr.com/s/article/588009 (checked 15 October 2026)
- Personio onboarding: https://www.personio.com/product/onboarding/ (checked 15 October 2026)
- Personio pricing: https://www.personio.com/pricing/ (checked 15 October 2026; page could not be loaded)