Best Employee Onboarding Software & Platforms in 2026
Great onboarding reduces 90-day turnover by up to 82%. We tested 10+ platforms to find the 5 best for automating onboarding workflows, document collection, and new hire experience.
Watch: Best Onboarding Software
What Good Onboarding Needs
Automated Workflows & Task Management
New hire onboarding involves 50+ tasks across HR, IT, managers, and the employee. Automated task assignment and tracking ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
Document Collection & E-Signatures
I-9 verification, tax forms, NDAs, and policy acknowledgements need secure collection with e-signatures before day one.
Pre-boarding Before Day One
The best onboarding starts before the first day. Welcome portals, team introductions, and paperwork completion before arrival create a strong first impression.
Manager & IT Coordination
Equipment provisioning, system access, and manager check-in scheduling need automated triggers. Manual handoffs between departments cause delays.
Top 5 Employee Onboarding Platforms
Rippling
Best Overall for Automated Onboarding
Why It's Best
Rippling's onboarding is unmatched because it handles HR, IT, and device provisioning in one workflow. A single click can send an offer letter, enroll benefits, provision a laptop, set up email, and grant app access.
Key Features
- One-click onboarding automation
- Device provisioning & shipping
- App and account provisioning
- E-signature document collection
Additional Capabilities
- Benefits enrollment
- Compliance form management
- Custom onboarding workflows
- Pre-boarding portal
✓ Pros
- Most comprehensive automation
- HR + IT onboarding unified
- Device management included
- Fastest onboarding completion
- Custom workflows
✗ Cons
- Full value requires multiple modules
- Higher total cost
- Can be complex to configure
- Overkill for simple needs
Companies (25-1,000 employees) wanting the most automated onboarding with IT provisioning
BambooHR
Best for New Hire Experience & Culture
Why It's Best
BambooHR's onboarding creates the best new hire experience. Welcome emails, team introductions, and custom onboarding checklists make new employees feel valued from day one.
Key Features
- Customisable onboarding checklists
- Welcome email templates
- New hire packets
- E-signatures
Additional Capabilities
- Team introduction pages
- Pre-boarding portal
- Get-to-know-you questionnaires
- IT/equipment request triggers
✓ Pros
- Best new hire experience
- Beautiful welcome portal
- Easy to customise
- Pre-boarding capabilities
- Great for company culture
✗ Cons
- No IT device provisioning
- Manual IT coordination still needed
- Less automation depth
- No app provisioning
Companies (25-500 employees) wanting the best new hire experience
Gusto
Best for Small Business Onboarding + Payroll
Why It's Best
Gusto makes onboarding seamless for small businesses by connecting new hire paperwork directly to payroll setup. Self-service onboarding lets new hires complete everything before day one.
Key Features
- Self-service onboarding portal
- Payroll-connected setup
- Tax form collection (W-4, I-9)
- Benefits enrollment
Additional Capabilities
- Direct deposit setup
- E-signatures
- Offer letter templates
- Custom checklists
✓ Pros
- Onboarding flows into payroll
- Very easy to set up
- Self-service for new hires
- Affordable for small businesses
- Good compliance
✗ Cons
- Limited workflow customisation
- No IT provisioning
- Basic compared to Rippling
- US only
Small businesses (5-100 employees) wanting simple onboarding connected to payroll
Workday Onboarding
Best for Enterprise Onboarding at Scale
Why It's Best
Workday's onboarding module handles complex enterprise scenarios — multi-country onboarding, role-specific workflows, and compliance across jurisdictions — all within the unified HCM platform.
Key Features
- Role-specific onboarding journeys
- Multi-country compliance
- Manager and buddy assignments
- Task orchestration
Additional Capabilities
- Document management
- Compliance verification
- Integration with Workday HCM
- Analytics and reporting
✓ Pros
- Handles enterprise complexity
- Multi-country support
- Deeply integrated with HCM
- Compliance automation
- Role-specific journeys
✗ Cons
- Requires Workday HCM
- Expensive
- Complex to configure
- Overkill for SMBs
Enterprises (1,000+ employees) with complex, multi-country onboarding needs
Sapling
Best Dedicated Onboarding Platform
Why It's Best
Sapling (now part of Kallidus) is purpose-built for onboarding and offboarding. Unlike HRIS add-ons, every feature is designed for the onboarding workflow.
Key Features
- Pre-boarding workflows
- Smart task assignment
- People directory
- Onboarding analytics
Additional Capabilities
- Offboarding workflows
- Department-specific paths
- Integration with 40+ HRIS
- Custom templates
✓ Pros
- Purpose-built for onboarding
- Best offboarding workflows
- Good analytics
- Integrates with existing HRIS
- Affordable pricing
✗ Cons
- Not a full HRIS
- Requires separate HR system
- Smaller platform
- Less automation than Rippling
Companies (50-500 employees) wanting a dedicated onboarding tool alongside their HRIS
Quick Comparison
| Platform | Pricing | IT Provisioning | Pre-boarding | E-Signatures | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rippling | $8/user | Excellent | Yes | Yes | 25-1,000 |
| BambooHR | $5.25/user | None | Yes | Yes | 25-500 |
| Gusto | $40+$6/ee | None | Yes | Yes | 5-100 |
| Workday | Custom | Basic | Yes | Yes | 1,000+ |
| Sapling | $4.92/user | None | Yes | Yes | 50-500 |
Ready to Choose?
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