Frappe HR: Open Source HR and Payroll Software That Doesn’t Suck
Managing HR and payroll is one of those necessary evils for businesses, but most solutions are either expensive, inflexible, or just plain clunky. Enter Frappe HR—an open-source alternative that’s actually built with modern workflows in mind. With over 3.7k GitHub stars and a thriving community, it’s worth a look if you’re tired of proprietary bloat.
What It Does
Frappe HR is a full-featured HR and payroll system that covers:
- Employee records & onboarding
- Leave and attendance tracking
- Payroll processing (with tax and compliance support)
- Shift scheduling
- Performance management
It’s built on Frappe Framework, a Python + JavaScript stack designed for rapid business app development. That means it’s modular, extensible, and plays nice with other Frappe apps like ERPNext.
Why It’s Cool
- Self-hostable & customizable – No vendor lock-in, no SaaS pricing surprises.
- Modern UI – Unlike some legacy HR tools that feel like they’re stuck in 2005.
- Active development – Regular commits, recent TypeScript adoption, and a solid Docker setup.
- Built for real-world use – Supports multi-currency payroll, statutory compliance, and even PWA for mobile access.
How to Try It
- Quick demo: Check out the live demo.
- Self-host: Clone the repo and follow the setup guide.
git clone https://github.com/frappe/hrms cd hrms docker-compose up -d - Cloud option: Frappe offers hosted instances if you’d rather not DIY.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a dev tasked with setting up HR software for a small-to-medium business (or just hate paying for Slack integrations), Frappe HR is a solid pick. It’s not perfect—some configs might require digging into the Frappe Framework—but for an open-source project, it’s impressively polished.
Got thoughts on open-source HR tools? Hit us up @githubprojects.