15Five vs Frappe HR

15Five is a narrowly focused, AI-enhanced performance management and engagement SaaS priced per user, built for reviews, surveys, and manager coaching. Frappe…

Best for 15Five: Companies wanting structured performance reviews, engagement surveys, and AI-driven manager coaching through Kona, with published per-user pricing and native iOS/Android apps.
Best for Frappe HR: Organizations wanting a free, self-hostable, open-source system covering payroll, recruitment, attendance, and leave alongside basic performance tracking, especially those already using ERPNext.

At a Glance

 15FiveFrappe HR
Primary categoryHRHR
RatingNot documentedNot documented
Pricing modelSubscription (per user/month, billed annually)Open Source / Usage-based hosting
Starting price$4/user/month (Engage plan, billed annually)Free (self-hosted); Frappe Cloud hosting from $5/month
Free planNot documentedYes
Free trialNot documentedYes
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb
Team collaborationNot documentedNot documented
AI featuresYesNot documented
Public APINot documentedYes

Key Differences

Product Scope

15Five: 15Five focuses specifically on performance management, engagement surveys, goals/OKRs, and manager coaching.

Frappe HR: Frappe HR is a full HRIS and payroll suite covering recruitment, employee lifecycle management, shifts & attendance, leave, expenses, performance, and payroll tax & reports.

Buyers need to know whether they're evaluating a point solution for performance or a system of record for all of HR.

Pricing Model

15Five: 15Five is paid-only with three per-user annual tiers: Engage at $4/user/month, Perform at $11/user/month, and Total Platform at $16/user/month.

Frappe HR: Frappe HR is free to self-host under AGPL-3.0, or available via Frappe Cloud starting at $5/month for site hosting (not per user).

Per-user SaaS pricing scales with headcount, while self-hosted open source shifts cost to infrastructure and maintenance instead.

AI Coaching Capabilities

15Five: 15Five offers Kona, an AI assistant add-on that gives managers real-time coaching recommendations, plus AI-assisted performance reviews.

Frappe HR: Frappe HR's public feature list does not mention AI capabilities.

AI-assisted coaching can shorten manager ramp-up time on giving effective feedback.

Payroll Processing

15Five: 15Five's feature list does not include payroll processing; it offers compensation insights (pay range management) rather than running payroll.

Frappe HR: Frappe HR includes dedicated Payroll and Payroll Tax & Reports modules with regional tax configuration.

Running payroll requires dedicated tax and compliance handling that a pure performance tool doesn't provide.

Openness and Deployment

15Five: 15Five is closed-source SaaS with iOS and Android mobile apps; no self-hosting option is documented.

Frappe HR: Frappe HR is 100% open source (AGPL-3.0, 8.2K GitHub stars) and can be self-hosted on your own infrastructure.

Self-hosting gives full data control and avoids per-user fees but requires infrastructure management.

Feature-by-Feature

Performance & Engagement

Feature15FiveFrappe HR
AI-assisted performance reviewsAvailableNot documented
Engagement/pulse surveysAvailableNot documented
Manager AI coaching (Kona)AvailableUnavailable
Goals/OKR trackingAvailableAvailable
1-on-1 meeting toolsAvailableNot documented

HR Operations & Payroll

Feature15FiveFrappe HR
Payroll processingNot documentedAvailable
Payroll tax & reportingNot documentedAvailable
Recruitment/hiring workflowNot documentedAvailable
Leave & attendance managementNot documentedAvailable
Expense managementNot documentedAvailable

Deployment, Pricing & Access

Feature15FiveFrappe HR
Free planUnavailableAvailable
Open-source availabilityUnavailableAvailable
Mobile apps (iOS/Android)AvailableNot documented
Self-hosting optionUnavailableAvailable

Pricing Compared

Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.

15Five

Engage — $4 per user/month, billed annually
Perform — $11 per user/month, billed annually
Total Platform — $16 per user/month, billed annually

Frappe HR

Self-Hosted (Open Source) — Free N/A
Frappe Cloud - Sites — From $5/month Monthly, usage-based
Frappe Cloud - Servers — From $20/month Monthly, usage-based
Frappe Cloud - Premium Servers — From $125/month Monthly, usage-based
Enterprise — Contact for pricing Custom

Pros & Cons

15Five

Pros

  • Combines performance, engagement, and compensation in one platform
  • AI-assisted review writing and dedicated manager coaching (Kona)
  • Strong analytics and benchmarking for HR leaders
  • Modular pricing lets teams start with just Engage or Perform

Cons

  • Total Platform plus add-ons (Kona, Compensation) can add up in cost for larger organizations
  • Feature depth is oriented toward mid-market/enterprise HR teams, which may be more than very small teams need
  • Some capabilities (Kona Coach, Manager Content) are priced as separate add-ons rather than included

Frappe HR

Pros

  • Fully open source under AGPL-3.0, with no per-employee license fees for self-hosted deployments
  • Deep, full-featured module set spanning payroll, recruitment, performance, and attendance rather than a narrow HR tool
  • Highly customizable without code through the Frappe Framework's built-in workflow and form builder
  • Frappe Cloud hosting pricing is based on infrastructure rather than per-user seats, which can be cheaper at scale
  • Backed by a large open-source community and network of 200-plus certified implementation partners

Cons

  • Self-hosting requires ongoing server management, security, and backup responsibility
  • Steeper learning curve than narrowly focused commercial HR SaaS tools like Gusto or BambooHR
  • Smaller third-party integration marketplace compared to large commercial HRIS platforms
  • Advanced support (beyond community forums) typically requires paying for Frappe Cloud or a certified partner
  • Payroll tax rules for markets outside India may need additional configuration or a partner's help

Use Cases

Choose 15Five: Companies wanting structured performance reviews, engagement surveys, and AI-driven manager coaching through Kona, with published per-user pricing and native iOS/Android apps.
Choose Frappe HR: Organizations wanting a free, self-hostable, open-source system covering payroll, recruitment, attendance, and leave alongside basic performance tracking, especially those already using ERPNext.
Need both: A company could run Frappe HR as its core system of record for payroll, recruitment, and attendance, then layer 15Five on top specifically for AI-assisted review cycles and Kona manager coaching, since Frappe HR's performance module doesn't document AI-assisted reviews or dedicated engagement surveys.

15Five

  • Performance review cycles — AI-assisted reviews, 360-degree feedback, and calibration for mid-market and enterprise HR teams.
  • Employee engagement measurement — Engagement surveys, benchmarking, and action planning to track and improve engagement.
  • Manager coaching and development — AI coaching via Kona plus manager-training content to build stronger managers.
  • Compensation benchmarking — Pay-range management and salary benchmarking as part of total-rewards planning.

Frappe HR

  • End-to-end payroll and compliance — Mid-sized companies use Frappe HR to run payroll, compute taxes, and generate payslips without paying per-employee SaaS fees.
  • Custom HR workflows for regulated industries — Organizations with unique approval chains or compliance requirements use the no-code workflow builder to model processes that off-the-shelf HR SaaS tools cannot easily support.
  • Unified ERP and HR data — Businesses already running ERPNext adopt Frappe HR to keep employee, payroll, and financial data inside a single connected ecosystem.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does 15Five include payroll?

No. Payroll is not part of 15Five's documented feature set, which focuses on reviews, surveys, and coaching. Frappe HR, by contrast, has dedicated Payroll and Payroll Tax & Reports modules.

Is Frappe HR really free?

Yes, self-hosting Frappe HR is free under its AGPL-3.0 open-source license. If you'd rather not self-host, Frappe Cloud site hosting starts at $5/month, with server plans from $40/month and a 14-day free trial.

How does 15Five's Kona AI assistant work?

Kona is an add-on AI coaching tool that gives managers real-time recommendations, layered on top of 15Five's base per-user pricing.

Which tool is open source?

Frappe HR is 100% open source under AGPL-3.0 with 8.2K GitHub stars. 15Five is proprietary SaaS with no open-source option.

What does 15Five cost compared to Frappe HR?

15Five charges $4, $11, or $16 per user/month (billed annually) across its Engage, Perform, and Total Platform tiers with no free plan. Frappe HR is free to self-host, or available on Frappe Cloud from $5/month for site hosting.

Does Frappe HR handle recruitment?

Yes. Its Recruitment feature covers planning, publishing, analyzing, and evaluating hiring through to offers - a workflow that isn't part of 15Five's documented feature set.

Read the full 15Five review · Read the full Frappe HR review