IceHrm Review, Pricing & Features

IceHrm is a budget HR software with cloud and self-hosted options for leave, attendance, recruitment and payroll. Compare 2026 pricing and alternatives.

Category
HR
Pricing
Freemium, from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2012
Headquarters
Australia
Free PlanWeb AppiOSAndroidAPIOpen SourceFreemiumSelf-Hosted

Overview

IceHrm is a human resource management platform aimed at small and mid-sized organizations that need core HRIS functionality, such as employee records, attendance, leave and recruitment, without the cost and complexity of enterprise HR suites. The product is offered both as a free, self-hostable open-source PHP application and as a managed cloud (SaaS) service operated by Ice Hrm Pty Ltd.

The platform's open-source roots give technical teams the option to install IceHrm on their own servers, customize the codebase and retain full control of employee data, while the cloud edition trades that flexibility for zero server maintenance in exchange for a low, transparent per-employee monthly fee.

Key Features

IceHrm covers the core employee lifecycle: an employee database and org chart, leave and vacation management with configurable approval chains, time and attendance tracking with timesheets, and document storage for HR records.

Beyond core HRIS functions, IceHrm includes an applicant tracking system for recruitment, payroll processing with payslip generation, and structured performance review cycles, letting smaller HR teams run hiring, payroll and reviews from a single platform rather than stitching together multiple point tools.

Pricing

IceHrm's pricing is unusually transparent for HR software: the Cloud plan is free for organizations with five or fewer employees, and the paid Cloud tier starts at 12 US dollars a month for up to six employees, scaling by roughly 1.10 to 1.54 dollars per additional employee depending on plan.

Organizations that outgrow the Cloud tier's self-service model can move to the Enterprise plan, which uses custom pricing and adds a dedicated account manager, payroll configuration assistance, data migration support and priority SLA-backed support, while the underlying open-source edition remains free to self-host at any company size.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Genuinely free tier for teams of five or fewer employees
  • Open-source, self-hostable codebase gives full data control
  • Low per-employee cost on the cloud plan compared to most HRIS competitors
  • Covers the full HR lifecycle in one product, from attendance to payroll
  • No long-term contract commitments on cloud hosting plans

Cons

  • Interface and UX feel less polished than premium SaaS competitors like BambooHR
  • Self-hosted edition requires PHP/MySQL server administration skills
  • Limited third-party integration marketplace compared to larger HR platforms
  • Customer support is primarily email-based outside the Enterprise tier
  • Company size and financial backing are less established than major HR SaaS vendors

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is IceHrm really free?

Yes, for organizations with five or fewer employees on the cloud plan, and the self-hosted open-source edition is free to download and run regardless of headcount.

Can IceHrm be self-hosted?

Yes, IceHrm publishes an open-source PHP/MySQL edition that organizations can install on their own servers at no license cost.

How is cloud pricing calculated?

The Cloud plan starts at 12 dollars a month for up to six employees, then scales at roughly 1.10 to 1.54 dollars per additional employee per month.

Does IceHrm handle payroll?

Yes, payroll processing and payslip generation are included, with additional payroll configuration support available on the Enterprise tier.

Who is IceHrm best suited for?

Small and mid-sized organizations that want an affordable, full-featured HRIS with the option to self-host rather than a large enterprise platform.

What support is available?

Email support is included on the Cloud plan, while the Enterprise tier adds a dedicated account manager and priority support with an SLA.

Comparisons

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