HR software cost calculator
Pick the HR features and get a cost and timeline range for a custom build, with what cutting each feature would save.
Free, runs in your browser, no sign-up. Updated 2026-10-25.
Result
Estimated cost $26,800 – $65,800 (USD), 7–15 weeks with a team of 3. Platform: Web app. Design: Existing UI kit / template. Features: Sign-up, login, password reset; Roles and permissions; Employee records and org chart; Leave requests, balances and approvals; Onboarding and offboarding checklists; Employee self-service (payslips, documents, details); Payroll export or payroll provider integration; Reports and CSV / PDF export; Admin panel; Audit log.
- Timeline
- 7–15 weeks
- Total hours
- 582–1,429
- Engineering hours
- 402–985
- Team
- 3 people
| Role | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering | 402–985 | $20,100 – $49,300 |
| Product design | 60–148 | $2,700 – $6,700 |
| QA / testing | 80–197 | $2,400 – $5,900 |
| Project management | 40–99 | $1,600 – $3,900 |
| Feature | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Sign-up, login, password reset | 25–50 | $1,700 – $3,300 |
| Roles and permissions | 25–62 | $1,700 – $4,100 |
| Employee records and org chart | 62–145 | $4,100 – $9,700 |
| Leave requests, balances and approvals | 62–145 | $4,100 – $9,700 |
| Onboarding and offboarding checklists | 41–103 | $2,800 – $6,900 |
| Employee self-service (payslips, documents, details) | 41–103 | $2,800 – $6,900 |
| Payroll export or payroll provider integration | 62–166 | $4,100 – $11,100 |
| Reports and CSV / PDF export | 25–66 | $1,700 – $4,400 |
| Admin panel | 41–103 | $2,800 – $6,900 |
| Audit log | 17–41 | $1,100 – $2,800 |
What cutting a feature would save
Each row re-runs the estimate without that feature, including its share of design, QA and project management. Biggest saving first.
| Drop this feature | Saves | Weeks saved |
|---|---|---|
| Payroll export or payroll provider integration | $4,100 – $11,100 | 1–2 |
| Employee records and org chart | $4,100 – $9,700 | 1–2 |
| Leave requests, balances and approvals | $4,100 – $9,700 | 1–2 |
| Onboarding and offboarding checklists | $2,800 – $6,900 | 1–1 |
| Employee self-service (payslips, documents, details) | $2,800 – $6,900 | 1–1 |
| Admin panel | $2,800 – $6,900 | 1–1 |
Assumptions
Every number the result depends on, and where it comes from. Change any value and the result updates.
| Assumption | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering rate | USD/hour | OceanLab's rates are $30–50/hr depending on role and seniority. Other teams' rates vary several-fold by country and seniority; replace them with the rates you are quoted.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Product design rate | USD/hour | OceanLab's rates are $30–50/hr depending on role and seniority. Other teams' rates vary several-fold by country and seniority; replace them with the rates you are quoted.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| QA / testing rate | USD/hour | OceanLab's rates are $30–50/hr depending on role and seniority. Other teams' rates vary several-fold by country and seniority; replace them with the rates you are quoted.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Project management rate | USD/hour | OceanLab's rates are $30–50/hr depending on role and seniority. Other teams' rates vary several-fold by country and seniority; replace them with the rates you are quoted.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Product design hours | 15 % | OceanLab assumption. Hours for this role as a share of engineering hours. Planning assumption.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| QA / testing hours | 20 % | OceanLab assumption. Hours for this role as a share of engineering hours. Planning assumption.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Project management hours | 10 % | OceanLab assumption. Hours for this role as a share of engineering hours. Planning assumption.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Contingency | % | OceanLab assumption. Buffer for unknowns found during the build. Planning assumption.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Productive hours per person per week | hours | OceanLab assumption. 40 paid hours minus meetings and review. Planning assumption.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Platform multiplier: Web app | 1 × | OceanLab assumption. Baseline: one responsive web app.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
| Design multiplier: Existing UI kit / template | 0.9 × | OceanLab assumption. Less custom UI work. Planning assumption.Reviewed 2026-10-25 |
Send this estimate to OceanLab
Opens an email to OceanLab with this result and a link to your inputs. Nothing is sent until you press send, and there is no sign-up.
How this is calculated
The estimate starts from an HR preset: sign-in, roles, employee records, leave, onboarding flows, self-service, payroll export, reports, admin and an audit log, on the web. Each feature has a low and a high hour estimate for development, multiplied by the platform and design level, plus a contingency.
Design, QA and project management are added as shares of development hours, and each role's hours are multiplied by its hourly rate.
Weeks come from total hours divided by team size and productive hours per person per week.
The hour ranges are OceanLab planning assumptions, not market benchmarks. Edit any of them in the assumptions panel.
Questions about this tool
Should we build payroll?
Rarely. Payroll rules change by country and every year. Most custom HR tools export to a payroll provider instead, which is the default here.
Where do the feature hours come from?
They are OceanLab planning assumptions for a typical version of each feature, not survey data. Each one is shown and editable, so you can replace it with a number from your own team or quote.
Which hourly rates does it use?
Default rates are OceanLab's own: $50 an hour for engineering, $45 for design, $40 for project management and $30 for QA. Change any of them to the rates you have been quoted.
Is anything I enter sent anywhere?
No. The tool runs in your browser and there is no sign-up. Nothing leaves the page unless you choose to email your result to OceanLab.
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