Employee onboarding is among the most crucial functions in an organization. Bringing new employees on board is a complex step that often determines their experience and productivity.
Did you know that, according to a study, 68% of employees leave the organization within the first three months? For many employees, a poor onboarding experience is a reason for their departure.
Open-source onboarding software offers an affordable and flexible way to hire. With no fees and full customization, it’s perfect for onboarding new employees. In this blog, we will take a detailed look at free, open-source onboarding software and its benefits.
Understanding Open Source Onboarding Software
Helping new hires settle in properly is essential for long-term productivity. Hence, HRMS solutions are a need, not a want, especially for small businesses! However, onboarding solutions often cost a lot, which is a challenge. Open-source software provides a cost-effective solution for efficient onboarding.
What is an Open Source Onboarding Software?
Open-source software (OSS) is a type of software that users can use, modify, and share freely, including access to its source code. Unlike paid tools, you’re not locked into a specific vendor—you can tweak it to fit your company’s needs.
Open-source onboarding software creates a smooth onboarding experience without extra costs. Hence, it is especially beneficial for SMEs looking to expand their workforce.
Why Choose Open Source for Employee Onboarding?
Traditional onboarding software can be expensive and rigid, making it hard to adjust as your company grows. Open-source options give you the freedom to shape the process your way—without the hefty price tag.
Here’s why they’re worth considering:
Flexibility
Open-source onboarding software adapts to your business needs. Whether you’re a startup or a growing enterprise, you can customize to match your evolving processes. Flexibility and consistency are both essential in onboarding. Hence, using flexible onboarding software can make all the difference.
Customization
Every company has its own way of onboarding new hires. With open-source software, you can modify workflows, forms, and approvals to align with your internal policies.
Community Support
No need to rely on expensive customer support—open-source platforms have active communities where developers and users share insights. You can seek guidance from forums and communities to troubleshoot issues.
No Licensing Fees
Unlike paid onboarding tools, open-source software is free to use. You won’t have to worry about costly subscriptions, making it a budget-friendly choice.
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Now that you have got a general idea of what open source onboarding software is, let’s take a closer look at the key benefits in the next section.
Benefits of Free Open Source Onboarding Software
Investing in an onboarding system can be costly, especially for small businesses. Free open-source software offers a way to improve the hiring process without high investments.
But cost savings aren’t the only advantage—open-source tools also provide customization, community support, and continuous improvements.
Here’s a closer look at why businesses are choosing open-source solutions for onboarding.
1. Cost Efficiency
Many businesses hesitate to adopt onboarding software due to high licensing costs. Proprietary HR software often requires monthly or yearly subscriptions, which can quickly add up.
Free open source onboarding software is a good alternative, which helps you easily onboard new hires without any extra cost. Here’s how these save you money:
Zero Licensing Costs
Most commercial onboarding software comes with hefty monthly or annual fees. Open-source solutions, on the other hand, are completely free to use—allowing companies to allocate funds elsewhere.
No Vendor Restrictions
Paid HR software often locks businesses into contracts that limit flexibility. You may even need to pay for features you may never use. With open-source tools, HR teams have full control—without being tied to a single provider.
Scalable for Growing Companies
As businesses expand, onboarding needs change. You can modify open-source platforms without incurring additional costs. This makes them ideal for startups and growing organizations.
2. Customizable Features
One major downside of off-the-shelf HR software is its rigidity. Paid platforms often require companies to follow predefined workflows. The workflows of the paid software may not align with internal processes of companies.
However, you can easily customize open source software to align with your company’s workflows.
What Can You Customize?
Here are the things you can customize in open source onboarding software:
- Onboarding Steps & Workflows – Adjust processes to fit company culture and policies.
- User Interfaces & Dashboards – Make the software more intuitive for HR staff and new hires.
- Integration with Other HR Tools – Sync with payroll, benefits administration, and performance management systems.
For example: A growing tech startup may want to automate onboarding for remote employees, while a traditional company may need a more hands-on approach. Open-source software allows both companies to configure workflows based on their needs.
3. Strong Community Support
One of the biggest advantages of open-source onboarding software is the support from a global community. Paid software usually limits support to customer service hours or premium plans. Open-source platforms thrive on collective knowledge and collaboration. Here’s how it helps:
Troubleshooting Made Easy
Glitches in software can slow down the onboarding process. Troubleshooting can be a tedious task, affecting the team’s productivity. Active forums and discussions on open source software can help you easily troubleshoot these issues.
Here’s how you can easily troubleshoot:
- Active forums and discussion boards provide instant solutions from experienced users and developers.
- Popular platforms like hrech blogs, Github, StackOverflow are filled with guides, resources and troubleshooting tips.
- No need to rely on expensive vendor support—help is always available.
Continuous Updates & Improvements
Unlike traditional software that relies on scheduled updates from a single provider, open-source platforms are constantly evolving. With developers and users worldwide contributing improvements, these tools stay up-to-date and secure.
Here’s how it works:
- Open-source projects are updated regularly by contributors worldwide.
- Security patches and feature enhancements happen faster than in closed-source software.
- Community-driven innovation ensures that software evolves with modern HR needs
Easy to Learn and Use
Community support makes open source software easy to use and the learning curve is less steep than other paid alternatives. There are plenty of resources available online from various sources to help you learn and use the software.
- Step-by-step guides make setup and customization easy, even for non-technical users.
- Wikis, FAQs, and tutorials available in communities and forums help HR teams implement best practices.
- Businesses can access a wealth of knowledge without additional costs.
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With so many advantages, it’s clear why free open-source onboarding software can be a viable solution for onboarding your new hires. Now, let’s explore some of the most popular free solutions available and how they can fit different business needs.
Popular Free Open Source Onboarding Solutions
Choosing the right onboarding software can make the hiring process more efficient and easy. Open-source HR software offers flexibility and customization. With so many options available, it’s important to find one that fits your business needs.
Here are some of the top free open-source onboarding solutions:
1. Sentrifugo HRMS
Sentrifugo HRMS is a powerful open-source platform designed for businesses of all sizes. It is an all-in-one hiring platform that can transform your recruitment process. It provides a structured onboarding process with built-in features to simplify HR tasks.
Key Onboarding Features:
- Role-based access control to assign permissions to HR staff and managers.
- Automated workflows for document collection, approvals, and compliance checks.
- Employee background verification to streamline hiring decisions.
How it works:
You can easily start using Sentrifugo for your HRM needs. Here’s how to install and use it:
- Step 1: Download the software from the official website
- Step 2: Install the software
- Step 3: Configure as per your requirements
- Step 4: Use
Pros and Cons:
Here are some of the pros and cons of Sentrifugo HRMS:
| Pros | Cons |
| Free to use | Lack of dedicated support team |
| Fully customizable | Requires technical expertise for complex customizations |
| Easily scalable | May require custom development for integration to third-party tools |
| Complete control over employee data, ensuring data security | There may be a technical overhead if there is no in-house IT team |
Best For:
Businesses looking for an all-in-one HR management system with strong onboarding capabilities.
2. Odoo
Odoo is an open-source human resource management system that offers a suite of tools to manage various HR functions, including onboarding. Its modular design allows businesses to select and integrate the features that best fit their needs.
Key Onboarding Features:
Here are some onboarding features that Odoo offers to help you transform your onboarding experience:
- Automated Onboarding Workflows: Odoo helps set up structured onboarding workflows, ensuring new hires complete essential steps like:
- Document submission,
- Orientation tasks, and
- Initial training
- Digital Employee Profiles: New hires can create and update their own profiles, including:
- Contact details,
- Job roles, and
- Skills.
This makes it easier for the company to track onboarding progress and assign relevant tasks.
- Task-Based Onboarding Plans: Odoo can help you assign and monitor onboarding activities, such as:
- E-learning modules,
- Policy acknowledgments, and
- Team introductions.
- Automated reminders help ensure that no step is overlooked.
- Centralized Document Management: New employees can upload necessary documents—such as contracts, tax forms, and ID proofs—directly into the system. HR can verify and approve these documents, ensuring compliance and record-keeping.
How it works:
Here’s how to install and start using Odoo for your onboarding needs:
- Step 1: Install Odoo using Docker, source code, or the official installer.
- Step 2: Open Odoo in your browser by entering its address in your web browser
- Step 3: Install the employee module by going to “Apps”, search for “Employees” and install it
- Step 4: Create an onboarding plan by adding tasks like document signing, training and IT setup
- Step 5: Assign tasks, send reminders, and monitor progress in onboarding reports.
Pros and cons:
Here are some pros and cons of using Odoo:
| Pros | Cons |
| Modular design allows businesses to customize onboarding workflows. | Customization may require technical expertise. |
| User-friendly interface makes it easy for HR teams to manage onboarding tasks. | Regular updates may require adjustments in onboarding workflows. |
| Seamless integration with HR, payroll, and training modules. | Steeper learning curve for HR teams unfamiliar with Odoo. |
| Automates onboarding tasks, reducing manual workload. | Limited personalized support in the free community version. |
| Cost-effective as an open-source solution with no licensing fees. |
Best For:
Odoo is ideal for mid-sized to large businesses that need a scalable onboarding solution. It’s especially useful for companies looking to integrate onboarding with other HR and business processes as Odoo offers great integrations.
3. OrangeHRM
OrangeHRM is a widely used open-source HR platform that provides a structured and efficient onboarding experience. It helps HR teams manage employee transitions seamlessly by automating key onboarding tasks.
Key Onboarding Feature:
Here are some onboarding features of OrangeHRM that can help you easily onboard new employees:
- Preboarding and Onboarding Automation: OrangeHRM’s Onboarding Module automates tasks such as:
- Collection of document,
- Policy acknowledgments, and
- Orientation scheduling
- Customizable Onboarding Templates: You can create and manage templates that standardize onboarding procedures. This helps in maintaining consistency and efficiency across the organization
- Task Management and Progress Tracking: You can easily assign tasks to relevant departments or individuals and receive automated reminders for pending activities. This ensures that you don’t overlook any step in the onboarding process.
How it works:
Here’s how you can use OrangeHRM for your onboarding needs:
- Step 1: Download and install Orange HRM from their official website based on your operating system
- Step 2: After installation enable onboarding
- Step 3: Create an onboarding template and set up tasks like document submission, training, IT setup.
- Step 4: Add a new employee and assign an onboarding template
- Step 5: Track progress
Pros and Cons:
Here are some pros and cons of using Orange HRM:
| Pros | Cons |
| Generally easy to learn and use, facilitating quick adoption by HR teams. | Few integrations available; advanced features like API access require a paid plan. |
| Allows tailoring to specific organizational needs, enhancing flexibility. | Customized software may require more extensive maintenance and updates. |
| Implements robust security measures to protect sensitive employee data. | Despite its intuitive interface, some users mention a somewhat complex setup process |
Best For:
Organizations seeking a flexible, user-friendly HR management that scales with their growth.
4. IceHrm
IceHrm is an open-source HRMS designed to centralize employee data and improve HR processes. It offers a range of features to ensure the onboarding experience of new hires is smooth, informative and productive.
Key Onboarding Features:
Here are some of the key onboarding features of IceHRM that makes it suitable for small and medium businesses:
- Employee Self-Service Portal: New hires can access a dedicated portal to complete necessary forms, upload documents, and familiarize themselves with company policies.
- Centralized Document Management: The platform provides a secure repository for storing and managing employee-related documents. This helps ensure easy access and compliance.
- Scalability: IceHRM is very flexible to use. It doesn’t matter whether your company has 5 employees or 50,000 employees. You can easily scale up using IceHRM based on your needs.
How it works:
Here’s how you can install and use IceHRM for onboarding:
- Step 1: Download the installer from IceHRM’s website, extract files, and upload to your server
- Step 2: Create a MySQL database and user, then update the config.php file with the database details
- Step 3: Complete installation by accessing the setup page. Enter the required details and finish installation.
- Step 4: Log in as admin and add new employees with their details
- Step 5: Use training and document module to assign onboarding tasks and track progress
Pros and Cons
Here are some pros and cons of IceHRM:
| Pros | Cons |
| Designed to be intuitive and easy to navigate. | Lacks comprehensive guidance on API usage and development. |
| Provides modules for leave management, payroll processing, and expense management. | The set up process is complex and requires technical expertise |
| Uses automation for various processes hence saving time | The backend structure can be challenging to understand. |
Best For:
Small to mid-sized businesses seeking a cost-effective, customizable HR solution to manage and enhance their onboarding processes.
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With so many great open-source onboarding solutions available, choosing the right one depends on your business needs. Let’s now take a look at some of the integration and implementation strategies.
Implementation and Integration Strategies
Successfully implementing and integrating open-source onboarding software requires careful planning. Here are some strategies for proper implementation and integration.
1. Implementation of HR Open Source Onboarding Software
Implementing open-source onboarding software requires a structured approach to ensure smooth deployment and adoption. Here are some things to consider for proper implementation:
- Assess Organizational Needs: Identify the specific requirements of your onboarding process to ensure the software fits your needs.
- Choose the Right Tools: Select modules and features that align with your HR goals and onboarding workflow.
- Provide Training: Offer training for HR staff and new hires to ensure they understand how to navigate and use the system effectively.
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2. Integration of HR Open Source Onboarding Software
Successful integration with existing HR systems is a must to avoid disruptions. By following a strategic approach, you can optimize your HR processes. Here are some key aspects to consider:
- Identify Key Integration Points: Determine which HR systems (payroll, performance management) need to sync with your onboarding software.
- Use APIs for Integration: Use available APIs to connect the open-source onboarding software with other HR tools.
- Test for Compatibility: Ensure all systems work smoothly together by running integration tests before full implementation.
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Conclusion
In this blog, we’ve explored several HR open source onboarding software, with focus on Sentrifugo. Open-source HRMS platforms provide cost-effective solutions and customizable tools to simplify the onboarding process. Successful implementation and integration with existing HR systems is important for best results.
hrtech Marketplace provides a diverse selection of software that simplify the onboarding process, offering easy integration and vendor support. With personalized recommendations and smart search hrtech can transform your onboarding process.
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