2026-11-10 · 4 min read · By the Kluvan team
Free HR software for a small team: what you get
Running HR for five people on WhatsApp and a spreadsheet? What Kluvan HR Starter does for free, what payroll costs, and when a small team should upgrade.
If you have up to five employees and you track leave on WhatsApp and attendance in a spreadsheet, a free HR plan can replace both. Kluvan's HR Starter is free forever: 1 full manager seat plus up to 5 employee self-service seats, attendance, leave requests and a recruitment pipeline, with 1 GB of storage and 150 AI credits once. When you want payroll runs, more employees or more managers, you upgrade in the same account: HR is USD 19 a month billed annually, and payroll is USD 1.50 per paid employee.
What a small team actually needs from HR software
| Task today | How it usually runs | In HR Starter |
|---|---|---|
| Leave requests | A WhatsApp message and a memory | Employees request leave from their self-service link; the manager approves |
| Attendance | A sheet filled in at the end of the month | Attendance recorded in the system |
| Employee files | Scans in a phone gallery | Employee records in one place |
| Hiring | CVs in an inbox | A recruitment pipeline |
| Who sees what | Everyone sees everything | Salary, bank IBAN and payroll stay behind separate payroll permissions |
That last row matters even in a team of five: managers who handle rosters and leave don't see salaries or IBANs unless they hold payroll permissions.
Set up HR Starter in an afternoon
- Create your organisation and pick your country: the UAE or Egypt country pack sets leave types, holidays and the work week.
- Add your employees, up to 5 on self-service seats.
- Send each one their self-service link, so they can request leave and see their own record.
- Set your leave types and check the public holidays the pack added.
- Start recording attendance from the first Monday.
- Put your open job in the recruitment pipeline, so CVs stop living in an inbox.
When to upgrade, and what it costs
You upgrade when you want automated payroll runs, more than five employees, or more managers.
| Item | Price (per month, billed annually, before tax) |
|---|---|
| HR on its own | USD 19, with the first 3 full users of your organisation |
| Payroll | USD 1.50 per paid employee |
| Employee self-service seat | USD 1.50 per seat |
| Full user | USD 12 per seat |
| Kluvan One (every app) | USD 199, with 50 self-service employees included |
Monthly billing costs more, and Kluvan charges in USD only. The pricing page has the current list.
Payroll for the UAE and Egypt
The HR & Payroll app keeps encrypted employee documents with expiry alerts, shift rosters, mobile or biometric attendance and a self-service link for every worker. Payroll has the UAE WPS and Egypt statutory rules built, and the countries page marks payroll "Partial" with a clear note: figures are to be checked by your accountant. Plan for that check every month, especially for the first runs.
A checklist before you switch off the spreadsheet
- Every employee has a record and a self-service link.
- This year's leave balances are entered.
- The holidays match your country and your contracts.
- Only the owner, or whoever runs payroll, has payroll permissions.
- Your accountant has checked the first payroll run line by line.
If HR is one of several tools you are juggling, one suite or separate apps shows when one account for HR, books, customers and projects fits better than separate apps.
When this is not for you
If you need HR and payroll rules for a country other than the UAE or Egypt, Kluvan's other countries are marked "Not yet" or "Partial". If your team works where there is no internet, Kluvan's apps need a connection. If you want payroll figures you never have to check, that is not what Kluvan promises: the figures are to be checked by your accountant. And if you need a shop till as well, Kluvan has no point-of-sale till. Read who Kluvan is not for.
Questions and answers
How many employees does HR Starter cover for free?
1 full manager seat and up to 5 employee self-service seats, free forever.
Does HR Starter include payroll?
No. HR Starter covers records, attendance, leave and recruitment. You upgrade when you want automated payroll runs; payroll is USD 1.50 per paid employee a month, billed annually.
Can a manager see salaries?
Not unless they hold payroll permissions. Salary, bank IBAN, payroll runs and confidential scans sit behind separate payroll permissions.
Is there a trial of the paid HR features?
Yes. Every new organisation gets 14 days of Kluvan One free, with every app and no card.
Move your team off the spreadsheet: start with HR Starter.
