# Best open source HR software > The best open source HR software is Frappe HR, with 8,879 GitHub stars, the GPL-3.0 license and a Docker image; Ever Gauzy and Horilla are strong alternatives. The overall ranking weighs GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits across the 5 HR software apps in the HR & time tracking category of the appsgit catalog. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | |---|---| | Question | What is the best open source HR software? | | Picks | 5 | | Top pick | Frappe HR (8,879 stars) | | Data as of | Oct 7, 2026 | | Canonical URL | https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-hr-software | ## Top picks 5 of the 5 HR software apps in the HR & time tracking category, ranked on GitHub stars, commits in the last year, Docker images, open-source licenses and recent commits. - [Frappe HR](https://appsgit.com/apps/frappe-hr) (8,879 stars, GPL-3.0, Python, Docker): Frappe HR has 8,879 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,742 commits in the last year; it replaces BambooHR and Workday. - [Ever Gauzy](https://appsgit.com/apps/ever-gauzy) (8,194 stars, AGPL-3.0, TypeScript, Docker): Ever Gauzy has 8,194 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 1,967 commits in the last year; it replaces BambooHR and Workday. - [Horilla](https://appsgit.com/apps/horilla) (1,451 stars, LGPL-2.1, HTML, Docker): Horilla has 1,451 GitHub stars, uses the LGPL-2.1 license, ships a Docker image and had 2,014 commits in the last year; it replaces BambooHR and Workday. - [OrangeHRM](https://appsgit.com/apps/orangehrm) (1,148 stars, GPL-3.0, PHP, Docker): OrangeHRM has 1,148 GitHub stars, uses the GPL-3.0 license, ships a Docker image and had 38 commits in the last year; it replaces BambooHR and Workday. - [MintHCM](https://appsgit.com/apps/minthcm) (438 stars, AGPL-3.0, PHP): MintHCM has 438 GitHub stars, uses the AGPL-3.0 license and had 43 commits in the last year; it replaces BambooHR and Workday. ## How this list was made - Candidates: the 5 HR software apps in the HR & time tracking category whose own description or topics match that job. Archived projects and projects with no commit in the last two years are left out. - Base score: GitHub stars on a log scale plus commits in the last 12 months (log scale, capped at 1,000). - Bonus points for a published Docker image, an OSI-approved open-source license and a commit in the last 90 days. - Each "Best for" section re-ranks the same apps with that audience's profile (for example startups add points for permissive licenses, project websites and recent commits; small business for Docker images and deploy guides). - Source-available apps can rank, but they are labelled and never described as open source. ## FAQ ### Is Frappe HR free? Yes. Frappe HR is open-source software released under the GPL-3.0 license, so you can self-host it at no cost. You only pay for the server it runs on, and some projects also offer an optional paid cloud plan. ### Can I self-host these HR software options with Docker? Yes, 4 of the 5 picks. Frappe HR, Ever Gauzy and Horilla publish Docker images, so you can run them on a VPS or home server with Docker Compose. The others install from their own packages or source; follow each project's install guide. ### Are all of these HR software options open source? All 5 apps on this list are open source. You can self-host and modify each one under its license. ### Which of these HR software options is the most actively developed? Frappe HR, with 2,742 commits in the last 12 months and a latest release, v16.20.1, from October 2026. Activity is a good sign that bugs and security issues get fixed. ## Related questions - [What is the best open source time tracking tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-time-tracking) - [What is the best open source ERP?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-erp) - [What is the best open source accounting software?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-accounting-software) - [What is the best open source project management tool?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-project-management) - [What is the best open source task manager?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-task-management) - [What is the best open source budgeting app?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-budgeting-software) - [What is the best open source CMS?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-cms) - [What is the best open source home automation platform?](https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-home-automation) ## See also - [All HR & time tracking apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/time-tracking) - [All ERP & inventory apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/erp-inventory) - [All accounting & invoicing apps](https://appsgit.com/categories/accounting-invoicing) - [Open-source alternatives to BambooHR](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/bamboohr) - [Open-source alternatives to Workday](https://appsgit.com/alternatives/workday) - [Frappe HR vs OrangeHRM](https://appsgit.com/compare/frappe-hr-vs-orangehrm) --- Canonical page: https://appsgit.com/best/open-source-hr-software Source: appsgit (https://appsgit.com), the app store for github. Data from the GitHub API, refreshed nightly. Machine access: JSON API https://appsgit.com/api/v1/apps (OpenAPI: https://appsgit.com/openapi.json), MCP server https://mcp.appsgit.com/mcp, full index https://appsgit.com/llms-full.txt.