11 Top Free Employee Onboarding Software

When done right, onboarding dramatically improves retention and engagement: research shows new hires with positive onboarding are far more dedicated to their employers, and structured onboarding can improve new-hire retention by over 80%. 

It’s no wonder industry analysts call onboarding “one of the most important phases of a new employee’s journey”.

Unfortunately, many small companies still rely on spreadsheets and email chains for this process. Only about 12% of employees report having a good onboarding experience, so it’s easy for tasks and documents to fall through the cracks. 

This is where free employee onboarding software comes in. These tools – usually in the form of an employee onboarding app or employee onboarding application – automate repetitive tasks like form filling, e-signatures, and task assignments. 

For startups and small teams on a budget, free employee onboarding solutions make creating custom checklists and workflows easy without extra cost. 

In this article, we will break down the top 11 onboarding tools and how to select the best one for your organization. 

What to Look for in Free Onboarding Software

Not all onboarding tools are created equal. When evaluating free employee onboarding software, watch the factors below.

Easy setup and templates: The best free employee onboarding app lets you start quickly. 

Look for an intuitive interface and ready-made templates (checklists, tasks, welcome emails) so anyone on your team can launch a workflow in minutes.

Custom workflows and checklists: Every company is different. A good employee onboarding solution should allow you to tailor steps for other roles or departments. 

Free plans should let you create custom task lists or forms to fit your process. 

Task assignments and tracking: An employee onboarding application should automatically assign tasks to the appropriate people and track their completion. 

Even on a free plan, you want clear visibility on who’s completed each onboarding step, with reminders for overdue tasks. 

Document sharing and e-signatures: Paperwork is a key part of onboarding. Look for onboarding solutions that let you upload handbooks, policy documents, or forms for new hires to sign. 

Some free versions include basic e-signature or integrate with Google Forms/Docs to capture information electronically. 

Integrations (HR systems, email, Slack, etc.) make life easier. See if the tool connects to your existing HR software, email, or chat tools. 

While free plans may limit integrations, at minimum, you want email notifications and calendar sync so that tasks and trainings appear on everyone’s schedule.

User and feature limits: Free employee onboarding solutions often restrict usage (for example, by limiting the number of users or the length of onboarding workflows). 

Check these limits upfront. If your team grows beyond the free tier, you’ll know which paid features or user count you’ll need next.

11 Best Free Employee Onboarding Software

Discover the 11 best free employee onboarding software tools to streamline hiring, automate paperwork, enhance new hire experiences, and ensure smooth transitions, which are ideal for small businesses and growing teams.

1. BambooHR

BambooHR is a comprehensive HRIS that includes built-in onboarding checklists, automated task assignments, and document e-signing. 

By organizing essential onboarding steps and automating routine processes, BambooHR helps HR teams create an efficient, consistent, and engaging experience for every new hire.

Key Free Features

• Mobile-friendly New Hire Portal for paperwork and onboarding tasks.
• Automated welcome emails to connect with new hires early.
• Collect employee details and forms digitally, no paper needed.
• Free trial offers access to premium onboarding features.
• Simplifies HR tasks for small, growing teams.

Ideal for: Growing SMBs that want a polished, all-in-one HR platform. BambooHR’s flexible onboarding tools make it a good fit if you have complex workflows or multiple office locations.

What’s Limited: BambooHR has no permanent free tier – only a short trial (typically 7–14 days). After that, you must subscribe to keep using it. 

2. Zoho People

Zoho People’s free edition (for up to 5 users) includes an onboarding module. It lets you send offer letters, collect signed documents, and set up digital profiles for new hires. 

It also allows HR teams to assign tasks and track their completion during the onboarding process. New hires can access a self-service portal to upload documents and view company policies. 

Zoho People’s customizable workflows ensure a smooth, paperless, and organized onboarding experience for small teams and startups.

Key Free Features:

• Document management system for contracts, IDs, and employee records.
• Time-off tracking with balance management and approval workflows.
• Basic HR reports covering onboarding status and employee records.
• Complete onboarding workflow for up to five free users.
• Affordable, scalable solution built for small, early-stage HR teams.

Ideal for: Tiny startups or tiny businesses with up to 5 employees. Zoho People handles onboarding tasks, leave requests, and essential HR in one free suite.

What’s Limited: 

• The free tier is capped at five users. 
• If you need features like performance reviews, advanced timesheets, or approval workflows, you’ll need to upgrade. 

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3. Freshteam by Freshworks

Freshteam’s free plan supports up to 50 employees. It focuses on recruiting and essential HR data management. 

The platform includes basic applicant tracking, employee directory management, and time-off tracking features. 

While onboarding tools are limited in the free plan, it allows HR teams to manage candidate pipelines and maintain organized employee records. 

Freshteam is ideal for growing businesses starting to formalize their HR processes.

Key Free Features

• Add new hires directly into a searchable employee directory database.
• Company-wide announcements keep staff informed of new hires and updates.
• Built-in team chat enables real-time communication across teams and departments.
• Manual onboarding task assignments through Freshteam’s employee record
• The free plan supports essential HR communication and basic employee data.

Ideal for: Small to mid-size teams that already use Freshworks products. It’s best if you need an ATS and employee database and don’t mind handling onboarding tasks piecemeal.

What’s Limited: 

• There’s no dedicated onboarding workflow in the free version, which appears in higher plans. 
• The free tier limits job postings and lacks advanced features like custom workflows or multiple form types. 

4. Trello (with templates)

Trello is a flexible board-and-card app that many teams repurpose for onboarding. The free plan gives you unlimited boards, lists, cards, and one Power-Up (add-on) per board.

Teams can create onboarding boards with task lists, deadlines, and file attachments to guide new hires through each step. Its drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to track progress and assign responsibilities. 

Trello’s customizable templates help standardize onboarding workflows for consistency across different roles and departments.

Key Free Features

• New Hire Checklist templates simplify task setup and tracking.
• Build custom onboarding boards with tasks, deadlines, and priority labels.
• Assign checklist items to managers, IT, or new hires directly.
• Real-time status tracking keeps HR and teams aligned during onboarding.
• Free, easy-to-use tool for small business employee onboarding workflows 

Ideal for: Small companies or startups that want a visual task board. If your onboarding process is relatively simple, Trello’s drag-and-drop interface makes it easy to see progress.

What’s Limited: 

• On the free plan, attachments are capped at 10 MB per file, and you only get one Power-Up (like Calendar or Slack integration) per board. 
• There’s no built-in e-signature or HR database – everything is manual. 

5. ClickUp

ClickUp’s free forever plan offers unlimited tasks, unlimited users, and 100 MB of storage. It has multiple views (List, Board, Calendar) and built-in Docs.

HR teams can build custom onboarding task lists, assign responsibilities, and track deadlines in real time. ClickUp’s Docs feature lets you create and share onboarding manuals, company policies, and training materials. 

Its flexible views and integrations make it easy to manage and streamline onboarding workflows for small, growing teams.

Key Free Features are mentioned below.

• Create onboarding templates with tasks, deadlines, and training documents.
• Centralize new hire orientation, training, and setup tasks in one workspace.
• Attach onboarding forms, PDFs, or videos to individual task cards.
• Track task progress and completion status for each new employee.
• Free tier offers extensive features for small business HR operations.

Ideal for: Teams that want an all-in-one productivity platform. 

ClickUp is versatile, so even though it’s not an HR-specific tool, it can be a free employee onboarding solutions that handles tasks, documents, and notes in one place. 

What’s Limited: 

• The free plan limits storage to 100 MB and advanced features.
• No official onboarding checklist template is included in the free version.

6. Asana

Asana’s free tier supports up to 15 team members. You can create unlimited tasks and projects (in list or board view) and assign them to people. 

HR teams often use Asana to build onboarding projects with clear task lists, deadlines, and priority tags. New hires can easily track their progress and access important documents or links. 

Asana’s simple, collaborative interface helps standardize onboarding steps and improve visibility for managers and team leads.

Key Free Features are included below.

• Set up New Hire Checklist projects with tasks and deadlines.
• Assign onboarding tasks to managers, HR, and new employees easily.
• Track task progress, due dates, and completion status in real time.
• Reuse project templates for consistent, repeatable employee onboarding workflows.
• Free tier is perfect for startups managing simple onboarding without HR software.

Ideal for: small companies or teams already using Asana for work management. Using Asana for onboarding means you stay familiar with the interface. 

What’s Limited: 

• Free plan lacks timelines, milestones, advanced reporting, and HR-specific features.
• Hard user cap at 15 members, with no built-in forms or e-signatures.

7. Notion

Notion provides a workspace for notes, documents, and databases. It's free plan (now unlimited for individuals) allows creating unlimited pages.

Many teams use Notion to build interactive onboarding wikis, task checklists, and resource hubs for new hires. Its drag-and-drop editor makes it easy to organize documents, links, and multimedia content. 

Notion’s flexible database feature helps track onboarding progress and manage employee profiles in a centralized, customizable space.

Key Free Features are included below.

• Use built-in onboarding templates or create custom task and policy pages.
• Centralize company policies, welcome guides, and essential resources on pages.
• Add new hires to a people database for tracking and records.
• Track onboarding progress with checklists, due dates, or status fields.
• Free tier lets teams manage onboarding and resources without extra cost. 

Ideal for: Teams that want a knowledge base approach. Notion is excellent for documenting processes, and you can integrate onboarding materials (like handbooks or tutorials) in one place. 

What’s Limited: 

• No automated notifications, built-in forms, or onboarding workflow automation tools.
• The free plan offers a limited version history, permissions, and manual onboarding setup only.

8. Google Workspace + Docs/Sheets

Google Workspace tools are already familiar to most teams and require no additional cost.
Used creatively, they can serve as a flexible and scalable free employee onboarding software alternative.

Teams can repurpose Google Docs for onboarding manuals, Sheets for task tracking, and Forms for collecting employee information. Shared Drive folders keep documents organized and accessible. 

With Gmail, Calendar, and Meet, HR teams can schedule welcome sessions, manage deadlines, and maintain smooth communication throughout the onboarding process.

Key Free Features are included below.

• Share Google Docs as custom employee handbooks and welcome guides.
• Collect employee data and feedback with mobile-friendly Google Forms.
• Track onboarding tasks using shared Google Sheets with checklists.
• Store documents and completed forms securely in Google Drive folders.
• Free up to 15 GB storage across Gmail, Drive, and Docs.

Ideal for: Startups and small teams on the tightest budget. Most people already use Google apps, so you have familiar, no-cost tools. You can assemble an onboarding process with a combination of a Google Sheet and  Docs.

What’s Limited:

• No built-in onboarding workflows, native e-signatures, or automated reminders.
• Requires manual spreadsheets, document management, and permissions setup in Google Workspace.

9. Confluence (by Atlassian)

Confluence offers a free plan for up to 10 users. It’s designed as a collaborative wiki. You can create spaces or pages for everything from company policies to training manuals. 

HR teams often use Confluence to build structured onboarding hubs with checklists, team introductions, and FAQs. Its collaborative editing and commenting features make it easy to update information and gather feedback. 

Integration with tools like Jira and Trello further streamlines task management during the onboarding process.

Key Free Features are included below.

• Built-in onboarding templates with customizable pages and checklists for new hires.
• Embed images, documents, and videos to enhance onboarding resource pages.
• A centralized knowledge base makes company policies and FAQs easily accessible.
• Create dedicated onboarding spaces with role-specific resources and team guides.
• Free tier available for small teams managing onboarding documentation digitally. 

Ideal for: Small technical teams (or any team using Atlassian products). If you already use Jira or Bitbucket, adding Confluence for onboarding makes sense.

What’s Limited: 

• Free tier limits to 10 users and lacks analytics or advanced permissions.
• No onboarding workflows, e-signatures, or HR-specific automation features available.

10. Trainual (Free Trial)

Trainual is designed for companies that want to standardize and scale their onboarding process.

Even though it isn’t free long-term, the trial offers a full preview of a dedicated employee onboarding application. With Trainual, businesses can create step-by-step onboarding guides, assign training modules, and track employee completion rates. It supports document uploads, embedded videos, and quizzes to reinforce learning. 

The platform’s searchable knowledge base ensures new hires can easily revisit essential processes, policies, and role-specific resources as they settle in.

Key Free Features are included below.

• No free plan, but includes a 14-day unrestricted free trial.
• Build unlimited training topics, quizzes, and checklists during the trial period.
• Step-by-step interface makes creating structured onboarding processes simple.
• Track new hire training progress and completion status in real time.
• Ideal for companies prioritizing structured, process-driven employee onboarding. 

Ideal for: Companies willing to try a dedicated onboarding application. If you want an out-of-the-box solution designed for consistency and compliance, Trainual’s ready-made modules can get you started fast.

What’s Limited: 

• No permanent free plan: content becomes read-only after a 14-day trial.
• Requires a credit card to start, with no refunds after the free period.

11. Bitrix24

Bitrix24’s free plan is very generous. It allows unlimited users, tasks, projects, and 5 GB of cloud storage.

HR teams can set up onboarding task templates, assign responsibilities, and track progress using Bitrix24’s task and project management tools. Its built-in chat and video call features support smooth communication with new hires. 

Additionally, Bitrix24 offers a company knowledge base and employee directory to help new team members get oriented.

Key Free Features are included.

• Built-in CRM tracks employee data, profiles, and HR-related records.
• Group chat and video calls simplify onboarding communication with new hires.
• Shared task boards assign training and document submissions
• Company intranet posts onboarding resources and announcements.
• Bitrix24 Sign enables free, basic e-signatures for contracts and HR forms. 

Ideal for: Tiny businesses that want an all-in-one collaboration suite. Bitrix24 is especially appealing if you need more than just HR: it combines tasks, CRM, chat, and file sharing.

What’s Limited: 

• Free plan limits storage to 5 GB and excludes advanced HR features.
• Interface can feel overwhelming without customizing tools for onboarding workflows.

Choosing the Right Free Employee Onboarding Software for Your Team

Choosing the right free employee onboarding software depends on your team’s size and needs. A tiny startup might manage with Google Workspace or a simple checklist in Trello. 

Tools like Zoho People, Asana, or Bitrix24 can offer more structure as you grow to dozens of people. If you need advanced workflows, consider a trial of BambooHR or Freshteam's free tier. 

Always think ahead: will this free solution scale when you reach 10, 50, or 100 employees?

Regardless of the tool, the onboarding process itself is what matters most. AppsRhino’s development team can help you pick or build the ideal onboarding solution. We create custom applications that fit your workflow – from small onboarding checklists to full-fledged training portals. 

For example, we can integrate your chosen free tool with your HR system or build unique onboarding workflows so that nothing slips through the cracks. Contact AppsRhino to see how our mobile and web app experts can streamline your new-hire experience and set new employees up for success.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the best free employee onboarding software?

The “best” option depends on your situation. Many small teams use Trello, Asana, or ClickUp as free employee onboarding software by creating checklist projects. 

If you need HR-specific features (like e-signatures or forms), Zoho People’s free edition or BambooHR’s trial are worth trying. The ideal choice varies by team size and process complexity.

What features should I look for in an employee onboarding app?

Look for ease of use and customization. A good employee onboarding app lets you easily create custom checklists, assign tasks, and share documents. 

Key features include e-signature support (or integration with signing tools), automated reminders, and data-collection forms. Also, ensure it integrates with your company's tools (email, HR systems, etc.).

Are there free employee onboarding applications for small teams?

Yes. For example, Zoho People offers a free plan for up to 5 users, including onboarding workflows. Freshteam has a free tier for up to 50 employees (focused on HR basics). 

Even general tools like Google Docs/Sheets or Confluence can be used as simple onboarding solutions with no added cost.

How do employee onboarding solutions improve retention?

A structured onboarding solution helps ensure new hires feel welcome and informed. According to research, companies with strong onboarding see significantly higher retention, as much as an 82% increase in new-hire retention. 

By automating paperwork and consistently guiding new employees through their first days, onboarding software makes staff more engaged and less likely to quit early.

Can I use Google Workspace as a free employee onboarding application?

Yes. While Google Workspace is a paid suite, the free Google Docs, Sheets, and Forms you get with any Google account can be used creatively. 

Many teams set up an onboarding checklist in Sheets, a welcome packet in Docs, and a form for feedback, effectively making Google’s tools a DIY employee onboarding application. 

It takes manual setup, but it’s a 100% free solution.

Why should startups consider a free employee onboarding solutions?

Startups often have tight budgets and fast growth. A free solution lets you start formalizing onboarding right away without spending money. This ensures new hires have a good experience from Day 1.

As your team grows, you can later evaluate paid upgrades. Free onboarding software lowers risk while giving lean teams a consistent process to impress new employees and set them up for success.