Humi was acquired by Employment Hero, an Australian company, in January 2025. The platform was rebuilt and rebranded. If you’re a Humi customer wondering what changed, or a Canadian company evaluating your options, here are the 6 best alternatives ranked for 2026!
What actually changed for Humi customers
When the acquisition was announced in January 2025, Employment Hero promised Humi would “remain Canadian-operated” and that the team would “continue to serve the unique needs of local businesses.” A year later, here’s what that has looked like in practice:
- The product was rebuilt. By Employment Hero’s own description, the platform was “effectively rebuilt” in the months following acquisition and relaunched as Employment Hero eOS for English Canada in September 2025.
- Two products now exist. English Canada gets Employment Hero eOS. Quebec gets “Humi by Employment Hero” — a separate product with separate data infrastructure. Bilingual organizations spanning both face a more complex setup.
- HR data partly stored in Australia. Employment Hero eOS stores HR account data in AWS servers in both Australia and Canada, with only payroll data remaining exclusively in Canada.
- Engineering was restructured. Multiple reports and reviews reference engineering being restructured following the acquisition, with priorities shifting to align with the global Employment Hero platform.
- The Canadian business isn’t profitable. CEO Ben Thompson has publicly stated this and confirmed the company is investing toward a break-even point. This matters for long-term roadmap confidence.
- Culture changed internally. Capital Brief reported that Employment Hero eliminated Humi’s 4.5-day work week and employees experienced significant culture shock. While internal, this signals how fundamentally things changed.
- Pricing increased significantly. Employment Hero’s published tiers ($19/$29/$49 PEPM) are substantially higher than what Humi customers were paying.
Bottom line: If you chose Humi because it was a Canadian-owned, Canadian-built, Canadian-focused HR platform — that specific company no longer exists. The platform has been absorbed into a global Australian product.
Looking for a truly Canadian alternative?
Folks HR is the 100% Canadian-owned, bilingual, all-in-one HRIS built for SMBs across Canada. Book a demo — no commitment, no pressure!
The Best Humi Alternatives, Ranked
1. Folks: 100% Canadian-owned, bilingual, all-in-one and built to stay!
Folks HR is the most direct answer to the question every Humi customer is now asking: is there a platform that’s still truly Canadian, still bilingual, still focused on my market, and still affordable? The answer is yes.
Folks HR was designed entirely around how Canadian HR actually works (from Quebec labour law and bilingual workplaces to provincial payroll compliance and the real budget constraints of Canadian SMBs).
It covers the full HR lifecycle in one platform: Core HR, a powerful ATS, performance management with goal-setting, training tracking, e-signatures, absence management, real-time analytics, and native Canadian payroll.
All data is stored on Canadian servers. The product roadmap is set by a Canadian team focused entirely on one market.
→ Best for: Any Canadian SMB (25–500 employees) that wants their HR solutions to be Canadian focused with guaranteed bilingual capabilities.
Why choose Folks HR in Canada
| Wins | Considerations | |
|---|---|---|
| Price and global capability | ~$6–10/emp/mo all-in vs. $19–49/emp/mo + fees | No global footprint compared to Employment Hero |
| Features & bilingualism | Fully bilingual FR/EN | No shift scheduling |
| Canadian compliance | 100% Canadian-owned: data sovereignty guaranteed (all HR data on Canadian servers, no asterisks!) |
2. Collage HR: Canadian-built HRIS, simple and affordable for small teams
Collage HR is a Canadian-built platform that covers Core HR, onboarding, PTO, basic ATS, performance reviews, and benefits integration. It’s genuinely easy to use and well-suited to very small Canadian teams (under 50 employees) who want simple, affordable HR without enterprise complexity. For teams that were on Humi’s lighter tier and don’t need AI recruiting or deep analytics, Collage is a reasonable lateral move, while staying Canadian.
→ Best for: Small Canadian teams (<50 employees) who want a simple, affordable, Canadian-built platform and don’t need advanced ATS or analytics.
Why choose Collage HR in Canada
| Wins | Considerations | |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance & scalability | Canadian-built and Canadian-focused | Scalability ceiling — struggles past 50–100 employees |
| Implementation process and ease of use | Very intuitive — minimal training needed | Basic analytics and ATS |
3. Payworks: Canadian payroll powerhouse with workforce management tools
Payworks is a Winnipeg-based, 100% Canadian-owned company that started as a payroll specialist and expanded into workforce management. Its Canadian payroll engine is excellent, handling CRA compliance, all provinces, and Quebec payroll specifics with a dedicated representative model that users consistently praise. It’s the right choice if payroll is your primary need.
→ Best for: Canadian organizations (any size) where payroll reliability and compliance are the top priority, and HR/talent features are secondary.
Why Choose Payworks in Canada
| Wins | Considerations | |
|---|---|---|
| Reputation & interface | Reliable, well-established brand | Interface feels dated vs. more modern platforms |
| Features | 100% Canadian-owned and exceptional Canadian payroll engine | Not a full HRIS for talent management needs |
4. Workzoom: Canadian-owned mid-market HRIS with transparent pricing
Why choose Workzoom in Canada
| Wins | Considerations | |
|---|---|---|
| Features & interface | Full HR lifecycle coverage | Interface less modern than newest platforms |
| Pricing & reputation | Implementation included at no extra cost | Smaller brand recognition than Folks HR or Humi |
5. Rise People: Canadian HR with employee experience focus for small teams
Rise People is a Vancouver-based, 100% Canadian-owned HR platform focused on employee experience. It’s a good alternative for very small teams (under 50 employees) who want Canadian ownership and basics like PTO tracking, onboarding, and benefits. Reviewers note support challenges as teams grow, and the platform is less feature-rich than Folks HR, Collage, or Payworks for any organization past 50 people.
Why choose Rise People in Canada
| Wins | Considerations | |
|---|---|---|
| Interface & scalability | Clean, accessible interface | Limited for teams over 50 employees |
| Compliance & support | 100% Canadian-owned (Vancouver) | Support challenges reported as team grows |
6. Ceridian Dayforce: Enterprise HCM with deep Canadian payroll heritage
Why choose Ceridian Dayforce in Canada
| Wins | Considerations | |
|---|---|---|
| Scalability | Deep workforce management for large teams | Not built for SMBs — enterprise pricing |
| Features & implementation | Strong Canadian payroll heritage and compliance | Long, expensive implementation (6–18 months) |
| Compliance & bilingualism | Bilingual support | HQ moved from Canada to Minneapolis |
Our verdict
For the vast majority of Canadian companies looking to replace Humi — especially those who valued its Canadian identity and bilingual capabilities — Folks HR is the strongest alternative. It delivers everything Humi promised, without any of the post-acquisition uncertainty. If payroll is your primary need, Payworks is the most trusted Canadian payroll specialist. For mid-market depth with full Canadian ownership, look at Workzoom.
Folks HR is the alternative for Humi customers who want the Canadian focus, bilingual support, and SMB affordability!
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