BambooHR refuses to list prices publicly, requiring customers to schedule discovery calls. Getting price estimates takes weeks and multiple conversations. This lack of transparency frustrates potential buyers who want to compare costs upfront.

Core plans start at $250/mo flat rate (under 25 employees) or $12-22 per employee/month. But payroll, time tracking, performance, and benefits admin are all extra add-ons. Total cost for full functionality often 2-3x the base price.

Power users complain the reporting engine lacks depth for granular, custom data analysis. Users often need to run multiple reports and manually compile data. Custom reporting options are limited unless on higher-tier plans.

The Time Tracking interface is described as 'atrocious' - users cannot view entire tables without side scrolling. Editing records requires entering edit mode for specific tables and scrolling to find the right day.

Hard to organize documents in the FILES tab - no ability to create folders inside folders and no file search option. For companies with extensive documentation needs, this becomes a significant organizational burden.

The Applicant Tracking System is too simple, lacking deep resume parsing, candidate ranking, or complex pipeline automation. Companies with sophisticated hiring needs find it insufficient compared to dedicated ATS tools.

Benefits Admin integration is described as 'terrible' with problems persisting even after a year of use. Module lacks deeper automation and conditional logic that competitors offer. Not suitable for complex benefits needs.

Sales team is brilliant and hands-on, but implementation and post-sales support are poor. Customers report 24-48 hour wait times for responses, difficulty reaching real agents, and feeling abandoned after purchase.

The platform is rigid with workflows, fields, and UI layouts that don't flex for unique company needs. If your HR processes don't fit BambooHR's standard logic, you're stuck. Customization mostly locked to Pro/Elite tiers.

Payroll shows employee issues but messages are hard to understand or fix. Only supports one tax ID - companies with multiple locations or tax IDs face constant manual workarounds. Complex compensation needs poorly supported.

Users report bugs and glitches causing slowdowns, especially in complex workflows. System can be incredibly slow and unable to support multiple users efficiently. Workarounds required while waiting for fixes.

Mobile app lacks features available on desktop: no approvals, can't add employees, no training tab, settings, or reports. Users report bugs, login issues with fingerprint authentication, and mandatory location tracking despite being listed as optional.

All emails to employees are sent from app.bamboohr.com external domain, making them appear suspicious. This has led to successful phishing attacks against companies when employees dismiss legitimate BambooHR emails as potential scams.

Setting up leave management policies is complex and leads to configuration errors. The system doesn't guide users well through setup, resulting in incorrect policies that affect employee time-off calculations.