PRODUCT · 10 MIN
The per-seat HRIS economics.
Per-seat pricing is the HRIS standard, but it's rarely well-explained. Most salespeople focus on the visible monthly price and hide the add-ons. This article is the honest breakdown: what an HRIS really costs for an 80-person company, the 3-year TCO, and when paying premium is worth it.
The 3 components of real price
- Monthly plan base (€25–€80/month).
- Per-person price (€3–€8/person/month depending on plan).
- Add-ons (signatures, expenses, reviews, premium integrations): €1–€4/person/month each.
Calculation for 80 people, 3 years, all modules
Orquiva Pro 80 people, 36 months: €49/month base + €5/person × 80 + €2 signatures add-on + €1 expenses add-on. Monthly total: 49 + 400 + 240 = €689. Yearly: €8,268. Three years: €24,804.
Same scenario in BambooHR (comparable): $6.19/person/month (no base) + $99 Performance + $79 Time Tracking + $199 Payroll integration. Monthly: 495 + 99 + 79 + 199 = $872 ≈ €803. Three years: €28,908.
−14%
3-year TCO difference between Orquiva Pro and the comparable alternative. The real gap is the payroll add-on, where US vendors charge for integrating with your European provider.
When per-seat beats single license
- Fast growth (>20% yearly): you don't pay for empty seats.
- Strong seasonality (hospitality, eCommerce): you pay for active staff only.
- Company <200 people: a single license only pays off above 300 seats.
When single license wins
- Company >500 people with <5% yearly growth.
- You need deep customisation (on-prem or private-cloud install).
- Contractual constraints preventing SaaS spend.
How to negotiate
- Ask for annual prepaid pricing: typical 15–20% savings.
- Ask for a 24–36 month price freeze: protects against hikes.
- Ask for add-ons in the base contract, not added later.
- Ask for an exit clause without penalty if headcount drops >30%.
- Ask for references at your exact size. If they have none, be careful.