Managing employees with multiple HR tools can quickly become overwhelming. Many businesses use separate software for employee records, recruitment, payroll, performance reviews, and document management. This often leads to duplicated work, manual errors, and higher software costs.
Folks solves this problem by bringing everything together in one platform. It is an all-in-one Human Resource Information System (HRIS), Applicant Tracking System (ATS), and native Canadian payroll solution designed specifically for Canadian businesses. Unlike many HR platforms that rely on third-party payroll integrations, Folks includes payroll directly within the platform, allowing organizations to manage HR, hiring, and payroll from one centralized system.
In this review, we’ll explore Folks’ features, pricing, pros, cons, and how it compares with other popular HR software.
What is Folks?
Folks is a Canadian HR software platform that combines HR management, recruiting, and payroll into one easy-to-use solution. Instead of switching between different applications, HR teams can manage employee information, hiring, payroll, performance, and documents from a single dashboard.
The platform is headquartered in Quebec, with a team distributed across Quebec and Ontario, and offers bilingual support in both English and French to organizations across Canada.
Its biggest advantage is that it was built specifically for Canadian businesses rather than being a U.S. HR platform adapted for the Canadian market.
Who Should Use Folks?
Folks is best suited for Canadian small and medium-sized businesses with 50 to 500 employees.
It is particularly well suited for:
- Healthcare and social service organizations
- Professional service firms
- Nonprofit organizations
- Office-based businesses looking to simplify HR operations
If your business is currently using spreadsheets along with separate payroll and recruiting software, Folks can help consolidate everything into one platform.
Key Features
1. Complete HRIS
At the heart of Folks is its HRIS, Folks HR, which serves as a single source of truth for employee information.
Instead of keeping employee records in spreadsheets, emails, and different software, everything is stored in one secure location.
The HRIS includes:
- Employee profiles
- Employment history
- Organizational structure
- Contracts and documents
- Compensation records
- Leave balances
- Payroll information
Having one centralized database improves accuracy while reducing administrative work.
2. Native Canadian Payroll
Payroll is one of Folks’ biggest strengths.
Unlike many HR platforms that require third-party payroll integrations, Folks includes native Canadian payroll directly within the platform.
This means HR teams can process payroll using the same employee information already stored in the HR system, reducing duplicate data entry and minimizing errors.
For Canadian businesses, this is a major advantage over many international HR solutions.
3. Built-in Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Recruitment is fully integrated into Folks through its built-in Applicant Tracking System.
Instead of purchasing separate recruiting software, organizations can manage the entire hiring process inside the same platform.
The Folks ATS allows companies to:
- Post job openings
- Track candidates
- Manage interviews
- Collaborate with hiring managers
- Move successful candidates directly into onboarding
Because recruiting and HR are connected, new hires can transition smoothly into the employee database after being hired.
4. Performance Management
Folks HR also includes performance management tools that help organizations build stronger teams.
Features include:
- Performance review cycles
- Employee evaluations
- Goal tracking
- Development discussions
These tools help managers monitor employee progress while encouraging continuous improvement instead of relying solely on annual reviews
5. Time-Off and Absence Management
Managing employee leave manually can be time-consuming.
Folks HR simplifies the process by allowing employees to submit leave requests directly through the platform while managers can approve or reject requests online.
The system tracks:
- Vacation leave
- Sick leave
- Absence history
- Leave balances
- Approval records
This improves transparency and reduces HR administration.
6. Employee Self-Service
Another useful feature is employee self-service.
Employees and managers can update personal information, submit leave requests, and access important documents without contacting HR for every small change.
This reduces administrative workload while improving user adoption across the organization.
7. Document Management & E-Signatures
Folks HR also includes document storage and electronic signature functionality.
Organizations can securely manage:
- Employment contracts
- Company policies
- Offer letters
- Onboarding documents
- HR forms
Electronic signatures speed up approvals while keeping important documents organized in one place.
8. Onboarding & Offboarding
Folks HR helps standardize both onboarding and offboarding processes.
HR teams can automate tasks, assign responsibilities, collect documents, and ensure that every employee experiences a consistent process from hiring to departure.
Pricing
Folks offers transparent SMB pricing, making it suitable for growing businesses without enterprise-level budgets.
Starting prices include:
- HRIS: From $6 per employee per month
- ATS: From $99 per month
- Payroll: From $3.50 per employee per pay run
Because HR, recruiting, and payroll are combined into one platform, businesses can also benefit from consolidation savings compared to running multiple separate tools.
Folks vs Competitors
Folks vs BambooHR
BambooHR is one of the most popular HR platforms, but it does not offer native Canadian payroll. Canadian businesses often need an additional payroll provider, increasing both costs and complexity.
Folks combines HRIS, ATS, and Canadian payroll in one platform.
Folks vs Collage
Collage is another Canadian HR platform, but Folks offers greater HRIS depth while remaining affordable for SMBs. Businesses looking for more comprehensive HR functionality may find Folks a better long-term solution.
Folks vs Rippling
Rippling is a powerful workforce management platform but is generally not priced for smaller businesses. It is also not Canadian-built.
Folks focuses specifically on Canadian SMBs and provides local expertise at a more accessible price point.
Folks vs Humi / Employment Hero
Humi has been acquired by Employment Hero, an Australian company.
Businesses looking for a Canadian-built HR platform may prefer Folks, which remains headquartered in Quebec with teams across Quebec and Ontario.
Pros
- Complete HRIS, ATS, and payroll in one platform
- Native Canadian payroll
- Canadian-built solution
- Bilingual English and French support
- Transparent SMB pricing
- Consolidation savings by replacing multiple HR tools
- Strong performance management features
- Employee self-service portal
- Easy onboarding and document management
- Centralized employee records
Cons
- Primarily designed for Canadian organizations
- May offer more functionality than very small businesses need
- Large multinational enterprises may require more advanced global capabilities
Contact Details:
If you would like to contact Folks for product inquiries, sales, support, or to request a personalized demo, you can use the following official contact information:
- Website: https://folksrh.com/
- Contact Page: https://folksrh.com/en/contact-us/
- Email (General Inquiries): info@folkshr.com
- Technical Support: support@folkshr.com
- Phone: +1 (877) 481-4909
- Request a Demo: Book a Free Demo
- Pricing Information: Folks HR Pricing
Customer Support
Folks provides bilingual customer support (English and French) for businesses across Canada. Customers can access technical assistance through email, submit support tickets via the Help Center, or browse online documentation and tutorials.
Final Verdict
Folks is an excellent choice for Canadian organizations looking to replace multiple HR systems with one integrated platform. Its combination of HRIS, ATS, and native Canadian payroll makes it stand out from many competitors that rely on third-party payroll integrations.
The platform is particularly well suited for Canadian businesses with 50–500 employees, especially those in healthcare, social services, professional services, and nonprofit sectors. Features such as performance management, employee self-service, onboarding workflows, document management, and integrated recruiting make it a comprehensive solution for growing organizations.
Its transparent SMB pricing, bilingual support, and Canadian-first approach further strengthen its value proposition. By consolidating HR, recruitment, and payroll into one system, businesses can reduce administrative work, improve data accuracy, and save money compared to maintaining multiple separate tools.
Overall, if you’re looking for a modern HR platform built specifically for the Canadian market, Folks is a strong option that delivers both functionality and ease of use in a single, unified solution.
