Kenjo vs Factorial: Which HR Platform Fits a Growing Company?

Short answer: Pick Kenjo if most of your people work shifts and you want a rota, a clock-in and an absence record that feed payroll, at prices you can read on the website. Pick Factorial if you want one vendor for HR, time, expenses and IT and you are willing to scope the modules carefully before you sign. Neither is a fit for a large group with complex works-council rules.

Side by side

Who is each platform built for?

Kenjo is built for employers whose people never sit at a desk, and Factorial for employers who want one supplier for most back-office tasks. Kenjo describes itself as workforce management for deskless teams. In practice that means retail chains, care practices, small manufacturers, logistics firms and hospitality businesses.

Factorial, run by Everyday Software in Barcelona, puts a core HR record in every plan and lets you switch on modules as needs grow. Its own site cites more than 17,000 companies and modules for time, talent, payroll, IT and finance. The result suits a firm that has no dedicated IT or finance admin and would rather not buy four separate tools.

How do the prices compare?

Kenjo shows its tiers openly, while Factorial shows a starting price that you should treat as a floor. Kenjo lists Starter from €6 and Growth from €10 per employee per month, with Connect on request. Annual billing takes 10% off, and a one-time onboarding fee applies.

Factorial advertises plans from $8 per user per month and includes Factorial Core in every plan. Time off, time tracking, shifts, performance, recruitment, expenses and IT are add-ons. A buyer who needs time clocking and shifts will find that the advertised figure rarely matches the quote.

Note the currencies: Kenjo publishes in euros and Factorial in dollars on the pages we reviewed, so a direct comparison needs the same exchange rate on the day you decide. Whatever you choose, ask for a written quote that lists every module you plan to use in the first year.

A practical test is to build a three-year cost sheet for your headcount, including onboarding fees, the modules you need in year one and the ones you expect to add by year three. The vendor that looks cheaper on day one is not always the cheaper one at month thirty-six.

Which one handles shifts and time better?

Kenjo is the more focused tool for rotas and clocking. A store manager can build next week's schedule, staff clock in from a phone or a PIN kiosk, and HR can see the hours that feed payroll. The catch is the Starter tier, which limits shift planning to 15 active shift employees, so most shift-heavy buyers will need Growth or higher.

Factorial also covers absences, time clocking and shift planning, and its mobile app is good enough that hourly staff actually use it. It does not match Kenjo's depth on the shop floor, but it comes close for a company that mixes office and hourly roles. Because each of these is a paid module, price the full set before you compare.

Ask both vendors to show a live roster for a location like yours, including a swap request and an overtime case. A good demo shows how the hours reach the payroll export without retyping, which is the step where small teams lose the most time.

What about payroll, performance and the rest of HR?

Neither product is the strongest choice if performance reviews or recruiting are your main need. Kenjo is lighter on both than the leading platforms in our ranking. Factorial offers performance, goals and recruitment, but they lack the controls of dedicated tools, and the more modules you add, the less polished each one feels.

Payroll needs the same caution. Kenjo prepares payroll data, and the payroll run itself is an export. Factorial offers a payroll management module, but its native coverage is narrower than its marketing suggests.

In both cases, ask which countries and which payroll providers are supported before you sign.

Which company size and setup suit each one?

Both aim at companies of roughly 50 to 500 people, and both strain beyond that. Kenjo's own limits show up above about 800 staff with union or works-council rules, where a larger suite such as SAP SuccessFactors is the safer evaluation. Factorial's limits show up above about 700 people, especially with several legal entities and layered approval chains.

The kind of work matters more than the headcount. A 120-person firm that runs shops, clinics or a warehouse will feel the difference in the first week, because the rota is where Kenjo spends its effort. A 120-person firm with a mix of office and hourly staff, and with no IT department, may find Factorial's device and software tracking a useful extra.

Office-based companies with no shift work should not start with Kenjo at all, and companies that only want a clean core HR record may be better served by Personio. Those two points are worth testing in a trial or demo before you build a shortlist around either product.

Which one is easier to run and to leave?

Both are meant for an HR generalist or an operations lead, not an IT project team. Kenjo's published tiers and 14-day trial let an operations lead test it on a real roster before anyone signs. Factorial has no free option, so you rely on a demo and the sales process, which buyers describe as persistent.

On reporting, Kenjo keeps advanced reporting, integrations and API access in the quote-only Connect tier. Factorial limits reporting across modules unless you buy the higher tiers. If you need to export your data to another system later, confirm that access in writing for the tier you are buying.

Frequently asked questions

Is Kenjo or Factorial cheaper?

Factorial advertises the lower starting figure, from $8 per user per month, but add-on modules are quoted on top. Kenjo publishes Starter from €6 and Growth from €10 per employee per month. Compare a written quote for the modules you will actually use.

Which is better for shift workers?

Kenjo, because shift planning and time clocking with a phone, QR code or PIN kiosk are central to the product. Factorial also offers shifts and time tracking, as add-on modules.

Does either one have a free plan?

Neither has a free plan. Kenjo offers a 14-day free trial, and Factorial lists no free option.

Do Kenjo and Factorial run payroll?

Not fully on their own, according to our review. Kenjo prepares payroll data for export, and Factorial has a payroll management module with narrower coverage than its marketing suggests.

Which fits a company of 1,000 people?

Neither is a comfortable fit. Factorial reaches its limits above about 700 staff with multiple legal entities, and Kenjo above about 800 with complex works-council rules. Look at larger HR suites instead.