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Comparison · HR
Frappe HR vs Horilla
A side-by-side editorial comparison of Frappe HR and Horilla — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:hr-softwareopen-source
Frappe HR vs Horilla: at a glance
What is Frappe HR?
Frappe HR 16.53.2 locks the org chart to its own data and stops duplicate interview emails.
Frappe HR ships on two lines: v16 adds features and v15 receives backported fixes. v16.53.0 brought Compensatory Leave Requests to the PWA and right-to-left layout to the web app; v16.53.1 limited who can see approvers on leave, expense and shift requests. v16.53.2 on November 11 restricts the hierarchy chart to organizational chart data and stops interview forms from re-notifying people when nothing changed.
What is Horilla?
Horilla shipped six security releases in three weeks, ending with a no-login RCE.
Horilla's 2.1.x line has become a running security audit. Between 2.1.1 and 2.1.8 the team closed more than a dozen externally reported advisories, from stored XSS and local file reads to salary-redirect and self-approval flaws, capped by an unauthenticated remote code execution in the public recruitment flow.
Frappe HR vs Horilla: editorial side-by-side
Frappe HR 16.53.2 locks the org chart to its own data and stops duplicate interview emails.
◆ Current state
Frappe HR ships on two lines: v16 adds features and v15 receives backported fixes. v16.53.0 brought Compensatory Leave Requests to the PWA and right-to-left layout to the web app; v16.53.1 limited who can see approvers on leave, expense and shift requests. v16.53.2 on November 11 restricts the hierarchy chart to organizational chart data and stops interview forms from re-notifying people when nothing changed.
◆ Where it's heading
The pattern is steady: a feature release roughly weekly on v16, then a patch, then matching v15 backports. Permission tightening has been a recurring theme since October, and payroll edge cases keep getting corrected. Large new modules are not visible in recent entries.
◆ Prediction
Expect v16.54.0 within about a week with another small PWA or payroll addition, and further access-check fixes on employee records. A bigger shift is not signalled by the entries.
Horilla
5.0HR
Horilla shipped six security releases in three weeks, ending with a no-login RCE.
◆ Current state
Horilla's 2.1.x line has become a running security audit. Between 2.1.1 and 2.1.8 the team closed more than a dozen externally reported advisories, from stored XSS and local file reads to salary-redirect and self-approval flaws, capped by an unauthenticated remote code execution in the public recruitment flow.
◆ Where it's heading
The pattern is consistent: outside researchers are probing the 2.x codebase, and the maintainers are responding fast with detailed advisories and no-migration patches. Most of the flaws are authorization checks that trusted any manager relationship rather than the specific record, which points to a codebase-wide access-control review rather than one-off fixes.
◆ Prediction
Expect more point releases closing authorization bugs in the remaining HR modules (payroll, attendance, assets) before any feature work resumes on 2.2.
Alternatives to Frappe HR and Horilla
Other HR products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Frappe HR or Horilla.
Leapsome
Leapsome publishes another batch of HR templates and software roundups.
Ashby
Ashby adds threaded comments to AI Notetaker, so interview debriefs stay next to the transcript.
Ever Gauzy
Ever Gauzy links time logs to invoice lines so the same hours are never billed twice.
Teamtailor
Teamtailor shows every time in the reader's own time zone, for recruiters and candidates.
Workable
Workable turns its report builder on interviews, assessments and video screens.
See all Frappe HR alternatives → · See all Horilla alternatives →
Recent activity from Frappe HR and Horilla
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3d agoFrappe HRFrappe HR 16.53.2 locks org chart data, quiets interviews
- 10d agoFrappe HRv15 backports: zero Additional Salary, single-day leave fixes
- 10d agoFrappe HRFrappe HR 16.53.1: approver visibility limits, payroll fixes
- 15d agoFrappe HRFrappe HR 16.53: compensatory leave in PWA, RTL web app
- 16d agoFrappe HRv15.64.7
- 23d agoFrappe HRFrappe HR 16.52: regional employer contributions, permission fixes
- 1mo agoHorilla2.1.8 — Security release
- 2mo agoHorilla2.1.5 — Bug-fix release
- 2mo agoHorilla2.1.4 — Security release
- 2mo agoHorilla2.1.3 — Security and bug-fix release
- 2mo agoHorilla2.1.2 — Security patch
- 2mo agoHorilla2.1.1 — Security patch
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Frappe HR and Horilla?
Both compete on the same themes — hr-software, open-source — within HR. Frappe HR and Horilla are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is Frappe HR better than Horilla?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. Frappe HR and Horilla are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 5.0 vs 5.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other HR products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to Frappe HR?
Top Frappe HR alternatives in HR are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Frappe HR alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/frappe-hrms for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to Horilla?
Top Horilla alternatives in HR are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Horilla alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/horilla for the full list with editorial commentary on each.