SmartHR
: How to use it, features, and the business problems it solves
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What is SmartHR?
An integrated HR platform from SmartHR, Inc. covering everything from labor/HR administration to talent management. It digitizes onboarding and year-end tax adjustment to build an employee database, and on that foundation extends into performance reviews, placement, employee surveys and skills management. Attendance is offered as a native feature. No.1 labor-management cloud share for 7 years, 80,000+ registered companies, ARR over ¥30B.
Business problems it solves
About "SmartHR"
What is SmartHR
SmartHR is an integrated HR platform from SmartHR, Inc. that covers everything from labor/HR administration to talent management in one place. It digitizes onboarding, year-end tax adjustment and other HR paperwork to build an employee database, and on that foundation it extends into talent management such as performance reviews, placement, employee surveys and skills management. It has held the No.1 share of the labor-management cloud market for 7 straight years, with over 80,000 registered companies.
SmartHR started from "digitizing HR paperwork" and has since grown into an integrated HR platform that, centered on the employee database, extends into talent management. Attendance management is now offered as a native SmartHR feature (you can also combine it with third-party integrations such as time clocks and shift management).
Turn "employee data" built up in HR admin into HR strategy
SmartHR's strength is that the employee database is built up naturally through HR paperwork, and that data can then be used for talent management. Move onboarding and year-end tax adjustment online, and employee information accumulates in an up-to-date state. With this foundation, you can smoothly start performance reviews, placement, surveys and more.
Digitize paperwork
- Onboarding, year-end tax adjustment
- Employment contracts, payslips
Employee database
Employee data accumulates up-to-date through these processes
Apply to HR
- Reviews, placement
- Surveys, analytics
Features
01Labor administration
- Onboarding & employment contracts — fill and collect documents online
- Year-end tax adjustment, payslips, attendance — digitize processes and distribution
- My Number management — collect, store and use safely
02Talent management
- Reviews & placement simulation — run evaluations and optimize placement
- Employee surveys — gauge engagement and org health
- Skills/learning & HR analytics — development and data analysis
03Portal & foundation
- Employee portal — mobile app, announcements, requests, AI assistant
- Employee database — org charts, rosters, history
- SSO/SAML & API integrations — auth and external integrations for IT
How to use
-
Sign up
Start with the ¥0 plan (up to 30 employees) or a 15-day free trial.
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Register employee data
Build the employee database through onboarding and other processes.
-
Digitize HR paperwork
Run year-end tax adjustment, contracts and payslips online.
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Expand into talent management
Add reviews, placement, surveys and more, and use the HR data.
Pricing
Pricing is not disclosed; contact for a quote. You add options such as payroll, attendance and ID management to a base plan (HR/Labor Essentials / Talent Management / the higher HR Strategy). There is a ¥0 plan for up to 30 employees and a 15-day free trial (no credit card) (as of August 2026).
Track record
No.1 share
July 2026
It has held the No.1 share of the labor-management cloud market for 7 straight years (Deloitte Tohmatsu MIC Research Institute) and was named "easiest to use" in the talent-management category (BOXIL SaaS AWARD Spring 2025). It supports ISO/IEC 27001 and SOC 2 Type 2.
How SmartHR differs from other HR/labor tools
HR tools split into "attendance-focused," "accounting-side HR/labor" and "talent-management-focused." SmartHR stands out for connecting the employee database built in labor administration all the way through to talent management.
| Aspect | SmartHR | Attendance-focused (KING OF TIME etc.) | Accounting-side HR (freee etc.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Axis | Integrated labor + talent | Attendance management | Labor tied to accounting |
| Foundation | Employee database | Time-clock data | Accounting data |
| Reach | Reviews, placement, surveys | Attendance-centric | Accounting & back office |
For attendance-focused tools, KING OF TIME or Jobcan; for HR/labor tied to accounting, freee. For companies that want to start with paperless labor administration and use employee data for HR strategy, SmartHR is a standard choice.
This page is based on information published on the official site as of August 2026. Please check the official site for the latest specs and pricing.
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