neonHR Review: Product Discontinued, Alternatives and What Happened

by neonHR

0.0 / 5.0
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At a Glance

Good
Offered modular purchasing, allowing businesses to buy only the HR, payroll, or time tracking features they needed
Bad
Product is no longer available for purchase under the neonHR name
Bottom Line
neonHR is no longer available as a software product.

Detailed Analysis

If you’re searching for neonHR expecting to find a cloud-based human resources management system, you need to know: the software product originally sold under the neonHR name no longer appears to be available. The domain neonhr.com now belongs to an entirely different company, a UK-based HR consultancy with no connection to the original HRMS vendor. This review explains what happened and where to look instead.

Our original review of neonHR covered a modular workforce management platform developed by a company called “neon,” headquartered in Gadsden, Alabama. That product offered HR management, payroll, time tracking, and ACA compliance features to an estimated 17,000 customers. That product, and the company behind it, can no longer be found online under the neonHR brand.

What Is neonHR?

The neonHR software product was a cloud-based HRMS built by a privately held company called neon, founded in 1998 and based in Gadsden, Alabama. It offered a suite of workforce management tools sold as individual modules or as a bundled package. The product line included neonHR (core HR management), neonPay (payroll), neonTime (time and attendance), and neonTouch (a package combining HR features with ACA compliance alerts).

At some point after our original review, the neonHR software product ceased to be marketed under that name. The neonhr.com domain is now registered to neonHR Ltd, a UK-based HR consultancy founded by Rebecca Cornwell. This consultancy offers outsourced HR solutions, employee development, recruitment, and payroll services to small businesses in the Greater London area. It does not sell HRMS software. The “HR Software” item on its website refers to advisory services helping clients select and implement third-party HR tools, not a proprietary product.

Several other similarly named products exist in the market and should not be confused with the original neonHR: Neon HRM by Nexign (a modular HR platform for the Russian and CIS markets), neonHCM (a US-based HCM and payroll platform reportedly serving over 75,000 locations), and Neon HR Group (a separate HR outsourcing company). Whether the original neon/neonHR product was rebranded to neonHCM or acquired by another entity is unclear from available information.

neonHR Key Features (Historical)

The following features were documented when the neonHR software was actively marketed. They are listed here for reference only, as the product cannot currently be purchased under the neonHR name.

Employee Records Management

neonHR used a single employee record that centralized all HR data for each worker. This allowed HR teams to manage demographics, job history, compensation, and benefits from one profile rather than juggling multiple systems or spreadsheets.

Employee and Manager Self-Service

Both employees and managers could access the system to view and update personal information, reducing the administrative burden on HR departments. Employees could handle routine tasks like updating contact details or viewing pay stubs without filing requests with HR.

Compliance Library

The platform included a built-in compliance library designed to help companies navigate labor regulations and stay current with federal and state requirements. This was particularly useful for small and mid-sized businesses without dedicated compliance staff.

ACA Compliance (neonTouch Package)

The neonTouch bundle added customized Affordable Care Act alerts for employee eligibility tracking. This feature monitored employee hours and status changes to flag potential ACA compliance issues before they became penalties.

Modular Architecture

Customers could purchase individual modules (HR, payroll, time tracking) or buy the full workforce management suite. This allowed smaller organizations to start with what they needed and add capabilities over time.

Mobile and Multi-Browser Access

As a cloud-based product, neonHR was accessible from any web browser and supported mobile devices, which was a meaningful differentiator when the product launched but is now standard across the HRMS category.

neonHR Pricing and Plans

No current pricing information exists for neonHR as a software product. The original neonHR HRMS did not publicly disclose pricing when it was active; prospective buyers were directed to contact the vendor for a quote. The product is no longer available for purchase under the neonHR name.

If you’re looking at neonHCM (a potentially related but distinct product), that platform also requires contacting the vendor for pricing. Neither product offers publicly listed subscription tiers or transparent per-user pricing.

Integrations

No current integration information is available for neonHR. When the product was active, it was part of a modular suite (neonHR, neonPay, neonTime) that integrated internally across its own modules. Documentation of third-party integrations with CRMs, accounting software, or other business tools was not publicly detailed.

Customer Support

Since the neonHR software product is no longer available under that brand, there are no active customer support channels to evaluate. The current neonhr.com website belongs to a UK consultancy and has no connection to the original HRMS product’s support infrastructure.

If you are an existing customer of the original neon platform, we recommend checking whether your account has been migrated to neonHCM or another successor product. Contacting neonHCM directly may help clarify any ongoing support arrangements.

Pros and Cons

Given that neonHR is no longer available as a software product, we present the following based on our historical assessment. These reflect the product as it existed, not a current evaluation.

Pros

  • Offered modular purchasing, allowing businesses to buy only the HR, payroll, or time tracking features they needed
  • Included employee and manager self-service to reduce administrative overhead on HR departments
  • Built-in compliance library and ACA tracking helped small businesses manage regulatory requirements

Cons

  • Product is no longer available for purchase under the neonHR name
  • Lacked a learning management feature when it was active
  • Third-party integration capabilities were limited compared to competitors
  • No transparent public pricing was ever available; required contacting sales for a quote

Who Should Use neonHR?

No one, at this point. The neonHR software product cannot currently be purchased, and the neonhr.com domain now belongs to an unrelated UK consultancy. If you arrived at this review looking for an HRMS, the alternatives listed below serve the same market that neonHR once targeted.

If you were a former neonHR customer and are looking for continuity, investigate neonHCM, which appears to be a US-based HCM and payroll platform that may share lineage with the original neon product family. However, we cannot confirm a direct relationship between the two.

neonHR Alternatives

If you were considering neonHR or need a replacement, the following products serve the small to mid-sized business HRMS market effectively.

BambooHR

BambooHR is one of the most popular HRMS platforms for small and mid-sized businesses (under 1,000 employees). It offers employee records management, self-service portals, time tracking, benefits administration, and a clean, modern interface. It is stronger on usability than the original neonHR was, though pricing (starting around $6-8 per employee per month) requires contacting the vendor for exact quotes.

Gusto

Gusto combines payroll, HR, and benefits into a single platform, making it a strong choice for small businesses that want the kind of modular bundle neonHR offered. Payroll is Gusto’s strongest feature, and its pricing starts at $40/month plus $6 per person. It lacks the depth of a dedicated HRMS for larger organizations but is excellent for teams under 100 employees.

Paycor

Paycor offers a full HCM suite covering HR, payroll, time and attendance, talent management, and compliance. It targets the same small to mid-sized market neonHR served and provides ACA compliance tools similar to neonHR’s neonTouch package. Pricing requires contacting the vendor.

Rippling

Rippling is a modern workforce platform that unifies HR, IT, and payroll management. It is particularly strong on integrations and automation, areas where neonHR was limited. Rippling works well for growing companies (50-2,000 employees) that need to connect their HR system with dozens of other business tools. Pricing starts at $8 per user per month.

Paylocity

Paylocity offers a cloud-based HCM platform with strong payroll, HR, and workforce management capabilities. It competes directly in the mid-market space and provides compliance tools, self-service portals, and time tracking that mirror what neonHR offered. Its reporting and analytics capabilities exceed what neonHR provided. Contact Paylocity for pricing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is neonHR still available?

The neonHR software product does not appear to be actively sold or supported under that name. The neonhr.com domain now belongs to an unrelated UK-based HR consultancy. If you’re a former customer, contact neonHCM to determine if your account was migrated.

What happened to neon (the company behind neonHR)?

The original company, neon, was based in Gadsden, Alabama. Its current status is unclear. A separate entity called neonHCM operates a US-based HCM and payroll platform and may share some connection to the original product, but this has not been confirmed.

Is neonhr.com the same as the original neonHR software?

No. The current neonhr.com website belongs to neonHR Ltd, a UK-based HR consultancy founded by Rebecca Cornwell. It provides outsourced HR services and does not sell HRMS software. It has no connection to the original neonHR HRMS product.

What is neonHCM?

neonHCM is a US-based human capital management and payroll platform that reportedly serves over 75,000 locations. While the name is similar and it operates in the same market, we cannot confirm whether it is a direct successor to the original neon/neonHR product.

What are the best alternatives to neonHR for small businesses?

For small businesses (under 100 employees), BambooHR and Gusto are strong choices that offer the core HR, payroll, and self-service features neonHR provided. For mid-sized organizations, Paycor and Paylocity offer more comprehensive HCM suites with compliance tools and analytics.

Did neonHR offer a free trial?

The original neonHR product did not offer a free trial when it was actively marketed. Since the product is no longer available, this is no longer relevant. Most modern alternatives (BambooHR, Gusto, Rippling) do offer free trials or demo periods.

The Bottom Line

neonHR as a software product is no longer available for purchase. The original cloud-based HRMS, developed by neon in Gadsden, Alabama, has disappeared from the market, and its domain now belongs to an unrelated HR consultancy in the UK. Whether the product was discontinued, acquired, or rebranded under a different name (possibly neonHCM) is unclear.

If you’re an HR professional looking for a small to mid-sized business HRMS in the current market, you have significantly better options than what neonHR offered even at its peak. Products like BambooHR, Gusto, Paycor, and Rippling provide more features, better integrations, modern interfaces, and transparent pricing. The HRMS category has matured considerably since neonHR was active.

We cannot recommend neonHR because it simply cannot be bought. If you were a former customer still running on legacy neon infrastructure, we strongly recommend migrating to a current, actively supported platform before you encounter compliance or support gaps that could create real business risk.

Written by

Melissa Pardo-Bunte

Melissa Pardo-Bunte brings over seven years of experience reviewing products and technologies that businesses rely on. Her role with Better Buys began in its previous incarnation as a dedicated printed and electronic buyer's guide. Her role has evolved from researching and fact-checking technical specs on office equipment and providing proofreading expertise to writing reviews and managing the Editor's Choice Award program. Prior to joining Better Buys, Melissa has worked in the marketing research industry for nine years. In addition to office equipment, Melissa also writes reviews for other software technology, such as Business Intelligence, HR, and CMMS.