Build Your HRTech MVP in 4 Weeks
HR & People Ops Focus
Greta builds HRTech MVPs faster and cheaper than any traditional agency. Employee databases, performance review cycles, ATS recruitment pipelines, payroll integrations, and people analytics — all delivered in 4 weeks, not 12 months.
No lengthy procurement cycles. No six-figure price tags. No waiting a year to find out if your HR software idea resonates. You define the people ops problem — we build the product. Real code, real users, real results.
4 weeks
Delivery timeline
Multi-org
Company + team hierarchy
HR workflows
Onboarding to offboarding
£12k
Starting price
What is an HRTech MVP — in plain English?
Think of HR software like the admin layer of a company. Every time someone joins, gets promoted, takes holiday, goes through a performance review, or leaves — that journey needs to be tracked somewhere. Most small companies use spreadsheets and email chains. That works until it does not — and it stops working fast once you have more than 20 people.
HRTech — short for Human Resources Technology — is the software that replaces those spreadsheets. It is a central place where employees live, get onboarded, have their performance reviewed, request leave, and are eventually offboarded when they move on. Think of it like a database for your most important asset: your people.
An MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the first working version of that software. Not the full vision — just the most important slice of it. Like testing a recipe with the first pancake before making 200 for a wedding. The MVP lets real HR managers and employees use the product, tell you what works, and tell you what to build next. You find out if your idea is worth pursuing — without spending £150,000 to discover it is not.
HRTech MVP development means working with a specialist MVP development agency like Greta to build that first version quickly. Instead of a 12-month project with a traditional agency, you get a working product in 4 weeks. You test it with real users. You gather feedback. Then you build the rest. This approach has helped companies like BambooHR, Lattice, and Greenhouse go from idea to category leader — because they shipped fast and learned faster.
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5 signs you need an HRTech MVP right now
Not sure if you are ready to build? These are the clearest signals we see from founders and HR leaders before they come to Greta.
- 01
Your HR team lives in spreadsheets
If your employee data lives in a Google Sheet and your onboarding process is a PDF checklist sent via email, you have outgrown your current setup. At 20+ employees, manual processes start creating compliance risks and costly errors. An HRTech MVP centralises everything in one place — no more version control nightmares or missed tasks.
- 02
You are building an HR SaaS startup and need to prove the idea
You have spotted a gap in the market — maybe for a niche industry, a specific company size, or a particular HR workflow that existing tools do not handle well. Before you raise a Series A or hire a full engineering team, you need proof. A working MVP you can put in front of 10 real HR managers is worth more than a 50-page pitch deck.
- 03
Your existing HRIS is too expensive or too generic
Enterprise HRIS platforms like Workday or SAP SuccessFactors are built for companies with 5,000+ employees. They are overkill for a 50-person startup — and they cost a fortune. Building a custom HRTech MVP lets you get exactly the features your company needs at a fraction of the cost.
- 04
You need custom integrations that off-the-shelf tools do not support
Maybe you need your HR system to talk to a bespoke payroll setup, a custom ERP, or an industry-specific compliance database. Off-the-shelf tools often cannot do this — or charge enormous fees for custom API access. A custom HRTech MVP gives you full control over every integration.
- 05
You are growing fast and HR is becoming a bottleneck
Hiring 5 people a month while still using manual processes? Performance reviews in email threads? Leave requests in a shared calendar? These are signs your people ops is not keeping up with company growth. An HRTech MVP automates the repetitive tasks so your HR team can focus on the work that actually matters.
Real examples: what Greta has built for HRTech founders
Every project is different. Here are three examples of HRTech products we have built — the kind of scope, timeline, and outcomes you can expect when you work with Greta.
PeopleStack — Employee database for a 80-person fintech
4 weeks · 3 user types · Xero integration
A London fintech had outgrown Google Sheets and needed a proper employee database before their Series A audit. They needed role-based access (HR admin, line manager, employee), an interactive org chart, onboarding checklists, and a sync to Xero for payroll. The existing HRIS they trialled cost £4,000/month and had features they would never use.
Greta built PeopleStack in 4 weeks. 3 user roles, department and team hierarchy, custom employee fields for equity and role band data, automated onboarding task assignments, and a live Xero employee sync. The HR team went from 6 hours of manual admin per week to under 1 hour. They passed their Series A data room audit with zero findings on people data.
ReviewLoop — 360 performance review platform for SMEs
5 weeks · B2B SaaS · Multi-tenant
A founder who had run HR for 15 years noticed that small and medium businesses could not afford enterprise performance management tools like Lattice or Culture Amp. She wanted to build a simpler, cheaper alternative focused purely on quarterly 360-degree review cycles for teams of 10 to 200 people.
Greta built ReviewLoop in 5 weeks as a B2B SaaS MVP. Multi-tenant architecture (each company gets their own isolated workspace), configurable review cycles, self and peer review forms with rating scales and open text, manager calibration views, and a summary report exportable as PDF. The founder onboarded 8 paying pilot customers in week 6 after launch.
HireFlow — ATS for hospitality recruitment agencies
4 weeks · ATS + analytics dashboard · LinkedIn integration
A recruitment agency placing hospitality staff was using spreadsheets to track hundreds of candidates across dozens of client accounts. Generic ATS tools like Greenhouse were designed for tech companies and did not match the way hospitality recruitment actually works — shift availability, venue types, experience levels.
Greta built HireFlow in 4 weeks. A tailored candidate pipeline with hospitality-specific fields (availability windows, certifications, preferred venues), client management, bulk candidate import from LinkedIn, automated availability matching, and an analytics dashboard showing placement rates, time-to-fill, and candidate source performance. The agency reduced their placement time by 40% in the first month.
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Ready to build your HR platform?
Greta builds HRTech MVPs in 4 weeks — employee database, ATS, performance reviews, and payroll integrations from day one.
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Not sure where to start?
Book a 20-minute call. We'll map out your scope, tech stack, and go-to-market plan — for free.
HRTech products Greta builds in 4 weeks
Every HRTech MVP is scoped to your specific people ops problem. These are the core modules we deliver most frequently — mix and match based on what your first users actually need. We work with you to pick the right 3 or 4 modules for your launch.
Employee database and org chart
Centralised employee records with custom fields, employment type, department, and role. Interactive org chart showing reporting lines and team structure. Multi-company and subsidiary support for group HR teams. Role-based access so each person sees only what they should.
Performance review cycles
Configurable review cycles — quarterly, half-yearly, or annual. Self-assessments, manager reviews, and 360-degree peer feedback. Goal setting aligned to company OKRs with progress tracking and automated email reminders so no one misses a deadline.
Recruitment pipeline — ATS
Applicant tracking system (think of it as a Kanban board for candidates) with job posting management, candidate pipeline stages, and structured interview scorecards. Hiring manager collaboration, automated status emails to candidates, and reporting on time-to-hire.
Onboarding and offboarding workflows
Templated onboarding checklists assigned to new starters on day one — equipment requests, document signing, training completion, and introductions. Offboarding workflows handle access revocation, exit surveys, and knowledge transfer tasks.
Leave and absence management
Employee leave requests with line manager approval flows. Configurable leave policies — annual leave, sick leave, parental leave, and custom types. Team absence calendar so managers can spot clashes before approving. Automated accrual calculations synced to payroll.
Payroll integrations — Xero and QuickBooks
Two-way sync with Xero and QuickBooks so salary data, leave days, and new starter records flow automatically to payroll. Eliminates double data entry and reduces payroll errors for growing HR teams. Think of it as a bridge — you update the record once, both systems stay in sync.
Need a standalone HR analytics dashboard rather than a full platform? We build those too — see our dedicated HR dashboard development page for scope and pricing.
Common mistakes founders make when building HRTech
We have seen hundreds of product ideas. These are the mistakes that kill HRTech startups before they even launch — and how to avoid them.
✕Building too many modules at once
The most common mistake. Founders try to build employee database + ATS + performance + payroll + analytics all in version 1. The result? A 12-month build, a £150k bill, and a product that does nothing particularly well. Pick one problem. Solve it really well. Then expand. Your first 10 customers will tell you exactly what to build next — but only if you launch something first.
✕Ignoring role-based access control until it is too late
HR data is some of the most sensitive data a company holds — salary information, disciplinary records, health notes. If every user can see everything, you have a legal and ethical problem. Access control needs to be designed from day one, not bolted on after launch. Greta builds permission models into the architecture before a single screen is designed.
✕Underestimating payroll integration complexity
Payroll APIs like Xero and QuickBooks look simple from the outside. In practice, edge cases multiply fast — part-time contracts, salary changes mid-month, backdated leave, multiple employment types. Founders who try to build payroll integrations themselves often spend 3 months on a feature that should take 3 weeks. We have done these integrations many times and know the edge cases.
✕Not testing with real HR managers before building
Founders who have never worked in HR often build what they think HR managers want. What HR managers actually want is often different — less reporting, more automation of repetitive tasks, fewer clicks per approval flow. We run prototype testing sessions with real HR professionals before writing code. It saves weeks of rework.
✕Choosing the wrong tech stack for compliance requirements
HRTech products often need to comply with GDPR, SOC 2, or ISO 27001 depending on the markets they serve. The tech stack and cloud hosting choices affect how easy (or expensive) compliance is to achieve. Building on a stack that is hard to audit or certify can block enterprise sales later. Greta helps you make tech decisions with compliance in mind from the start.
How Greta builds your HRTech MVP — step by step
Our process is the same whether you are a solo founder with a pitch deck or a People Ops lead at a 200-person company. Six steps, 4 weeks, a real product at the end. No jargon. No surprises.
- 01
Discovery and HR workflow mapping — 1 hour
We learn your HR challenge, your target users (HR managers, recruiters, or employees), and the specific workflows causing the most friction. We map the data flows — employee records, reporting lines, review cycles, and payroll touchpoints — before writing a single line of code. This hour saves weeks of rework later.
- 02
Data model and access control design
We design your employee database structure (think of it as a filing cabinet with very precise folders) and your permission model — who can see what. HR admins get global access. Line managers see their direct reports. Employees access only their own data. We document the org hierarchy structure and agree on integration priorities.
- 03
Design and prototype — 3 to 5 days
You get clickable mockups so you can review the employee profile page, org chart, performance review form, ATS pipeline board, and people analytics dashboard before anything is built. You test it with a real HR manager if possible, then give us feedback. Changes at this stage are free — changes after build are not.
- 04
Build — 3 to 4 weeks in focused sprints
We build your HRTech MVP module by module — prioritised by what your first users need most. Each week we demo the latest working version on a private staging environment. You can see real functionality, not screenshots. We use AI-assisted development to move fast without cutting corners.
- 05
Quality assurance and security review
Before launch, we test every workflow end to end — onboarding checklists, leave approval flows, review cycle reminders, and payroll syncs. We check role-based access works correctly, data stays isolated per company (if multi-tenant), and edge cases in integrations are handled. HR data is too sensitive to ship without thorough testing.
- 06
Launch and iterate
Your HRTech product goes live. You receive full code ownership, technical documentation, and a handover call. We help you define the post-launch roadmap based on which features your first HR team users actually use — because their behaviour tells you more than any focus group.
Want to understand the full approach? See how we build startup MVPs from scratch — the same methodology applies to HRTech.
BUILD IT FAST
Seen enough? Let’s scope your HRTech MVP.
Tell us your people ops problem — we will map the modules, integrations, and timeline in one free 30-minute call.
TALK TO A FOUNDER
Not sure where to start?
Book a 20-minute call. We'll map out your scope, tech stack, and go-to-market plan — for free.
HRTech MVP cost and timeline comparison — 2026
Building HR software in-house or through a traditional agency is slow and expensive. Here is an honest comparison of your options in 2026 — including what Greta actually costs and what you give up with each option.
| Option | Cost | Timeline | Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional agency | £80,000–£200,000 | 6–12 months | Extra cost, separate retainer |
| Freelancer team | £20,000–£60,000 | 3–9 months | You manage it yourself |
| No-code tools (e.g. Bubble) | £0–£500/month | Weeks | Very limited for HR complexity |
| Greta | From £12,000 | 4 weeks | Included |
Prices are estimates based on typical HRTech MVP scope in 2026. Exact pricing depends on module count and integration complexity. Book a free call for a real quote within 48 hours.
Why HRTech founders choose Greta
Most software agencies treat every project the same way. Discovery. Spec. Design. Build. Test. Launch. The whole cycle takes 6 months minimum and costs you more at every stage. By the time you launch, the market has moved, your assumptions are stale, and you have spent your runway on features no one asked for.
Greta is different because we built our own AI-assisted development platform specifically for MVPs. We are not using the same tools a freelancer uses and charging agency rates. Our platform compresses the build phase from months to weeks — without cutting corners on quality, security, or access control.
We also specialise in B2B SaaS MVPs — the kind of products where data integrity, permission models, and integrations matter more than flashy animations. HRTech is exactly this kind of product. Your HR managers need a tool that works correctly every time, handles sensitive data responsibly, and connects to the payroll and identity systems they already use.
You own everything we build. Full code, full database schemas, full design files. No lock-in. No ongoing licence fees to Greta. If you want to take the code to another developer after we deliver — you can. We deliver a real asset, not a dependency.
Curious what a SaaS MVP agency actually does differently from a general software house? Read our guide on how Greta structures every project.
BUILD IT FAST
Questions about your HRTech build?
Speak to our team — free 30-minute call, no sales pressure. We will tell you honestly what you need and what it will cost.
TALK TO A FOUNDER
Not sure where to start?
Book a 20-minute call. We'll map out your scope, tech stack, and go-to-market plan — for free.
HRTech MVP development — questions people actually ask
What is an HRTech MVP?+
An HRTech MVP is the first working version of a human resources software product. Think of it like a first version of your HR tool that real people — HR managers, recruiters, or employees — can actually log into and use to do their jobs. It might be an employee management system, an applicant tracking system (a pipeline for job candidates), a performance review platform, or a people analytics dashboard. The goal is simple: validate your HR software idea with real users before you spend £150,000 building every feature. Nine times out of ten, users tell you something unexpected in the first two weeks. The MVP lets you discover that early — when it is cheap to change course.
How long does it take to build an HRTech MVP?+
With Greta, most HRTech MVPs are delivered in 4 weeks. A focused employee database with org chart and onboarding workflows can be done in 3 to 4 weeks. More complex platforms — with performance review cycles, a full ATS recruitment pipeline, and payroll integrations (Xero, QuickBooks) — typically take 4 to 6 weeks. For comparison: a traditional agency would quote you 6 to 12 months for the same scope. The difference is our AI-assisted development platform, which lets us move significantly faster without skipping quality or security steps.
What HR software features can Greta build in 4 weeks?+
In 4 weeks Greta can build: an employee database with org chart and role hierarchy, onboarding and offboarding workflows with task assignments, a recruitment pipeline with job postings and candidate tracking, performance review cycles with 360-degree feedback, leave and absence management with manager approvals, Xero or QuickBooks payroll integrations, and a people analytics dashboard. We will work with you in discovery to pick the 3 or 4 modules that give your first users the most value. It is better to do fewer things really well than to try to launch everything at once.
Do you integrate with payroll systems like Xero or QuickBooks?+
Yes. Greta builds payroll integrations with Xero, QuickBooks, and other payroll APIs as a standard part of HRTech MVP builds. We sync employee records, salary data, and leave days to your existing payroll system so HR managers do not have to type the same data into two places. Think of the integration as a bridge: you update the record once in your HR platform, and the payroll system picks it up automatically. We also build integrations with Slack, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365 for employee notifications — so things like leave approvals and review reminders come through the tools people already use.
How much does an HRTech MVP cost?+
Traditional agencies charge £80,000 to £200,000 for an HRTech MVP — and that is before post-launch support costs. Greta delivers the same quality starting from £12,000 because we use our own AI platform instead of large developer teams billing by the hour. The exact price depends on the number of modules and integrations. A focused employee database with org chart is at the lower end. A full platform with ATS, performance reviews, leave management, and payroll integrations sits higher. Book a free call and we will give you a real price within 48 hours — not a ballpark range.
Who are the typical users of an HRTech MVP?+
HRTech MVPs typically serve 3 user types. First: HR admins who configure the system, set up policies, run reports, and manage the full employee database. Second: line managers who complete performance reviews, approve leave requests, and see the profiles of their direct reports. Third: employees who update their own profiles, request time off, complete onboarding tasks, and submit self-assessments during review cycles. Getting the access control right for these three types is critical — we build the permission model in week one before any screens are designed.
Can Greta build a standalone ATS recruitment platform?+
Yes. Greta builds standalone applicant tracking systems as well as ATS modules embedded inside larger HRTech platforms. A standalone ATS MVP typically includes: job posting management with multiple posting stages, a candidate pipeline with drag-and-drop stage progression (think Kanban board for candidates), structured interview scorecards for hiring teams, hiring manager collaboration and feedback threads, automated status emails to candidates at each stage, and reporting on time-to-hire and source performance. We can connect it to LinkedIn job postings, Indeed, or your careers page via API integrations. Reach out to discuss your specific ATS requirements.
Do I own the code Greta writes?+
Yes, 100%. You get full ownership of every line of code, the database schemas, the design files, and all documentation at the end of the project. There are no licensing fees, no ongoing monthly charges to Greta, and no dependency on us to keep your product running. You can take the codebase to any developer or agency after delivery. We deliver the code to a private Git repository that you control from day one. We think it is only right that you fully own what you paid to build.
What tech stack does Greta use for HRTech MVPs?+
Greta typically uses React or Next.js for the front end, Node.js or Python for the back end, and PostgreSQL for the database. We use role-based access control libraries, REST or GraphQL APIs for third-party integrations, and cloud hosting on AWS or Vercel. The exact stack depends on your requirements — specifically, the integrations you need and what will be easiest for your future development team to maintain and extend. We discuss tech stack choices with you in discovery and explain the trade-offs in plain English before deciding.
Sources & further reading
External references and authority sources cited on this page.
CIPD — HR Technology Survey
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development research on HR technology adoption, people analytics, and digital HR trends in UK organisations. Essential reading for anyone building HRTech for the UK market.
Xero Developer API Documentation
Official Xero API reference for payroll, employees, and accounting integrations. The technical foundation for any HRTech product that needs to sync with Xero payroll.
ACAS — Employment Rights and HR Guidance
UK government-backed guidance on employment contracts, leave entitlements, performance management, and disciplinary procedures. Critical context for building compliant HRTech products for UK employers.
Josh Bersin — HR Technology Market Report
Annual analyst report on the global HRTech market — covering ATS, HRIS, performance management, and people analytics vendors. Useful for understanding the competitive landscape your HRTech startup will enter.
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Build your HR software in 4 weeks with Greta.
You have the people ops problem. We have the platform. Employee database, performance reviews, ATS, payroll integrations, and analytics — production-ready in 4 weeks. Not a prototype. Not a demo. A real product your HR team can use from day one.
Speak to our team — we will scope your HRTech minimum viable product in one free 30-minute call and give you a real price within 48 hours. No fluff, no hard sell.
Free 30-minute discovery call. Real pricing within 48 hours. No commitment required.