Humanwave
Humanwave is a Dutch cloud HR and payroll software and outsourced payroll administration provider serving small and mid-sized businesses in the Netherlands, with vertical specializations in the childcare (kinderopvang) sector and DGA director salary administration.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersDelft, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Humanwave does
Humanwave is a Dutch HR and payroll software company headquartered in Delft, Netherlands, founded in 2010. It serves small and mid-sized businesses (MKB) in the Netherlands, with a stated focus on companies with at least seven employees, and claims over 1,000 customers. The company operates a cloud-based platform hosted on Google Cloud (Google App Engine) with ISO 27001/27017/27018, PCI-DSS, and GDPR certifications, secured via HTTPS/SHA-256 and WAF, and integrates with accounting, identity, and productivity platforms including Twinfield, Exact Online, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Outlook, Active Directory, and Easy Secure.
The product portfolio comprises a modular HR SaaS sold in three tiers — HR Start (€4.25/employee/month), HR Professional (€6.75), and HR Premium (€9.75) — plus an outsourced payroll administration service priced at €20.50-€22.50/employee/month. Specialized verticals include the Dutch childcare sector (kinderopvang), with embedded CAO Kinderopvang compliance and a Bitcare integration, and DGA (director-major-shareholder) salary administration. Auxiliary offerings cover HR advisory services, a mobile employee self-service app (iOS/Android), and an online severance-pay calculator. The business model is a hybrid of per-employee SaaS subscription plus managed payroll services, sold to SMB HR buyers and Dutch accountants as channel partners. The company is privately held, bootstrapped, has not raised external capital, and employs 11-50 people.
Humanwave firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Humanwave
- Legal name
- Humanwave B.V.
- Website
- https://humanwave.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Humanwave is a Dutch cloud HR and payroll software and outsourced payroll administration provider serving small and mid-sized businesses in the Netherlands, with vertical specializations in the childcare (kinderopvang) sector and DGA director salary administration.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Humanwave industry classification
Industry- Product category
- HR and Payroll Software
- NAICS
- Payroll Services (541214), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms (HDAEAEAJ), Managed Payroll Services (Full-Service Payroll Outsourcing) (BPAAAHAA), HR Service Delivery, Case Management & Employee Self-Service (BPACAPAL)
Keywords
Where Humanwave is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Delft
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Humanwave business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- HR Software Subscription: SaaS subscription model with tiered pricing (HR Start, HR Professional, HR Premium) billed per active employee per month. Additional modules (digital signature, cost allocation, time reporting) available as add-ons at per-user or per-document pricing.
- Payroll Administration Outsourced Service: Managed payroll outsourcing service (Salarisadministratie uitbesteden) with separate pricing tiers (with/without CAO). Includes full payroll processing, payslip management, tax declarations, and payment file generation. Billed per active employee per month in addition to the HR software subscription.
- Professional HR & Payroll Advice (Advies on Demand): On-demand HR and payroll advisory service (Professioneel Advies On Demand) providing expert answers to HR and salary questions. Billed as an add-on module at €3.00 per active employee per month.
- Digital Signature Documents: Revenue from per-document digital signature charges at €0.45 per sent document for HR Professional customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Per seat | Monthly | HR Start: Basic HR administration for up to 10 employees at €4.25/employee/month |
| Per seat | Monthly | HR Professional: Complete HR administration at €6.75/employee/month |
| Per seat | Monthly | HR Premium: Full HR administration with salary question support at €9.75/employee/month |
| Per seat | Monthly | Payroll Administration Outsourced (without CAO): from €20.50/employee/month with €130 minimum/month |
| Per seat | Monthly | Payroll Administration Outsourced (with CAO): from €22.50/employee/month with €150 minimum/month |
| Unit Pricing | Monthly | Digital Signature add-on: €0.45 per sent document |
| Per seat | Monthly | Cost Allocation add-on: €2.50/employee/month |
| Per seat | Monthly | Time Reporting (Urenverantwoording): €4.75/employee/month |
| Subscription | Annual | DGA Salary Software: €230/year for 1 director |
| Subscription | Annual | DGA Payroll Administration Outsourced: €230/year for 1 director (promotional) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Humanwave product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Humanwave provides a cloud-based HR and payroll software platform combined with outsourced payroll administration services for Dutch small and medium-sized businesses (MKB). The platform automates HR administration (leave, absence, contracts, personnel files, declarations, time registration, planning) and full payroll processing (payslips, declarations, payment files, journal entries) via tiered per-employee subscriptions, with specialized offerings for childcare (CAO Kinderopvang) and DGA directors. An employee self-service mobile app (Medewerker App) and 24/7 Dutch-language support complement the SaaS offering.
Product overview
Humanwave is an HR and payroll software company offering a modular platform for small and medium-sized businesses in the Netherlands. The core offering consists of HR-software available in three tiers: HR Start (basic, from €4.25/employee/month), HR Professional (full-featured, from €6.75/employee/month), and HR Premium (adds salary advisory, from €9.75/employee/month). These can be combined with Salarisadministratie uitbesteden (outsourced payroll processing from €20.50/employee/month without CAO, €22.50 with CAO) and standalone HR-adviseur advisory services. Add-on modules include Digitale handtekening (digital signatures), Loonkosten verdeling (cost allocation), Uren verantwoording (project hour tracking), and Professioneel advies on demand (on-demand HR advice). A mobile Medewerker App provides employee self-service for leave requests, expense claims, and payslip access. Specialized services exist for DGA directors and childcare organizations (kinderopvang) with CAO expertise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- HR-software (HR Software Platform) Complete cloud-based HR administration software for Dutch SMBs covering contracts, leave, absence, personnel files, declarations, time registration, planning, reports, and a manager self-service dashboard with an integrated employee self-service mobile app.
- Salarisadministratie uitbesteden (Outsourced Payroll Administration Service)
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% of Humanwave users recommend the service
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Humanwave
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Humanwave technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature18 records
Humanwave partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Bright PensioencoreBright Pensioen is both a customer and strategic partner of Humanwave. Bright Pensioen uses Humanwave's HR and payroll software internally. The two companies have co-hosted webinars on pension topics, including a joint webinar on the July 2023 Wet Toekomst Pensioenen (Future Pensions Act).
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Humanwave competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- BrightHR: UK-headquartered SMB HR and employment law advisory platform. Comparable to Humanwave's bundled HR-software-plus-advisory model for small businesses, though operating in a different geography.
Direct peers
- Nmbrs: Dutch cloud payroll and HR software provider serving SMBs and accountancy firms. Nmbrs competes head-to-head with Humanwave on payroll processing, especially via the accounting-firm channel.
- AFAS Software: Leading Dutch HR, payroll, and ERP software provider serving the same SMB and mid-market segment as Humanwave. AFAS Profit and AFAS Pocket are direct competitors to Humanwave's HR software and outsourced payroll offering, with deeper enterprise functionality.
- Loket: Dutch cloud-based payroll and HR platform purpose-built for SMBs in the Netherlands. Loket directly competes with Humanwave's HR software plus payroll outsourcing bundle for the 7-80 employee segment.
Broad incumbents
- ADP: Global payroll and HR services giant with significant presence in Europe through ADP iHCM and RUN Powered by ADP. Competes with Humanwave on outsourced payroll services for Dutch SMBs and accountancy partners.
- Exact: Dutch-origin accounting and ERP software vendor with an HR/payroll module integrated into Exact Online. Competes with Humanwave for Dutch SMBs already using Exact's accounting suite, and is a listed integration partner.
- Visma | Raet: Large Northern European HR/payroll software vendor (Visma) operating the Raet brand in the Netherlands. Offers overlapping HR and payroll capabilities targeted at Dutch mid-market and enterprise, with broader international reach.
- Zenefits: US SMB-focused all-in-one HR, payroll, and benefits platform. Comparable to Humanwave in targeting the small employer segment with combined software plus advisory, though operating in a different regulatory environment.
Emerging players
- Personio: European all-in-one HR platform for SMBs (10-2,000 employees) expanding across multiple countries including the Netherlands. Competes with Humanwave in the Dutch mid-market with broader talent management and modern UX.
- BambooHR: SMB-focused cloud HR platform with employee self-service, time tracking, and payroll integrations. While primarily US-focused, it represents the modern SMB HR UX standard Humanwave competes against in design expectations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Humanwave social profiles
Digital presenceHumanwave compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Humanwave financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Humanwave leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Humanwave funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Humanwave M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Humanwave
What does Humanwave do?
Humanwave provides a cloud-based HR and payroll software platform combined with outsourced payroll administration services for Dutch small and medium-sized businesses (MKB). The platform automates HR administration (leave, absence, contracts, personnel files, declarations, time registration, planning) and full payroll processing (payslips, declarations, payment files, journal entries) via tiered per-employee subscriptions, with specialized offerings for childcare (CAO Kinderopvang) and DGA directors. An employee self-service mobile app (Medewerker App) and 24/7 Dutch-language support complement the SaaS offering.
Is Humanwave a public or private company?
Humanwave is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Humanwave founded?
Humanwave was founded in 2010. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Humanwave based?
Humanwave is headquartered in Delft, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Humanwave make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. HR Software Subscription is the primary driver. The others are payroll Administration Outsourced Service, professional HR & Payroll Advice (Advies on Demand) and digital Signature Documents.
Who are Humanwave's main competitors?
BrightHR is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are Nmbrs, AFAS Software and Loket. Broad incumbents are ADP, Exact, Visma | Raet and Zenefits. Emerging players are Personio and BambooHR.
Does Humanwave have an API?
No public API is recorded for Humanwave.
What industry is Humanwave in?
Humanwave's product category is HR and Payroll Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAIAB, Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS), with a secondary code of HDAEAEAJ, Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms. Its NAICS code is 541214 and its SIC code is 7372.