BambooHR vs Palomar DCA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BambooHR
Access essential HR functions on the go. View your company directory, manage time off requests, and stay updated with notifications. Securely access employee information and approve or deny leave requests from anywhere.
- Company directory access
- Time off requests and approvals
- View colleague information
- Add contacts to phone
- Check time off balances
- Push notifications for requests
- TouchID and passcode protection
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BambooHR is online HR software for small and medium-sized businesses that have outgrown spreadsheets. We automate many of the most tedious HR functions and free you up to do meaningful work. The BambooHR app lets you take some of those most important functions with you, and makes your most common tasks in BambooHR simple and fast. * In order to do anything with the BambooHR app you will need a current BambooHR account. Find out more on our website. * The app fully supports single sign-on (SAML) to login Your Company Directory, Everywhere You Go Your company’s phone numbers, emails, photos, titles—your whole company directory goes wherever you do. * See colleague’s information and call, email, or message them with a tap * Quickly add someone’s info to your phone’s contacts Plan and Manage Time Off Planning a trip? Request time off when you’re out and about. Leave requests can be submitted in the app, and if you’re an approver, you can approve them there as well. * See who’s out of the office today and on any future date * See current and calculate your future time off balances * Submit, view, edit, and comment on your time off requests * Approve and deny time off requests * Push notifications keep you in the loop on the status of your requests And don’t worry, TouchID and passcode protection will help keep your information secure. Happy Bambooing!
Palomar DCA
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The companion app to DAS.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: BambooHR at every 2 weeks against Palomar DCA's monthly. Palomar DCA's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BambooHR ships an update every 2 weeks, Palomar DCA monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BambooHR | Palomar DCA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (13K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 26.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 13K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 287 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | BambooHR | AgWorks, LLC. |
Bugs and requests
BambooHR
Reported bugs
14 issues- App ask for update to see inbox, people or my info
- Locks you out
- Spends a lot of time down, can't always see signature so you don't know if forms are actually filed out or not
- Freezes
- Notifications don't clear properly
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- Badges slow to update, annoying
- Poor crashes
- Log in is impossible
- Slow app
- Phone directory look up not working
- Contacts don't work
- Document Sigining not working
- Crashes on log in
- Crashes every time you try to save a contact locally
Requested features
14 requests- Dark mode option
- Advanced calendar view on app
- Allow employees to download letter of employment at their own
- Easier way to fix clocking issues
- Easier way to track lieu hours
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- Open app from email links
- More functionality on app compared to website
- Ability to cancel time off requests from app
- Include user on calendar/out today view
- Text-based recruiting services
- Ability to onboard new hires from app
- Allow document signing on mobile
- Announcements in the app
- Ability to view emergency contacts
Palomar DCA
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BambooHR
No in-app purchases
Palomar DCA
No in-app purchases
