Personio named Core Leader in the Fosway 9-Grid™ for Cloud HR for the second consecutive year

Munich, September 10, 2026. Personio, Europe's leading HR and payroll platform for small and medium-sized businesses, has been named a Core Leader in the 2026 Fosway 9-Grid™ for Cloud HR. It's the company's second consecutive Core Leader placement in the annual assessment published by Fosway Group, Europe's leading HR industry analyst.

The Fosway 9-Grid™ evaluates vendors across five dimensions – Performance, Potential, Market Presence, cost structure, and Trajectory – with a deliberate focus on the European market. 

For Personio, whose core business is centered around Europe, that makes it one of the few independent assessments actually calibrated to European buyers rather than a global average.

Here's the part that matters most to customers: Fosway confirms Personio holds one of the best total cost of ownership profiles in the category, for the second year running. In practice, that means more platform, more payroll depth, and more compliance coverage for the budget than most competitors offer, not as a one-off, but two years in a row.

The rating is based on interviews Fosway conducted directly with Personio customers. The gain on the "Potential" axis reflects targeted product investment over the past twelve months, aimed at covering the more complex requirements of scaling companies. Personio shipped over 70 customer-facing updates in Q2 2026. Through Fosway, Customers confirm firsthand that those investments are aimed at what they actually need, not at padding a feature list.

“This placement confirms one thing above all: the value we promise our customers actually lands" said Philip Lacor, Chief Revenue Officer at Personio. "We build Personio so that what customers pay for shows up as real payroll and HR depth, reliably, across borders. Two years running, an independent analysis confirms we're delivering exactly that."

"The AI conversation has moved on in Cloud HCM, and vendors are understanding the need to focus on value for customers as much as on AI innovation" said David Wilson, CEO and founder of Fosway Group. "Through investments and acquisitions, Personio is augmenting its portfolio with stronger AI integration, whilst maintaining its momentum with core HR functionality in EMEA. This is crucial in helping Personio maintain its position as a Core Leader in the 2026 Cloud HR 9-Grid™."

The full 2026 Fosway 9-Grid™ for Cloud HR report is available in English, French, and German at fosway.com.