10+ Best Employee Management Software in 2025

The UI is clean, intuitive, and (mostly) easy to use. I very seldom had issues with automated processes. They make onboarding new employees incredibly simple. I also really like the friendly tone of the brand's "voice." The marching pig on the loading screen that changes with the seasons never gets old; it still sparks joy each time, even after all these years!

I have used Gusto since 2018 in 3 different early-stage tech startups. Gusto has a reputation as the go-to in Silicon Valley incubators and accelerators, although I've seen Rippling gradually gaining market share in the past few years. In all 3 cases, we selected Gusto because of their breadth of services. Gusto makes it easy to set up everything our organization needed to begin hiring and paying employees. What's nice about Gusto is that it makes processes that are intimidating to many founders into a "set it and forget it" task. Automating payroll, benefits, filing government forms, and quarterly taxes helped free up time for our founding team to focus on a growing set of other responsibilities.

Gusto's benefits department is unresponsive and it's nearly impossible to get answers from support about even simple benefits questions.

I have seen quite a few concerning errors across the platform (mostly with benefits), including employees not being enrolled in benefits programs, dismissed employees not being removed from benefits programs, incomplete COBRA enrollment, and late tax filings.

The information from Support is unreliable and often inaccurate.

The dismissal payroll workflow is misleading and we've had a few serious problems as a result.

When a Gusto admin is dismissed, their admin privileges are not removed automatically, which is a serious privacy concern.

I wish Gusto made it easier to set up a business entity in new states. They partner with a company called CorpNet, but I found the level of service wasn't worth the price and went back to handling state registration myself.

I love Gusto's friendly casual-but-professional tone compared to other providers in the space.

Gusto is best for small teams, the smaller the better. It is a great option for founders and single-person People teams who have less time to dedicate to payroll, benefits, and compliance. It makes many benefits available and affordable for small groups that would not have the numbers to access plans through traditional providers.

Gusto becomes less useful as a team grows and compensation & benefits become more complex. I would definitely recommend Gusto to founders, but I recommend moving off of their benefits platform as soon as you have a full-time person to manage benefits administration. Its payroll functionality is solid, but payroll administrators should be aware that they will get limited guidance from the Gusto support team.

Gusto's functionality has grown over the time I've used the platform as they've added additional features and integrations. However, the accuracy and quality of support have suffered over time. I used to be a Gusto evangelist, but these days I recommend that growing companies move off of Gusto as soon as is practical. New features have become less useful over time, and I wish they would focus on maintaining the quality of their core product rather than trying to expand into new services.

Company founders or admins inexperienced in payroll and benefits. Very small teams with a single person managing payroll and benefits administration among many other HR responsibilities.

The client appreciated the simple and intuitive interface, making it easy for both employees and managers to navigate. The platform’s design minimizes the learning curve, making it quick to adopt for teams of all sizes, which is a plus for a growing company.

The ability to integrate goal-setting (OKRs), continuous feedback, and performance reviews was highly valued. Another advantage was the ability to create custom review cycles, run 360-degree feedback, and effectively track performance.

Leapsome was purchased to streamline performance management, OKR tracking, and employee engagement. It allowed my client to align team and individual goals with the organization’s objectives through goal-setting frameworks like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). It increased visibility and tracking to ensure that everyone was working toward measurable outcomes.

Leapsome provided customizable performance review cycles, including 360-degree feedback, continuous reviews, and self-assessments, which helped tailor reviews to organizational needs and culture. The ability to engage employees through surveys and gather real-time feedback was also a key selling point. The learning and development tools were valuable, although the client was using an existing tool at the time and had not yet begun leveraging this aspect of the platform.

There are limitations in customization for features like performance review templates and feedback processes, which could benefit from more flexibility. Companies with unique organizational structures or processes may find it challenging to tailor every aspect to their needs.

The learning curve for advanced features, such as custom analytics or deep performance tracking, can be difficult to fully grasp and utilize. The per-user pricing model and modular nature of the platform can become cost-prohibitive as the organization scales, which is interesting since scalability is also a pro, but the cost structure could be more considerate of hyper-growth companies.

Leapsome offers a modular approach, allowing companies to choose and pay only for the features they need, offering flexibility that many competitors lack. While some competitors provide all-in-one solutions that can be less customizable, Leapsome allows companies to avoid paying for unnecessary features.

Unlike many performance management platforms that emphasize periodic reviews, Leapsome strongly encourages a culture of continuous feedback and recognition, making it ideal for companies that prioritize ongoing development.

Competitors like Lattice and 15Five offer feedback options, but Leapsome’s seamless integration of real-time feedback and performance tracking helps embed feedback as a constant part of the employee experience.

Companies should clearly define the must-have versus nice-to-have features and consider how their future growth could impact their needs. Customization options for performance cycles, feedback, and surveys are essential.

Organizations should evaluate their data requirements, such as the need for deep data analysis versus standard performance, goal, and engagement tracking. Ease of use for both users and administrators, including integration with existing tools and the level of skill required for customization, should also be key considerations.

Leapsome initially focused on performance management and employee engagement. Over time, it expanded to include a full suite of tools covering goal setting (OKRs), continuous feedback, learning and development, and detailed reporting and analytics.

Recognizing that different companies have unique processes, Leapsome introduced greater customization options. Users can now tailor performance review cycles, feedback forms, and learning paths to meet their specific organizational needs.

Leapsome is ideal for tech companies and startups that are scaling, especially those with a feedback-rich culture. It’s also well-suited for medium-sized companies looking for scalability, as well as companies focused on learning and development and personal learning tracks for employees.

It is user friendly. It is easy to teach it to employees outside of our Human Resources department. There are so many features!

We bought Workday to ensure we had a financial system that would work with our HR systems. This helped us accurately run payroll. We use this Workday for storing the employee information, such personal details, previous employment details and contact details. It helps to track the goal setting to yearly appraisal feedback. We can easily be able to track the compensation revision history as well. It is a highly secured website. It requires a password + additional two security questions to login. This ensures the additional safety of the data.

It can be confusing to navigate at times. That is partially the software itself but more so how our team decided to set everything up. We are still adding more and more and making this process better for our users.

I would consider it very similar to Paycom. I would recommend Paycom over Workday by a slight margin.

Workday is an excellent choice if you are the owner of a business with 250 to 1,000-plus employees and require workforce management tools (onboarding and training, scheduling and leave management), as well as HR analytics tools (pay management and performance evaluation and management)

It has evolved to take on more employees with little effort.

Human Resources, Management, Financial Department

I have found BambooHR to be simple in its design for a user-friendly approach. Also, with an average cost of $17 per employee (flat rate for more employees) it's saved both time and money.

Everything our small company needs is available in one platform, which is nice not to have to "hop around" to other platforms.

We are a small company that could not afford to hire an entire human resources department. Also, we wanted to move to a platform to house, e.g., employee records, track hiring processes, and data management. BambooHR was a way for us to accomplish these goals at a reasonable price and brought the company into the 21st century!

We used this platform for a couple of years for our benefits enrollment, administration, and hiring processes. It was user-friendly for our employees.

BambooHR has "add-on" features that can drive up the costs. The "straightforward" (i.e., limited) features may not be suitable for mid-to large-scale businesses. BambooHR has had its challenges with year-over-year capabilities.

BambooHR is user-friendly and great for small businesses. It is a "pay as you need" in its features, so you don't have to buy the entire package, if you will.

A careful analysis of your business needs from an HR perspective is required. For instance, how many employees do you have, what are your challenges in the HR realm (e.g., multiple systems for each function), and how much can you afford. This is a feature-based platform and can be helpful for any-sized business (smaller is my suggestion) to select what you need based on affordability.

BambooHR has become more user-friendly with more options.

BambooHR is good for a small business, based on cost and options it offers.

UKG is a comprehensive solution when looking for an HRIS. It also has favorable integration capabilities with other systems. I also appreciate that UKG is a scalable system that allows your business to expand as needed.

I used UKG with a past employer in the transportation industry. We implemented it and used it for several years. We selected UKG due to the fact that the transportation company I worked for had a few separate subsidiaries in different states under the primary corporate umbrella. UKG was able to handle the complexity that came with managing a distributed workforce under multiple EINs. The taxation functionality was particularly helpful for their mobile and transient 1099 workforce.

UKG would benefit from expanding its reporting and data analytics capabilities. Other competitors have more robust tools and functionality In this area. The cost for this platform has also been an obstacle for smaller organizations.

No HRIS is perfect and has the solution for all employer pain points and needs. That said, UKG is very versatile and flexible to customize and modify to the needs of different types and sizes of businesses.

People should consider scalability, integration, cost, and ease of use. These will be critical, especially for companies planning on growing and expanding their workforce. Also important not to “over buy” modules that the business may not be ready to utilize yet. Scale its functionality as the business grows and matures.

UKG has moved to a cloud-based platform and developed a mobile app

UKG would be a great HRIS platform for companies of all sizes but especially for those looking for flexibility and to scale.

I like that 15Five allows for performance and engagement tracking - this insight gives us more understanding of where these things correlate. I like that 15Five's performance tool is modeled for OKRs. I like that 15Five has customizable options to accommodate different departments or teams throughout the business.

My organization was having issues with cross-functional collaboration, understanding the areas of the business with the least efficiency, and monitoring employee engagement. To address these challenges, I recommended that the organization invest in a performance management tool.

When we were shopping for a tool to support this effort, we were specifically interested in tools that would not only streamline 360 performance reviews but also aid us in ongoing performance and engagement tracking as well.

While two years ago I had never formally used 15Five, 15Five was initially attractive because it combined all of the desirable features and even utilized OKRs - which was our leadership team's preferred method of goal setting.

At its core, OKRs are a collaborative goal-setting methodology, so even though adding a new tool or responsibility to employees' day can often feel disruptive, 15Five made this rollout more seamless.

15Five could improve its UX/UI in some areas,  specifically in the best self-review section, there are some portions of reviews that are not that intuitive to regular non-admin users.

15Five should improve its support functionality, it is frustrating that the only way to communicate with support is through email.

15Five should produce training modules for admins and employees, the help center is largely ineffective for employees using the platform for the first time.

I would say 15Five is very similar to Lattice. Both tools have their pros and cons, but overall I would say that 15Five measures up similarly to its competitors if companies are looking to utilize this kind of performance tracking.

One opportunity I would say for 15Five is that a lot of companies are wanting to simplify their performance tracking procedures so they are choosing to go with more metric-driven tools that produce custom reports.

When shopping for a performance and engagement management tool, companies should consider what key results are most important. Everyone wants to adopt a system to streamline these areas of the business, but I think a tool like 15Five can overcomplicate companies that do not have the resources to properly roll out a tool with such functionality.

I have been utilizing 15Five for almost 3 years and I would say I am not super impressed with the tool's ability to roll out product improvements. I think making foundational improvements to their support system, help center, and UI/UX would make a larger impact rather than offering opportunities to attend webinars or upsell leadership courses to companies already paying for the platform.

I would say 15Five is best suited for organizations where performance is more subjective or difficult to measure.

I liked how easy it made onboarding new employees.

The ability to manage and store electronic files was a significant advantage.

The reporting dashboard was clear and helpful for monitoring key metrics.

Employees found it easy to access their paystubs and tax information.

The interface, with its social media-like design, was user-friendly and relatable for many employees.

I consulted with an organization for about one year and administered Namely. They were a small but growing business in need of an HR and payroll solution to manage their expanding workforce.

Namely was chosen because it met the needs of various types of organizations and had the flexibility to grow alongside the company as their requirements evolved. I appreciated the compliance features, which helped me stay on top of regulations and deadlines.

The tool was also within the budget approved by the CFO and addressed the needs of both the HR department and employees effectively.

When I first used it, the platform was new and had some glitches.

Payroll processing was initially difficult for the payroll specialist to adapt to.

Learning which reports were essential versus optional required more guidance than was provided.

I would have appreciated more hands-on support during the implementation phase.

The search function did not perform as effectively as I would have liked at the time.

Namely has a more modern and visually appealing interface compared to some competitors.

It promotes diversity and inclusion through its design and functionality.

Its scalable features are suitable for small to mid-sized companies, though larger organizations may need to explore alternatives.

Compared to tools like ADP or UKG, Namely is a more affordable option, though it may lack some of the advanced features those platforms offer.

While Rippling is a strong competitor, I prefer Namely’s design and user-friendly interface.

It’s important to have an experienced payroll person or request training to ensure smooth adoption, as Namely may not be as intuitive as other platforms like UKG or ADP.

Fully prepare questions for your implementation specialist to maximize the benefits of the tool.

Be aware of the states where your employees work, as compliance requirements can vary significantly.

Understand your organization’s growth plans to ensure the tool can scale with your business effectively.

Namely has added new features, including AI-powered tools, to improve functionality.

The interface has become more user-friendly, addressing previous concerns about the search and self-service features.

Employees now find it easier to access essential HR and payroll information.

I think Namely is great for small to mid-size organizations, but I remember it was a tool that scaled to a limit, and if you got too big, a different solution would be better. It possibly would be at the point a larger org could use them, but not sure they are there yet.

I know one of their main competitors is Rippling, so a user or organization should research both before making a decision. I’d also find out if there is a specific person to contact or just a generic number for questions. Over the years, I have been using many tools, and I personally like a particular person or team to work with.

Our use of Zoho People was part of a larger bundle that included multiple Zoho systems like CRM, Sign, and Learn. We paid just over $2K monthly for access to these tools, with CRM being heavily utilized by the team.

The main advantage was the cost-effectiveness of the bundled package. If not for that, Zoho People wouldn’t have been our first choice. A user-friendly interface is important to us since our demographic is predominantly millennials, followed by Gen Z.

Ease of use and modern design were key factors in our selection process, which ultimately led us to transition away from Zoho People.

The company I worked for used Zoho People for three years since it aligned with Zoho CRM, a tool the sales team already used. It was the logical choice to stay within the same ecosystem. It also offered many free features that met our initial needs as a startup. As the company grew, we required more advanced functionalities, which eventually led us to transition to a different HRIS system.

The user interface was not as intuitive as other systems I've used as an HR leader. Navigation often felt outdated and clunky. Customization options were limited compared to competitors.

It’s not on my list of preferred HRIS platforms. It does the job and works well for companies just starting out that need a basic system for storing personnel files, providing easy employee access, and offering competitive pricing. From both a backend and user perspective, it’s not ideal. I would still choose other HRIS options like BambooHR or HiBob.

Usability should be the top priority. I’ve launched several HRIS platforms, and at the end of the day, employees need to actually use the system. No matter how great the backend is for HR or how competitive the pricing may be, if the user interface is too complicated, adoption will be a challenge. The system’s overall aesthetic should align with the company’s demographic to support engagement and success.

It improved over the time we used it, but the challenge was that competitors remained ahead of the curve. This made it a tough business decision to stick with Zoho People while waiting for it to catch up. Since we migrated out in December, I’ve noticed significant interface changes, but not enough to make me regret leaving the platform.

Zoho People is a good fit for teams already using Zoho CRM, as it makes sense to keep everything within the same ecosystem. It’s a practical choice for companies looking for a cost-effective, all-in-one solution. I personally think the interface seems to cater more to older generations. It sometimes feels like an elevated version of what AOL Instant Messenger would look like.