10+ Best Employee Management Software in 2025

Gusto is a great beginner HRIS with basic functionality that is easy to use. Gusto is a cost-effective, affordable HR and payroll solution for small businesses. Gusto's document functions are very customizable, allowing for check mark boxes along with basic and more common features like signature boxes and text boxes.

Our company originally bought Gusto in 2020 and has been using it for four years. I have personally been using it for six months and have used it in the past while working contracts for other start-ups. We use Gusto as a solution for small businesses that need an HR and payroll system. The key benefits it provides include a time tracking system, payroll system, HR storage system, ATS, benefits solution, and more. When originally buying the tool, the company aimed to use it mainly for payroll purposes and to move off of QuickBooks for payroll and paper copies of documentation. Gusto provides document signing as well.

Gusto's customer service lacks urgency and has put us into very difficult situations regarding compliance around our benefits. While Gusto is very beginner-friendly, this means it also lacks the workflows and customizability that most experienced HR professionals are accustomed to when setting up and using an HRIS. Gusto does not have many options for custom reporting, which can be difficult for HR personnel and business operations.

I prefer a more customizable HRIS, even if it is a little more expensive. I think Gusto is a good start solution, but once you grow past 25+ employees, you will need to look into more advanced HR and payroll solutions. I would not recommend Gusto to anyone that has over 25 employees due to this.

Businesses should consider their projected growth and hiring plans. You do not want to implement an HR system if you will need to switch to another HR system further down the road. If you plan on keeping your business small or do not plan on hiring a dedicated HR person, then Gusto might be the solution for you.

I have not been with Gusto long enough to see any change or evolution.

Gusto is good for small businesses with under 25 employees and/or businesses looking for a very cost-effective solution.

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.

I love that Workday is set up to have administrators who cross check local changes, hold all employee data, keep historical data and maintain who made changes in the employee file. The cross checking minimizes mistakes that can’t be figured out except by a manager who no longer works for the company! With such a large employee base, the ability to be able to keep up with everyone is paramount.

My company was really trying to get organized, and we felt that Workday was the ideal product we needed! We needed to be in a position where different individuals could access employee files. Different authorizations needed to be granted to different levels of managers. This tool offered organization and a tremendous amount of adaptation to what we needed as a global company. We have had Workday for three years and we are super happy with it!

The cons of Workday are that it can only give the information that you input into the system. Workday does not blend reports; the user has to tell Workday what to do. The best way for the Workday system to improve I think is for back office imaging to have a more active role in the information that is programmed into Workday.

Workday is different from its competitors because it has the ability to build files. As technology changes any software that is going to remain effective has to have a stacking component.

For anyone considering to purchase Workday, i’d recommend having full time programmers to enhance the core of the software. This product is extremely sophisticated and requires a lot of programming. Workday is not for the small business!

Workday is fantastic because the software is forever evolving. Workday knows what the end user wants and that is the ability to export files to excel, and add and subtract components to create a more accurate document.

Workday is designed for very large companies that survive off of statistics. Workday's strong suit is its ability to build on other reports.

I like that BambooHR is user-friendly. It offers good value for the money. It includes strong workflows and automation features.

My clients purchased BambooHR, and I use it daily as I support them with system management and general human resources. They needed a centralized place to store all people data and manage payroll. They also required an automated onboarding process with checklists and reminders.

I have used BambooHR for eight years, and I appreciate how user-friendly it is. BambooHR has allowed my clients to report on their dispersed workforces and share important documents and resources with employees within one system. It has also greatly improved both onboarding and offboarding.

Some integrations could be improved (e.g., enabling two-way data syncing rather than just one-way). Built-in scheduling functionality would be a helpful addition. I also recall the initial implementation being relatively expensive.

BambooHR is one of the most user-friendly tools in its category. You do not need to be an expert or complete extensive training to use it effectively. Training is available, though, for those who prefer structured learning over hands-on experience.

Buyers should consider how many employees they have and whether they are planning for rapid growth. They should assess their onboarding and payroll needs. BambooHR is a good fit for small to medium-sized businesses but may not be ideal for large enterprises.

BambooHR added payroll functionality a few years ago, which was a valuable improvement.

BambooHR works well for small to mid-sized businesses.

UKG is user friendly. It enables my team to self-manage the tools within the system. It also helps hiring managers with bias awareness.

My company has used UKG for over 2 years. We wanted a system that would enhance the recruitment process experience. I have used the system for almost 2 years and the key benefits I enjoy is that it has been a repository for my diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy that all managers can share with their teams.

Sometimes there are small glitches in the system that need technical support. I wish the pricing was cheaper. I have not been able to launch directly into timesheet mode.

I have not used many other tools as this, however, I do like the tools that uses inclusive language to review job descriptions. It recommends specific adjectives in job postings.

People should think about what they really want to accomplish with this tool (i.e., talent management, payroll, ease of integration, etc.). Ask yourself about the level of self-service you want this product to deliver. Does it deliver what you need?

I have only used the product for less than two years and currently cannot compare if it has changed or evolved over time.

Technology industry

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.

The HR system was easy to use and set up, making the transition from our previous, more disorganized HR processes smooth. The employee self-service feature was excellent, reducing the amount of data entry and admin work for our HR team. The continuous feedback appraisal system allowed us to appraise staff more regularly with minimal increases in administrative tasks.

There wasn’t a significant problem driving the decision. The organization had been managing HR through payroll software, Excel files, and Word documents. As the company grew, it wanted to consolidate and centralize HR into a single system that could be accessed online. Namely provided an all-in-one HR solution that handled payroll, HR records, and talent management. We used Namely for about a year or two.

Customer support wasn’t as responsive as it could have been. The reporting features are somewhat limited and don’t fully meet our needs, requiring us to do a fair amount of manual reporting. The portal is not as intuitive as other HR tools I’ve used.

The user interface and workflow are not as intuitive as some competitors. However, I appreciate the integration with payroll and timesheets, which not many systems do well. I also like that it offers managed services add-ons, such as payroll and benefits, which become more relevant as the business grows and becomes more complex.

Ensure the tool has a comprehensive records system and both employee and manager self-service features. Efficient onboarding and offboarding functionality are essential, as these processes can be time-consuming. A continuous appraisal feedback system is also important, as this approach to performance management is becoming the norm.

There has been better integration between its modules.

Namely is suitable for all kinds of organizations but particularly good for smaller organizations due to its affordable entry-level pricing.

• I like the integration among the Zoho applications which makes life way easier.
• It also provides me with a wide range of features apart from attendance, leave, etc. so I keep trying new things.
• It was easy to set up; I didn't need to wait for an expert to set it up.

I just started my organization and wanted to keep records of their attendance, leaves, employee records, etc. I was using Zoho Books and was happy with that so I thought of trying Zoho People for HRMS. It has been nearly 3 years since I'm using Zoho People.

• There should be a few more integration options with other external software.
• The UI can be improved so interaction over the platform becomes easier.
• Sometimes changing the policies is difficult as quite a lot of things are interconnected.

I have used GreytHR and I found Zoho is quite advanced with a lot more features.

I think it all depends on someone's requirement but I think for startups and small-medium companies, keeping operations simple is key, we should not be wasting our time in dealing with bulky software. In this regard, Zoho People comes handy with the level of integration available within Zoho applications that can fulfill most of your organization's needs.

I have not seen Zoho People change a lot in the last 3 years since I started. There were some minor changes to the UI and some of the features which I found useful.

I think it is good for startups and organizations with remote teams etc. Also, if someone is using some of the other Zoho applications then I think it completely makes sense to use Zoho People.