HR Tech Marketplace

We were impressed by how far Gem has evolved from its roots in sourcing. In our demo, it became clear that Gem is no longer just a top-of-funnel tool but a fully integrated recruiting platform that now includes ATS, sourcing, interview scheduling, analytics, and CRM. What stood out was not just the breadth of features but how cohesively they worked together. Instead of feeling like disconnected add-ons, the experience felt unified and thoughtfully designed.

The AI application review was one of the most immediately practical features we tested. Recruiters are presented with a ranked list of candidates based on job fit, with scoring derived from auto-generated criteria within the job description. Gem shared that Zillow saw a 75% reduction in review time, which matches our impression of how this tool could streamline workflows. The real-time flagging of top candidates worked equally smoothly during our evaluation, giving the impression of an extra recruiter triaging applicants for us.

The interview scheduling feature, born out of Gem’s acquisition of InterviewPlanner, gave us more control than we expected. If you’ve ever used standalone tools like GoodTime or ModernLoop, the experience will feel familiar, but here, it comes built into the ATS at no extra cost. We liked how easily we could trigger scheduling directly from the pipeline, and how intuitive the self-scheduling links, calendar syncing, and interviewer load balancing felt during testing. For complex interview panels, the availability-request workflow also proved to give recruiters the flexibility they need.

Without a doubt, sourcing is where this platform shows its original DNA. Gem’s AI sourcing agents scan past applicants, CRM data, and a proprietary database of 800 million profiles. Fascinatingly, there are no credit or search caps. In a market where many sourcing platforms restrict usage, this freedom could make a meaningful difference for high-volume recruiting teams.

To be fair, though, Gem is still in the early stages of its journey as a full ATS, so it hasn't yet reached the same level of maturity, configurability, or track record as long-standing platforms like Greenhouse or Pinpoint. While its AI sourcing and ranking features are competitive and even ahead of many, it currently falls short in terms of built-in tools such as job description generation, salary benchmarking, and interview captions, which vendors like Workable already include. Instead, Gem is focusing on developing integrations with Metaview and Pave to bridge that gap. For now, teams that heavily rely on compensation intelligence may find this to be a noticeable shortfall.

Keka has established itself as an HRIS and payroll provider, but with HIRO, it’s now entering the ATS space. In our demo, the left-hand navigation and drag-and-drop pipelines kept jobs and candidate flows easy to manage, while scorecards and tagging added structure.

For candidates, HIRO provides a welcoming, united portal where they can apply, schedule interviews, and accept offers. We also appreciated the ability for recruiters to set cooldown periods to prevent duplicate reapplications, while interview scorecards help interviewers assess applicants consistently.

Recent product updates just show how fast HIRO is advancing. Recruiters can now source candidates directly from LinkedIn and Naukri via the Chrome extension, manage requisitions with “send back for correction,” and even move candidates or leave interview feedback directly from the Android mobile app. More minor enhancements (customizable welcome emails, open positions reports by recruiter, and diversity tracking in offer reports) improve efficiency and oversight.

That said, HIRO is still a relatively new product, and while the pace of improvement is encouraging, some features don’t yet have the depth or polish you’d find in more established platforms like Greenhouse or Workable.

As for the free trial offering, note that you’ll need to sit through a sales demo before you actually get access. On a similar note, although the pricing is not expensive, we should warn you that there are implementation fees for setup and data migration applied.

We also noticed some performance issues during our demo, with pages loading more slowly than we’d like. This could have been a one-off, but for teams handling high volumes of applicants, that kind of lag could become a real sticking point. And while Keka does provide support, most of it is routed through India and Singapore. That works fine for many global SMBs, but North American buyers should keep in mind that coverage may feel different than what they’re used to with U.S.-based teams.

If we were seeking potential candidates within our large internal talent database, we'd turn to Recruit CRM once again. This feature lets you combine text filters, Boolean, and radius search to get the best results. You can even mark unavailable talent (e.g., those currently hired by other clients) as “off limits” so your team won’t find them and communicate with them by mistake.

One common approach we see in most ATS to keep candidate data fresh and accurate is the use of Social Enrichment—the software auto-enriches candidate profiles with their available social media accounts. Recruit CRM does not offer such a feature. Yet, it allows users to bulk or individually email candidates to update their application info. Once candidates submit the form, the data is auto-pulled into the ATS system. While this process may not be entirely automatic, it does simplify the work of maintaining talent data and, just as importantly, ensures GDPR compliance.

Recruit CRM knocked it out of the park on its recruitment agency tools. It lets you send certain candidate data to clients in a few clicks. Plus, the client portal is interactive—clients can choose between Kanban and list view, move stuff around, and give feedback on each profile—then all of which are logged into the system for tracking purposes.

Automation-wise, Recruit CRM offers GPT features for crafting job postings, emails, notes, and even call and candidate profile summaries. What particularly sticks out to us, though, is how this vendor partners with Workato to enable some real convenient 3rd-party automation for users. For example, your TAs get Slack notifications for every new candidate added to Recruit CRM. Additionally, the vendor will jump in to solve arising automation issues, so you don’t have to seek Workato’s support yourself.

Our primary issue with Recruit CRM is the limited number of in-system profiles matching the user ideal candidate it provides: 2 matches per candidate for Pro and 50 for Business and Enterprise. Lastly, designed with staffing firms in mind, this vendor doesn’t do employee referrals and is not ideal for corporate recruiters.

Ripplings ATS offers intelligent, intuitive workflows built into dozens of features and automation. Typically, when an HRIS adds an ATS system to their suite, it’s a half-hearted afterthought. Many are perfunctory, underpowered, and easily out-classed, even by mediocre standalone ATS platforms. But Rippling has built a reputation based on solid product choices, and this one is no exception.

Their ATS is fully built out and offers a feature set that would be a viable standalone product if it weren’t so nicely intertwined with the rest of the Rippling platform.

Based on what’s included, it is clear that they’ve considered the candidate's experience. Little touches, like text messages to connect with candidates, show they know that personal preferences matter.

Another nod to the candidate experience (and what you can learn from it) is the abundant, customizable, anonymous surveys. Rippling recognizes the connection between their public reputation and their candidate experience.

Even with all these candidate-focused features, Rippling hasn’t lost touch with the needs of the people who will use their product most: busy TA/HR teams hiring for SMBs and startups.

Though demand generation is still on the roadmap, elements of their recruiting feature are laudable. It automatically integrates job boards like LinkedIn, Monster, and Zip Recruiter.

Finally, mobile access is a nice touch for busy recruiters, and their open API partnerships with vendors outside their platform leave little to be desired.

For years, companies have had to choose between the superior performance of standalone ATS solutions and the efficiency and security of all-in-one platforms. With Rippling’s ATS, companies who chose the all-in-one solution no longer have to rely on an external ATS.

Ashby is an all-in-one TA solution that combines your recruiting CRM, ATS, sourcing, scheduling, and analytics into one platform.

We recently met with Ashby’s to look at recent product developments, and what stood out is how easy they have made it to re-engage with former applicants. If our experience working in recruitment positions has taught us anything, it is that efficiency is essential.

We see it like this: you’re wasting time and effort if you don’t maintain a connection with former candidates because these folks are primed, familiar, and pre-vetted members of your talent pool.

Some are “silver medalists” or applicants who made it to the offer stage, and others may possess a unique skill or trait that your current team is lacking. Ashby can create custom attributes to filter your talent pool, so you’ll never lose touch with “good fit, bad timing” candidates.

We would recommend this ATS system to TA teams seeking powerful reporting capabilities. Ashby’s reports are highly customizable, track all data points throughout your hiring process in real-time, and are easy on the eye.

We also noticed that Ashby has consistently worked hard to improve its product based on user feedback. Check out their blog page, and you’ll see that the ATS literally rolls out new features every month.

Regarding implementation, it takes SMBs a few days and larger organizations 6-8 weeks to get Ashby up and running. The ATS doesn’t charge for data migrations and system setup, and according to our research, Ashby’s customer support and success teams have been immensely helpful in making the switch a seamless experience.

We’ve led TA teams, so we know the pressures growing orgs face. The fast pace can result in hasty decisions, which lead to problems down the road in terms of efficiency and compliance. 

This ATS, built into the Bamboo suite, gets around the problem of siloed employee data. On top of this, we were also impressed with some specific features. 

We used the app version on Android and iOS devices and found it easy to navigate workflows like posting jobs, viewing resumes, communicating with candidates and hiring managers, and scheduling. We know that if you’re a recruiter, your job probably has you on the run, so the well-built app is a big plus. 

The cloud-based web version was also impressive. We were guided through each step of a standard hiring process without any confusion, and we found it easy to customize workflows when we tested the simplicity of creating our own. Ease of access to other elements of the suite highlights one of the biggest advantages: not only is it easier to be productive when all employee data is in one place, but it’s also much safer if you don’t have to move information across platforms manually. It’s more secure and less prone to human error.

However, it is important to clarify that BambooHR has always been more focused on human resources management layer rather than recruiting. As a result, while the HR software is unarguably among the most sophisticated offerings on the market, the ATS can be quite basic compared to dedicated solutions such as Greenhouse and Pinpoint.

We also think international teams should proceed with caution. Given that BambooHR’s support hours are limited to standard U.S. business times, it’s not ideal for teams that require 24/7 support across multiple time zones.

And while the UI is generally intuitive, some workflows, such as customizing onboarding checklists or adjusting user permissions, did take more time to figure out than we expected.

As HR tech editors with years of working experience as recruiters and HR professionals, we understand the importance of finding the right talent efficiently, and Manatal has proven to be a valuable tool in this regard.

The first on our thumbs-up list is that it’s budget-friendly. We appreciate the transparency in pricing, as there is no need to contact sales just to get a ballpark figure. The platform offers a 14-day free trial.

Using Manatal was straightforward, thanks to its user-friendly interface and the convenience of drag-and-drop-enabled pipelines. The AI-based candidate recommendations feature is a time-saver. It compares job descriptions' language to skills listed by individuals in the talent pool.

Manatal is web-based, so it is compatible with multiple devices. The ability to migrate data from our existing hiring software was also a welcome feature that made for a smooth transition.

They have also begun offering free, live training webinars and introduced several product enhancements in the past year. A key feature update is the Advanced Search, which now supports a blend of Boolean and Semantic search, providing options for Required, Preferred, and Must Not criteria to enhance precision.

We encountered a few limitations during our evaluation. The AI recommendation feature does not operate well in languages other than English, and Manatal lacks a free version. Integration is limited, and ADP and Zapier integrations are restricted to top-tier plans.

We like how simple it is to post and syndicate jobs across portals, and we love the upfront pricing on the website. Many customers start with JazzHR’s lowest-cost plan, and as their needs expand beyond basic features, they often upgrade incrementally. Being able to select features as needed keeps spending under control.

Because they do not offer mobile apps, our product testing included a considerable amount of time with our phones in hand, navigating the mobile web environment. We were impressed with how well the ATS system could manage the tasks a recruiter does on the go, like sending out a quick reply in the 15 seconds you have before your next meeting.

However, at least among our in-house recruiter veterans, the consensus was that complex tasks should be saved for the desktop version.

One of our writers shared this real-world story from a former job with a tiny company: they signed up for a free payroll software trial before they were actually ready to buy. They used the software for a couple of weeks just to get a sense of the basics of how to run payroll; then, they ended their relationship with the company.

Of course, we don't recommend this - but we know how hard it is to run an SMB. So, along with JazzHR, which we DO recommend, we suggest getting creative with your professional development!

VidCruiter has been a significant player in the video interviewing software market for years, but the platform is less well-known for its ATS. However, our research proves the ATS system is robust enough to be listed among other top vendors in the space.

The platform balances the needs of those on both sides of the interview pipeline. TA teams are well-equipped with highly customizable features like job posting, pre-screening, interview scheduling, and real-time reports, and applicants are met with a user experience that was clearly designed with them in mind.

For a glimpse of team culture, vision, and values, users can build a custom career site that delivers a branded digital experience to candidates. The site editor is simple to use, and in our in-house testing, we managed to set everything up without help from the IT or VidCruiter support team. One feature of note: when a candidate accesses a career page supported by VidCruiter, the platform automatically generates recommendations for jobs available near them.

Quick Apply benefits both employers and candidates. With this feature, TA teams can rev up the hiring process without implementing a new ATS, so it’s perfect for teams on a budget. It is also helpful for those counting down the hours left on an ATS contract they don’t plan to renew. The platform offers job seekers the convenience of applying directly from portals such as LinkedIn and Indeed.

The assessment module, however, does lack some of the refinements we’ve seen in competitors that specialize in pre-hire evaluations. If you’ve used tools like HackerRank or CoderPad, you’ll agree with us that VidCruiter’s technical skills testing felt somewhat basic, and the search function didn’t always return the most relevant matches when trying to filter candidates by keyword or tag.

We also want to flag implementation time. A few users we spoke with mentioned the setup process was more time-intensive than expected, particularly for organizations building out multiple workflows or complex interview steps. While VidCruiter does provide a dedicated onboarding rep, it’s not quite a plug-and-play solution if you need to launch in a matter of days.

Tellent Recruitee knows SMBs and has designed a tool that speaks to their needs. The most apparent SMB-focused elements are transparent pricing. There is no mystery there: budget-conscious companies get a clear picture of what they’re paying for without surprises.

What’s less obvious, but arguably more impactful, is how much a lean talent acquisition team can accomplish with unlimited seats, a clean user experience, and collaboration-friendly workflows. Tellent Recruitee’s design makes it easy to share the hiring workload across recruiters, hiring managers, and interviewers. That accessibility translates to real efficiency gains. We’ve seen it firsthand (several of our writers have SMB recruiting backgrounds), and user feedback continues to back this up.

Feature breadth has also expanded in meaningful ways. The addition of Automated Actions lets recruiters trigger role-based tasks, send personalized candidate emails, and streamline interview logistics with minimal effort. Journeys now support pre-onboarding, giving new hires access to their setup tasks before day one. Meanwhile, the new AgencyHub centralizes collaboration with third-party recruiters, and WhatsApp Hiring provides instant, AI-assisted candidate communication right inside the platform.

When we first test-drove the platform, however, we flagged the absence of built-in video interviews, skills assessments, and onboarding as a drawback compared to other ATS systems. That critique is still valid, unfortunately, as many of those functions remain dependent on integrations. To be fair, though, the gap has narrowed thanks to features like Journeys (which now extend into pre-boarding) and tighter marketplace connections to tools that fill those needs. For teams that don’t mind an add-on approach, Tellent Recruitee’s curated marketplace makes integrations straightforward and reliable.

Teamtailor continues to impress us with its ability to make small teams feel like big brands. We’ve always loved its elegant approach to employer branding, especially the customizable career sites and nurturing tools, but the latest updates make it even more competitive as a full-funnel recruiting platform.

We demoed the new onboarding module and found it refreshingly straightforward. You can create pre-set templates with custom tasks, messages, forms, and documents, then apply those by department or role when a new hire accepts their offer. The onboarding dashboard widget gives your HR or hiring team a real-time view of progress, and it’s all centralized.

For hiring managers juggling multiple candidates, Teamtailor now has an improved comparison window. You can view interview notes, co-pilot screening criteria, application dates, and current stages side-by-side. It’s a small UX tweak, but one that really speeds up decision-making in high-volume pipelines.

Another useful feature we explored is Restricted Access, which allows admins to limit specific stages to specific users. For example, an IT lead could be looped in only during the hardware setup stage of onboarding. It’s a nice control layer if you involve multiple departments in hiring.

Despite these wins, Teamtailor still lacks broader HRIS tie-ins and the advanced analytics power that some talent teams might want. Plus, the new onboarding tools and offer approval features come as paid add-ons, which may push pricing above what very early-stage startups can afford.

Still, for companies who want an ATS that scales with them and makes them look good while doing it, Teamtailor remains a top pick.

We filled in Zoho’s form and got ourselves a Zoho Recruit's free plan. Overall, Zoho Recruit's free version offers valuable features for candidate and email management, but it does come with limitations in terms of active job openings and storage.

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It’s good to see the free plan incorporates some essential services for candidate management, like email and interview scheduling. The career site is customizable (on a basic level, though). We can also post jobs on both free and paid job boards.

Another aspect we appreciated is the seamless integration with Google applications and the support for 26 languages, allowing for a diverse pool of applicants to be reached. Platforms that provide pre-designed templates are always a time-saver, and Zoho Recruit delivers five customizable email templates. Additionally, the user-friendly resume search feature makes finding relevant candidate information easier.

However, the free plan has some limitations. The most notable drawback is that you can only access one active job opening at a time. For hiring teams dealing with multiple positions simultaneously, this limitation can be pretty restrictive and could hinder efficient recruitment efforts.

Another thing to keep in mind is the storage limit, which is set at 256MB. This might not be ideal for businesses with larger databases and extensive recruitment needs. We also noticed that instead of 24/5 support, free users can only get 8/5 support from the Zoho team. On a brighter note, Zoho Recruit provides a 45-day money-back guarantee.

MightyRecruiter truly impressed us with the efficiency of its free ATS system.

Without spending any dime, you can access this tool’s custom-branded career page, post unlimited job openings across 29 job boards, tap into a resume database of over 22 million candidates, as well as rank and filter candidates by the candidate’s commute distance, years of experience, ex-employers, education, and a handful others.

To speed up your talent sourcing efforts further, the platform packs over 200 ready-to-use job description templates and suggests suitable candidates for your job posts based on defined criteria.

In terms of reporting capabilities, the built-in dashboard gave us a nice view of our job postings' performances across job boards and channels. During our tests, we didn’t find any delays in the presented stats; all were updated in real-time.

Unfortunately, MightyRecruiter’s current integration capabilities leave something to be desired. The free ATS software can only connect with job boards and social media. There seems to be no way to connect, for example, a candidate assessment or video interview app with the platform.

The Avature platform allows users to customize dashboards set up automated workflows, and leverage the power of an all-in-one ATS + CRM.

We got some hands-on experience with the tool, so we asked our colleagues with the most recruiting experience to test the limits of its purported customizability.

The results? This tool is easy to tailor to your company’s processes and goals. During our test run, we quickly built unique recruiting workflows for individual roles or entire departments.

The platform operates through a no-code interface that allows non-technical users to modify the system (with lots of permissions in place). While this level of detail may be overkill for smaller organizations with simple needs, this is a plus for large teams. Those that operate at a global enterprise scale will get the most out of Avature.

Pinpoint has become one of the more complete applicant tracking systems we’ve tested, especially for in-house recruiting teams that manage consistent or high-volume hiring. When we last reviewed the platform, its standout feature was the career site builder. That still holds true today. However, its recent product updates, particularly around workflow automation, have pushed it into a more scalable and strategic category.

The biggest change we noticed is the introduction of organization-level Workflow Automations. During our tests, we configured one automation for rejection emails and applied it across every open role.

Unlike older automation features that operated job by job, this system worked across the board. This made it faster to handle repetitive tasks and ensured that no step in the candidate journey was missed. Recruiters can now set up automations for interview invites, stage transitions, follow-ups, and even internal reminders. The real benefit is consistency. It reduced manual work without sacrificing personalization, especially when paired with custom templates.

We also tried out a few real-world use cases shared by their customer Article, including an automation that followed up with candidates who said they were open to relocation. Setting it up in our test environment was straightforward, and the logic held up when applied across multiple roles.

Another cool feature was the interview scheduling updates. You can now configure automatic email invites that send as soon as a candidate moves to the next stage. We liked that you can restrict these emails to send during working hours, which helped keep communication aligned with our team's time zones. It is the kind of quality-of-life feature that feels small but saves hours over time.

The career site builder is still one of the most intuitive we’ve used. One of our editors with no web development background was able to publish a branded careers page in under 30 minutes. The tool walks users through page creation step by step and includes prebuilt sections for open roles, culture messaging, and custom visuals. We also saw continued strength in the referral system. Internal employees can easily refer candidates and track their progress through a built-in dashboard.

Pinpoint has also added new integrations that support assessments and onboarding. For example, Outmatch brings candidate testing directly into the ATS system, and Planday allows new hire data to sync for a smoother transition into operations. During our trial, these integrations worked as described, though setup required a quick consult with their support team.

The only notable drawback is that while automation and UX are best-in-class, Pinpoint doesn’t offer a free trial, and onboarding tools come at an added cost. We should also warn you that this is not the cheapest platform on the market, but we think the ROI is clear for mid-sized or scaling companies who want modern, repeatable hiring workflows.

iCIMS ATS is feature-rich and well-suited for large, multilingual organizations and high-volume agencies. Users can create custom-branded career sites, employee-generated testimonial videos, and personalized email or text campaigns through the platform.

In addition to externally-focused features, iCIMS facilitates users in promoting existing employees through internal mobility programs. This is especially relevant in the context of enterprise scale, as is their global support and industry versatility. This platform is used by businesses operating in healthcare, manufacturing, technology, retail, and more.

The takeaway from our demo and hands-on testing is that although this ATS system offers an astonishing number of features, it’s somewhat difficult to operate. This is reflected in user reviews, too. Remember that our writers scrutinize HR tech all day, so we tend to be sticklers for good design and intuitive UI. However, for some, no sacrifice is represented using a tool that looks and feels a little clunky.

We also wouldn’t recommend iCIMS to those tight on HR tech budget, given that the annual pricing usually starts at $14,000, not to mention the implementation cost is quite high compared to other recruiting solutions.

Our editorial team has always had good things to say about Greenhouse. Several of us have used it extensively as members and leaders of TA teams, and our sentiments align with most of the users who tested the product for us: it’s easy to use, and it saves time.

The dashboard is reflective of the product’s name: greenhouse. It’s visually appealing and offers a clear view of the collection of candidates that need attention. The whole hiring team can see the upcoming interviews, applications to review, and task status overviews.

In our most recent experience using an updated version, we were impressed with the developments in the “interview kit”. The standardization of the interview process is a massive help in combating bias. Clear-cut qualification criteria for each interview stage result in employee confidence in decision-making and valuable insights for process improvement.

We like the pre-built templates for creating and posting jobs. We found that even users with minimal familiarity can post a job in about one minute. For experienced users who have created their own hiring workflow, this task is reduced to seconds. Even the process of creating custom workflows is a drag-and-drop, super-streamlined affair.

Our contacted verified users report that once you’re familiar with it, it basically runs itself. That’s an exaggeration, of course, but the sentiment stands: Greenhouse is a popular ATS because the product meets the needs of actual recruiting teams.

Since our last review, Greenhouse has rolled out several noteworthy enhancements. The redesigned Job Notes feature now includes a dedicated tab within each job, allowing hiring teams to track comments, share updates, and even generate AI-powered summaries. This has made it significantly easier to synthesize feedback and stay aligned during fast-paced hiring processes. We also explored (and loved) the new MyGreenhouse Jobs portal, which centralizes listings from all Greenhouse-hosted job boards into a single candidate-facing site. We can imagine how helpful this change is to increase visibility for open roles while maintaining a consistent brand experience.

With more than 300 partners, chances are good that they can connect you with any tool or service you need, and with their well-established place among top HR tech tools, you can count on a smooth, well-supported integration. However, some businesses prefer the simplicity and security of an all-in-one platform, which Greenhouse is not. There’s no right or wrong choice here, but we encourage you to evaluate what is right for your team carefully.

From our collective in-house experience, we know that the right approach to recruiting is full-cycle. Lever leans into the CRM mentality with functions that attend to potential candidates, current candidates, and (ideally) current employees who used to be candidates.

This may seem like an obvious strategy, but it’s genuinely (and surprisingly!) unique among ATS platforms.

Users can source candidates from multiple channels, including numerous career sites, social media, and internal referrals. Connecting with potential hires is streamlined with automated workflows that include the sophisticated nurture campaigns mentioned above. Regardless of where they end up in the hiring pipeline, these campaigns keep talent engaged with your company.

The video interview integration with Zoom stands out. In addition to synchronizing seamlessly with scheduling features, it allows for customization of interview type between live, structured, and asynchronous, or some mix of the two.

Another highlight is the range of industries and company sizes that Lever can serve. This ATS platform works for any user with consistent hiring needs, whether a tiny but rapidly growing tech start-up or an established business in a field with high turnover rates (think retail or hospitality).

However, our testers found some shortcomings in line with other reviews you might read: resume parsing, and report generation features could be improved.

We’ve followed Workable for years, but our latest hands-on test revealed a platform that has matured into one of the more thoughtful ATS options for fast-growing medium-sized businesses. Our demo began with the career site builder. The no-code builder felt intuitive and quick, and in under 10 minutes, we had a page that looked sharp and felt aligned with our brand, without needing design help.

Where Workable really started to stand out was in its automation engine. We tested templates for thank-you emails, interview scheduling, and rejections. Setting up the logic took less than five minutes, and the personalization tokens (such as candidate first name or role title) were easy to insert. The real win was that we didn’t need to handhold every communication; Workable just got it done.

Another standout was the AI job description assistant. We prompted it for a Customer Support Manager job, and it returned a structured draft in seconds. But what impressed us was the control: we could shift the tone from formal to casual, revert to earlier versions, or even regenerate just one clunky sentence. It felt less like using ChatGPT and more like collaborating with a content editor.

On the inclusion front, Workable’s Language Kit was better than expected. One of our editors, who’s fluent in Spanish, reviewed the full candidate flow and found the translations to be accurate and appropriately localized. The anonymization tool also worked well, instantly scrubbing names and images from profiles. If you're serious about mitigating bias, this is a rare out-of-the-box feature that requires no IT lift.

There are trade-offs, however. One is pricing. Starting at $299 per month can be hard to justify for teams that don’t need the full range of tools. We also encountered issues with duplicate applicants. There is no auto-merge, so users may have to reconcile histories manually – an oversight that could complicate high-volume hiring.

Another mixed bag is the built-in sourcing tool. Although the ATS system surfaced a decent set of passive candidates during our trial (75 views included), it lacked the depth and granularity we’ve seen in dedicated sourcing platforms like Fetcher or Gem. So while it’s fine for occasional outbound efforts, we don’t think it can replace your sourcing stack if you hire aggressively.

ClearCompany is a talent management suite with an ATS feature that can be purchased as a stand-alone product or as part of the comprehensive HR tech toolset. Numerous configurations and pricing options are available so companies can create a plan that meets their needs and suits their budget.

We review all types of HR tech, but our team has a lot to say about applicant tracking systems. In fact, during our in-house evaluation, we found that several of us had extensive professional experience using this platform in previous positions. The consensus: the ATS software works best within ClearCompany’s suite, but it is a super-solid ATS on its own.

Some standouts include the user interface, which is uniquely modern for a company founded in 2004. We were specifically impressed with the onboarding workflows, which transitioned candidates into new hires in just a few clicks.

That said, we definitely are not a fan of the ATS’s candidate search. When testing against multiple filters—skills, keywords, location—we occasionally had to tweak searches more than expected to surface the right profiles. This could slow things down for TA teams who rely heavily on boolean strings or need to sort through large volumes of applicants quickly.

Another consideration: ClearCompany doesn’t currently offer a mobile app for recruiters or hiring managers. In an increasingly mobile-first world, this absence could be a drawback for teams that need to approve reqs, review resumes, or message candidates while on the move. That said, the browser experience is responsive, and we didn’t encounter any major limitations using it on mobile devices. Still, dedicated apps tend to offer faster workflows, and it’s something we hope to see added down the line.

Recruit CRM is one of the more comprehensive ATS+CRM systems we’ve evaluated when it comes to embedded AI features designed with staffing agencies in mind.

In testing, we started by uploading a stack of candidate resumes (a mix of PDF and Word), and the AI Resume Parser structured the data quickly and accurately. From there, we used the Candidate Summary Generator to prep short bios for each candidate. A few of the results were too generic at first, but with custom prompts (“make it client-facing” or “summarize key tech stack experience”), the output improved dramatically.

The Job-Candidate Matching tool stood out for its simplicity. Sliders let us tweak importance levels for fields like education or job title, and the results came back quickly. In one use case, the top five AI-ranked candidates were all legitimately strong fits. That said, we wouldn’t recommend skipping manual review. At the end of the day, the AI should help you narrow the field, not close the deal.

Email automation performed equally well in our testing. We built a five-step campaign using voice input (the system transcribes voice to text) and scheduled it to go out over a week. The UI made tracking opens and replies easy, and we appreciated being able to regenerate steps or edit specific emails without restarting the whole sequence. Again, just know that the entry-level plan only allows one sequence.

We also tried out the Call Transcript Generator by enabling recording during a candidate interview. The AI pulled action items and key takeaways, such as “follow up about relocation flexibility” and “send updated job spec.” It wasn’t perfect, but it was useful and faster than writing up notes manually.

However, most of these features are locked behind higher-tier plans, with only the Business and Enterprise tiers offering full candidate matching (up to 50 matches) and multi-step email sequences. If you’re on the Free or Pro plan, you’re capped at two AI matches per job and only one sequence, which may not be enough to justify investing time in setup or training.

Additionally, it’s important to know that Recruit CRM is clearly built with staffing agencies in mind. That means features like third-party candidate submissions, CRM deal tracking, and a sales pipeline are central to the design; thus, corporate recruiters may find themselves not getting much out of these parts of the system.

And while the AI-Assist tool has a generous monthly token cap (2 million per user), frequent users could hit that ceiling, particularly when combining resume parsing, email generation, and transcription across large candidate volumes. Even if you’re on a higher-tier plan, Recruit CRM limits its call transcription to audio files under 25MB (about 1-1.5 hours) per call, which can be a restriction for more extended interviews. Finally, during peak hours, we noticed occasional slowdowns in AI processing time, especially when generating multiple outputs back-to-back.

GoodTime has always been known for its ability to make scheduling engaging and straightforward, but with its most recent product updates, it’s pushing into full AI recruiting assistant territory, and the results are promising.

The platform now uses its Orchestra AI agents to automate more than just calendars. GoodTime can automatically advance qualified candidates, send rejection emails, trigger recruiter briefing requests, and even hold natural, human-sounding conversations with candidates. These agents, according to our tech tests, do a phenomenal job with scheduling, answer pre-interview questions 24/7, and escalate to a real recruiter (via Slack or Chrome) when needed.

Another strong feature is AI-powered interviewer capacity planning. Instead of relying on static availability, we like that GoodTime lets TA teams assess bandwidth based on availability trends, decline rates, and who is actually qualified to run each interview type. When hiring plans scale, recruiting leaders can now see what it will realistically take to execute them.

The AI agents also summarize candidate sentiment post-interview by department and time frame. We can imagine how helpful this functionality will be for TA and HR leaders, as it gives them a new layer of feedback so they don’t have to (and should not) rely solely on NPS surveys or anecdotal input.

Importantly, all of this is layered on top of what already made GoodTime great: branded, self-service portals, automatic load balancing across interviewers, and a structured training system for growing your interviewer pool.

To be fair, though, GoodTime is not a full recruiting automation suite. Rather than duplicating applicant tracking or sourcing features, it acts as the orchestration layer that connects with your ATS and HR tech stack. This specialized focus allows it to go deeper on scheduling, candidate communications, interviewer training, and insights — areas where most generalist systems fall short.  Hence, that means you’ll need to integrate with multiple platforms to run a complete recruitment funnel.

Setup can take some upfront work, particularly for large or complex organizations with layered workflows or multiple business units. Integrating with ATS systems like Greenhouse or Workday is possible, but according to some TAs we were in touch with, it often requires technical lift and careful change management.

Some users have noted occasional technical hiccups, such as time-zone mismatches or calendar sync issues. These are generally resolved quickly, but teams running primarily international hiring may want to pay close attention during setup and testing.

Finally, pricing can be a barrier. Costs are customized based on company size, interview volume, and contract length. While the resulting quote may be seem too costly for smaller teams, TA leaders often justify the investment with efficiency gains, reduced coordinator workload, and stronger candidate experiences.

Juicebox’s strength lies in sourcing-focused AI rather than generic “AI-washed” marketing. Some of the best features we assessed and found excellent are Autopilot and Find Similar Profiles. During our tech tests, Autopilot scored and ranked candidates with clear, contextual reasoning, while Find Similar Profiles let us highlight 2 to 3 ideal profiles and instantly receive a list of hundreds of lookalikes sharing key attributes. This leapfrogs older Agent-based workarounds, offering a level of speed we didn’t see in comparable tools like Rolebot, which requires a day-long turnaround for new candidate batches.

Usability-wise, Juicebox delivers an approachable recruiter experience: searches complete in seconds, UI elements are clean and logically laid out, and core workflows, such as launching an outreach sequence, require near-zero setup time. In testing, some of our testers intentionally skipped instructions, yet still found navigation across key functionalities undemanding.

As part of our assessment process, we also surveyed some of the vendor’s verified users and heard several praise the search flexibility, fast performance, and unique AI features. Common highlights include how quickly recruiters can build diverse and relevant pipelines, as well as how Autopilot saves hours on manual screening. On the downside, though, some noted that sequencing metrics and candidate nurturing are not as robust as those offered by more established brands like Fetcher and HireEZ.

If you’re eyeing a vendor with a breadth of AI use, Juicebox may not be the best bet. The AI recruitment platform doesn’t include automated interview scheduling, recruiting chatbots, or job description writers, all of which you could easily find in platforms like Workable and Paradox.

We should also warn you that with Juicebox, support accessibility depends heavily on the pricing tier. While Enterprise plan users can expect to receive assistance within an hour, other users get email-only support, leaving live chat or phone support as a clear gap.

Braintrust’s AI recruiter, Braintrust Air, impressed us during our demo and personal testing by delivering one of the most realistic AI-led interview experiences we’ve seen. When we tested it ourselves (albeit outside our professional domain), we were struck by how naturally the AI interviewer—named AIR—held the conversation, doubling back with clarifying questions and even acknowledging our attempts to adjust equipment mid-interview.

Unlike static video interview platforms, Braintrust Air actively engages with candidates. In our experience, it quickly identified knowledge gaps, provided precise feedback, and produced a detailed interview scorecard outlining strengths, weaknesses, and suggested improvements. The AI interviewer was tough but fair, pointing out well-founded observations about the conversation in an easy manner for a recruiter to grasp and assess for next steps, if any.

The recruiter part is where Braintrust, already quite impressive in terms of AI interviews, is bound to grow more in the coming years. The dashboard is very straightforward, allowing hiring teams to see interview recordings, AI-generated scores, and scorecards. Notes can be added collaboratively, and recruiters can move candidates through hiring stages directly in the platform. While Braintrust can function as a basic ATS for smaller teams with simple hiring workflows, it truly shines when integrated with systems like Greenhouse or Workday for enterprise users. This hybrid approach enables teams to integrate the AI directly into their existing hiring stacks without disrupting more complex processes.

We appreciated the transparency around roadmap developments. Features such as recruiter intro videos, company-level culture questions, and expanded language support demonstrate a commitment to evolving the platform in response to customer needs.

However, Braintrust’s core strength is squarely in interviewing and initial screening. The product doesn’t offer sourcing capabilities or advanced CRM-like candidate nurturing on its own. While recruiters can revisit past candidates stored in the platform, automated re-engagement workflows require external systems or integrations.

Overall, if your team is overwhelmed by large applicant volumes and struggling with the inefficiencies of traditional first-round interviews, Braintrust provides a tangible, time-saving solution with arguably one of the most sophisticated AI interviewers on the market today.

We evaluated Jobin.cloud’s AI functionality in live testing across multiple roles, including software engineers and healthcare professionals. In each case, we began by pasting in a raw job description. The system parsed the text, expanded it with semantically similar terms (e.g., “CI/CD” inferred from “DevOps”), and returned a list of matching profiles from LinkedIn and external databases.

What stood out most was the scoring report. The AI recruiting system doesn’t just say a candidate “matches” but also explains how. Skills and qualifications are marked as proven (explicit and demonstrated), mentioned, inferred (via context), or missing. We prefer this level of transparency to what we’ve seen in Fetcher, which provides candidate suggestions, but its logic is less exposed to the user.

We’re also a big fan of Jobin.cloud’s free plan, which is one of the most generous we’ve encountered. It includes auto-import from LinkedIn, up to 10,000 stored contacts, five enrichment credits, and limited outreach (15 daily messages and 30 AI prompts). These features alone could be enough if you’re a solo recruiter or a lean hiring team to run serious sourcing workflows, we’d imagine. For those exploring AI recruiting tools for the first time, it offers a low-risk way to get started, something that Fetcher and Findem don’t match with their paid-only access.

However, the design of this AI recruiting platform lags behind most competitors. It packs many features into a rather dense user interface, which may take some time to grasp everything fully. Compared to hireEZ’s clear layout or Fetcher’s guided workflows, Jobin.cloud does demand more effort to master.

Another gap is integrations. While we appreciate the vendor’s progress in rolling out support for Make.com and Zapier, we would have preferred one-click connections to common ATS platforms and recruiting CRMs. That kind of plug-and-play integration feels standard among AI recruiting tools and offers a smoother experience for teams already using other systems.

Recooty’s AI recruiting features offer a promising boost to its lightweight ATS, adding smart functions to a pretty simple tool. We checked out these features in a recent product trial and found a combination of handy automation, good time-saving options, and a few areas that still need to catch up with more advanced competitors.

One of the first AI features we explored was the job description generator. It’s an easy-to-use tool that quickly produces functional templates. For small teams or first-time recruiters, this can be a real time-saver. To be fair, though, Recooty doesn’t let you adjust the tone or customize benefits based on location the way some other vendors like Workable do, meaning some manual editing is still required.

Recooty’s AI scoring is where the tool really shines. As applications start coming in, you can filter candidates based on AI match scores, which compare resumes against the job description. During our test run, this feature allowed us to focus on the most relevant applicants quickly. Plus, each candidate profile has an AI-generated summary that highlights key skills, experience, and education—another factor to speed up the applicant screening process.

We also appreciated how these scores fit into the candidate pipeline. For example, you can apply filters to shortlist only those within a specific AI score range or by status (like Interview Round or Shortlisted). This mix of automation and user control is well thought out for an SMB-friendly ATS.

While not strictly “AI,” Recooty's workflow automation includes email scheduling options that react to candidate status changes, such as interview invites or rejections. You can set these with customizable delays (anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 days), a simple but smart layer that improves the candidate experience and boosts recruiter efficiency!

That said, Recooty’s AI toolkit generally feels somewhat basic. For teams needing deep AI customization, predictive hiring analytics, or an applicant pre-screening agent, Recooty isn’t quite there yet.

We also noticed that some standard ATS features are still being developed, including mobile access, a Chrome sourcing extension, and employee referral programs.

It’d be a lie if we said we didn’t doubt Hirefly’s claim of eliminating the need for manual sourcing and reducing resume review time by 80%. But we’re happy to report that throughout our tech tests, the vendor’s suite of AI agents—Autopilot for outbound sourcing and FastTrack for inbound application review—just showed they both have a knack for taking the legwork out of recruiting.

Our experience with Autopilot was smooth, with minimal setup and the AI delivering interview-ready candidates within a matter of days. By simply inputting a job description and three examples of ideal LinkedIn profiles, we received a list of the five most promising candidates that the AI had sourced and reached out to. Plus, it learned from our feedback (whom we rejected/approved, our reason notes) to improve the next batch it sent.

With the ability to get our hands on top candidates this fast with no manual sourcing required, we can imagine that those without in-house recruiters and overloaded talent teams who simply don’t have time for outbound prospecting will find Autopilot particularly valuable.

That said, because this outbound sourcing tool relies on LinkedIn’s dataset, it’s less effective with roles that aren’t well-represented there. For example, if you’re hiring for blue-collar roles like warehouse workers or local retail managers, you're better off with a job board like BlueCrew or Snagajob.

Another tool we assessed was FastTrack, which caters to inbound candidate management. Compared to traditional ATS filtering, this tool felt a lot easier to work with. When we ran it through a test batch of applicants, the AI did a solid job correctly classifying candidates into Great Fit, Borderline, and Poor Fit categories. Similar to the algorithms behind Autopilot, FastTrack’s sorting mechanism also learns from recruiter feedback, meaning that over time, it gets better at ranking candidates for you.

We can appreciate Hirefly’s integrations, but only from a distance. While the AI recruitment platform integrates with major ATS providers, there’s no open API. Custom integrations are possible, but as the vendor honestly shared with us, only for deals large enough to justify them.

Due to this limitation, if you’re using a niche ATS that Hirefly doesn’t support, you may find the adoption challenging. What if you don’t plan to use any ATS at all? We don’t think it makes much sense to opt for FastTrack, but Autopilot should still be worth considering especially if you’re after outbound sourcing.

After nearly 2 years of closely watching Workable, we can confidently say that it’s a powerful platform that has evolved significantly over its decade in the recruitment tech market. With over 30,000 customers, Workable has solidified its reputation as one of the top AI-driven recruiting tools, thanks to its advanced automation workflows and a growing list of integrations.

Many offer AI-powered job description features, but none have surpassed what we’ve seen in Workable. It doesn’t just stop at crafting first drafts of job postings based on the role title and requirements. It also allows users to adjust the tone (formal, friendly, or engaging), revert to previous versions, or even regenerate specific sentences to suit particular needs.

Another feature that positions Workable a step ahead of platforms like Lever or JazzHR is the addition of a Salary Estimator. In our test, this provided us with a competitive pay range for attracting top talent.

Workable’s AI-Recruiter tool for passive candidate sourcing, while not as comprehensive as some dedicated sourcing platforms we know, like Gem or Fetcher, is sufficient for SMBs. During our Standard Plan trial, we received 75 profile views, which allowed us to preview candidates and see why the system matched them to our job postings— all without relying on external apps (read: additional fees).

We were equally impressed with the AI Screening Assistant. It provided both profile scores and a detailed summary of how well each candidate matched our job’s requirements, which made the whole screening process labor-saving.

It was also convenient to have everything under one roof with an AI video interview tool in-house. However, it’s worth noting that this feature, along with transcription capabilities (via third-party tools like Supernormal or BrightHire), comes at an additional cost.

On the pricing front, Workable starts at $299 per month, which is steeper than competitors like Manatal ($15 per month) or Wellfound (free). This higher price point reflects its robust feature set. Still, we can see how budget-conscious teams might find this a bit much.

Workable is also geared towards in-house recruiting, so we wouldn’t recommend it if you're part of a staffing agency. And for those who focus heavily on chatbot-driven candidate screening and communication, you might want to look elsewhere, such as Humanly or Paradox, which excel in that area.

Wellfound (formerly AngelList Talent) is not the only AI sourcing tool in the market, yet what this software does so well that makes it stand out from many others we’ve tested is the vibrant community of tech professionals it hosts. Over ten million job seekers have built resumes on the platform and shared not just their work experience but also what they are looking for in their next job—something you won’t find in even good brands like SeekOut or LinkedIn.

If you’ve used Wellfound’s free ATS like we have, you know it's great, but it does have limits, with the talent reach confined to just its talent community. However, the pool becomes much bigger as you switch to the RecruiterCloud Autopilot module. Besides the in-house community, Wellfound will tap into its partner network of 500M+ profiles to find you the right matches. What we love about this module is that it’s not all left to AI—there's a real human touch involved to ensure that the 5-10 top candidates you get every week are the best fit for your needs.

If you prefer keeping everything in-house, RecruiterCloud Self-service is the way to go. As its name suggests, this module provides search engines and outreach to manage your sourcing and screenings.

A word to the wise, though: Wellfound is super focused on tech-related roles in product, engineering, or growth, so if those aren't your main hiring needs, don’t go for this tool.

We’d offer the same advice to those seeking an all-in-one recruitment solution that can also handle some parts of HR: look for enterprise-centered vendors like VidCruiter or BambooHR instead. Despite being stellar for what it does—connecting you with top-notch tech talent—Wellfound has no features like native onboarding, employee experience enhancements, or performance tracking. Plus, its integration options are limited to a few major ATS.

Findem’s unconventional candidate sourcing allows you to access a global talent pool of over 750 million prospects. Using artificial intelligence, the system crawls several data sources, such as LinkedIn, GitHub, Behance, Stack Overflow, Kaggle, and social media platforms, to consolidate all unique candidate information into profiles that list all their achievements, qualifications, core values, and so on. This makes it possible to quickly source a high volume of candidates using the most precise and stringent criteria.

This is what they call attribute-driven AI. It’s an effective way to generate talent pools specific to a certain job post. Attribute matching is a smart way to make sure you’re reaching out to relevant job seekers with more chances of converting and eventually becoming a hire. This is part of what makes Findem so different from other tools in the space since most of them start the recruiting process by posting to job boards.

Findem also stands out from other tools in the space for their customer support and service teams. For example, they are happy to provide weekly calls to ensure you’re making the best use of the tool. We agree with many user descriptions that portray them as warm and supportive. Further, they are well-known to be open to feedback, often creating new features based on client needs.

Manatal goes above and beyond the typical features expected from a budget-friendly ATS by incorporating AI-powered actions, such as candidate filtering and recommendations. This makes it a standout option, particularly for SMBs looking to streamline their hiring process.

One of the first advantages we noticed of Manatal is its affordability, with pricing plans starting at just 15 USD per month. The platform also checked the user-friendly UI box for featuring drag-and-drop-enabled pipelines.

As we tested the tool, we found the AI-based recommendations feature to be an excellent way to automate prescreening. This feature scans JDs and matches them with the most suitable candidates from the user’s talent pool.

Since coming across the tool and speaking to their team on several occasions, we’ve always appreciated their customer service focus. They offer 24/5 live chat, email support, documentation, and free onboarding and training.

Humanly has designed an AI-powered chatbot that is specifically built for mid-market companies in need of a tool that is simple and fast to implement. Recently, they started referring to this assistant-like bot as an “AI co-pilot”, which we think is an accurate term. The bot can automate screening, scheduling, and even join live interviews. From the latter, it can produce notes, entire transcripts, and insights based on the conversation.

Those insights are easy to share with the rest of your team, and come in handy to optimize future interviews, zone in on particular aspects of candidates (like how they answered a particular question), and, in general, save time while vetting. One thing we’ve always liked about Humanly is that they integrate easily with most ATSs, saving you the manual work of inputting data into another system.

We keep in touch regularly with the team at Humanly, and they are usually up to all sorts of interesting things. The latest rollout is a conversational AI that conducts structured, real-time video interviews — a bold step toward scaling early candidate engagement. Trained on your job criteria and employer brand, it interacts with applicants conversationally, aiming to be “human enough” to draw out authentic responses without pretending to replace real recruiters. Feedback from the HR community has been mixed: some see it as a powerful way to ensure every applicant gets a fair shot, especially in high-volume pipelines where most never reach a live interviewer. Others caution that it risks feeling impersonal, potentially eroding candidate trust. From our view, it’s a thoughtfully executed tool that, when implemented with transparency and human follow-up, could meaningfully improve both speed and fairness in early-stage hiring.

Their use of AI is also generative. For example, the bot can produce a draft of a follow-up email after an interview or another hiring step. You can just tweak the email and hit send, or automate it completely for other steps.

While there are some ‘nice-to-haves’ that the tool may be lacking (as explained in the cons section of this review), Humanly is worth looking into when it comes to AI recruiting tools. If you're a mid-market company looking to add a chatbot, text recruiting, or AI capabilities to your talent acquisition tech stack, do check them out.

Paradox relies on a conversational AI engine called Olivia, which acts as a mediator between recruiters and candidates for passing relevant information, taking requests, and answering questions. While we don’t think it makes all the conversations feel just like humans talking to humans, it does a great job of making the interactions human-like enough.

Our first impression of Paradox's screening capabilities was impressive. The platform's ability to advertise job posts through physical billboards, flyers, and social media, coupled with Olivia's round-the-clock availability for welcoming and screening applicants, can be a game changer for quickly filling multiple positions.

As interacting with AI has become increasingly comfortable, especially when the conversation holds meaning in today’s world, Paradox's trained AI— Olivia, has done a great job engaging with candidates on behalf of recruiters. Olivia can text candidates, share relevant job descriptions, collect candidate information, schedule interviews, and operate outside recruiters' working hours.

However, like any other AI recruitment tool, it may not handle inquiries beyond its programmed knowledge. Tasks such as assessing qualifications or verifying email addresses are better suited for experienced recruiters.

We’ve been familiar with Fetcher as a sourcing tool for well over half a decade. It’s always been one of the bellwethers when it comes to sourcing technology, but it’s been great to see them incorporate AI technology into their mix for a good while now. 

As an AI recruiting software tool, Fetcher helps to efficiently manage the initial stages of the hiring process. Their powerful sourcing tool can provide curated profiles tailored to specific skill sets and requirements.

Further, the software's automated outreach capabilities can enable personalized email sequences, ensuring effective candidate engagement. Additionally, Fetcher offers a comprehensive reporting dashboard to track hiring metrics and evaluate the success of recruitment efforts.

HireVue is an AI-driven recruiting platform that automates workflows. They have video interviewing, assessments, scheduling, and text message recruiting solutions. Its technology is designed to reduce human bias and increase diversity.

Our favorite feature of HireVue is its Virtual Hiring Assistant. It efficiently screens candidates, guides them to relevant job openings, schedules interviews manages events, and coordinates with candidates on behalf of recruiters.

While we think the mix of AI and human contact balances well, it is possible that some candidates may feel discouraged from interacting with a machine. To account for this, the platform keeps recruiters looped into the process with constant updates, which speaks to a design philosophy that we’ve always found remarkable with this company.

In general, HireVue is a powerful tool that will likely be too expensive for smaller teams, but we appreciate their upfront pricing. They offer two plans, the less expensive of which starts at $35k/month, and according to users we’ve interviewed, the platform is a solid investment for teams of roughly 2,500 or more.

This tool integrates well with many ATSs, but the same cannot be said for HRIS tools. This can be a drawback for businesses looking to sync their data across their HR tools.

hireEZ has received positive ratings from our editorial team for its no-nonsense automation features. Built for mid-sized and large businesses, the platform’s primary focus is outbound recruiting. It has leveraged AI to roll out some very good sourcing, engagement modules, and analytics features. We like the simple UI – the features are arranged logically, and the workflows are intuitive. hireEZ even offers a dedicated account manager for personal support, but we haven’t encountered much of an issue that needs their assistance.

Our favorite feature of hireEZ is its AI-powered candidate recommendation tool. It works just like a personal sourcing assistant who reports every day via email to share the best candidates they’ve identified.

Reports are mostly favorable from users who have deployed the automated email sequences. They often emphasize time-saving and increased efficiency when tracking a candidate’s performance and progress.

An up-and-coming feature to watch for is the GPT3-backed AI applied to the automated emails.

hireEZ does have some drawbacks you should watch out for. Some users we talked to said the candidate data was occasionally inaccurate. Multiple reports suggest the platform doesn’t work well with LinkedIn.

Eightfold’s AI technology automates several chunks of the hiring process and ensures that only the most suitable candidates get through to the interview stage. Recruiters get every piece of information they need at their fingertips about previous candidates, employees, and contingent workers – helping them streamline workflows and processes across the entire talent ecosystem.

Eightfold’s deep learning capability also identifies the skills of job applicants with a detailed mapping of competencies. It takes the guesswork out of evaluating a candidate's skills by identifying Validated Skills, Likely Skills, Skills to be Validated, and Missing Skills.

The platform also includes a neat scheduler that integrates with corporate calendars to automate interview scheduling. Moreover, it helps you manage interviews with multiple people and reschedule or cancel them as needed.

Assembly is built for companies that want recognition to happen naturally, automatically, and at scale, whether it’s coming from a team leader or a colleague mid-conversation. Boost is one of our favorites. This feature allows users to award points directly in post replies, which makes everyday appreciation feel naturally right where collaboration is already taking place.

What takes this platform a step further is its automated celebration system. The Welcome Bot and Anniversary Bot celebrate employee moments with rotating GIFs, personalized messages, and points, all automatically triggered by profile data. We also saw the same polish in the Anniversary Bot, where we could stack milestone celebrations on top of annual ones.

From the admin side, granular control is a standout. We like the ability to embed core values into posts, hide points publicly, limit how many points can be given to a single user, and allow (or restrict) private recognition. While these may seem minor, from our experience, these settings actually help avoid abuse and promote fairness.

On the analytics front, DoraAI brings real-time insight. We typed “Show me which departments gave the most recognition this quarter,” and in seconds, Dora returned a clean bar chart ready to download or explore further. Asking for “Which managers haven’t given recognition this month?” gave us a simple list we could actually act on. That said, these powerful tools are admin-only, and expanding access to people managers could make the data more actionable.

We also tested the DoraAI Recognition Writer, which drafts recognition posts for users. While helpful for writer’s block, we encountered one odd bug: after pressing Try Again a few times to get different drafts, the recipient’s name unexpectedly changed. It’s a minor glitch, but users should always review the final copy before posting.

And if you rely on manual profile edits rather than a clean HRIS sync, watch out as manually edited fields like start dates don't resync, and this can cause automated bots to fail. That small detail can mean a big miss for a major milestone.

C.A. Short Company's employee recognition software offers a unique, high-touch experience that stands out in an industry dominated by sleek, self-service platforms. While the product itself has a somewhat dated look and lacks some modern bells and whistles, the company's deep commitment to personalized service makes it an excellent fit for organizations that prefer a more hands-on approach.

Another highlight of our experience was the peer-to-peer recognition tool. C.A. Short integrates both non-monetary and monetary recognition. It also supports eCards and social recognition in the “Rec Room” (their version of a social feed). Interestingly, unlike many recognition systems that rely entirely on digital shoutouts, this platform even allows for physical “on-the-spot” recognition cards that employees can hand out in person. We can imagine how companies seeking a system that feels more intentional rather than transactional would value this feature.

We also appreciate the vendor’s approach to customization—they take the time to code each platform to a client's specifications. This includes everything from designing personalized career milestone programs to configuring reward structures based on a company's values. It’s quite manual and, therefore, requires more back-and-forth with their support team, but it also removes much of the administrative burden from HR teams and makes the system work so well for organizations that want a guided, concierge-style implementation rather than a DIY software experience.

In terms of reporting and analytics, the platform provides good visibility into how employees interact with recognition programs over time. During testing, we were able to track how frequently employees were being recognized and compare engagement levels across departments and locations. One drawback, though, is that reporting is currently powered by Power BI and requires users to leave the platform to access these insights. C.A. Short has assured us that full integration is on their roadmap, but for now, this extra step may be a hurdle for those looking for real-time, in-app analytics.

One limitation we noticed is the lack of direct connections with major HRIS vendors like Workday and BambooHR. While C.A. Short does offer automated secure sFTP folders for data integration, which eliminates manual data imports, this approach may not be as familiar to most HR professionals as a self-service native integration option.

Although the software itself is functional, as briefly mentioned at the beginning, its interface doesn’t feel as modern or intuitive as some competitors such as Nectar or Guusto. That said, C.A. Short makes up for these shortcomings with a strong customer service team that is deeply involved in onboarding, ongoing support, and program adjustments.

Connecteam’s HR & Skills hub packs impressive recognition program features that make it easy to celebrate employees' achievements and milestones, no matter where they are.

We like how recognition is fully customizable. Managers can personalize badges for any occasion, add heartfelt messages, and share the appreciation privately or with the entire team.

What’s more, managers can brighten their employees' day by granting them digital tokens on the spot or by configuring the platform to automatically award tokens based on system usage and special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries. These tokens can be redeemed for gift cards from several well-known vendors, including sportswear brands, tech giants, and restaurants.

The recognition platform's analytics dashboard provides a clear overview of how tokens are being used, including who is sending tokens, who is receiving them, and how employees are spending their rewards.

Having this level of insight isn’t just good for tracking purposes but also for managers to constantly improve their rewards and recognition strategies.

However, with the platform’s numerous features comes a learning curve for new users, which can delay initial adoption. While we appreciate the scalability of Connecteam, as a small business, we aren’t a fan of how the employee recognition solution is marketed. The offering isn’t sold separately. You’d need to purchase the full HR & Skills hub to access it.

Guusto’s innovative and easy-to-use platform supports recognition programs for employees at all levels, whether they work on the front lines, at the office, or at home.

Many recognition platforms rely heavily on points-based systems that don't resonate with hourly or field employees. But Guusto allows companies to send printable rewards or gift cards that provide tangible value. We’ve given it a shot ourselves and can confirm that there's no learning curve to it: If an employee receives a $5 gift card, they get $5.

The recognition platform also makes it simple to set up peer-to-peer recognition programs, performance goal tracking, anniversary/birthday awards, and more. Managers receive budgets to send spot bonuses or non-monetary "shoutouts" to motivate their direct reports. Everything is configurable based on each company's unique needs and work culture.

Beyond its features, we admire and commend Guusto for its commitment to social impact. The company donates clean drinking water and supports a host of mental health organizations.

We’ve recently noticed that Guusto has updated its pricing structure, and while we’re happy that the Free plan remains, there are some drawbacks. The Lite tier has jumped from $40 to $125 per month, while the Essential tier and Premium requires a minimum spend of $200 and $560 per month, respectively. These increases could be a real burden for budget-conscious teams, we’d imagine.

Awardco makes it easy to recognize anyone in your organization for living your values, achieving goals, or simply for being awesome employees. In our testing, it was easy to choose who to recognize, for what, and why.

We’ve also liked the social component, featuring all given recognition on a public feed for everyone to see. Awardco also facilitates remote employee recognition programs through integrations with communication tools like Slack and Microsoft Teams. This boosts engagement further, bringing recognition to platforms your employees already use.

We appreciate Awardco's inclusive approach to recognition. Their newly released feature, AwardCodes, makes it possible to give recognition offline to employees without regular computer access, so they aren’t left out of any appreciation efforts.

Managers provide customized award codes, which employees later scan to receive their rewards. The codes work for any employee, anywhere, anytime, while still enabling tracking and security.

Another thing that caught our attention is Awardco’s service anniversary features. Its level of gift creativity and personalization is something we’ve not seen on other platforms. Employees can create Digital MemoryBooks, which collect teammate contributions into a cherished keepsake for coworkers celebrating milestones.

The employee recognition vendor also has curated gift packages called Bonus Boxes that staff can put together and ship right to the doors of their coworkers to make their day.

However, we would have appreciated this recognition software more if it provided a greater variety of gift card vendors other than Amazon. A few users have reported that prices on some rewards are higher or inflated compared to retail prices, and there have been occasional delays in the delivery of rewards, which is disappointing.

Motivosity takes employee recognition to the next level with its innovative peer-to-peer platform. We’ve given it a try and liked how easy it is to send shout-outs. We also liked how all shout-outs are posted on a  customizable homepage, showing appreciation in real-time across the organization.

Motivosity's ThanksMatters digital cards empower employees to redeem their received recognition for Amazon gift cards, restaurant vouchers, or anything that appeals to them. The custom company store and integration with hundreds of vendors take care of all the logistics.

You can also use Motivosity to incentivize company-wide initiatives. We’ve found it easy to create custom badges and awards. It also does not forget about service milestones and birthdays. Individual gifts and peer celebrations through comments make employees feel valued on their special days.

However, it’s quite disappointing to find out that some good performance management features, such as 1:1s and coaching, are no longer offered. Additionally, Motivosity lacks controls over peer recognition point distribution, which can lead to favoritism or uneven allocation of points among employees.

Bonusly’s recognition-first design is where the platform shines. By making appreciation a daily habit, not just a quarterly or annual gesture, it stands apart from traditional rewards catalogs that emphasize transactions over connection.

Employees receive monthly point allowances to recognize peers, helping keep appreciation active across departments. The process is quick and engaging: pick a teammate, assign points, add a message, and optionally include GIFs, hashtags, or even a short video.

We especially appreciated Bonusly’s public recognition feed, which surfaces all peer-to-peer shoutouts in one visible stream. It encourages participation and makes appreciation more tangible. And we can imagine managers would like this visibility too, as it helps them gain real-time insight into team dynamics and individual contributions.

In addition to recognizing achievements, users can send timely messages for birthdays, work anniversaries, and other special occasions thanks to Bonusly's automated reminders. The tool also integrates directly with Slack, Microsoft Teams, and leading HRIS systems, so recognition flows naturally into the tools your team already uses.

Recent updates have made Bonusly feel even more intuitive and customizable. Now, with Slack and Microsoft Teams integrations, you can give recognition with just one click and see real-time previews. Admins gained new controls to customize recognition policies, and provisioning tools have been improved, too. The employee recognition platform also introduced structured 1:1s with shared agendas, lightweight check-ins for alignment, and automated performance recaps that highlight contributions over time, not just recent ones.

However, if your team prefers experiential rewards, you may not be a huge fan of what Bonusly currently has to offer, as from our assessments, this vendor’s available reward options focus mainly on point-based gift card rewards and curated physical gifts.

In addition, Bonusly requires annual billing across all plans. Lastly, some users we spoke with reported occasional reward redemption issues or brief platform outages – nothing deal-breaking, but enough to warrant extra diligence during implementation.

Terryberry offers one of the most comprehensive feature sets we've seen in an employee recognition platform.

The software provides social recognition tools, employee engagement platform features, a wellness app, service awards and custom jewelry, performance management, incentive programs, and a global rewards catalog.

Thanks to the product demos in December 2023, December 2024, and May 2025, we gained an in-depth look at the platform's expansive capabilities.

With so many features covered in a single call, it was difficult to get a detailed walkthrough of every workflow. For anyone interested in a Terryberry demo, we recommend identifying the specific workflows that are most critical for your needs and asking for those to be covered in greater detail.

It's also worthwhile to explore the employee recognition program’s custom awards offerings. Terryberry can manufacture everything from trophies to belt buckles tailored to your specifications, while also providing the software to identify which employees you want to recognize and reward.

We don't necessarily dislike Terryberry’s UI, although we can't say that it's our favorite. It gives off a dated look, which may impact user experience for teams accustomed to contemporary interfaces. Although it has been a while since the recognition platform announced it would consider launching API integration access, it has still not been released.

Nectar offers a robust yet easy-to-use solution for peer-to-peer recognition that is aligned with company values. We like how its points-based system empowers all employees, not just managers, to reward coworkers' accomplishments and behaviors.

Peer-to-peer shoutouts are shared for everyone to see via a centralized feed. As for rewards, we’ve found Nectar’s catalog to be quite comprehensive, covering several options like Amazon purchases, gift cards, charitable donations, and company swag. Employees can quickly redeem their recognition points for rewards they value. Alongside peer bonuses, Nectar supports performance-based rewards and spot bonuses from managers.

The employee recognition platform company also offers wellness features and impactful new capabilities like network analysis, which provide HR teams with visibility into cross-team recognition patterns. As a distributed team ourselves, we found the newly added internal communication tool absolutely a delight to foster transparency and help everyone stay informed.

When looking at pricing models, however, we found Nectar’s $4,000 minimum annual commitment to be higher than some competitors like Awardco’s $2,500. Compared to our last review update, it no longer discloses its pricing. And unlike Guusto or Connecteam, Nectar doesn’t provide a free trial, which makes it even harder for smaller organizations to give them a go.

Workforce.com’s payroll offering feels like the natural extension of its time and attendance roots. In our demo, we saw payroll runs pulling data not just from timesheets and schedules, but also from employee records that contained certifications, incident reports, performance reviews, surveys, and onboarding documents. Because payroll, HR, and workforce management all live on the same codebase, it felt cohesive in a way many payroll add-ons don’t.

Running payroll itself was straightforward. Timesheet data flowed directly into pay runs, allowing us to preview deductions, contributions, tips, commission, bonuses, leave accruals, garnishments, and taxes before processing direct deposits with just a few clicks. We also appreciated the level of automation built into the payroll system. During testing, timesheets that fell within pre-set tolerance rules were automatically approved, so only those that fell outside the rules required review. The system also handled tax filings and garnishments independently.

On the employee side, the mobile app stood out. Workers can view pay stubs, see their historical earnings, and update bank information without logging into a desktop. We particularly liked how earnings were tied to shifts: employees could track what each shift paid and watch weekly totals add up. That kind of visibility provides hourly workers with a clearer picture of their pay in real-time.

Support was also reliable, offering a knowledge base, live chat, phone, email, and ticketing system. While we didn’t test the speed of responses, having multiple channels is reassuring, especially for SMBs that don’t have a dedicated payroll team.

Nevertheless, there are a few trade-offs to consider. One drawback is that Workforce doesn’t offer a self-sign-up free trial, so you won't have the opportunity to explore it on your own before speaking to a sales rep. When it comes to features, the payroll tool primarily caters to the U.S. and U.K., which may not meet the needs of enterprises with thousands of employees worldwide. While we find the workflows to be quite efficient, the admin web interface isn’t as modern as some other options listed, such as Deel and Rippling.

Zoho Payroll is a promising option for automating payroll, taxes, and employee compensation across multiple regions. With versions tailored for India, GCC, and the U.S., this payroll software brings statutory compliance and pay cycle management together under one clean, easy-to-navigate interface.

In our demo of the U.S. version, we were able to set up the organization, tax settings, and direct deposit within an hour. The system supports both salaried and hourly W-2 employees, covering regular, bonus, off-cycle, and termination payrolls. The mobile-friendly self-service portal stood out for its simplicity: employees can authorize tax forms, view pay history, and track leave balances directly.

Where Zoho Payroll shines is its automation. It proactively files most U.S. payroll taxes, generates W-2s, calculates benefit deductions, and syncs transactions with Zoho Books. PTO policies are also flexible. You can configure accrual caps, carry-over rules, and state-specific compliance.

However, there are limitations to note. U.S. businesses cannot currently pay contractors (1099s) through Zoho Payroll, though this is supported in the India version. Third-party integrations could benefit from an expansion here, as the available connectors are all within Zoho’s ecosystem and haven’t yet included third-party accounting, time tracking, or HRIS.

We also caution buyers to review Zoho’s fee structure. While base pricing is competitive, you could face additional charges for failed transfers ($8–$100), late tax filings ($150), or manual wire payments. These are not the costs associated with the software, but rather the compliance-related costs, which are automatically added to your next billing cycle.

And because Zoho Payroll's U.S. edition launched as recently as September 2025, the feature set is still maturing. It's a good fit for businesses already using other Zoho products or for SMBs seeking a clean, compliant payroll experience.

Remote’s payroll software stands out for its international reach and compliance infrastructure, particularly for companies without local legal entities. It supports payroll in more than 100 countries, allowing businesses to manage both global contractors and full-time employees from a single platform. The user experience is designed to be intuitive—we were able to navigate key workflows, like employee onboarding and payroll setup, with minimal friction.

During our tech tests, the dashboard provided clear visibility into multi-country payroll cycles and compliance alerts, which makes it a strong contender for HR teams prioritizing legal and tax compliance. 

One of the standout features of this vendor is its approach to Employer of Record (EOR) services. Unlike platforms like Papaya that often depend on third-party local partners, Remote manages its own legal entities. This in-house strategy provides customers with greater confidence in maintaining consistent service and data control across different countries.

Feature-wise, Remote also keeps up with top players like Deel, offering one-click invoicing, payroll automation, and streamlined contractor payments in multiple currencies. The platform is particularly popular among tech companies that are scaling globally and have a lean HR team.

That said, our experience wasn’t without a few hiccups. Some users we spoke with mentioned inconsistent customer support, including slow responses and lengthy email threads for what should be simple queries. We also noticed that the mobile app occasionally redirected us to the browser for certain actions, which slightly diminished its convenience on the go.

If you’re a small retail, restaurant, or service-based business, Homebase Payroll can keep your HR and payroll operation simple and efficient for you.

One of this payroll system’s biggest advantages is how well it syncs with Homebase’s time tracking. Unlike Gusto, which requires third-party time tracking integrations, Homebase automatically pulls employee hours, overtime, and PTO into the payroll system.

During our testing, we clocked in and out using the Homebase app, and our hours were instantly reflected in the payroll dashboard without needing manual adjustments. This makes it a great fit for small businesses that rely on hourly workers and shift-based schedules.

Additionally, Homebase offers overtime prevention tools, which automatically clock out employees when their shift ends to prevent unapproved overtime. This is a feature we haven’t seen in other payroll solutions like APS and Gusto, which makes Homebase a stronger option for labor cost control.

We liked that Homebase provides automated payroll tax calculations and filings at federal, state, and local levels. The platform also includes a facial recognition clock-in feature to prevent buddy punching—something not natively available in competitors like Gusto or APS. The only drawback here is that this feature doesn’t match employee photos to their profiles, making it less foolproof than it initially sounds.

We think Homebase is great for small businesses, but it may not scale as effectively for larger organizations as a few other SMB-friendly payroll software like Gusto.

Another thing to bear in mind is that similar to APS, this vendor is hyper-focused on the U.S. market and thus does not currently support global payroll. Also, they don't offer dedicated account teams if you're looking for more personalized customer service.

From the moment we started testing Paylocity, its simplicity stood out. Navigating the dashboard felt straightforward, even for team members who weren’t particularly tech-savvy.

As one of our editors logged into the mobile app as an employee to access their payroll details, they shared that they could quickly update their direct deposit information during their commute, thanks to the app’s intuitive design. While the mobile app didn’t offer all the features of the web version, it allowed employees to perform essential tasks like viewing pay stubs and checking tax information with ease.

Another thing we liked about this payroll software was its self-service capabilities. For example, employees could adjust their tax withholdings themselves without involving HR, and the system provided real-time updates.

During our tests, updating tax filing status took just a couple of minutes, and then it was ready for HR to review the update instead of managing the entire process manually. However, when we needed to process benefits-related updates, we noticed a lack of automation. For example, verifying benefits data during open enrollment had to be done manually, which could have been more efficient with automation, we suppose.

We were also impressed with how well its modules integrated with each other. For example, once a candidate was hired in the recruiting module, their details automatically transferred to the onboarding module. This means that users won’t need to re-enter information, reducing the chance of errors and saving time.

And the training module was equally great—it was easy to assign courses to new hires and track their progress. We could use the training library to assign compliance courses to all employees during onboarding, and managers could monitor completion rates in real-time.

Paylocity’s reporting was straightforward for basic needs. We could use it to generate payroll history reports for audits or track specific tax details for compliance. However, its limitations became evident when we needed to create customized reports for executive analysis, such as combining payroll data with workforce performance metrics. We ended up exporting data into spreadsheets for further manipulation.

And while the support team was knowledgeable, the response times weren’t as fast as we expected for time-sensitive issues. As reported by some of the users we surveyed, they wish the support were quicker and more efficient, particularly for high-priority concerns since it’d take them a few days or sometimes, nearly a week to get their raised issue resolved.

APS Payroll is a solid, U.S.-focused payroll solution with a human touch that truly sets it apart from many competitors.

One of its biggest strengths is customer service. From day one, you’re assigned a dedicated account team, which means there’s always someone familiar with your setup available to help. Throughout our experience, we found APS’s support team to be responsive, with most issues resolved within the same day. Most users we spoke to also praised the payroll software vendor for being there from the implementation phase through ongoing assistance.

APS specializes in payroll for service-based industries such as healthcare, hospitality, churches, and non-profits. This focus has allowed APS to develop a payroll system tailored to meet the unique needs of these sectors, including managing workforce planning while ensuring compliance with the varied payroll regulations across different U.S. states.

During our test, we appreciated the expertise of APS’s payroll specialists, who clearly knew the intricacies of state-level payroll requirements—something that sets APS apart from competitors relying solely on automation.

Over the past couple of years, APS has made notable product enhancements, including AI Assist for HR and integrations, but our favorite is the platform’s new look. Previously, the outdated design was one of our biggest complaints. However, by the time of our test, APS had updated its interface while striking a balance between modernizing and maintaining the familiarity that many long-time customers prefer.

APS doesn’t offer a free trial; however, the pricing starts at $250 per month for 25-100 employees, which makes it quite affordable for small SMBs compared to other payroll providers.

During our research, we spoke with Jackie R., an HR Director for a small company. “I love that APS offers all aspects of an HRIS system at an affordable price. We are a small business and can't afford the big name payroll vendors, but we get everything they offer at APS for a price we can afford as a small business,” Jackie shared.

This aligns with our experience—while it’s not the cheapest option out there, the features provided make APS a valuable solution for businesses needing robust payroll and HR services without breaking the bank.

Unfortunately, APS's primary focus on the United States means it lacks the ability to handle operations for companies outside the country, making it a poor fit for international organizations.

Another thing to bear in mind is that the payroll solution is a required component of using other services that APS offers, such as benefits or HR. So, if you’re looking for a workforce management solution but want to keep your current payroll tool, APS is not ideal for you.

We quickly understood why Paychex is so popular among U.S. businesses after diving into its automations. 

The auto payroll tax filing, for example, is nicely done. It can handle the whole tax filing process, which is super handy for multi-state teams in minimizing errors and avoiding penalties. Additionally, the employee onboarding feature is one of the most robust we have tried, with easy-to-complete online forms and personalized messages.

We also got a good impression of Paychex’s time tracking, as this tool not only supports touchless employee clock-ins but is agile enough for both medium and large teams. 

On top of that, the availability of PEO services means Paychex users can gain access to specialized support for health benefits, compliance, and onboarding without the hassle of finding a whole new tool.

Paychex might be a bit trickier to use and get support than ADP but its strong automation focus is a boon and its HR tools are high quality.

However, if top-notch design is important to you, a fair warning: Paychex’s UI isn’t very good. Perhaps due to its abundant feature set, the payroll platform’s interface gives off a rather cluttered feeling.

Cluttered interface aside, we found the customer support team to be underwhelming. It's tough to get hold of someone on the phone and, when it comes to email support, this vendor can take hours and even weeks to respond. We're also not big fans of the frequent changes in Paychex's customer success managers' contacts, either. This, according to several users we spoke to, has made it even tougher to get assistance.

Papaya Global has its own time and attendance tracker that works really well with its payroll and compliance services. We can imagine how well-received this feature is by HR pros who can now handle employee hours, PTO, and payroll in one unified place.

We think Papaya’s benefits team is also among the best in the field. They break down all the options and can pair you with top-quality benefits providers across hundreds of different countries and regions. Best of all, you get all this bespoke advice at no extra cost.

And, just as we expected from a top player, Papaya’s self-service portal is good. It’s very handy for getting started, requesting time off, and checking pay stubs, and now, it’s even accessible on the go.

However, unlike Deel, which has its own entities in more than 150 countries for its EOR services, Papaya Global relies entirely on local partners. This presents compliance risks and potential add-on fees. Further, the fact that the platform doesn't offer a tax penalty guarantee is another thing worth noting.

We contacted several individuals who have used Papaya for at least three months to see how their experience with customer service has been, and the gathered feedback was kind of mixed. While some found the support quick and helpful, others have been dealing with the same problems over and over again. A few even felt like the reps might not have all the answers to solve their reported issues.

Paycor is a great option for small to mid-sized businesses seeking a solution that can handle HR tasks in addition to payroll.

Paycor doesn’t (directly) handle global payroll like Deel or Papaya. Instead, the platform outsources such service to its partners and pays close attention to its domestic users—U.S.-based companies and staff. Thanks to that, its national payroll functionalities are rich and, at the same time, straightforward.

Within this single software, you’ll find autorun, pay options, compliance alerts, and employee self-service, to name a few. The system automates federal and state tax filings and you can do as many payroll runs as you like.

Paycor is particularly well-liked for its flexibility. With multiple plans to choose from, businesses can opt for extra tools like onboarding and compensation planning when they truly need them. 

The self-service portal is easy to use and provides access to a bunch of cool features. From checking pay stubs to viewing work schedules, updating profiles, and requesting time off, everything's right there on desktop and mobile.

However, a fair number of HR pros we’ve spoken with mentioned that they weren't happy with Paycor's customer support. Most cited the service being often unavailable and the support team members not being on the same page, so they had to report the same issue multiple times.

We also recommend that you communicate clearly with Paycor about the full costs associated with using its product as, from what we found, there may be extra fees like minimum billing and charges for early check clearance on top of the regular subscription cost.

Rippling is a 3-in-1 HR, IT & finance platform that can handle multi-state payroll, global payroll, benefits, PEO, EOR, and anything in between for your business.

Rippling has always stood out for its UI. The design is crisp, but more importantly, it’s very well thought out. We tried multiple features during our tech test: onboarding, payroll processing, PTO, and time tracking, and we had no complaints.

Rippling’s payroll solution stands shoulder-by-shoulder with other peers on our list. You can use multi-state and global payroll, as well as EOR and PEO, depending on your needs, to hire and pay employees and contractors in the U.S. and overseas. 

On the benefits front, while not as versatile as Gusto’s (9,000+ plans available), Rippling offers 4,000+ options—still a lot more than ADP’s 700. We also love that the platform’s integration list is always growing (500+ at the time of writing).

We’ve talked to HR pros who use Rippling daily. Efficient payroll tools, user-friendly benefits enrollment, and generally helpful phone and email support were all mentioned.

However, we’re quite surprised to discover that it’s not possible to automate the entire payroll process—a feature most modern payroll solutions offer.

Rippling is also less flexible when it comes to billing. There’s no free sign-up option like with Deel. A minimum one-year commitment is also required, unlike Gusto or PapayaGlobal which let you pay either monthly or annually.

One of the best things about Deel is that the platform keeps getting more comprehensive each time we pay it a visit.

Starting with core payroll and contractor management services in 2019, Deel now includes a global EOR that works across 100+ countries, an expanded array of payment options, visa support, and automated compliance management. So, whether you’re looking to hire full-time employees, contractors, or freelancers in countries where you don’t have local entities, Deel can still assist.

One particularly impressive feature offered by the platform is the ability to process payroll in over 200 currencies with one click (you read this right, one click).

Another is its extensive payment options. There are 15 different methods, ranging from traditional bank transfers to the more modern PayPal, Wise, Payoneer, and even cryptocurrency via Coinbase. As a cherry on top, your contractors can also obtain a Deel card which lets them receive payments in USD and use these funds directly for purchases.

As expected from a tech-savvy startup, Deel’s built-in automation is good, too. Payroll can be fully automated, and invoices can also be auto-generated based on contract terms.

However, Deel payroll and EOR are more expensive than some alternatives. For example, Papaya Global offers contractor management for $30 per month per contractor and that’s $29 with Oyster, whereas Deel charges $49.

As of this writing, Deel still doesn’t provide phone support. Time tracking features are also missing, which may lead to extra money spent on supplemental solutions for such needs.

Gusto has always been a worthy consideration within the payroll software category, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. 

First, Gusto is very user-centric: Even the cheapest plan includes call, email, and live chat support at extended hours. There is also an online help center and dedicated community where accountants can connect and learn from each other. 

With features ranging from full-service multi-state employee and contractor payments to benefits and even global EOR, Gusto can assist with many business types. We tested its payroll capabilities and can report that its ability to schedule and run fast, flexible (and unlimited) payrolls is pretty much on par with enterprise solution ADP.

That said, we can’t escape the fact that Gusto relies on third-party integrations for accounting capabilities. And while this vendor now provides an international EOR ( partnering with Remote), this service is not available for part-time, hourly workers.

Gusto has a transparent pricing structure and is more affordable than some competitors like Deel. For contractors, it's $6 per contractor per month (Deel is $49) and for employees, it's $40 per person per month (Deel charges $500). 

It may be cheap but Gusto does lack some essential features in higher-tier plans, including federal/state compliance alerts, time tracking, and multi-state payroll services. The most affordable plan only supports single-state payroll. For online signatures, time tracking, and expense management, you’ll have to integrate Gusto with third-party tools.

ADP stands out in a crowded field thanks to their ability to offer related HR functions like benefits administration, compliance, and time and attendance in addition to tailored payroll packages - all from a single, easy-to-use platform. Their tailored payroll packages offer a range of tools and add-ons, and we’ve found that upgrading between packages is easy, which is great for companies expecting notable shifts in headcount. 

However, ADP may not be the best fit for SMBs due to its high price point. Fees tend to increase with time, and it’s not the cheapest tool out there. Also, we’ve spoken to numerous users who have remarked upon their customer service as an aspect they could improve. Some common complaints include the time of each response and not having a stable point of contact to refer to within the company. 

In our experience, the software itself can also create some issues with time. While few companies are able to offer as much, it’s common to encounter bugs and errors that require you to speak to a representative in order to get it fixed – for instance, the hourly pay rate doesn’t come through properly. 

Overall, ADP is one of the best-known names in the space and their huge market share means they’re definitely a must-consider for some companies, but they are certainly not the most flexible. Also, since you’ll be among thousands of other customers, you’re unlikely to receive a white-glove customer service experience.

Paylocity simplifies the management of employees, documents, and processes. One of the key strengths of their HR software is the ability to streamline information collection and task completion across various users and workspaces. Whether it's confirming employee addresses, collecting proof of certification, or managing employee onboarding, Paylocity makes it easy to automate and centralize these processes.

Midsize companies will appreciate Paylocity’s support for employee recruitment and retention. You can effectively manage your scaling workforce demands with an internal ATS that allows you to take bulk actions, such as mass text communications.

Their self-service and community modules also function as central hubs where employees can communicate and collaborate with coworkers, complete tasks, stay updated on company news, and access resources and pay stubs. I find this especially useful for wide-scale system adoption since employees don't need to be platform experts to access the information they need.

As for managers and HR professionals, they have full visibility into employee data at the position and seat level, can easily configure new positions, assign required skills and certifications, predict vacancies, and manage budget changes.

Paylocity also takes compliance seriously, with a dashboard that provides quick access to work authorizations, EEO and FLSA compliance data, and industry news. And if you need extra support, Paylocity's HR Edge service provides expert resources, including an account manager, to help you minimize risk and implement best practices.

Finally, you can use Paylocity's robust reporting and analytics capabilities to gain a deeper understanding of your workforce. With real-time, visualized data, you can monitor key metrics, identify trends, optimize your HR strategies, and drive business success.

I added Deel to this page for their global focus and simplicity. The majority of their features are geared toward small and mid-market companies just entering the international space. Their core platform, Deel HRIS, serves as the hub for all of their HR processes, with the option to add global payroll functionality.

This is actually relatively new. In my previous Deel demos, they used separate interfaces to manage HR processes and EOR payroll, which made it a pain to toggle between the two. This was because Deel's EOR came before their HR platform release, but as they continued to add more HR-focused features, the interface consolidated into a global HR & payroll hub.

Today, Deel still shines the brightest when it comes to managing a distributed team. Their new compensation module provides salary data from 150+ countries to create fair and competitive wage ranges for global employees. The IT module lets you send remote workers office equipment worldwide, including managing device returns and resets for offboarding. And they even offer unique support for contingent workforces, like more than 15 flexible payment options (including cryptocurrency).

All of this makes managing international teams significantly easier than piecing together multiple vendors. That said, Deel has room to grow to rival competitors like Rippling for process automation or Bob for employee experience. But they remain the ideal platform for global, smaller, and cost-conscious companies looking to establish or expand their international presence.

Paycor ticks all the boxes for the features we look for in HR software. The employee self-service portal is excellent; it makes tasks like reviewing or signing contracts or choosing benefits straightforward. Admin users are automatically informed about any updates to sensitive employee information.

While Paycor didn’t invent the wheel by offering mobile apps, their platform is well-built and well-liked. They make it easy to access payroll, time, attendance, and other HR features on the go.

Though large enterprises can use Paycor, its platform is best suited for SMBs to use alongside other core HR tools as they grow. Paycor offers multiple plans for companies with fewer than 50 employees, so whether you only need a payroll solution or a full HR suite, Paycor is a flexible option.

One of Paycor’s top features is its pay grid for payroll processing, which I found one of the easiest and most customizable, even compared to payroll-forward vendors like ADP and Paylocity.

True, it looks much like a fancier Excel spreadsheet, but I can get a macro view of payroll costs, along with in-app warnings, such as net pay shortfalls, to reduce the risk of errors. I can also see upcoming pay runs months in advance and make changes ahead of time, like entering year-end discretionary bonuses for the last payroll, so I don't forget them.

Despite this, Paycor’s HR modules outside of payroll lack the finesse of more modern alternatives like Rippling — mainly because Paycor adds these capabilities after company acquisitions. For example, Paycor Paths, their leadership development module, comes from their acquisition of the behavioral microlearning platform, Verb.

As a result, modules tend to have an inconsistent interface. Their performance management module, for example, is completely separate from the rest of its platform, with a new navigation panel and design compared to its payroll, benefits, and time-tracking modules. Not only does this create a disjointed experience, but it makes it harder to quickly find the information I need when moving between HR tasks.

OnPay is an excellent first-time HR software system for small businesses. It covers core HR processes, such as payroll and benefits, at simple, affordable pricing. 

The standout features for me are its compensation and benefits management capabilities. You don't have to calculate state and federal taxes and withholdings; the platform will do it automatically in compliance with regulations.

I also didn’t encounter any issues during testing of OnPay’s payroll features. But even if I had, their tax accuracy guarantee means they’ll work with the tax agency and cover any penalties or fees to resolve the issue. 

As for benefits tools, the platform is an excellent licensed health insurance broker and can help you select the right plans in all 50 states. I noticed some well-known names, such as Vestwell and Guideline, listed as OnPay's 401(k) providers if you need retirement benefits for your employees.

OnPay's HR features include e-signature, offer letter sending, customizable checklists, PTO management, and self-onboarding.. While this is a great pick for very small businesses, I wouldn’t recommend OnPay for companies with more than 100 employees. It will likely become too labor-intensive to maintain — even if they do market themselves as being able to manage more than 500 employees.

Rippling is a popular human capital management (HCM) system that helps SMBs manage HR and IT processes in a single platform.

Rippling focuses heavily on automation tools to free HR teams from repetitive manual tasks, such as self-service onboarding and benefits enrollment. Using simple if-then statements, I can build surprisingly complex workflows, from adding non-discretionary bonuses to employee paychecks once they satisfy the necessary criteria to sending task reminders through Slack.

I even built my own workers' compensation (WC) injury workflow that sends WC tasks to an injured employee's direct manager when I enter an injury date in the employee’s profile.

While I have yet to test it, Rippling now offers tools to build your own internal app using Rippling data and automated workflows so that you can create even more individualized processes. The company also plans to release tools to make custom integrations for even more powerful data flow between applications.

This kind of customization, alongside support for increasingly complex HR needs such as global payroll, headcount planning, and employee travel management, makes Rippling the best option for fast-growing companies. All of Rippling's products operate on the same platform, meaning you retain access to your employee data regardless of whether you grow, shrink, add new locations, or acquire new ones.

UKG is the result of a merger between Ultimate Software and Kronos Incorporated. It offers two HR technology solutions: UKG Pro and UKG Ready. Here, I focus on UKG Ready, which is geared toward growing midsize businesses.

UKG is best for process-heavy HR teams that want the ability to personalize how they get HR work done. UKG accommodates different working styles by enabling complex processes that other HR platforms with predetermined workflows cannot support, such as accident reporting or succession plans. This adaptability, coupled with the reliable support from the UKG Community, is the characteristic that impressed me the most.

Speaking of, the UKG Community feature offers a massive repository of information and insights drawn from the questions and answers of other users. It also allows users to seek assistance and interact with other current platform users— extremely handy when you want to learn new capabilities or troubleshoot issues without contacting customer support.

Admin users will appreciate the fine-grained control over user access, which strengthens data security through permissions for different individuals and user groups.

Yet UKG’s high configurability and option-saturated screens make it challenging to set up properly, especially if you're migrating data and workflows to the platform. I don't recommend UKG as your first HR software solution, as new users will find it exceedingly complex. But if you're growing and need varying workflows and data reports to support multiple entities, locations, or worker types, UKG is a great option.

HiBob is an interesting contender in the HR software space. Its philosophy is to put the employee first, and you can see that in how easy its HR platform, Bob, is to use. For example, I can send "kudos" to staff directly from Bob's homepage. Bob’s default settings also let employees customize their public profiles to showcase their gender pronouns, hobbies, and "superpowers."

But one of my favorite features, which I haven't seen any other HR software system emulate, is the “Club View” function on organization charts. With it, I can sort employees by their hobbies or interests, making it easier to connect with like-minded peers. This is great for global or remote teams where direct engagement with coworkers is challenging.

Forward-thinking HR departments interested in improving employee experience will like Bob. It offers essential tools, including onboarding, time-tracking, payroll, time-off management, surveys, benefits administration, and performance management.

BambooHR has made it to my shortlist for many years for its simple interface, modules that support the entire employee lifecycle, and easy-to-build HR workflows.

Aside from core HR functions like an applicant tracking system (ATS), leave management, employee records, and a company calendar, they also have performance management, benefits administration, and payroll available as add-ons. But what I particularly like about BambooHR is that it continues to innovate on these core HR functions while keeping its SMB user base in mind.

For example, within the last year, it underwent a major interface overhaul with the addition of a left-side navigation menu, similar to other HR platforms like Rippling and Gusto. This makes it even easier for new users to learn the platform as it mimics popular social media platforms — especially helpful if you struggle with platform adoption among your employees.

They also added a new AI assistant, EOR services, and compensation benchmarking in 2025. While I like the new AI assistant for quick access to data and policy insights with source citations, BambooHR's in-app HR benchmarks are particularly exciting and a novelty for small-business-focused HR platforms.

With them, I can compare compensation, turnover, and eNPS against peers by company size, industry, and location. This helps me make strategic decisions like addressing pay equity gaps or improving onboarding when turnover spikes, without relying on third-party sources like SHRM or the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Only ADP in my shortlist offers similar benchmarking capabilities.

But BambooHR does have its flaws. For one, its benchmarks are based on the anonymized data of its 34,000+ customers, a far cry from ADP's more than 1.1 million customers, making them less accurate overall.

For another, creating your own workflows, such as new hire onboarding, continues to use a guided walkthrough. This is perfect for HR software newbies but can be frustrating for companies that want more advanced customization, like initiating tasks through integrated apps like Slack. If you need that workflow configurability, look to Rippling or monday.com instead.

Sana is one of the most forward-thinking LMS platforms we've tested—engineered from the ground up as an AI-native learning system. During our in-depth demo, we found Sana far more than just an LMS: it’s a hybrid of an authoring tool, LXP, virtual classroom, and generative AI engine, all in one.

What stood out immediately was Sana’s user-centric, consumer-grade interface. Learners are greeted with a personalized homepage featuring course recommendations, adaptive skill paths, and access to upcoming live sessions. Admins, meanwhile, can automate workflows, build custom dashboards with natural language queries, and assign content to smart groups driven by HRIS data.

Creating content in Sana feels almost like using Figma for learning. Courses can be built collaboratively with drag-and-drop blocks, pre-built templates, and interactive cards. The platform’s AI features help you generate full course outlines from PDFs, translate entire courses instantly (via DeepL), or even rewrite and summarize content mid-flow. The AI tutor—one of the platform’s signature features—provides learners with real-time answers, feedback, and personalized learning suggestions, behaving much like a GPT-powered coach.

For organizations running live learning, Sana’s integrated virtual classroom is equally impressive. It allows polls, flip cards, breakout rooms, and collaborative notepads—without ever leaving the LMS. Sessions are auto-transcribed, and AI-generated recaps and action plans make the learning stick long after class ends.

Sana also offers an AI-powered analytics dashboard where admins can track program effectiveness or even ask open questions like “Which managers have the lowest course completion rates for GDPR?” to get instant, interactive visualizations via chat.

That said, Sana’s product is still relatively new compared to long-standing players, and it lacks a native mobile app or advanced gamification features that some orgs may rely on. But for teams ready to embrace an AI-first approach to learning, Sana is arguably one of the most compelling all-in-one LMS we’ve seen in years.

Disco sets itself apart as an AI-powered LMS that dramatically reduces the time and effort required to build and scale modern learning programs. Its AI Program Generator can create a full curriculum in minutes, complete with learning outcomes, modules, and suggested content. This can be a massive productivity boost compared to traditional LMS tools, yet you can upload your own materials and bypass AI-generated content if desired.

Their AI Program Generator is an optional accelerator, but it doesn’t limit your ability to manually create or customize courses. We found this feature particularly impressive during our on-demand demo, where even complex training scenarios could be rapidly outlined and customized by role, region, or objective.

Another standout AI capability is AskAI, a conversational learning assistant that acts as an always-on coach for learners. It can leverage company knowledge, lessons, and resources to deliver contextual, 24/7 support. This feature is designed to reduce the administrative burden while enhancing learner outcomes.

While its AI capabilities make Disco one of the most forward-thinking LMS platforms we’ve tested, the product also brings strong community and collaboration features that many LMS platforms lack. Similar to a platform like Circle, Disco’s social tools (discussion channels, live events, messaging, and networking boards) help learners stay connected and engaged. This is particularly useful for cohort-based training, external academies, or programs where peer learning drives better outcomes.

From a usability standpoint, we found Disco’s interface sleek, modern, and intuitive. We liked how seamlessly we could move between courses, forums, and events without feeling overwhelmed by options. That said, the same ease of use isn’t always echoed on the admin side.

Disco continues to evolve rapidly, with new capabilities being introduced regularly. While its rapid pace of innovation is a strength, it can occasionally lead to friction as features are refined and integrated. The team has done an impressive job managing growth so far, and the platform has matured significantly over the past year; however, some users have experienced confusion as new capabilities are rolled out.

All in all, however, the product is headed in an exciting direction, and we believe Disco is one of the most innovative companies in the LMS space right now.

Deel’s LMS is part of its broader Deel Engage platform and reflects the company’s goal to be more than just a global payroll provider. From our review, it’s clear the learning module focuses on making upskilling intuitive and deeply tied to performance and career progression.

We had a delightful time testing the AI-powered course builder, which enabled us to create structured learning journeys with just a few inputs, such as role, level, and topic. You can manually build courses as well, but the AI suggestions were relevant and saved time. From there, admins can embed quizzes, videos, documents, and other media into each module, offering plenty of flexibility for in-house enablement.

Another thing we like about this tool is its automation capabilities. Learning journeys can be automatically assigned based on job title, skill gaps, or triggers from a performance review. For example, if someone receives a low teamwork rating, the system can prompt them to enroll in a related soft-skills course. Pretty cool, isn’t it?

The learning management system is also highly connected to Deel’s other HR functions, which can be viewed as both a strength and a drawback. Because the tool is built into Deel Engage, it ties learning directly into broader talent workflows without requiring yet another system, and thus, its value skyrockets for companies already using Deel for payroll, performance, or HR. At the same time, this consolidated approach is definitely not ideal if a standalone LMS functionality is what you’re aiming at.

Compared to platforms like Absorb, which offer e-commerce tools for selling courses or social learning via leaderboards, Deel is more focused on internal enablement and performance alignment, and as a result, it lacks these features. Additionally, when it comes to gamification, this option is rather underwhelming, with no built-in function for learner networking and quizzes being the sole gamification option available.

Seismic (formerly Lessonly) allows teams from L&D to Sales to create and deploy effective learning materials, helping new employees ramp up faster through consistent training and enabling existing employees to stay aligned with best practices. The platform is highly intuitive, with a clean interface that makes it easy to navigate. Advanced features like an open API and webhooks are particularly appealing for teams that want deeper integration with their existing technologies.

During our demo, we were impressed by the platform’s ability to handle complex training needs while maintaining a user-friendly experience. The course authoring tools are robust, allowing for the creation of interactive and engaging content. The inclusion of SCORM support ensures compatibility with a wide range of e-learning content.

One area where Seismic could improve is in its analytics capabilities. While the platform offers basic reporting, some users on G2 have noted that more advanced analytics would be beneficial for tracking learner progress and engagement over time.

Overall, Seismic is a strong choice for companies of all sizes, particularly those with distributed teams. Its combination of ease of use, advanced integration options, and strong customer support makes it a reliable LMS solution.

Workleap LMS offers a solid, flexible platform for creating and managing corporate training.

Creating a course in Workleap LMS was straightforward. We could start from scratch, use pre-designed templates, or tinker with the Course Outline Generator powered by Workleap AI. This made it easy to get started, and the flexibility allowed us to tailor courses to meet specific training needs without getting stuck in the technical weeds.

Regarding supported content formats, there are plenty, ranging from rich text lessons and quizzes to virtual classrooms and webinars. A highlight for us was the video compression feature, which made video uploads fast and convenient, especially helpful when dealing with larger files.

Workleap LMS offers a requalification feature that we found highly effective. Setting automatic reminders for learners to redo courses at defined intervals ensured everyone stayed compliant without the need for manual tracking. This feature was simple to set up. We trust those in industries requiring regular recertifications will love the assurance this feature provides to keep their employees updated on mandatory training.

We also liked the learning paths, which enable a curated sequence of courses or activities to guide learners through specific learning goals. Setting up these paths was simple, and enrollments could be automated based on team structures. We tested the automation feature, and it worked nicely—new members were automatically added to relevant learning paths, reducing the manual effort needed to manage training at scale.

Workleap LMS’s credit system is a nice touch for organizations wanting to incentivize training. Credits are automatically displayed on completion certificates and on course presentation cards. As an administrator, we found it easy to track each learner’s progress, including the credits they earned, via a summary under their user profile. Imagine combining this feature with an employee recognition program: what a way to keep employees motivated and engaged with their development!

All that said, we can’t help but feel disappointed with the LMS’s integration capabilities. It relies heavily on Zapier for integrations, and as you might have noticed, most of these integrations focus on business and team collaboration fronts. As a result, we could find very few HR integrations.

Though there’s a free trial, Workleap LMS doesn’t provide a monthly billing option, and its price point is quite steep—starting at $1,800 per year. We hope the vendor introduces a mobile app soon, too, since many of its competitors already have one, and it would make the employee experience so much more convenient.

While other learning management systems we feature in this guide also offer user-friendly interfaces, Kallidus impressed us with its no-brainer design. Navigating the LMS felt just like when we were on social media platforms like Instagram and X—approachable and straightforward. During our tests, as learners, we could find courses using the predictive search bar, while switching to the manager view gave us visibility to team and individual progress.

The AI recommender was another selling point of this tool. By analyzing roles, seniority, and peer activity, this engine suggested courses relevant to each employee. 

For instance, logging in as junior team members, we were recommended foundational compliance training like GDPR. Meanwhile, when logged in as managers, the platform prompted leadership and team management training. This level of personalization gives Kallidus a competitive edge over systems like TalentLMS, which lean more on the manual approach.

We also appreciated the flexibility in creating custom learning pathways. One onboarding program we built allowed employees to choose between video tutorials and written guides, whichever suits them better. Plus, the platform’s ability to set prerequisites ensured a structured progression through training. For example, new hires had to complete a workplace harassment module before unlocking safety training. Compared to Absorb LMS, which has similar features, Kallidus felt more intuitive in handling such workflows.

If pricing is a concern for your organization, however, Kallidus may not be your best choice. While our tests confirmed that its robust features justify the expense for large enterprises, small to mid-sized businesses with budget constraints may find greater value in competitors like TalentLMS or Bitrix24, which offer lower-cost and even free plans.

Another thing to bear in mind is the integration setup and potential extra costs. While Kallidus supports a wide range of integrations through APIs or SFTP, these sometimes require additional development work and fees.

Lastly, while the AI-powered recommendation engine was good, we felt it could go further in identifying workforce skills gaps and tailoring learning paths to address them. Given that 6 in 10 workers need training before 2027, such functionality would be invaluable for skill-first enterprises, we’d imagine.

Throughout our testing, Connecteam has proven it has what it takes to be among the top options in the market.

First is for its ease of use. In addition to a clean dashboard, Connecteam's layout and features make it easy for both employers and employees to get around. When you put a course together with the platform, for example, you can make it more interesting by combining different types of content, from images to audio, video, quizzes, and surveys. You can create as many courses as you want, split each into smaller, bite-sized chunks, and even group them into different categories.

As an employee user, you have the freedom to access courses and keep tabs on your learning progress right on your phone using Connecteam’s mobile app. You can also give feedback on the course through survey questions and stay up to date with new training materials and work procedures via in-app notifications.

Reporting is another feature we love. Since all of Connecteam’s stats are searchable and filterable, you can easily filter out employees who haven't started the training and send them a quick reminder message. So convenient, isn’t it?

Unfortunately, Connecteam falls short when it comes to integrations. The LMS can natively connect with very few payroll tools, while its API is only for the priciest plan.

Instead of acting as a marketplace for educational content, the platform focuses on helping employers design their own employee training programs. This approach may not sit well with those expecting a LinkedIn-like LMS where they can browse and pick ready-made courses for their workforce.

Continu’s LMS packs a host of tools covering the entire training lifecycle, from content creation to engagement tracking. At its core, you’ll find a course builder that’s quite user-friendly. Through it, you can create multi-module Learning Tracks comprising various content types – articles, videos, quizzes, and more. The built-in media uploader and document manager make it easy to incorporate rich multimedia and reference materials directly within your courses.

What truly sets Continu apart is its focus on facilitating engaging, personalized learning journeys. The platform's Smart Segmentation capabilities allow you to tailor content delivery based on learner attributes like department or location. There are automated workflows as well to ensure the right training reaches the right people at the right time - this particularly comes in handy for tasks like new hire onboarding and compliance recertification.

Continu also shines when it comes to virtual and in-person training administration. The virtual classroom integration lets you automate tasks like attendance tracking, pre-work assignments, and post-session follow-ups. As your learners progress, you can put the built-in tracking and reporting features to use and measure the success of your initiatives. The real-time dashboards offer insights into engagement metrics, while the customizable reports allow you to analyze performance across teams or departments.

Finally, we love LMSs that take recognition into account and found that to be the case with Continu. You can customize badges and award them for the completion of various milestones, which helps motivate learners and reinforce positive behaviors.

Absorb’s LMS is robust, feature-rich, and easy to use. One of its key benefits is the ability to create personalized learner experiences. Administrators can customize the look and feel of the LMS right from the log-in screen and leverage course recommendations to reflect the specific experience they want for their learners. Whether you're training employees, partners, or customers, there’s enough flexibility to support all those use cases. 

Courses are quite engaging with knowledge checks, quizzes, and multi-format content. Absorb also taps into the power of social learning through learner profiles, ratings, leaderboards, and the ability to share accomplishments. This facilitates interaction between learners and fuels friendly competition, boosting engagement further. 

There are lots of neat features designed to save course creators a great deal of time such as automatic video translation and transcription. Additionally, Absorb provides a streamlined ecommerce solution for creators who want to market and sell online courses. You can customize course descriptions, create discounted bundles, distribute coupon codes, and intelligently target pricing. Combined with robust reporting and automation features for administrators, Absorb can help you efficiently deliver, track, and sell training.

Finally, Absorb integrates artificial intelligence to refine search results, drive higher content engagement, and simplify admin tasks - saving time and improving the learner experience. With its strong social capabilities, ecommerce functionalities, and AI-powered platform, Absorb’s LMS is an ideal solution for learner engagement, extended enterprise training, and optimized administration.

SafetyCulture packs a full-featured employee training solution within their inspection platform. This solution is optimized for hourly and frontline teams, aiming to make microlearning lessons engaging and accessible on any device.

We appreciate how SafetyCulture can be used for free by teams of up to 10 users. The system is also scalable, so you can carry it with you as your company grows. We also like how course creation is made relatively straightforward with the help of templates, easy media uploads, and more.

Training content takes a modern microlearning format - short, focused lessons so they are easy to digest for deskless teams. Managers can administer and track training, as well as view insights on several metrics and compliance rates.

For organizations requiring an affordable training platform for distributed frontline staff, SafetyCulture is a strong fit with its free tier, deskless worker-focused features, and tools to easily create and deliver interactive training.

Eloomi streamlines the training process both for your new hires and existing employees. You can use the platform’s pre-built content and templates or build your own training from scratch. You can also inject other content delivery formats such as quizzes, images, and videos, into your training materials to make the learning experience more interactive and fun. Learning sessions can be automatically assigned to your employees according to their roles and you can track the progress of each employee’s learning journey and evaluate their skills.

We’ve been testing and tracking Greenhouse since 2019, and with each new demo, one thing stays consistent: structure is at the core of everything it does, and that’s a good thing if you’re running a high-volume, high-stakes hiring operation.

During our most recent walkthrough, we were reminded why so many mid-sized and enterprise talent teams rely on this platform. The system doesn’t just let you post jobs and track applicants. It encourages alignment upfront, and that’s often a game-changer. Before a single interview is booked, recruiters and hiring managers can collaborate on structured scorecards, interview kits, and approval workflows that define exactly what success looks like for a role. In one test, we used a job template for a sales manager opening. Within minutes, we had a tailored interview flow that made it simple to assign the right questions to each interviewer, removing the guesswork from candidate evaluation.

The automation features are where the time savings really kick in. We enabled a rule to automatically send scheduling links when a candidate cleared the screening stage, and sure enough, Greenhouse fired off a branded email within seconds. The self-scheduling tool synced with our test calendar and completely removed the usual back-and-forth. This alone could save hours for busy recruiting teams.

Greenhouse took its time rolling out AI, and it shows. The resume filtering tool isn’t flashy, but it’s accurate. When we uploaded a batch of mixed-quality resumes, the system surfaced qualified candidates with precision, thanks to keyword and skill matching. The AI assistant helped us clean up disjointed interviewer notes, rephrasing them into clear, structured feedback. Additionally, email campaigns can now be auto-personalized using candidate profile data, which makes re-engagement easier at scale.

Reporting used to be one of Greenhouse’s weak points, but that’s changed. We built a dashboard for a TA leader showing conversion rates from screening to offer, then created a second for executives with DEI and time-to-hire data by department. Both took less than 15 minutes to customize. You can even pin reports to your home screen, which is a small detail, but we appreciated not having to dig through menus every time.

That said, Greenhouse’s pricing isn’t published, and based on what we’ve seen, this platform lands has been firmly in the premium category. More importantly, many of its strengths, like automation rules and reporting, require clearly defined processes to unlock real value. For early-stage startups or teams still figuring things out, the configuration alone can feel overwhelming.

It’s also worth noting that Greenhouse is an ATS and not a full-funnel recruitment suite. If you’re expecting native multi-channel sourcing, video interviewing, or candidate assessments, you’ll likely be disappointed. To bridge these gaps, third-party integrations are necessary, and this vendor offers such options nicely.

Last but not least, Greenhouse is built for internal talent teams, not staffing agencies. While it technically allows collaboration with external recruiters, the experience is far from ideal. If you try simulating an external partner workflow, you’ll see that there’s no direct access to candidate pipelines, and the ability to interact with feedback is pretty basic.

Bucketlist’s rewards and incentives platform has an extensive list of features you’d need to boost employee satisfaction, engagement, and retention. For starters, it features a comprehensive catalog of over 2,500 rewards employees can choose from, many of which are unique experiences. Reward fulfillment is fairly simple, with no markup on rewards.

The UI was easy to navigate in our testing. It was also simple to create different competitions which can be tied to sales goals, community service hours, or any important metric. The progress team members make can be tracked on a leaderboard, and winning members or teams receive the incentives you’ve previously defined. There are also detailed analytics and reports that give you plenty of insight into which incentives or awards resonate most with your employees.

On top of its robust features, Bucketlist also offers dedicated support to optimize your setup and training for all users. The implementation process is quick and easy with seamless integrations with platforms your team already uses like G-Suite and Office 365.

Despite the platform’s promise of variety, we found the available rewards centered around experiences notably limited compared to the breadth of cash and gift card options. We also heard feedback that features like shoutouts, token distribution, and goal setup could feel clunky or unintuitive. Finally, while the platform generally handles redemptions well, we experienced some delays in redeeming bucket points.

While many rewards platforms focus on gamification or catalog size, Cooleaf takes a more strategic approach. It allows global organizations to design rewards programs that reflect their culture, reinforce key behaviors, and scale across distributed teams. In our demos, we’ve been particularly impressed with how rewards could be tied to performance metrics, participation in surveys, and learning and development initiatives.

Cooleaf also supports a range of flexible program structures— from automated milestone incentives to nomination-based awards that include multi-layer approvals. This makes it suitable for both ongoing incentives and more formal recognition moments.

On the fulfillment side, Cooleaf handles physical and digital reward logistics internally, which is a major plus for global teams. Whether it’s branded swag, gift cards, or high-value rewards, the company ships worldwide without the need for third-party coordination. Employees chan choose from 700+ brands, which provide access to thousands of rewards in the US and across the world.

Another area where Cooleaf stands out is analytics. HR leaders can view reward redemption trends by team, geography, and department, helping them understand what's resonating with employees and where incentives may be falling flat.

The platform isn’t designed for small companies—Cooleaf’s reward and recognition strategy, admin controls, and depth of configuration are geared toward enterprises with at least 2,000 employees. And while it doesn’t offer a free trial, their implementation support includes guided rollout, custom configuration, and post-launch check-ins to ensure success.

However, in our time with the employee rewards program, we noticed that the enterprise-grade design, including advanced admin controls and extensive configuration options, can feel like overkill for smaller companies, especially those with fewer than 500 employees. According to some users we interviewed, initial setup of custom workflows seems to also require significant onboarding support, which is definitely not a cup of tea for smaller or less resourced HR teams.

Another aspect that strengthens our belief that Cooleaf won't be a good fit for lean teams is its pricing structure. Unlike Matter and Connecteam, the platform neither discloses pricing nor offers a free trial/plan.

Workstars can help you deliver an exceptional employee experience with its global flexibility, seamless integrations, actionable insights, and strong security. Through the platform, you can access an online catalog of rewards and prepaid cards to incentivize employees, locally or globally. In our testing, we were quite impressed by how the platform let us add and change languages, countries, currencies, and cost of living adjustments without extra fees. It’s got a level of flexibility we’ve not seen on other platforms.

We are also fans of Workstars’ analytics capabilities, giving users valuable insights into workforce engagement trends, undercover achievers, and corporate value effectiveness. It also provides the reports you need for finance, IT security audits, and more.

Workstars also integrates with popular tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Salesforce, and prioritizes security, with robust protocols around data storage, GDPR compliance, and penetration testing. To top it all off, the platform is fully responsive on mobile devices, ensuring employees can access Workstars anywhere.

Still, we wish Workstars offered pre-built HRMS integrations just like most of its peers. In order to connect the employee rewards program with your existing HR tech stacks, you must have to resort to XML or CSV uploads, or invest engineering resources into building out API connections. Similar to Guusto and Nectar, this vendor also don’t offer a free trial.