10+ Best HCM Software To Manage Your HR Needs in One Place (2025)

• Their customer service is quick and easy to reach.
• You can integrate modules and customize them according to the company's needs.
• The payroll module integrates with the workforce time management module, allowing employees to clock in and out and generating reports for payments.
• They keep you informed about changes in federal and state employee laws, especially those related to taxes and changes that may affect your company's payroll.

We are a growing company and can no longer manage payroll manually. In 2020, we started using Paylocity. It has greatly improved the time it takes to process payroll and the accuracy of the payments, particularly for our hourly employees. Additionally, our onboarding was done manually. We spent a lot of time sending emails, attaching documents, and transcribing applicants' information into our system. This task could take a full day and did not allow the HR team to focus on other tasks.

To address this problem, the company decided to purchase the onboarding module. It helped us automate the process and save time. Now, on one platform, employees can authenticate, sign, and submit documents, as well as input their information. This has reduced the need for printing and handling physical documents. I have used Paylocity for the past four years, and I believe it is an excellent tool worth the investment.

• The platform is challenging to navigate.
• You still need to add information manually to the payroll, such as holiday pay.
• The employee clock-in and clock-out system sometimes freezes or stops working without reason, requiring a reinstallation of the app.

I have worked with several tools, most of which are similar, but the workforce time management module stands out. It effectively tracks employee hours worked daily and is simple to use. It also integrates seamlessly with the payroll module, offering an advantage that no other HR system provides.

If you are looking for an efficient HR system that you can customize according to the organization's needs, Paylocity is a great tool. Also, if you are looking for payroll software but know that you will need performance appraisal or another HR process in the future, Paylocity allows you to acquire and integrate more modules.

Paylocity continuously changes to offer a better experience to its customers, especially HR departments. When I started working with them, some processes were still manual, but over time, they improved and automated these processes, saving us time that we can now invest in other tasks.

Paylocity is a valuable tool for companies with hourly workers as it allows for easy tracking and control of their time.

• BambooHR is highly user-friendly, making it easy for organizations to integrate into their processes.
• It offers customizable fields and charts, allowing organizations to tailor the system to their needs.
• The platform receives frequent updates based on client feedback, continually improving the user experience.

I used BambooHR in my previous organization, which chose to purchase it for its user-friendly design. The company needed an HR management system that could centralize all employee information while also supporting performance reviews and document storage.

BambooHR provided these features while maintaining a simple and intuitive interface. The platform allowed HR teams to manage employee data efficiently without the complexity of more advanced systems.

• While some customization options are available, they are relatively basic.
• The performance review module only allows customization of questions but lacks options for adding charts or more detailed evaluations.
• The cost can be high, especially when considering add-ons, making it less accessible for smaller companies.
• Larger companies often require more customization, and while BambooHR may be more cost-effective, its limitations can be restrictive.
• The system is more payroll-focused, which may be unnecessary for organizations looking only for HR management features.

BambooHR is more affordable and easier to use than competitors like Paycom, Rippling, and ADP. While those systems offer more robust features, they are also more complex to set up and navigate. BambooHR’s simplicity makes it a strong choice for organizations that prioritize ease of use over advanced functionality.

A company should consider cost and, based on its budget, determine which system best fits its needs. Customer support is another critical factor, as implementing a new system comes with a learning curve, making reliable support essential, particularly in the first 6–12 months.

Additionally, organizations should assess which modules they need most and how well those features integrate to ensure accurate and efficient data management.

BambooHR has added more customization features over time to better meet user needs.

Small to medium-sized organizations can benefit from BambooHR.

The hiring process was transparent and straightforward. I found Rippling's dashboard particularly helpful and user-friendly. The onboarding process became significantly easier, and the smooth integration between the systems was a major advantage.

I was working with a start-up where everything related to resume management, onboarding, and offboarding was done manually. Payroll was managed through QuickBooks.

Rippling was introduced because there were plans to expand the workforce, creating a need for a system that could streamline and organize processes efficiently without consuming too much time.

Rippling proved useful as it offered both an applicant tracking system (ATS) and tools for onboarding and offboarding. It also includes payroll options that can be leveraged in the future.

I felt that the customer service could be improved. The pricing was a bit high for our budget, but the company went ahead with the purchase based on positive reviews. After implementation, we realized that the payroll system might not be the best option for our future needs.

The company chose Rippling because of its positive reviews. I would prefer a system that includes an integrated payroll system in the future so everything can be managed in one place.

It is important to plan how the company will use the system in advance. Pricing should also be carefully considered, especially if expansion plans are uncertain, as was the case with the company I worked for.

I haven’t used it long enough to observe any evolution. It appeared to be the same during my time using it.

This tool is ideal for companies transitioning from manual processes in recruitment and onboarding to automation. I am unsure about its suitability for other features or use cases.

• It is easy to use, with a simple interface that even less tech-savvy users can navigate.
• It offers customizable access levels, allowing employees to have only the permissions they need, such as viewing W-2s or punching in and out.
• It consolidates all HR needs in one platform, including payroll, recruiting, and document management, eliminating the need for multiple programs.

When I joined the nonprofit organization, Paycor was the HR tool in use. This nonprofit had five umbrella companies and needed an HR tool that could support each one effectively, and Paycor met all those requirements. I initially started using Paycor as an employee with limited access for a year.

After being promoted to an admin role, I was introduced to more advanced tools that Paycor offered, which I utilized for about three and a half years. Paycor was particularly beneficial because it provided features like payroll management, time tracking (clocking in and out, requesting and managing time off), and employee status monitoring.

It also supported recruiting by allowing administrators and HR to coordinate, review applicants, schedule interviews, and manage candidate paperwork such as resumes and background checks.

Additionally, it streamlined job postings and editing job descriptions. Employees could access newsletters, W-2s, and pay stubs virtually, reducing the need for physical copies and supporting efficient banking processes.

• Access management can be slow; I have to rely on the HR team to update permissions for departing employees, which can take weeks.
• There are occasional glitches during updates that either reset access levels or result in data loss.
• The app for clocking in and out sometimes fails to sync properly, requiring users to log in on a computer to ensure times are correctly recorded.

My current company's tool is overly complicated, with a cluttered homepage that makes navigation difficult. Paycor, on the other hand, keeps the homepage simple and intuitive, making it easy to request time off or enter hours. While the app has occasional glitches, the desktop interface is user-friendly and reliable.

Organizations should consider their size and specific needs. A smaller organization might not require all of Paycor’s features, such as recruiting tools, while larger companies can benefit from its robust capabilities, including the ability for administrators and HR to collaborate effectively.

Buyers should also assess how much access they want to provide to leadership teams and what tools they expect employees to use frequently.

Over the three and a half years I’ve used Paycor, it has resolved many glitches and released updates to improve functionality. While I’ve adapted to the platform and learned to use it more effectively, there are still features I haven’t explored due to time constraints.

Paycor has been proactive in providing updates and instructional materials to help users get the most out of its tools.

Paycor is suitable for any organization, whether nonprofit or for-profit, small or large. For example, the nonprofit I worked for served over 500 people, and Paycor was a great fit due to its comprehensive features. The tool's versatility allows organizations to tailor its use based on their specific needs.

I loved that the platform reached our global audience and that our employees could manage their own data in the system. I also liked the reporting functions and how easy it was to make benefit changes in the system from an administrative view.

We chose Ceridian because it was one of the only systems that had the global support we needed. We needed a robust system that would allow our employees to manage their data in the US, EMEA, Canada and Mexico, as well as hone into reporting functions easily for our COE. I used Ceridian for almost 4 years, managing benefits, reporting, and employee data. I trained my team how to use it, so they could emulate this training at their respective locations.

Ceridian is not the most user-friendly interface. It is not impossible to use, but for anyone who struggles with tech, it can be a challenge. Companies with large populations may also find it easy to get analysis paralysis, as all of the reports can be overwhelming and hard to sort through. Lastly, it only gets easier with practice, so if you are not on this platform often it will not get easier to navigate. One truly must familiarize themselves with it in order to understand how to navigate it.

What sets Ceridian apart is its global capability and reporting functionality. I have yet to come across another platform that can store the amount of data this can and pull it together in the same way Ceridian can.

The size and location of their organization/employees, data analytics, user interface and price.

I think they are trying to make a dashboard more user-friendly but otherwise, I think they know their strength and lean into that.

Large global organizations

There were several things I appreciated about Oracle. One attribute I appreciated was the simplicity of display on each page. There was not too much to sort through on each page that would distract or confuse me about what I needed to review or change. Another aspect I appreciated was the processing of transactions. The forms were simple, so processing was simple, and transactions would very rarely get "stuck" waiting on a particular user's approval the way it was implemented in our company. Lastly, I appreciate how the system would load quickly, and rarely was the system down, disrupting or delaying HR processes that needed to happen in a timely manner.

I worked for a Fortune 500 company that purchased Oracle PeopleSoft for their HCM software. I had used it for approximately seven years during my time there as the HRIS/HRMS system. My company purchased Oracle PeopleSoft with the intention to manage all People transactions, from pay, transfers, and all job-related information, in a timely and efficient manner. When you are managing tens of thousands of employees' data quality, ease of use and efficiency are key. The benefit of this system was having most of our employee data in one place for HR to manage employee information for the duration of the employee lifecycle.

There were a few things I disliked about the version of Oracle we had. It was limited to HR professionals to make changes to employees. For example, if HR was on training or vacation, managers were unable to make changes such as temporary upgrades or transfers. A second limiting factor was the lack of help tests. Without someone training you, you might not know how to navigate to the correct form you need. Lastly, Oracle seemed limited in its configurability options, so we had to use outside systems to manage all our HR processes (such as performance management ATS (recruiting)).

Oracle seems pretty antiquated to me and lags a bit behind the competition. While most HCM software is constantly evolving, the version of Oracle I used seemed to be a bit behind the competition. If I were deciding between various HCM systems, I would certainly add Oracle to my list to consider and compare for my needs, but I'm not sure it would make it to the top of the list for what we need.

There are a lot of criteria people should think about when purchasing human capital software. Cost, features, useability, tech support, and configurability are at the top of mind when considering unique business needs.

During the seven years I used Oracle at my company, I did not see much evolution. It remained pretty stable and served its purpose for that time.

I would say Oracle is a good fit for mid-sized organizations that are pretty stable (not in a high growth stage) and don't need a lot of customer support or configuration.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It makes training compliance much easier for us. It is good for large enterprise environments. It is highly customizable.

My organization bought SAP-Success Factors to use as an LMS tool. We've been using it for about 4 years. Prior to using SAP-Success Factors, getting our large pool of employees to complete mandatory training was difficult. Now we can create our own training content and manage its delivery much more easily. It also allows us to track compliance on training more easily.

It can be difficult to get the support we need from our SAP representative quickly. It is so customizable that it can be difficult to predict the effect of small changes to the software. The integration with reporting can be slow.

Success Factors is very robust and highly customizable, and that differentiates them from competitors.

You should consider the cost, and it can be prohibitive for smaller organizations. It is also so customizable that you will need someone on staff to become an expert to really use it to its fullest. It's also good to consider if you actually need a product this customizable or whether something more plug-and-play would work better for you.

We are constantly meeting with our SAP rep to tweak our setup. They are willing to work with us on this, but it is sometimes a lengthy process.

Success Factors is great for a large enterprise-level organization that needs highly customizable software.

Honestly, I do not like UKG, but these are 3 pros:

1. The org chart is nice to be able to see who each person reports to (although only HR is able to see it)
2. The HR checklist tasks are useful to keep track of tasks.
3. The ability to filter reports before exporting is useful.

Our organization bought UKG to replace our old HRIS. We previously were with BambooHR but moved to UKG so that we could move payroll internally. We have been using the tool for one year. This tool provides the bare minimum needed for an HRIS as we have the basic version. We have used the tool for one year, but we are already looking for a new HRIS to move to because we have had a very bad experience with both the tool and customer support. I personally use the tool daily to run reports and review the organization chart.

1. Pulling reports is so complicated. It is not streamlined at all.
2.  When conducting payroll, we get LOTS of error flags that we have to go through (and by LOTS I mean 75-100)
3. The org chart is only accessible by the HR dept.
4. It is just not user-friendly. I often have to hold the hands of our employees to show them how to submit a PTO request, change their personal info, etc.

This tool is much worse than similar tools in my opinion. The reason we switched was so that we could have an internal payroll solution, but after just 1 year we are already looking for a different tool.

The first criteria people should consider is whether the tool meets all of their requirements. That is the reason we switched to UKG because our old system did not meet our new requirements. Next, people should consider whether it has add-ons that support their business. We are looking for a system that has a built-in performance management solution, as well as L&D functions.

No. The customer support has not been helpful to us.

Small companies that want to do internal payroll but do not need all of the bells and whistles (and who do not mind spending a lot of time on payroll and pulling reports). I do not recommend the tool.

I liked Sage People because of the simplicity of managing time card data. It is a very user-friendly system for beginners to learn and navigate. The seamless connectivity with our accounting software was also a major plus.

We acquired Sage People long before I was employed, so I can’t speak to the specific issues that needed to be solved before deciding to use it. We were previously happy with Sage 100 as our primary finance management service, which is how we came to learn about Sage People. I believe a primary reason for adopting it was to reduce paper consumption. We had previously tracked everything in employee folders, which grew beyond our storage capacity. I'm also sure it was intended to make it easier to manage a growing business with a rapidly increasing employee population.

Sage People felt a little dated for our growing business, not allowing for much customization in reporting. There was no employee self-service function, which required our HR department to handle all issues related to timekeeping, PTO, and many other things. We felt like we were outgrowing Sage People and ultimately looked for something that allowed us to manage talent digitally, including training, performance discussions, and employee reviews.

Sage People was a basic and cost-friendly alternative to many other HRIS systems on the market. For those that don’t need many plug-ins, it is a wonderful tool.

When looking to buy Sage People, the primary considerations should be how many functions you are looking for in an HRIS system. For companies that primarily need help with recruiting and talent acquisition, Sage People may not be ideal, as it has limited compatibility with other programs we use often for recruiting. Consider the size of your business as well—Sage People is well-suited for a mid-sized business with around 200-1,000 employees.

Sage People has definitely improved the user-friendliness of its interface and added some functionality that most HR departments look for in an HRIS.

I think Sage People is useful for small corporate offices or organizations managing a small workforce of labor-intensive personnel.