11 Best HRMS Software Solutions in 2025

• Operational efficiency - Time spent on administrative tasks is reduced, such as manual clocking, time-tracking, and costing out of labor rates.
• The Talent Acquisition module helps fill roles more quickly with top talent by leveraging modern tools like texting and QR scan codes.
• Cost-effective solutions for a variety of organizations, including education, financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, nonprofit, restaurants/hospitality, retail, and technology. Solutions are available for small, midsized, and large enterprise organizations. Paylocity streamlines HR tasks, minimizes compliance risk, and drives communication and collaboration with tools to improve employee engagement.

Since 2000, I have used Paylocity. Our previous HR systems were numerous. We moved the following processes into Paylocity, which offers an all-in-one HR solution:

• Payroll - Automated processes, tax compliance, and overall simplification of payroll processing.

• Workforce Management - Improved efficiency by automating scheduling, time tracking, and ease of use for employees via their phones.

• Human Resources Software - Automation of manual tasks such as reviewing time management and I-9 Work Authorization tracking. Simplification and access to real-time information via the mobile app allow everyone to view their pay info, tax forms, time off requests, update personal information, and complete tasks that previously required paper.

• Talent Management - This tool helps shorten the time to hire during the recruiting cycle, expands the reach of finding top talent by posting and sharing openings across many job boards, and enhances the candidate experience through texts and QR code scanning.

This aids in finding talent faster and making engagement easier. Additionally, this module is excellent for onboarding new employees by eliminating hours of onboarding paperwork, as every aspect of onboarding is done online through Paylocity.

There is a performance management segment that provides employees with the tools they need for career development and conducting reviews. Also within this module, compensation and a Learning Management System (LMS) are robust and automated, with a wealth of tools built in to help with employee engagement and retention.

• Benefits - We moved from manual to automated processes, reducing confusion through simplified, flexible benefits management and employee usage. Key takeaways: access anywhere via mobile or desktop, real-time information, employee education with step-by-step guidance videos/scripts, compliance with federal and state regulations for COBRA, ACA, and HIPAA, and ease of error reduction through automation.

• Employee Experience - Employees have access to the HR platform, increasing self-service adoption, building confidence, collaboration, and connection.

• Data - Paylocity helps bring data to life while keeping in tune and up-to-date with your workforce. For example, AI is used to provide key insights for identifying gaps and actionable recommendations on how to improve employee productivity and reduce turnover.

I do not have any cons to share about Paylocity.

In comparison to Workday, the ease of implementation and support was better with Paylocity. When I used Workday with a large enterprise organization supporting 10,000 employees, the assigned team was larger and divided into various segments. Paylocity supported a small service organization with fewer than 2,500 employees.

The criteria should include the following:

1. The available budget.
2. Types of systems and applications being integrated.
3. Company size.
4. Readiness to move away from paper and files into software/automation. Paylocity simplifies and streamlines critical payroll and HR processes.
5. Remember to allocate time and a team to help design the front end of the system and plan the rollout—this takes time and patience.

Paylocity has expanded and introduced the Modern Workforce Index (MWI), giving HR leaders real-time visibility into organizational health compared to similar companies based on NAICS codes and organization size.

Paylocity is primarily designed for small to medium-sized organizations. It simplifies and streamlines critical payroll and HR processes and functions.

I like BambooHR because it's user-friendly. I also like that it's a system where you can really track important data like job titles and salary changes. Finally, I like that BambooHR is easy to use.

We bought BambooHR to establish a centralized place that could securely store our employees' data for our HR team. We also wanted to create a seamless onboarding and offboarding process. The customer service is impeccable at Bamboo and they're always very helpful. It's also very user-friendly. I've used the product personally for one year.

I wish BambooHR offered a way for us to administer stock options and 401K directly through the program. I also wish we had a dedicated account rep, which we, unfortunately, do not have at this time. I would love to see more engaging ways for our employees to be onboarded, as well.

They're different because they have a very attractive interface and the response rate of the customer service team is higher. They also tend to offer a more diverse set of program features.

I'd recommend really digging in to make sure you're taking advantage of all of the features and integrations Bamboo has to offer. Also, I'd recommend smaller companies (less than 50 people) really consider if this is a tool that's right for their size.

The training content they've offered is impeccable.

I'd say an organization of at least 50+ people.

What I like about Paycor is that it provides a convenient way to manage and update information about job candidates all in one place. I also appreciate that I can communicate with candidates directly through Paycor, keeping track of past conversations and future interview plans. Additionally, Paycor makes it easy to sort through candidates based on specific skills needed for the job.

Our organization purchased Paycor to help address several key challenges we were facing in managing our candidate database and streamlining the hiring process. This led to inefficiencies in our recruiting efforts. By implementing Paycor, our organization hoped to have a centralized database that would make it easier to organize, search and sort through candidate data, ultimately leading to a more efficient hiring process.

Another key factor that led us to choose Paycor was its ability to help hiring managers process applications more quickly than was previously possible. With the volume of applications we were receiving, it was becoming increasingly challenging for hiring managers to review and respond to all of them in a timely manner. Paycor offered a suite of tools and features that promised to streamline the process, enabling hiring managers to identify and evaluate top candidates more efficiently.

Finally, as a staffing firm, we needed a tool that could help them manage the different clients we were working with within a single portal. Paycor offered a range of features that made it easy to organize and track client data, enabling us to manage relationships with clients more effectively.

I would like to express my dissatisfaction with the platform's outdated user interface design in comparison to other Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) which are currently more in line with prevailing market trends. Additionally, I have noticed occasional lags in the tools when generating reports or retrieving candidates' information, which can be problematic. Another issue I have encountered is that the platform does not save the last search that was performed, which can be inconvenient and time-consuming.

One aspect that I find particularly helpful is the ability to track a candidate's progress through various stages of the recruitment process, including the "Back Burner" stage, which is valuable when identifying a potential candidate for future hiring needs if not the present needs. Another advantage of Paycor Recruiting over other Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) is the ability to filter candidates based on niche skills, which can be especially beneficial for filling specific job requirements. Finally, I appreciate the ease of use when generating and rolling out offer letters with Paycor, making the hiring process smoother and more efficient.

When you are thinking about buying a recruitment or HR tool, there are some important things to consider. Firstly, you should think about the cost of the tool and whether it is affordable for your organization. You also need to make sure that the benefits of the tool outweigh the costs.

Secondly, you should think about the size of your organization. Some tools may be better suited to smaller or larger businesses, and you want to make sure that the tool you choose is easy to use for all team members.

You should also think about how many people will be using the tool, as this can affect the licensing and training requirements for the software. It's important to make sure that the tool can accommodate the number of users you need and that you have the resources to train your staff effectively.

Finally, you should consider where you will be posting your job openings. If the tool you choose isn't connected to popular job portals in your region or industry, it may limit the number of candidates you can reach.

Overall, if you carefully consider these factors, you can choose the right tool that meets your specific needs, budget, and goals.

Paycor, as a human capital management platform, has made changes over time based on user feedback to improve its interface. Additionally, Paycor is willing to provide more demo sessions to help users understand its platform better. The platform has also made changes to accommodate big organizations, and started targeting those as their potential customers. Overall, Paycor has taken steps to enhance its user experience and meet the needs of its diverse user base.

Paycor can be particularly beneficial for small to mid-sized businesses that are looking for a user-friendly, cloud-based HR solution that can streamline their HR processes, including payroll, benefits administration, time and attendance tracking, and compliance management. Additionally, Paycor can be useful for companies that are looking for tools to manage employee onboarding and development, as well as those that require custom reporting and analytics to make data-driven decisions.

Rippling is quite comprehensive and has more functionality than other HRIS I have used, such as the pulse/survey tool right within the platform. It also integrates with Slack, so notifications and reports can be sent there. I like the workflow options as well, which allow you to set things up to launch when certain conditions are met, e.g. send an onboarding survey a month after start date.

We are a relatively new company and did not have an HRIS in place. After looking at a few we opted for Rippling because of the functionality it offered as well as integrations and automations. We have been using it for about 9 months.

Rippling has been around for a few years but it feels like they are still working out some bugs. There are certain things that just don't work the way you'd expect. We have recently implemented their global payroll app for our Canadian employees and it doesn't do things like break out vacation time, etc. It has a reporting function but it's a bit hard to get exactly what you're looking for and the charts that it creates don't always display information in the most relevant way.

Rippling is quite user-friendly in terms of interface. It has more functionality than others I've used and they're doing a great job figuring out how to incorporate integrations to make it really useful.

It's very good for US employees but is missing a few features for global payroll at this time. Best to understand how all modules are priced so you know what's worth implementing and don't end up paying for functions you don't use.

Rippling has taken suggestions when we've found things that could be improved or added (TBD if those things are implemented). They have added some features in the last few months so definitely seem to be continuing to grow the platform.

HR teams, I think it would be good for organizations with over 50 employees

I like the features of Ceridian Dayforce. It's a very user-friendly HR tool that our hourly employees can maneuver effortlessly. The system troubleshoots itself if there's an error.

Our organization was in need of a more user-friendly timekeeping software for our hourly employees located across various plants in our US campuses. We required a consistent payroll and time management system that could be seamlessly implemented across all offices. After exploring multiple HR tools, we ultimately chose Ceridian. The impressive functionality and user-friendly features of Ceridian caught our attention, allowing us to streamline timekeeping processes for all employees nationwide without any issues. Specifically, we opted for the Ceridian Dayforce version, and the transition to this HR tool has been highly satisfactory. In fact, we have enthusiastically recommended it to several partners and clients who collaborate with our individual plants.

Occasionally, the troubleshooting function of Ceridian can be somewhat perplexing when attempting to identify the root cause of an issue. In the past, we have encountered login problems where employees have had difficulties logging in correctly. Another minor inconvenience we have noticed is that when inputting time, the screen does not automatically display the current day but rather defaults to the beginning of the month.

Ceridian stands out as a highly user-friendly timekeeping software compared to many of its competitors. What sets Ceridian apart is its exceptional customer service, with its team readily available to address any inquiries or issues that may arise. Personally, I have a strong preference for Ceridian over other alternatives we have tested primarily due to its superior functionality.

The primary factors that influence our purchasing decision are the user-friendly nature of the software and its comprehensive features related to timekeeping. Additionally, the troubleshooting function performs effectively, even when dealing with a large group of hourly employees simultaneously logging in.

While I'm not entirely certain, I don't recall the HR tool having the troubleshooting function from the beginning, but I could be mistaken. It appears that Ceridian recognized the importance of addressing the timekeeping challenges faced by larger companies operating on a nationwide scale. They dedicated efforts to meet the specific requirements of such corporations and enhance their capabilities to effectively manage timekeeping across the entire country.

I think it fits larger organizations best.

Pros:

- The information you can get access to is extremely helpful

- The UI/UX is very clean

- All-in-one type solution

Workday was selected because it offered a comprehensive people solution. Instead of having different portals for compensation, performance management, recruiting, and people analytics, Workday allowed everything to live in one system of record. This reduced costs and ramp time in some ways because it allowed everyone to be in one place.

I've used it for a combined 2-2.5 years in my career in all facets from selection to design and then every day use for reporting and recruiting.

Cons:

- The Recruiting module for recruiters and recruiting coordinators is not intuitive and user friendly

- The Recruiting module for candidates is lengthy and miserable. It does a terrible job of parsing resumes

- Job management versus position management makes data funky in some instances (for example, if you were hired into a position, it can look like you hired your whole team unless you put in specific calculated fields)

- If you don't have the right access controls, it is borderline impossible to do your job effectively.

The Workday Recruiting Module (their ATS) is one of the most reviled in the Recruiting space. It doesn't compare well to other ATS like Greenhouse, Lever, or Ashby because the latter offers better functionality, controls, and ease of use.

- Ease of use. Workday has the ability to be so much but you have to know exactly what to look for and how to configure it.

- Implementation time. Workday requires a focused implementation and testing period. Without it, you will run into a number of problems. If you need to roll out something quickly, Workday isn't the tool for you.

It is difficult to tell because they release big updates every 6 months so requests for solutions might be forgotten by that point.

HR Business Partners, HR Operations, Finance, Compensation, and C-Suite

I appreciate how easy it is to complete the I-9 verification process through UKG. Employee communications are streamlined and can be sent to targeted audiences using employee attributes. The survey tool comes with survey templates that are easy to modify for our needs.

It was important to have a tool that could easily allow us to conduct and track performance reviews, manage employee grievances or corrective actions, collect and submit government-required information (EEOC), automate onboarding, and conduct I-9 verification. We lacked a way to track HR-related requests, identify who was responsible for addressing them, and monitor how long it took HR to respond. We did not have an easy way to track or schedule people-related communications. Our employees had to go to multiple areas to access people-related information. UKG addressed all of these needs and more. I have used UKG for more than a year now.

It is not easy to modify certain areas of UKG to fit our needs. UKG is designed to be very standardized and somewhat basic, which can be a problem for companies that need a more agile system. The survey tool is a bit clunky, and the data reporting is harder than I would like it to be. Reports from the system in general are difficult to run. Responses to issues or needs are sometimes lacking.

UKG is a great mid-range tool. It provides enough flexibility and automation to be helpful but isn’t overwhelming in its offerings either.

Evaluate what systems you wish to link to UKG. Some of these are easy and some are not. Make sure you understand your HR workflows and the gaps you’re trying to fill. This will make the startup process with UKG much smoother.

We are relatively new in our use of the tool, so its evolution over time is not yet obvious.

UKG is perfect for small, medium, or large organizations that would benefit from automation, templates, and a ticketing system.

1. Zoho People helped us manage all employee data in a single location and made it easier to track employee records.
2. Zoho People has features for employee self-service, performance tracking, and goal setting, which have helped our employees stay engaged and motivated in their work.
3. Zoho People automates a lot of HR processes we used to do manually including attendance tracking, leave management, and payroll processing.

There are many reasons why my organization chose Zoho People: it has customizable features, it’s easy to use, and also cost-effective. It helped us to improve our HR operations and create a more engaged and efficient workforce. I must say Zoho People is worth buying as it streamlines all HR processes. I have been using the tool for 8 months.

1. Zoho People could benefit from a more intuitive interface to make it easier to use.
2. While Zoho People does have a strong mobile app, there’s room for improvement in functionality and speed.
3. Zoho People does offer online documentation and support but it doesn’t cover everything so we do end up reaching out to the support team now and then.

While there are several competitors in the HR software space, Zoho People has several advantages that set it apart from the competition in my opinion.

1. Zoho People integrates seamlessly with other Zoho apps, such as Zoho CRM, Zoho Projects, and Zoho Books, which is great if you happen to use their other products too, and can keep virtually all of your employees on a single platform.
2. It is competitively priced and quite affordable for businesses of all sizes.

If anyone wants to buy a subscription to Zoho People, here are a few points to take into consideration:

1. Determine business requirements and the features you need from the HR management software to choose the appropriate subscription plan.
2. Check the pricing plans and select the one that fits the budget.
3. Before subscribing to Zoho People, take advantage of the free trial to test the software and its features to evaluate whether it meets your requirements or not.

When Zoho people was first released, it was only used by small-size organizations as this software was limited to employee database, leave, and time tracking. Zoho People has evolved over time to become a comprehensive HR management software that offers a wide range of features to businesses of all sizes. The software's integration with other Zoho applications and its focus on mobile accessibility and analytics have helped it stand out in the crowded HR management software market. It also added a few features recently like an onboarding management system and integration with Zoho Analytics.

Zoho People is a cost-effective HR management software that is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses that may not have fully staffed HR departments. Zoho People is also a great choice for remote-working employees to collaborate, track time, handle scheduling, and more.

Namely's user interface is modern and intuitive, making it easy for managers and employees to navigate. The workflow configurations are straightforward, reducing the need for extensive support. The reporting functions are robust, allowing us to generate customized reports essential for effective planning and reporting.

Our organization was experiencing rapid growth, doubling in size each year, and we needed to upgrade our HRIS system to accommodate this expansion. We sought a solution that integrated HRIS, payroll, and IT support into a single tool.

After evaluating Namely and ADP, we chose Namely for its more cohesive system. It offered improved permission settings, enabling managers, IT, and finance to access necessary information and generate reports.

Additionally, it facilitated the creation of cross-functional workflow notifications. We used the system for 2 and a half years until our acquisition necessitated its discontinuation.

Namely's HRIS and payroll systems are connected but not fully integrated, which complicates data transfer between the two. The payroll interface is less user-friendly, creating additional workload for our payroll personnel and requiring more support from our HR implementation team. Although we were initially assured of specific reporting capabilities, we found ourselves unable to generate certain reports without delays and additional support from Namely.

Namely is particularly appealing to mid-market and small enterprise companies due to its price point and functionality, positioning it between basic SMB tools and more complex systems like Workday. However, newer entrants like Rippling and BambooHR are beginning to offer improved functionality at a competitive price, encroaching on the niche Namely once effectively filled.

When it comes to HRIS systems, none of them are perfect. It's really about finding a tool that can do 70-80% of what you need and have workarounds for the rest. My biggest factors for evaluating tools like this is to see if it'll take care of our "basic needs/high priority needs" first, whether it will be easy to use for the people who use it most, and then cost. I would start by creating a spreadsheet of what problems are you trying to solve, then label them–is this a basic need, high/medium/low priority? Make sure you include the stakeholders so you can look at the tool holistically and make better-informed decisions.

When we were using the tool, a lot of Namely's updates were more back-end functions. For example, they later implemented better reporting which helped make looking at data easier. This was great for HR teams because it reduced the friction in the product for us.

Namely is best suited for mid-market to smaller enterprise customers, typically with employee sizes ranging from 400 to 3,000.

The ease of use is the top pro Zenefits has to offer in regard to navigation. The reporting tools were easy to use. For a small team or small organization, you can combine many HR functions such as benefits, payroll, and PTO balances.

This is a mediocre platform at best for tracking an employee's time if you have nonexempt employees, attendance, and PTO balances. It is also a great self-service user portal for benefits information and updates that may occur outside of open enrollment. I have used Zenefits for less than a year as one of my clients switched to Rippling.

There were issues with tax distributions that needed manual attention to rectify. It is very expensive! $396 is just per person as that is the basic price. The customer service is lacking in the most absurd way possible. There is no accountability for system disruptions and emails go unanswered.

As I mentioned, our client switched to Rippling, which was 100% better. While it had all the pros that Zenefits had, it didn't have any of the cons. I believe it was also a less expensive alternative.

Invest in a better HRIS with a company that actually listens to customer complaints and strives to improve on those areas of opportunity. While this HRIS is easy to navigate, so are others that will cost less money in the end with fewer headaches.

Sadly, it hasn't, which is why I believe many companies switch to other alternatives. Zenefits should listen to the areas that multiple customers are having and gather the IT/HRIS analysts together to improve on those issues.

Small businesses like a one-person HR department may find Zenefits useful.