Best Payroll And HR Software (2024)

I loved how simple it was to learn and use Paylocity. It was also easy to navigate and figure things out if I didn't know something. The second thing I liked was the variety of modules—it was easy to quickly access them based on the employee issue or task. Lastly, I loved how the modules essentially "talked to each other." For example, once hired, a candidate automatically moved from the recruiting module to the onboarding module.

I believe my former organization purchased Paylocity to scale their employment growth as they added employees quickly. They were also looking for a user-friendly HRIS while managing costs. I used Paylocity for nearly two years and really enjoyed it. It was very easy to learn. I used each module as it pertained to various aspects of the employee lifecycle.

Paylocity lacked automation in some areas. I think there were opportunities to improve certain workflows. It also lacked some customization features. Finally, Paylocity's customer service was not the best. I remember we had to upload benefits information, and they were neither quick nor efficient in resolving our issue.

I think Paylocity is one of the easiest HRIS platforms to use and learn compared to others. I like that it holds a lot of data and serves as a one-stop shop for all HR functions. The self-service side for employees is also very user-friendly.

I think company size is probably the most critical factor aside from cost. Small or extremely large organizations may not benefit from Paylocity as much as from other options like Dayforce or UKG.

I'm not sure about the evolution of Paylocity, but I think it does a good job of keeping up with companies' HR needs.

I would say mid-sized, professional companies. Paylocity could also be good for industrial, manufacturing, or trade companies from an employee-user standpoint.

Rippling centralizes the majority of the HR processes (+ Finance and IT, if you chose) that would otherwise be spread across multiple systems. For example, our company’s flex benefits, COBRA, and ACA were either managed with a carrier outside of our broker or manually by us and now Rippling handles the administration of all these areas in consolidation with our other health insurance benefits.

The strength of Rippling’s integration library allows for consistent and regular communication to and from Rippling for processes that are not directly managed within the system. For example, prior to Rippling, we manually onboarded and offboarded employees to/from Guideline. With Rippling, the systems speak to each other and manage the employee’s lifecycle with our company-sponsored 401k.

A highly beneficial aspect of Rippling is the workflow feature. Workflows have allowed us to set up Rippling in a way that allows it to speak within the system, initiate processes, and communicate to people/external systems. Rippling is a high-tech HRIS and a constantly progressing platform that meets the needs of today’s operations teams (HR, IT, Finance included).

We selected Rippling to implement a strong HRIS while centralizing other HR operations. By implementing Rippling, we were able to solve and improve several areas. First, we consolidated historical employee data from three to four different platforms into one, allowing us to use Rippling reporting to provide company trends. Second, we simplified benefits administration by transferring health insurance, Flex Benefits, COBRA, and ACA management to the Rippling platform. Third, Rippling offers a cleaner, more centralized, and highly integrated solution for our HRIS needs. I have been actively using Rippling for six months.

Rippling is a complex system. For it to be fully functional to the best of its ability it needs to be given the time to implement and set up in great detail. Knowing this, the implementation should have been much more hands-on. I’d recommend that whoever is leading the implementation internally has experience with other systems, so they know what to look for.

Rippling does not have an employee “notes” section. As the place I rely on for the most up-to-date employee job and personal information, it is missing the ability to keep it up to date with employee relations information directly in their profile. This is a feature I have experience with in other HRIS’s and is a missed opportunity in the Rippling platform.

Unlike BambooHR, a competitor, Rippling does not offer a “missing data” report. To find out who within the company is missing information, we will have to discover it when it is flagged during another unrelated process. I think this puts us at risk if we are unknowingly missing key information or signatures from any employee.

Rippling is a fully functional operations system with a large integration library. It provides HR with the necessary tools and offers Finance and IT tools. Incorporating various clouds and add-ons allows Rippling to carry an administrative weight heavier than its competitors.

Rippling is a complex system, so you should be prepared to invest time and attention to building a strong foundation during the implementation process. It can do a lot, but it needs to be built on the backend for the front end to function at its best. Since many tools within Rippling rely on one another, approach it with a big-picture philosophy for your organization’s intentions. Be clear about what you need during the discovery process, as Rippling has many features, but not all may be necessary for your company.

Rippling continues to introduce small improvements to existing features and entire tools, like performance reviews, and exclusive highly functional built-in integrations, like Carta. These developments are likely to continue as Rippling gains popularity in HR and Finance.

Rippling is highly flexible and can be strong for a wide range of companies. It can suit new startup companies (less than 50 employees) but may be best for 70+ and growing SMBs.

The interface is slick and easy to use. It offers flexible and expandable HR and benefits tools, meaning it can grow with the business. The streamlined and partially automated PTO with self-service is also good.

We bought OnPay to streamline our payroll process. Our HR and finance teams were too small and preoccupied with rapid growth activities to manage payroll, and as a result, mistakes were being made. The monthly payroll process was analog, without much automation, and quite inefficient and laborious. We wanted to have a more automated and online process, which OnPay provided.

OnPay is genuinely focused on small businesses. The interface is clean and simple, not overloaded with features like those found in big company payroll tools. It connects directly with our timesheets, allows staff to update their personal data, and has streamlined and mostly automated our payroll process. We have used this tool for a couple of years.

The design is a little boring and old-fashioned. The reporting section is a bit awkward to use. It doesn't have great support for international customers.

The design is a little boring and old-fashioned. The reporting section is a bit awkward to use. It doesn't have great support for international customers.

Can you also pay contractors through the system? Can you pay staff according to different pay schedules?

We haven’t used it long enough to answer this.

US-based SMEs without international offices can benefit from OnPay.

• Our employees find their interface user-friendly
• Employment taxes are filed without any effort from us (the employer)
• It's one of the only HR software suites that has functionality for hourly employees

We bought Paycor when we needed a payroll solution that would work with employees in multiple states. Paycor allows us to process multi-state payroll, and they file the necessary taxes in each state and municipality.

We decided on Paycor for these reasons, and our staff found the UI to be the easiest to navigate. We have been using the platform for 4 years.

A great many things, unfortunately.

• Support is practically non-existent
• The payroll workflow is jumbled and doesn't make sense. Instead of a seamless flow in which you approve time card and move on to payroll in the same workflow, you do these things separately
• Their punch clock isn't very intelligent. I have to manually fix several punches a week that shouldn't have been allowed in the first place (e.g. an employee has two punch-in records in a row, with no punch-out record in between)
• There are a lot of reports, which is great. But, ironically, I can never find a report for what I need.
• It's impossible to manage what I would consider basic configurations. For example, our office manager retired last year, but she remains the manager for all employees in Paycor because the setting cannot be changed, even though her Paycor employee profile is no longer active
• Did I mention that support doesn't exist? Send in a ticket and you're unlikely to get a response.

The biggest difference we found is that Paycor has functionality (or modules) for a wide variety of employment situations. In our case, it was one of the only suites that could accommodate hourly employees, meaning it has punch clock and scheduling features.

My staff believes their UI is better, too. However, I don't believe that to be the case from an employer standpoint.

Firstly, if needed, are you prepared to wait for a response from support that may never come? Because that is a reality of Paycor.

Secondly, what functionality do you need? There are a lot of HR suites, and Paycor was our choice because it had functionality that many others did not. If you don't need time management (punch clock) or scheduling, then you should take the time to compare all of your options. Paycor may not be right for you.

Thirdly is the cost. In our second year, they changed their entire price structure. They gave us 30 days' notice. Our monthly costs went up, but we could do little as it takes many months to evaluate other options and several more months to facilitate the migration. The point being, we were stuck and had to deal with the rate change.

I would say very little during the four years we have used Paycor. They've made some UI changes but nothing impactful.

I am sure there is a scenario in which Paycor is a suitable solution for companies of all sizes. Their suite has a lot to offer and can accommodate a variety of employment situations. That said, based on my experience, I wouldn't think Paycor is best suited for companies with many employees. I have a hard enough time managing five employees in Paycor.

Pro one: The system is easy to use and learn. Pro two: It can grow with your organization and accommodate a range of different employer sizes. Pro three: It has mobile functionality, allowing employees and administrators to access leave requests or review documents via a mobile app.

The organization already had PlanSource, which was owned by UKG. We expanded the use of the product since it already housed our HRIS and payroll information. It is fairly inexpensive with many add-on options, making it a good option for growth, which the company was experiencing. At that time, we had approximately 300 employees with plans to grow to 500.

Con one: UKG is fairly basic compared to other products I've used (ADP, Paychex, Workday). There are no big bells and whistles, but it gets the job done. Con two: You will have to pay a significant amount for full functionalities of the products if needed. I don't have cons other than these.

UKG offers a wide range of products, making it a good option for growing employers that don't have a lot of needs initially but will as they grow. Their backend helpdesk is also helpful because you can contact a person on many issues versus submitting a request/ticket for assistance and waiting for a response.

Consider your initial needs and your growth potential. If you have fewer than 100 employees, you can find other services that are more economical. If you plan to grow to a few hundred employees and beyond, this is a good long-term investment.

They are continually expanding their options. As previously mentioned, they have nice app capabilities. They also, like any other HRIS service, are continually adding or enhancing their offerings, such as benefits services, carrier feed setups, and reporting options.

UKG is a good fit for any private sector employer with 100 or more employees. I would not recommend it to employers smaller than this unless they will grow quickly beyond this number.

The pros of using ADP are having an HRBP and a Payroll Advisor who works directly with you. The HRBP has been great at ensuring that we are following the proper guidelines for our HR-related issues. Having a payroll advisor gives us direct 1:1 support while doing payroll. It has also been great for updating our employee handbook, I love the way they make sure our policies are up to date as new policies develop.

We have been using ADP since 2017. As a small nonprofit organization, it was important to find a PEO. This helped with lowering the cost of benefits for our staff as well as managing our payroll. It has also provided us with endless HR resources.

When thinking about buying this tool, think about your company’s specific needs. Take into account the size of your company and what your expectations are. Be sure to have a budget that shows what your company will pay for benefits versus your employees. Think about what HR resources you are interested in (will you solely rely on ADP or will you also have in-house assistance)? Thinking about these things will help you when speaking with the representatives.

Over time we have been able to upgrade from Total Source to WorkForce Now. This has allowed us to have better reposting and made it easier on our accounts when submitting payroll. It has saved us a ton of time with spreadsheets. ADP is great at keeping you up to date on ungraded to their system. They have also evolved their MyLearning tool which provides a ton of training and now they have more live training and even in-person leadership training.

I feel like ADP can be useful for any size organization, it all depends on the needs. Whether it’s for part of the platform or the entire platform they have something to suit everyone’s needs.

It makes managing benefits, HR documents, and time off requests so easy! I love having a simple tool to manage all things important in one place. Whether its from my desktop or the mobile app, I can access everything I need. Leveraging Zenefits for all of our HR records helps us streamline and reduce paperwork, while making things accessible in one place for all administrators and managers, and limiting sensitive personal information to only HR personnel. Employees can easily update their direct deposit information, taxes, address via self-service through the mobile app.

My organization had grown substantially and had no HRIS, payroll or benefits platform in place; prior to this growth, everything had been done manually. Selecting Zenefits was an easy choice due to pricing, ease-of-training employees and ongoing support. We utilized Zenefits for two years for its payroll, core HR functions, time tracking, benefits and PTO functionality. Its valuable insights and attractive pricing make it a great choice for smaller businesses.

Zenefits cannot appropriately cap 401k contributions resulting in overcontributions for many employees. Some integrations are challenged/non-existent and require uploads and data feeds. There is no dedicated account manager. Tax notifications can be difficult to get answered, often taking several weeks or months after submission. For several weeks, Zenefits was sending HR-related alerts to my personal email.

I prefer Zenefits as an interim in-house solution for establishing in-house frameworks. It is ideal for small organizations with uncomplicated HR needs. Zenefits provides the necessary core functions and versatility required for a growing organization at a reasonable price and satisfactory customer service. Where more complex matters are concerned, I believe Zenefits struggles with viability.

Zenefits is perfect for smaller organizations with uncomplicated needs and limited budgets. Possible integrations should always be considered; the absence of ability to integrate can be a tremendous burden on time, reducing ROI. It is also critical to consider the expertise of HR employees where HR technology is concerned, as well as any training and support needs as these are critical to the internal success or failure of any platform.

Zenefits is good for small organizations with less than 50 employees, either locally or nationally.

I liked how easy it made onboarding new employees.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It promotes diversity and inclusion through its design and functionality.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

User-friendly interface: Workday's clean and intuitive design makes it easy for users to navigate and find the information they need.

Scalability: This makes it an ideal solution for growing businesses that require additional functionality over time. As a company expands or needs change, Workday can be customized to meet those evolving requirements.

‍Seamless integration: Workday offers robust integration capabilities with various third-party applications, ensuring a smooth flow of data across different systems. This compatibility with other software tools enables organizations to maintain a connected ecosystem, streamlining processes and reducing the need for manual data entry or reconciliation.

My organization was 10k plus employees and our old HRIS system was dated and clunky. I used it for approximately 2 years. We needed better self-service for not only employees but for managers as well with built-in approval processes. Additionally, we were looking for a tool that could handle the complex requirements of our global workforce, including compliance with local labor laws and regulations. Our previous system didn't have robust reporting capabilities, and it was challenging to extract useful data for analysis. Furthermore, it made it easier to manage employee data and processes across multiple systems. It also provided built-in compliance features, ensuring that we were meeting legal requirements in all countries where we had operations.

Cost: The investment in Workday is substantial, and not a good option for smaller companies.

Learning curve: While Workday's user interface is intuitive, the platform's extensive features may require some time to master. Adequate training and onboarding are essential for users to get the most out of the software.

‍Limited customization: Workday offers a wide range of built-in features and functionalities, but it may not be the best fit for organizations with highly specific or unique requirements.

While Workday has a long list of impressive companies that utilize their system I find SAP SuccessFactors does just as much and for slightly cheaper.

Functionality: Determine the features and capabilities that are most important to your organization. Consider aspects such as human resources, payroll, talent acquisition, time and attendance, performance management, financial management, and analytics. Ensure the tool you choose covers the required functionalities or can be easily integrated with other systems to create a comprehensive solution.

Scalability: Assess whether the tool can grow and adapt to your organization's changing needs. A scalable solution will allow you to add or modify features as your business evolves, ensuring long-term viability.

Integration: Examine the tool's ability to integrate with existing systems and third-party applications. Seamless integration is essential for streamlining processes and reducing the need for manual data entry or reconciliation.

‍User experience: Evaluate the tool's user interface and overall usability. An intuitive and user-friendly design will encourage adoption and make it easier for employees to effectively use the platform.

They have expanded product offerings and made some user experience enhancements.

Enterprise with large (1000k+) and global employees.

1. Excellent Customer Service: The customer support team has been very supportive and responsive in troubleshooting.
2. The system is user-friendly and has some videos guiding you through some of its functions. The system is designed to be customizable, so clients can tailor it to meet their specific needs.
3. Powerful reporting: BambooHR's reporting features have allowed me to generate a wide range of reports, such as headcount, turnover, and diversity reports, this information is instrumental in making data-driven decisions.

As Covid-19 forced most employers to look into hybrid working models, there was a need for us to look into tools for managing employee information and tracking time off to streamline administrative tasks and reduce errors while working remotely.

BambooHR offers Recruiting and applicant tracking features that make it easier to find and hire the right candidates for open positions remotely.

Additionally, it provides performance management tools, including goal setting and performance reviews, which can help ensure that employees are working towards company objectives and receiving the feedback they need to succeed.

I found the system to be user-friendly, with a modern interface that is easy to navigate and customize to meet our needs. The system also has video tutorials that are clear and guide you through its functions.

The main con would be its limited payroll functionality. It is not available in Africa and its payroll functionality is currently only available for customers in the United States and Canada, which may be a drawback for companies based in other countries.

Pricing is also on the upper limit compared to other solutions, particularly in Africa.

The features on training could also be more customizable to clients in diverse spaces or lines of work

BambooHR has strong reporting features which allow us to generate a wide range of reports, such as headcount, turnover, and diversity reports, which can help organizations make data-driven decisions.

Its user-friendly interface is easy to navigate and find the information users need. The system is designed to be customizable, so users can tailor it to meet their specific needs.

When buying BambooHR or any other HR software solution, there are several criteria to consider, including:

1. Location: BambooHR's payroll functions are better suited for companies in US and Canada. For ease of compliance with local regulations, countries in Africa can consider an alternative tool to run their payroll function.
2. Company size and needs: The size of the company and its HR needs are important factors to consider when selecting a software solution. BambooHR is generally well-suited for small to medium-sized businesses with straightforward HR needs.
3.  Customization: Companies should consider how customizable BambooHR is, and whether it can be tailored to their specific HR workflows and processes.
4. Security and compliance: Companies should consider BambooHR's security and compliance features to ensure that employee data is protected and that the system meets relevant legal and regulatory requirements.

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• Improved user experience: BambooHR has focused on improving the user experience over time, with updates to the system's interface, navigation, and overall usability.
• Deeper analytics: BambooHR has added more powerful reporting and analytics features over time, which has helped users gain deeper insights into their HR data.

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BambooHR is well-suited for small to medium-sized organizations with straightforward HR needs. The system is particularly strong in areas such as employee data management, onboarding, and reporting, and is designed to be customizable to meet the specific needs of each organization.

Functions like payroll are better suited for companies in US and Canada.

It is well-suited to organizations that need a flexible, customizable, and user-friendly HR software solution.

The top three reasons why we like this solution are: 1. We no longer have to jump from a spreadsheet, to a PowerPoint, to QuickBooks, and an ATS to accomplish daily tasks. 2. We are saving money by having one centralized system that integrates with our other software instead of paying for multiple systems. 3. Gusto has helped reduce our time to hire thanks to automated onboarding.

We are a startup organization, and we were seeking a cost-effective SaaS HR platform to assist with our onboarding and employee management. We started off utilizing spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and Google Docs. We wanted to streamline our process and have everything in one centralized location. We have used Gusto for two years, and it has been a tremendous help with our hiring workflow. The key benefit it provides is having everything in one place that is readily accessible to all responsible parties in the hiring workflow as well as our employees. We love the self-service functionality.

I dislike Gusto’s applicant tracking system. It isn’t user-friendly and doesn’t have the best UI. They can improve the ATS by making it user-friendly and creating a better dashboard.

Gusto fares well with its competitors in benefits administration and onboarding services. From a cost perspective and the number of features included in their lower-tiered plan, Gusto outperforms its competition. They offer flexible monthly plans that scale with your business without being locked into a contract. This is a very enticing feature for startups that are still getting familiar with tools on the market and determining their software needs.

People should consider how many users require access and whether Gusto integrates with their existing software. They should also look at the number of existing employees and their projected hiring goals to determine if Gusto is a long-term solution.

Over time, Gusto has added new features such as the ATS. It appears it is attempting to be an HRIS. They have also added additional third-party integrations.

Gusto is an excellent tool for startups. It provides cost-effective solutions to help you get started with a small workforce.