The right HR software solution can help optimize processes by automating manual tasks, organizing employee records, and building data-driven reports. Moreover, advanced HR software solutions enable better workforce planning, financial forecasting, and strategic decision-making.
We reviewed more than 30 top HR software solutions and narrowed it down to the best of the best:
Sept. 26, 2023: We performed some technical maintenance to resolve user experience issues.
Sept. 19, 2023: We added information about Namely’s pricing. We also added a star rating to each of our editorial recommendations to offer more visual cues for comparison.
Sept. 7, 2023: We added information about SAP SuccessFactors’ pricing structure.
Aug. 28, 2023: We refined the pros and cons for each vendor.
Aug. 24, 2023: We reordered our list of top HR solutions from biggest to smallest. We also added a screenshot gallery for BambooHR and information about Rippling’s one-month free trial offer.
Aug. 17, 2023: We added a screenshot gallery for ADP.
Aug. 8, 2023: We added advice for getting executive buy-in for HR software.
Jun. 12, 2023: We refined the layout of the page and added dynamic design elements to improve the visual flow of information. We also added a screenshot gallery for Rippling and Bob.
Jun. 1, 2023: We reviewed our recommendations and revised each vendor’s pros and cons lists to preserve our editorial objectivity. We also simplified the page layout for easier navigation and implemented additional opportunities to connect directly with the software vendors we recommend.
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We picked our recommendations with you in mind.
First, we evaluated more than 30 of the leading HR solutions available on the market today. We used vendor demos, technical documentation, and user reviews from customers like you to compile our research.
We then narrowed our selections to the platforms that best addressed the most common concerns among startups, small businesses, midsize businesses, large enterprises, and global organizations. These factors include estimated total cost, breadth and depth of functionality, technical complexity, customer support, integration availability, and competitive advantages.
As the market changes, we reevaluate our choices so you always receive the best insight for your purchasing decision.
Time and labor management is only available at the highest price point.
Limited reporting capabilities.
Slow customer support.
HRO and PEO services
Companies can leverage ADP’s HR services to help maintain compliance with appropriate labor laws, make strategic HR decisions, or outsource individual HR processes entirely.
For example, with human resources outsourcing (HRO), companies can choose which HR processes ADP handles on their behalf, such as payroll, benefits administration, or hiring and onboarding.
Alternatively, companies can reduce their overall employee liability through ADP’s professional employer organization (PEO) services, ensuring companies remain compliant with all labor laws while reducing their HR administrative tasks.
Even without ADP’s HRO and PEO services, ADP can provide project-based consulting for unique HR situations, software implementation or integration help, or change management.
Breadth of integrations
ADP clients have access to ADP’s Marketplace. Here, clients can find solutions to integrate with their core ADP product to consolidate their data among their entire HR tech stack.
With integrations available for performance management, time tracking, employee engagement, recruiting, learning management, and financial wellness, companies do not have to sacrifice the HR platforms they already use to start with ADP.
ADP’s expanse of services and software solutions cater to a variety of businesses, including startups, SMBs, and enterprise companies — even those conducting international business. Its scalability and robust feature set put it at the top of our list for the best HR software overall.
ADP is the only vendor that made it on our lists of the Best HRIS SystemsandTop HCM Software. Learn more about the range of solutions ADP offers and whether it suits your business’s needs.
Single personnel data repository for all international teams.
Global reporting capabilities, including automatic currency conversion in reports.
Global finance and IT management tools.
International payroll support for contractors and employees, including an EOR option.
Cons
No free trial.
Might be too expensive for basic HR needs.
Limited compliance features for benefits administration.
Reporting tools have a steep learning curve.
Some features are unavailable on mobile.
Global payroll
Instead of outsourcing payroll processes to different local entities for completion, Rippling users can complete their international payroll entirely in the system, with currency conversions, taxes, and net pay calculated automatically.
As a result, companies can finalize their global payroll within five days, instead of the two to four weeks’ advance notice needed by competitors.
Dynamic employee onboarding
Rippling’s software automatically changes its appearance and the required information based on the employee’s country. For instance, Rippling will require employees in India to provide entirely different information than employees in the U.S. to reflect Indian currency and labor laws.
Furthermore, with the addition of country-specific compliance safeguards, such as minimum wage alerts, Rippling ensures companies are following the customary onboarding practices and procedures of each country.
Rippling pricing starts at $8 per month, per user for the base Unity platform. The following modules and services can be added as needed for additional fees:
HR Cloud
US and global full-service payroll.
Time and attendance.
Benefits administration.
FSA, HSA, and commuter benefits.
ACA and COBRA administration.
Recruiting.
Learning management.
Pulse surveys.
HR help desk services.
PEO services.
Global EOR services.
Headcount planning.
IT Cloud
App provisioning and management.
Device provisioning and management.
Inventory management.
Finance Cloud
Corporate cards.
Expense management.
For a limited time, Rippling is offering a one-month free trial for new subscribers. Eligibility ends December 1, 2023.
Despite launching its global capabilities in October 2022, with support in only 50 countries, Rippling stands out for its robust global features in every core HR function.
Especially in terms of payroll, benefits administration, policy management, and reporting, Rippling allows companies to collect and process international employees’ information in one place without needing disparate HR systems to accommodate their global teams.
Naturally, Rippling also made our list of Top Global Payroll Solutions — dig into its international payroll capabilities and weigh its features against alternatives.
The SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management platform includes a range of products that help optimize the employee experience.
Customizable surveys are embedded directly in the platform, so employees don’t need to navigate to an email, form, or other systems to provide feedback. Based on survey results, managers receive research-backed guidance to improve the morale of their teams, create action plans for change, and monitor the results of actions they take.
Succession planning
SuccessFactors HXM’s succession planning tools that take a skills-based approach to developing employees and filling talent pipelines for critical roles.
The organizational chart within the platform helps HR leaders identify skills gaps and roles that have a relatively high impact if they were to become vacant. The platform then leverages data from employee talent profiles to surface high-potential, top-performing talent to focus on for training in those key roles.
Why we picked SAP SuccessFactors
SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management (HXM) balances personalized experiences for individual employees with powerful, strategic functionalities for the business as a whole.
SAP SuccessFactors is a suite of modular HXM products that are priced individually. This offers more customization than more streamlined HR suites, but it also risks a higher total cost. SAP organizes these modules according to four key functions of HR departments:
SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management (HXM) balances personalized experiences for individual employees with powerful, strategic functionalities for the business as a whole.
Managed services for payroll, benefits administration, and other core HR functions.
Customizable reporting and analytics, including workforce diversity, attrition, and time off.
Cons
Slow technical support.
Less cost-effective for large businesses.
Limited automations.
No pulse survey option.
Self-service features
Namely’s employee self-service features allow HR departments to move away from repetitive HR tasks to focus on tasks that contribute to the company’s bottom line.
For example, employees can add or change direct deposit banking information, manage paid time off (PTO) requests, view and download paystubs and tax documents, and enroll or change benefits without contacting an HR administrator for assistance.
Employee feedback cycles
Namely makes recognizing employees for their hard work easy through public recognition opportunities via the newsfeed feature.
Additionally, Namely allows managers to take advantage of formal performance reviews, continuous feedback, or 360-degree reviews capabilities. As a result, managers and employees can address poor performance early without waiting for traditional annual reviews.
Namely does not disclose its pricing information up front, but it does advertise the capabilities included in its HR Fundamentals, HR Complete, and Enhanced Services packages.
HR Fundamentals:
Company news feed.
Appreciations.
Employee directory.
Org chart.
Employee self-service.
Custom fields.
Task lists.
Reporting.
Analytics.
Performance goals.
Onboarding.
eSignature.
E-Verify integration.
Time off.
Compliance database.
HR Complete:
Payroll.
Benefits administration.
Compliance services.
Time and attendance.
Recruiting.
Enhanced Services:
Managed payroll.
Managed benefits administration.
Namely’s platform is for companies with 25-1000 employees and offers balanced capabilities in data management, recruitment, and time and attendance.
As an HR management system (HRMS), Namely helps midsize companies move from core HR administration tasks to more employee-focused initiatives, such as employee engagement and performance management.
If you’re not confident Namely is the right choice for your midsize business, explore our roundup of the Best Human Resources Management Systems to compare Namely with other leading solutions.
BambooHR’s customizable, automated workflows help HR, managers, and employees make time-sensitive decisions more quickly. BambooHR offers pre-built workflows for things like employee information updates and time-off approvals.
It also offers customizable workflows with up to five levels in the approval chain and configurable workflow paths based on team, department, or location.
Employee data management
BambooHR also empowers employees to manage their own data, including pay stubs and benefits, without needing to reach out to HR. Any changes to employee data sync across modules to ensure accuracy and reduce duplicate data entry.
BambooHR is a great choice for small businesses prioritizing HR efficiency because it automates repetitive HR tasks and enables employee self-service. The added efficiency gives HR staff more time to put toward higher-priority responsibilities.
BambooHR’s packages and add-ons cover all the HR basics but leave room for customization, so you can feel confident you’re not paying for features you don’t need.
We think BambooHR is the best choice for small businesses, but a different solution might be a better fit. Browse our list of Top HR Software for Small Businesses to learn more about what BambooHR has to offer alongside additional options.
Configuration can be difficult and time-consuming.
Functionality may be too limiting for larger businesses.
Employee time tracking
Startups need employees to track their hours accurately to get paid for their varying work schedules. Bob’s time tracking module allows employees to clock in and out on their computers, mobile phones, or even through Bob’s integration with Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Workflow testing in Sandbox
Companies can leverage Bob’s Sandbox feature, which allows HR leaders to test new workflows, such as compensation review cycles or new automations, in an isolated environment. This is ideal for startups that may expand rapidly and need the flexibility to play with new processes or optimize current ones before a live roll-out.
Bob is a great HR system for startups as it layers core HR functionality with features to accommodate rapid growth. Bob can quickly assist startups with diverse pay schedules, workforces, workflows, and international needs.
As the needs of startups can vary week-to-week as their business strategies change, Bob offers a mix of core HR essentials and workforce features to help businesses gauge their success overall.
Although they are often used interchangeably, there are several technical differences between the three main categories of core HR software: HRIS, HRMS, and HCM. Alternatively, some HR software focuses on specific human resources functions, like recruiting, onboarding, payroll, performance management, employee engagement, learning management, and more.
Core HR software:
Human resources information systems (HRIS) offer a variety of capabilities for HR data management. The goal of these multi-function systems is to maintain individual employee data and handle the company’s regulatory and legal employment requirements.
An HRIS stores key details about an organization’s workforce, including employees’ personal information, employment details, performance metrics, and compensation history. HRIS platforms can also act as a repository for important HR documents like employment contracts, tax forms, policy guides, and more.
An HRIS can be a standalone product that integrates with other HR applications, or it can serve as a central database in an all-in-one HR software suite. At its core, an HRIS application focuses on optimizing processes associated with HR record-keeping and reporting.
Human resources management systems (HRMS) focus on process optimization and cost efficiency. This type of software improves how an organization handles its HR processes by automating tasks and centralizing access to critical information.
Many HRMS products extend the functionality of a traditional HRIS by including tools for payroll, benefits administration, and more. An HRMS can also be used for more robust reporting and forecasting purposes, like succession planning and position control.
Human capital management (HCM) software is often regarded as the largest umbrella in the HR software category. Most HCM solutions combine all of the functionalities of HRIS and HRMS platforms, plus additional features for recruiting, employee engagement, performance management, and more. HCM software also offers advanced data analysis capabilities for business intelligence and HR process optimization.
HCM software cultivates human capital by streamlining all HR functions and creating a holistic view of the employee lifecycle. This breadth allows companies to maximize the potential of their employees and their contributions to organizational performance. HCM software helps keep employees engaged and motivated to work in the direction of the company’s business goals.
Function-specific HR software:
Recruiting software, specifically applicant tracking systems (ATS), help hiring teams optimize the hiring process. It manages the entire recruitment process from beginning to end, from sourcing and screening candidates to extending job offers and onboarding new employees.
ATS platforms manage information related to different candidates, allowing hiring managers to compare candidates against each other and choose the best one for the job. Many recruiting software suites include applicant tracking features in addition to candidate relationship management and workforce planning capabilities.
Onboarding software facilitates the process of introducing new hires to a company. It typically includes capabilities such as electronic signatures, pre-boarding checklists, and employee questionnaires to help HR ensure a smooth employee onboarding experience.
Payroll software lets organizations track expenses, taxes, payouts, and schedules accurately. It also helps HR teams maintain compliance with labor and payroll regulations and analyze payroll data for discrepancies or inefficiencies. Organizations use payroll software to calculate, process, and record employee pay on time.
Performance management software enables organizations to assess employee skills, track goals, and monitor performance over time. Companies often use performance management software to coach employees and evaluate performance during formal reviews or through weekly pulse updates. It gives managers a clear view of employees’ growth and development in their roles.
Employee engagement software helps companies understand employee sentiment over time and identify areas where the employee experience can improve. These systems offer survey tools, follow-up workflows, gamification, and analytics to understand how employees feel about their work. Employee feedback data is then consolidated and analyzed to produce actionable insights that can improve retention.
Learning management systems (LMS), or eLearning systems, help HR teams design, organize, and deliver employee training programs. These systems can evaluate employee skills, track active certifications, and identify opportunities for professional development.
By incorporating this tool, HR can onboard new employees and keep tenured employees up to date with current industry knowledge standards. Moreover, LMS can optimize job and compliance training and learning and development.
What are the benefits of HR software?
HR software solutions offer businesses a number of advantages, including increased efficiency, consistent compliance, and deeper reporting capabilities.
Efficiency
Many HR software solutions include automation capabilities that drive the efficiency of different HR processes. When HR staff can spend less time on repetitive, manual tasks, they are able to focus on more valuable priorities. Additionally, HR software provides employees with direct access to the services employees need most so they can complete tasks like direct deposit updates or benefits enrollment independently.
Compliance
Compliance with HR-related laws and regulations is usually non-negotiable because of the costly penalties associated with violations. HR software helps organizations stay in compliance with current local, state, federal, and international laws, as well as industry-specific regulations.
Reporting
Robust HR software reporting features help organizations make informed decisions with accurate data. Many HR platforms offer report generation templates to help users find the information they need quickly, and others offer advanced AI tools to support deeper data insights like predictive analytics and natural language processing.
How to get HR software buy-in from key executives
Of course, you already know the benefits of HR software: how it streamlines administrative tasks, simplifies the hiring process, and creates one central location for all your workforce data. But to get approval for such a significant investment, you’ll need to connect the dots for other decision-makers.
As such, a well-rounded proposal will cover how individual departments will benefit from new HR tech, whether by reducing costs, avoiding risks, or propelling strategic, long-term goals.
For new HR software, your CIO is concerned with integration complexities and loss of control over data and systems. They want to choose an agile system that will scale with the company’s growth projections and minimize the need for additional infrastructure. They will also want to know about potential hardware requirements, security controls, and implementation options.
When proposing your technology investment to a CFO, put the software’s cost-benefit analysis front and center. Establish a realistic budget before evaluating individual software options, then craft your proposal with facts and figures that show how HR initiatives maintain profit margins (or reduce costs), combat healthcare prices, and improve employee morale and productivity.
CEOs make high-level decisions about policy and strategy, so their buy-in is arguably the most important. To speak to your CEO’s top concerns, focus on how HR software will help your organization sustain a competitive workforce. Tools that support rich analytics, recruitment, performance management, and employee development are essential to hire, engage, and retain the top talent.
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