In today’s digital world, there are plenty of resources for HR available, but it can be hard to discern what is actually useful and what isn’t. Different HR tools will benefit businesses in distinct ways. One non-negotiable tool is high-quality human resources management software (HRMS). HR management software efficiently handles employee data, optimizes HR workflows, maintains compliance with labor regulations, and boosts workforce productivity.
If you’re reading this, it means you’ve likely wondered how HR software can help solve your business needs or free up your time. Perhaps you thought HR software costs would be out of your budget. We’ll go over everything you need to know about HR systems to help you decide which one is the best HR software for you. By the end, you’ll have a list of the best software for HR options, aiding you in selecting the one that best fits your business’s specific needs.
- What is HR Software?
- What does HR Software do?
- Benefits of an HR Management System
- What to Look For in an HR Management System
- Top 12 HR Software (List)
What is HR Software?
HR software is a digital solution that streamlines and enhances various HR management tasks within organizations, serving as a central platform for HR teams to manage personnel-related processes. Human resource systems are designed to offer essential analytics and insights for data-driven decision-making and can be customized to accommodate the specific needs of organizations of any size. In summary, HR software is a valuable digital tool for managing human capital, improving workforce efficiency, and maintaining HR best practices.
What does HR Software do?
HR software serves as your digital, centralized hub for employee information, encompassing personal details, work history, contact information, and performance records.
One of its primary functions is to streamline recruitment processes through features such as automated job postings, applicant tracking, resume parsing, and candidate assessment, enabling HR teams to efficiently identify and onboard top talent. Additionally, it facilitates monitoring of employee attendance, tracking of working hours, management of leave requests, and processing of payroll.
Beyond the technical aspects of HR, this software supports performance management by facilitating goal setting, conducting regular evaluations, and tracking employee progress. It also enables the deployment of employee training and development programs, allowing organizations to create and manage training initiatives, including online courses, certifications, and skill enhancement efforts.
Furthermore, robust analytic and reporting tools are available to monitor workforce trends, identify areas for improvement, and measure or enhance team engagement through surveys, feedback mechanisms like 360-degree feedback, and performance analytics. Essentially, HR software covers virtually every HR role or task imaginable.
Benefits of an HR Management System
It’s no secret that an HR management system will enhance your organization’s HR processes and capabilities. Some of the most immediate benefits you might notice when implementing such a tool are increased efficiency, streamlined workflows, and reduced administrative burdens.
Long-term, it’s quite likely that your team members will experience improved job satisfaction and engagement, as well as a greater sense of transparency and fairness in HR practices. And if you’re looking at things on an organizational level, you’ll likely expect some sort of positive impact on overall employee retention and talent acquisition. Some benefits from using an HR software include:
- Increased Productivity: Eliminate manual tasks and paperwork allowing more time and effort to be put elsewhere.
- Document Management: Centralize employee data, certificates, and records which increases the likelihood of accuracy and minimizes errors.
- Talent Management: Help with talent acquisition, onboarding, and retention.
- Performance Reviews: Simplify 360-degree employee reviews and gives insight to their strengths and weaknesses
- Generates Reports: Compile data utilizing HR reporting software to highlight important analytics and give insight to the business’ operations.
What to Look For in an HR Management System
We all know that HR management software can offer various functionalities, but what more can it provide? Apart from featuring diverse tools, it’s essential to examine how the HR software can contribute to time savings and the impact it has on your team. If the software you’re considering doesn’t include one of these core elements, then consider it a red flag:
- Recruitment and Applicant Tracking: Seamlessly post job openings, expertly manage applications, and facilitate candidate communication.
- Time and Attendance Tracking: Log hours, streamline time-off requests, and seamlessly approve time entries.
- Performance Management: Streamline 360-degree feedback and host performance appraisal templates and employee progress tracking.
- Payroll Management: Easily calculate salaries, deductions, and taxes.
- Benefits Administration: Any good HR software will likely provide you with the tools that simplify the intricacies of health insurance, retirement plans, and leave policies.
- Training and Development: A powerful HR software will let you create training programs with ease.
Top 12 HR Software
1. Factorial: All-in-One HR Management ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Factorial is a comprehensive HR management solution that encompasses toolsets for every HR function. This all-inclusive software is designed to streamline and optimize HR operations, making it an essential tool for HR teams. Not to mention it is capable of aiding businesses ranging from small to medium-sized.
Overview
Factorial allows you and your HR team to easily manage time, talent, payroll, finance, key performance indicators (KPIs), and more. This HR management system is designed for various work sectors. Additionally, it enables you to integrate data with other digital solutions for simplified processes, whether it’s payroll, shift scheduling, or data handling. Here’s a rundown of some of the core features of Factorial.
Time Management
Factorial enables you to handle time tracking, shifts, and time-off requests all in one place, eliminating the need for manual spreadsheets or Excel. Shift management facilitates easy organization of your team’s schedules, while the absence and time-off management feature allows you to quickly approve or reject requests.
Talent Management
Factorial’s talent management features enable you to track employee performance, build and plan your talent acquisition strategy, manage onboarding and offboarding, and track your HR goals.
Payroll and Finance
With its automated payroll system, you gain a clear overview of the payroll calculation process, allowing for efficient payslip creation, supplement review, and seamless communication with payroll providers. Along with all this, you also gain access to certified bookkeepers to assist with any complex payroll scenarios, further enhancing the payroll experience.
App Integration
Factorial integrates with 5000 apps such as Google Workspace, Sage, or Indeed. Factorial also gives you the ability to build your custom integrations with Factorial’s API, granting you a new level of flexibility. To top it off, Factorial has an app marketplace available, which allows integration partners to expand their reach and visibility to thousands of potential customers.
HR Reports & KPIs
With Factorial’s HR reports and KPI features, you can generate personalized reports using data from your Factorial account, offering different visualization formats and the ability to share and download reports in various formats. Additionally, Factorial offers HR reports for survey data and performance evaluations.
Pros
✅Integration with over 5000 apps
✅Most comprehensive HR modules
✅Full employee empowerment and self-service
✅A clear view of financial resources
✅Real-time spend analysis and other data insights
✅Effortless automation and reporting
✅Free demo consultation and 7-day free trial
Cons
❌No downloadable software for PCs, which means you can only use the web-based version and the mobile application
User Satisfaction and Reviews
Factorial receives top marks across the board, according to users. It’s rated as one of the most user-friendly and customizable options on the market while offering a wide range of comprehensive functionalities, making it the number one choice for an all-in-one, centralized HR hub.
Pricing
Prices vary by customizable bundle. Find them all here.
2. Sage ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Sage HR is a comprehensive HR management software that offers numerous features. Standing as a customizable option for its members, Sage HR enables organizations to manage their workforce intuitively and with ease.
Sage HR Overview
Sage brings you a complete employee management system that’s fit for any HR team. Their user-friendly dashboard is the hub of personalized HR functions, where you can see all the important stuff at a glance, from time-off requests to attendance records. It even helps with benefit administration and lets managers peek at salary details for budgeting.
Sage offers additional powerful features in their HR solution. You’ve got automatic overtime calculations that sync right with payroll. You can also set up communication hubs for sharing important news. In terms of sharing data, employees can easily upload documents like medical bills for benefit checks, and HR can track their progress and create custom training plans.
Pros
✅Good integration options with external tools
✅Intuitive platform
✅Great customer support
Cons
❌Their recruitment module is expensive, quoted at $200 PEPM
❌An admin must give employees access to clock in/out while using the app
User Satisfaction and Reviews
Sage stands out for its versatile pricing options, ensuring suitability for various business needs. Users find its intuitive interface and Outlook integration highly efficient. It also simplifies holiday entitlement management, offering real-time visibility into employee leave balances, benefiting both HR professionals and employees alike.
Pricing
Pricing starts at $6 PEPM for the basic plan and any additional add-ons range from $1.50-$200 PEPM.
3. BambooHR ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
BambooHR stands out as a top-notch HR solution ideal for streamlining many aspects of HR management. Whether you operate a small or medium-sized business, this management software encompasses a variety of essential HR functions that you won’t want to overlook.
Overview
Tailored specifically for small and mid-sized businesses, BambooHR provides a user-friendly platform that simplifies HR tasks. It grants effortless access to policy editing while allowing HR teams to maintain control over editing settings to safeguard sensitive data. Additionally, BambooHR enables users to customize workflow triggers and meticulously track tasks with audit trails.
Pros
✅ Boasts exceptional onboarding and offboarding features
✅ Particularly beneficial for smaller businesses
✅ Seamlessly integrates with third-party apps and syncs data changes across all Bamboo features
✅ Offers robust reporting capabilities
Cons
❌ Lacks feature notifications for HR functions
❌ Several HR functions require additional add-ons at extra costs
User Satisfaction and Reviews
BambooHR excels in consolidating diverse HR tasks and optimizing processes such as applicant tracking, time management, and payroll processing, according to user feedback. Its intuitive interface ensures accessibility for businesses of all sizes, including those lacking dedicated HR departments, delivering a smooth user experience.
Pricing
You must contact BambooHR directly for a quote.
4. Paylocity ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paylocity is crafted to aid businesses of all sizes, from small enterprises to large corporations, in efficiently managing various facets of employee administration.
Overview
While Paylocity is renowned for its payroll functionalities, it also provides a versatile array of other HR solutions, including talent acquisition, time tracking, benefits administration, and workforce management (WFM).
Moreover, Paylocity features a user-friendly dashboard that displays work progress, facilitating gentle reminders to colleagues. Additionally, for detailed HR insights, there’s a comprehensive hub housing information on various topics, from healthcare policies to salary comparisons.
Pros
✅ Personalized assistance
✅ User-friendly interface
✅ Self-service capabilities
Cons
❌ Not the most cost-effective option for HR teams
❌ Not the most comprehensive HR management system available
User Satisfaction and Reviews
Users have lauded Paylocity for its streamlined processes and robust reporting tools, ensuring efficient administration and compliance with regulatory standards. The intuitive layout simplifies intricate tasks such as payroll and HR administration, providing valuable insights through detailed reports for informed decision-making.
Pricing
Pricing ranges between £14 to £20 per employee per month (PEPM).
5. ADP Workforce Now ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ADP Workforce Now stands out as a reliable and well-established HR solution, meticulously crafted to address a wide spectrum of HR responsibilities. For businesses seeking a comprehensive management system, this digital tool is a prime candidate worth exploring to determine its suitability for your company’s needs.
Overview
ADP Workforce Now offers a robust digital management system equipped with a plethora of user-friendly HR features, including seamless employee data updates directly from the dashboard. It also provides convenient templates to streamline onboarding processes and facilitates swift hiring by integrating with job recruitment platforms.
Moreover, this HR tool boasts a suite of self-service resources and built-in surveys for employees. Users also benefit from a selection of complimentary tools such as calculators, glossaries, and tax guides to aid in daily responsibilities.
Pros
✅ Strong compliance and reporting capabilities
✅ Seamless integration and automation
✅ Excellent payroll features
✅ Access to a variety of valuable free resources
Cons
❌ Higher cost
❌ User interface could be more intuitive
User Satisfaction and Reviews
While users acknowledge that ADP Workforce Now may not excel in every individual module, its strength lies in its comprehensive package, making it a compelling choice. The convenience of consolidating various functions in one platform, including time and attendance, payroll, performance reviews, and contact information, is particularly appreciated by users.
Pricing
Pricing ranges between £12 and £19 per employee per month (PEPM).
6. Workday HCM ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Workday HCM is software that offers comprehensive HR and talent management capabilities for organizations, aimed at streamlining HR processes, boosting employee engagement, and optimizing workforce management.
Overview
Workday HCM provides a wide array of features to support HR functions, including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, compensation planning, talent development, and succession planning. The system operates on a single unified platform, enabling seamless integration of data across various HR processes.
Pros
✅ Abundance of features available for HR teams
✅ Excellent search function and user-friendly navigation
✅ Easily accessible for new users
Cons
❌ Its workflow integration poses challenges for making large-scale global changes
❌ Considered one of the most expensive tools in the market
User Satisfaction and Reviews
Workday is highly esteemed for its user interface, which facilitates effortless navigation with minimal training required for users. Users also appreciate the robust personnel reports, enhancing the capabilities of HRIS specialists.
Pricing
While pricing details require a quote request, some users have reported an average of $99 PEPM.
7. UKG Pro ⭐️⭐️⭐️
UKG Pro is tailored for organizations that prioritize diversity in their workforce and aim to cultivate a positive company culture. It places a premium on addressing people’s needs beyond work, striving to enhance business outcomes and foster inclusive workplaces through collaborative partnerships. Specifically designed to support small to medium-sized businesses, UKG Pro provides numerous HR tools.
Overview
UKG Pro serves as a comprehensive HR system encompassing payroll, talent management, learning and onboarding, workforce management (WFM), and workforce planning. It caters particularly well to medium to large companies, focusing on streamlining HR operations and overseeing the entire employee experience. From recruitment and onboarding to training, performance management, and fostering employee engagement, it offers a holistic solution designed for modern HR teams.
Pros
✅ Customizable setup
✅ Automated reporting
✅ Sandbox option for newcomers
Cons
❌ Limited configuration capabilities for candidate experience
❌ Digital calendar lacks intuitive features for managing paid time off (PTO)
User Satisfaction and Reviews
Members using UKG Pro often find this management system highly user-friendly, with a broad range of capabilities, and appreciate its ongoing efforts for continuous improvement. Many users also highlight its extensive customization options and its facilitation of training programs.
Pricing
You must contact UKG Pro directly for a quote.
8. Oracle Cloud HCM ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oracle Cloud HCM stands out as a comprehensive HR software designed to guide companies through every stage of workforce management. It encompasses a variety of modules, all integrated within a unified platform.
Overview
Oracle Cloud HCM takes a holistic approach, seamlessly linking all HR processes and stakeholders within your organization. It provides a unified experience by establishing a single, dependable source for HR data, thereby enhancing the quality of decision-making.
Within its suite of human capital management applications, you’ll discover a range of essential modules, including benefits administration, payroll processing, and performance and talent management.
Pros
✅ User-friendly interface
✅ Configurable to meet company needs
Cons
❌ Primarily suited for larger companies with 1000+ employees
❌ Self-service functions could be more intuitive
❌ Some users report issues with updates leading to disruptions in reporting
User Satisfaction and Reviews
Reviewers appreciate the flexibility and configurability of the software, with particular emphasis on its robust reporting tools. They also value it as a comprehensive solution for managing employee data throughout the entire employment lifecycle, noting its accessibility for users even beyond the office environment.
Pricing
Contact Oracle Cloud HCM directly for a quote.
9. Namely ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Namely offers a comprehensive management system equipped with a diverse range of features to assist businesses in effectively managing their workforce. With Namely, companies can streamline their HR processes, enhance employee engagement, and leverage data-driven insights to fuel growth and success.
Namely Overview
Tailored for mid-sized businesses typically ranging from 25 to 1,000 employees, Namely provides an all-in-one HR solution. Utilizing user-friendly cloud-based technology and backed by a team of HR experts, this software simplifies HR, payroll, benefits, and talent management processes, easing the workload for HR professionals and promoting employee satisfaction.
The platform also includes HR reporting software to view advanced analytics and empower companies to extract valuable insights from their HR data and make informed decisions regarding their workforce.
Pros
✅ Simple layout and intuitive interface
✅ Employee event timeline with comment and like features
Cons
❌ Lack of compensation planning functionality within the system
❌ Difficulty in setting up workflows
❌ Customer support requires improvement
User Satisfaction and Reviews
Namely users appreciate the system’s convenience for remote HR management and its seamless information synchronization. They value its effectiveness in streamlining onboarding and offboarding processes through robust integration and commend its educational resources for both employees and managers to optimize usage.
Pricing
Starts at $9 PEPM for the basic package. To learn more about their prices, you must contact them directly.
10. BreatheHR ⭐️⭐️⭐️
BreatheHR is tailored for small and medium-sized businesses, offering a suite of features to assist teams in managing employee data, tracking time off, and monitoring performance.
Overview
BreatheHR serves as an excellent employee database, securely storing and managing employee information. It enables teams to configure custom fields to capture additional organization-specific data. The platform features an intuitive calendar interface designed for efficient time-off management, tracking accrued leave. Additionally, it provides performance management tools for setting goals, conducting regular check-ins, and offering feedback to employees.
Pros
✅ Robust time-off management features
✅ Comprehensive performance management module
Cons
❌ Feature limitations
❌ Limited scalability
User Satisfaction and Reviews
BreatheHR receives high ratings for its user-friendly interface, efficient customer support, and time-saving features. However, some users have expressed concerns about the limitations in customization options and reporting capabilities.
Pricing
Pricing starts at £13 per month for up to 10 employees, with a tiered pricing model reaching £500 per month for up to 200 employees.
11. CIPHR ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
CIPHR is an emerging, comprehensive HR tool equipped with a plethora of handy features essential for any HR team.
Overview
CIPHR offers a comprehensive HR management system covering various aspects including recruitment, onboarding, performance management, absence management, employee self-service, and reporting.
Pros
✅ Customizable and scalable
✅ Wide range of features and tools
Cons
❌ Complexity
❌ Pricing
User Satisfaction and Reviews
User satisfaction with CIPHR varies. Some users appreciate the comprehensive functionality and customization options available. Others highlight the user-friendly interface and the ability to generate insightful reports. However, there are occasional complaints regarding the complexity of the system or challenges encountered during implementation and integration.
Pricing
For pricing, contact the CIPHR team for a personalized quote.
12. HiBob ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tailored for midsize enterprises, HiBob boasts a comprehensive range of HR modules designed to support any HR team in their day-to-day operations.
Overview
HiBob offers an intuitive and data-driven Human Resources Information System (HRIS) tailored for global, remote, and collaborative teams. Whether it’s onboarding, workflows, payroll, or performance management, HiBob provides a highly comprehensive toolset suitable for midsize and multinational companies requiring an agile tech suite. In addition, HiBob has an HR app available to download for practical usage.
Pros
✅ Employee self-service functionality
✅ Integration capabilities
Cons
❌ Lack of pricing transparency
❌ Learning curve associated with platform adoption
User Satisfaction and Reviews
HiBob generally garners praise, although opinions vary regarding ease of use, with some users noting a challenging learning curve during platform adoption. Nonetheless, there is widespread appreciation for the comprehensive nature of HiBob’s HRIS offerings.
Pricing
For pricing information tailored to your company’s needs, contact HiBob to receive a personalized quote.
