Although there are hundreds of HR software systems on the market, finding the right HRIS to fulfill your unique needs can be confounding. Before beginning your software journey, it is essential to know the fundamentals of HRIS — what it is, its key features, benefits and more. If you haven’t already, check out our article on “ABCs of HRIS” and become sort of an expert yourself.

After that, you can carefully plan the steps to select the perfect HR software for your business. Seems daunting? No worries. We’ve got you covered — this article will tell you all you need to know — and more. 

Even when you know what you need and what you don’t, it’s still a complex task to select the right platform, especially with so many choices in the market today.

This article is compares and evaluates the top 10 HRIS on the market. We’ll describe the value of each HR software system, including their top features and user sentiment scores.

Top 10 HRIS Platforms

Dayforce

Dayforce provides all HRIS elements in a cloud based platform — best-suited for small or mid-sized companies. It helps businesses handle every aspect of the employee lifecycle, including payroll, benefits, performance, recruiting, talent sourcing and standardized reporting. See Dayforce HCM Comparison.

Cloud-based, it provides convenient data accessibility and user-friendly apps for iOS, Android and Windows users. 

Visualize and track vital KPIs through Dayforce's centralized dashboards

Key Benefits

Centralized Employee Record: It stores all employee data in a central interface for businesses to get an end-to-end picture, including productivity, payroll, compensations, performance and more. 

Efficiency: Utilize intuitive sheets and tables to organize employees based on customizable parameters like rank. Use employee timing modules to calculate duration worked and attendance, implement schedules using calendars and edit tasks faster.

Collaborate Effectively: Manage teams better by monitoring staff engagement on a daily basis and provide customized training. Identify and improve employee communication types and incentives with surveys.

Calculate employee time and compensation with Dayforce's rule-based engine

 

Compliance: Leverage real-time information to remain compliant with relevant regulatory compliance at all times. It automatically pulls in regulations at the federal, state and local levels and monitors based on organization needs. 

Mobile Access: Update information, record time and more using its mobile app from anywhere, at any time. 

Workforce Insights: Monitor critical indicators across your organization. Track turnover based on parameters like location and age to identify trends that impact your business. 

 

Unified Payroll and Time: Unifies time and compensation to eliminate common payroll barriers. It keeps updating relevant data in real time and lets you access the data anytime during the compensation period, leaving more time to verify, examine and audit. 

Dayforce Strengths - Software Battlecard Analyst Ratings

User Review Summary

Strengths

User-Friendly: 100%

Convenient Data Access: 85% 

Effective Training: 70% 

Organized Payroll: 100% 

All-in-One Solution: 100%

Weaknesses

Slow Loading Time: 85%

Manual Time Logging: 100%

Time Editing: 70%

Analyst Summary

Dayforce provides an integrated suite to deliver core human resources, payroll, benefits, talent management and customer experience, in addition to workforce management. Many users complained about slow loading times, noting that it takes a lot of time to log for breaks and difficulty editing times while using the mobile application. 

However, it’s easy-to-use and organized interface offers numerous robust capabilities and data accessibility. Regardless of its shortcomings, it’s still an excellent choice for mid-sized and larger businesses, especially if you seek a holistic HRIS platform including  payroll, compensation, recruiting and workforce management.

Dayforce HCM Software in-depth review:

UKG Pro

With over 70 years of experience in the HRIS industry, UKG Pro stands out for providing an amazing user experience and a unified cloud-based HR solution to manage employees at a global scale. In addition to organizing employee data, it facilitates payroll, compensation and benefits, recruitment, time & attendance, performance and succession planning and LMS. See UKG Pro HR Software Comparison.

UKG Pro provides AI and machine learning capabilities to facilitate predictive and business analytics. 

Key Benefits

Employee Visibility: Monitor employee and HR information at local and global levels through a single interface. 

Comprehensive Employee Insights: Get a better understanding of your employees with AI-driven sentiment analytics, suggestions and forecasts — boost productivity, identify concern areas, employ better talent and retain best workers. 

Informed Decisions: Make data-driven predictions to improve decisions regarding talent acquisition, employee growth and retention. 

Get in-depth, comprehensible insights into recruiting with UKG Pro

 

Remote Accessibility: Provides remote access to payroll, compensation and other employee data using mobile apps. Ensure security with touch and face identification and never miss updates using push alerts and real-time syncronization with the database. 

Employee Satisfaction: Improve employee satisfaction while saving time by letting them complete frequent processes by themselves and access training materials  through a self-service portal. 

• Increased Engagement: Analyze and detect employee sentiments based on surveys and insights to improve engagement.

UKG Pro lets you access all employee and HR data in just a few clicks

 

Customizable and Intuitive: Configure the system to meet your unique requirements. Customize company logo and accessibility rules, include custom links to modules, and create personalized, effective workflows. 

UKG Pro Strengths - Software Battlecard Analyst Ratings

  

User Review Summary

Strengths

Usability and Navigability: 100%

Payroll Services: 90%

Powerful Reporting: 75% 

Responsive Support: 60%

Customization: 85%

Weaknesses

Cumbersome UI: 60% 

BI Learning Curve: 60% 

Confusing PTO: 45%

Analyst Summary

Easy to use, navigate and customize, UKGPro is well-suited for businesses of all sizes — with robust payroll and benefits mobules. Users liked its customizable reporting and ease of calculating tax, deduction and compensation. A responsive and helpful customer support team was also a plus.  

Although its business intelligence module worked well, users needed expertise with BI tools to effectively use anything more than basic report generation. Users were confused by PTO and time-tracking, noting trouble clocking in or out on the application and navigating its sub-menus. Some reviewers also felt certain parts of its interface were outdated.

Overall, its robust reporting, payroll and accessibility makes it one of the most balanced HRIS in the market.

ADP Workforce Now

ADP Workforce Now efficiently handles the employee lifecycle, including payroll, time-tracking, talent acquisition and compensation and benefits. It eliminates data duplication and discrepancies by robust data integration and a centralized, configurable database. It also provides robust workforce management capabilities. See ADP Workforce Now HR Software Comparison.

Easy to implement and navigate, it ensures data security, privacy and compliance though encryption, fraud detection, cloud backups and more.

Key Benefits

Save Time: Simplify crucial HR workflows like real-time employee-data accessibility, time-tracking, recruitment, and employee management, learning and growth. Facilitate tracking certifications, time and attendance, licensing and other data. 

Compliance: Track and report on compliance data, including local and country-specific compliance requirements, labor laws, union agreements and company policy. 

Employee Self-Service and Experience: Let employees access their pay, benefits and time data, request time-off, view work schedules, download pay statements, configure direct deposit settings and manage benefits with ease.

Real-Time Insights: Get real-time visibility into various KPIs like labor expenses, overtime, actual vs. scheduled hours, turnover rate and more. Make data-driven decisions to improve business processes. 

Seamless Integraion: Leverage APIs to integrate with numerous software platforms, including payroll, accounting, ERP, learning, benefits, and more. Popular integrations include Workday, Litmos, ZipRecruiter, TSheets, QuickBooks, Slack and Microsoft Teams. 

Remote Accessibility: Leverage tailor-made iOS and Android apps to access and manage time & attendance, benefits, and other HR processes.

ADP Workforce Now Strengths - Software Battlecard Analyst Ratings

User Review Summary

Strengths

User-Friendly: 100%

End-to-End Functionality: 70%

Platform Speed and Updates: 60%

Supportive Customer Service: 51%

Weaknesses

Learning Curve: 100%

Poor Cloud Reporting: 45%

Analyst Summary

ADP Workforce Now provides a seamless HR system with all essential tools for businesses of all sizes. Users liked its navgiability and accessibility. Majority of reviewers had a positive experience with their customer support representatives and platform performance and updates. Its seamless integrations also makes it stand out.

However, users complained about its learning curve due to a plethora of features and found the performance assessment module lacking. Although mentioned only by a handful of users, reports were reported to be time-consuming and difficult to configure. 

Overall, the system is intuitive and accessible and automates most manual workflows, making it worthy of consideration.

Workday HCM

Workday HCM is another end-to-end cloud-based HRIS. It delivers modules that allow companies to operate internationally, manage payroll, benefits, talent acquisition and learning. See Workday HCM Software Comparison.

While its best-suited for medium and large businesses, it works well for small enterprises too. It provides a process framework to manage all internal workflows. It also comes with auditory tools, security and encryption measures and intuitive mobile apps.

Access Workday's reports and dashboards from any device 

Key Benefits

Valuable Insights: Leverage its reporting and analytics modules with graphs, charts and benchmarking tools to get a bird’s eye view of critical KPIs and make better decisions, promote employee growth and prepare for possible scenarios.

Streamline Processes: Automates rules, various workflows and calculations to cut down on manual tasks and the risk of errors. 

• Expense Management: Save time and streamline expense workflows through mobile receipt scanning and automated approvals. Fix spending limits and let workers generate reports. Identify expense trends and insights. 
• Efficient Absence Management: Utilize its smart calendar to manage time-offs, monitor absence and calculate carryover. 
• Simplify Time Management: Track time and provide approvals from any device and receive alerts when something needs attention. 

Workday's user-friendly interface directs you to tasks that need your attention 

Improved Hiring: Leverage its dashboards to visualize all recruitment information and machine learning-based suggestions to improve acquisitions.  

Seamless Integrations: Seamlessly integrate and sync with other platforms and modules to modify its capabilities.

Workday HCM Strengths - Software Battlecard Analyst Ratings

User Review Summary 

Strengths

Intuitive: 95% 

Functionality: 90% 

Payroll and Benefits: 100% 

Integrability: 80%

Efficient and Friendly Customer Support: 90%

Weaknesses

System Performance/Speed: 55%

Steep Learning Curve: 90%

Clunky Mobile App: 85%

Analyst Summary

Workday HCM is intuitive, feature-rich and easy to use. It centralizes all employee data, making it easy to navigate and find information. Reviewers loved its friendly customer service and felt the PTO and leave management worked well. It provides robust integrations with other useful apps. Its payroll and benefits modules are robust and easy to use — monitor hours, obtain tax forms and log pay stubs with ease. 

Users felt its mobile apps had several issues and could be improved. They also felt certain processes were slow and the system had a steep learning curve. Overall, its usability and comprehensive features can add considerable value to companies.

Paycor

Paycor is an end-to-end cloud-based HR suite best-suited to small and mid-sized companies. It streamlines various HR workflows, including payroll, recruitment, employee training and time & attendance. 

It’s easy to implement and use — especially the payroll module. Users can customize it to meet the needs of their specific industry like food service and health care. See Paycor HR Payroll Comparison.

Simplify processes through Paycor's intuitive approval mechanism

Key Benefits

Simplify Payroll: Leverage its efficient payroll module with a navigable interface and its general ledger integration to streamline processes, offer self-service, manage taxes, access pay stubs, history and tax forms and more.

Ease of Use: It provides a user-first approach, making all its modules easy to learn and use. 

Streamline and customize talent acquisition with Paycor

 

Actionable Insights: Leverage its data-driven analytics modules to acquire an informed understanding of organizational requirements, identify opportunities and optimize business processes. 

Mobility: Access the platform from any internet-connected device — clock in, change personal information and more directly through the system.

Tracking and Visibility: Complete all core HR and payroll tasks through its centralized platform. Track all relevant data in real time with its high-level overview. 

Let employees access data and get alerts through Paycor's self-service portal

 

Save Time: Save employee time by streamlining data entry using its self-service capabilities and mobile app. Automate time-intensive workflows and get alerts and notifications. 

Paycor Strengths - Software Battlecard Analyst Ratings

User Review Summary

Strengths

Valuable Reporting: 70% 

Reliable Payroll: 100%

Customer Service: 65% 

User Friendly: 95%

Weaknesses

Review Process: 100% 

Report Updates: 30%

Integration: 100% 

Analyst Summary

Paycor stands out for its effective payroll and reporting modules — especially for small and mid-sized businesses. Employees, managers and HRs find it easy to use and navigate. The vendor support team is friendly and responsive. 

However, reviewers noted that its connectivity with other apps need improvement. Although the majority of users found its reporting more than effective, some users mentioned occasional performance issues. Reviewers also found its employee review process confusing and didn’t support employee comments. 

Overall, the platform comes with responsive technical support, efficient payroll, ACA filing, time-tracking, intuitive interface and extensive customizability. 

Paycom

Paycom is an end-to-end cloud-based HRIS solution. It manages talent acquisition and retainment, payroll, performance, compensation and more for businesses of all sizes. It stands out for employee self-service, dedicated customer service and seamless user experience. See Paycom Comparison.

It lets managers and users connect remotely from any internet-enabled device,  and complete tasks anytime, from anywhere. 

Key Benefits

Centralized Automation: Automate key processes and facilitate core HR workflows from a single interface without leaving the platform. Manage employee scheduling through its calendar and approve leave requests. Integrate performance and compensation data, and facilitate appraisals.

Accurate Payroll: Ensure employees are paid accurately and on time by automating payroll processing —  calculate taxes, process payroll whie accounting for deductions and worker expenses.

Employee Self-Service Convenience: Provide an intuitive device-agnostic app to let employees do their own payrolls and in turn, save time, reduce liability and improve accuracy and employee oversight. It also provides timely notifications. 

Mitigate Risks and Liability: Built-in reporting ensures compliance with regulatory and legislative regulations. Reduce liability through its self-service app and garnishment administration, expense and tax management modules. 

Security: Provides high-level data security — leverage 256-bit encryption and multiple offsite backups monitored around the clock. 

Flexibility: Offers abundant flexibility to scale and configure the platform as required. 

Attract Better Talent: Post roles to numerous job boards quickly, organize applicants based on different parameters and track relevant applicants as they move through the process. Use past data to generate reports to see how well your recruitment processes are working.

Paycom Strengths - Software Battlecard Analyst Ratings

User Review Summary

Strengths

User-Friendly: 85%

Customer Service: 94%

Employee Self-Service: 100%

Mobility: 100%

Customization: 90%

Weaknesses

Login Process: 100%

Challenging Transition: 100%

Steep Learning Curve: 95%

Integration: 100%

Analyst Summary

Paycom provides robust HR modules for acquiring talent and streamlining payroll, time, benefits, and labor workflows. It’s easy to use and its configurability helps cater to unique requirements. Reviewers reported that it offers a navigable interface, an effective and convenient mobile app, and solid technical support. 

It also stands out for its efficient performance reviews and employee self-service capabilities. Users reported its customer support as highly responsive.

Some of its shortcomings include its unintuitive login process, a difficult learning curve and limited connectivity with other apps. It’s also a bit difficult to navigate between the client and employee interfaces. However, it’s still one of the top platforms in the market today with comprehensive payroll and HR capabilities.

Zenefits

Zenefits is a cloud-based HRIS to reduce administrative distraction and errors, hire and retain best talents and improve the employee experience. It’s best suited for smaller companies with less than 2000 employees. See Zenefits HR Payroll Comparison.

Users can view the company’s structure via a dynamic org chart, which gives a real-time picture that shows changes to titles, contact info and other system updates. An employee directory centralizes information to facilitate easy collaboration.

Key Benefits

Reduce Manual Work: Efficiently facilitate daily tasks by generating approval workflows. 

Data-Driven Insights: Generate real-time reports to glean into workforce and hiring insights such as turnover, compensation, performance and more. Create easy-to-understand visualizations, identify trends and patterns and make data-informed decisions. 

Employee Well-Being: Give employees more control by letting them access and manage their data and workflows. Identify issues, track progress with evaluations and utilize analytics to obtain content and training recommendations. 

Compliance: Maintain compliance with requirements like ACA via built-in mechanisms and customization recommendations based on company data, e-filing, compliance status visibility, offboarding features and ERISA storage. 

Provide Mobile Access: Take it on the go with native apps for iOS and Android and remotely facilitate benefits, compensation, time-tracking and more. 

Simplify Hiring: Facilitate all recruitment processes from its interface — create offer letters from prebuilt templates, remind candidates with automated emails and perform background verifications.

Zenefits Strengths - Software Battlecard Analyst Ratings

User Review Summary

Strengths

User-Friendly: 95%

Unified Platform: 100%

Customization: 65% 

Weaknesses

Customer Service: 75%

Integration: 100%

Performance: 100%

Analyst Summary

Zenefits provides a unified system to streamline time-tracking, onboarding, benefits, payroll, compensations, leaves and more through a centralized interface. The platform is easy to use, navigate and customize. Its mobile app is user-friendly, even though it lacks some advanced features.

However, Many users complained about its customer service, noting that they’re difficult to contact. It needs better integrations with other apps. It can be slow at times and its long loading time hinders productivity. Some users also complained about technical glitches.

Overall, it offers comprehensive HRIS capabilities with considerable flexibility and doesn’t have a steep learning curve, making it a good choice for smaller businesses.

SuccessFactors

SAP SuccessFactors provides an integrated cloud-based suite of HR and talent management solutions, including recruiting and onboarding, performance and goals management and learning and development. 

It offers workforce analytics for managers to better comprehend the workforce and gauge the effects of decisions on business performance. SAP offers other apps and professional services which you can use independently or together to support a comprehensive talent management strategy.

 

Key Benefits

Visibility and Strategy: Pull data from numerous sources to get a 360-degree view of all aspects across the business like performance, turnover and diversity. Make better, data-driven strategies — generate quick reports using ad hoc analytics, explore data and identify trends using reports and dashboards, and prepare for unforeseen events with what-if scenarios.

• Workforce Planning: Leverage AI and data to better understand your workforce. Deal with talent shortages using modeling and analytics to obtain insight into finances and scenario-based events. Drive recruitment plans using headcount planning.  

Bridge Skill Gaps: Reduce skill gaps and find the right candidates for roles by letting employees upskill themselves using intuitive learning tools and training courses. Continuous learning and progress management help employees progress and do better at their own roles and improve their job satisfaction.  

 

Global Capabilities: Leverage real-time reporting and globalization capabilities to manage a global workforce. Verify eligibility, manage work permits and visas and comply with GDPR and local labor legislations. 

Employee Experience: Let employees access real-time information on overtimes, accumulations, increments and more, access learning materials and timesheets and request leaves from anywhere. Let them communicate with HR using a ticket, call or e-mail. 

Integerated Solution: Get more done and manage all HR functions with ease through its centralized interface which connects to other modules, making it easy to navigate features and sync data.

Track and facilitate all payroll processes through SAP's control central

Mobility: Managers, HRs and employees can use its iOS and Android apps or mobile-responsive website to access and manage its features from anywhere.   

SuccessFactors Strengths - Software Battlecard Analyst Ratings

User Review Summary

Strengths

Highly Customizable: 80%

Performance Management: 75%

Integrated Solution: 95%

Reporting and Analytics: 65%

Weaknesses

Confusing User Interface: 70%

Expensive: 100%

Steep Learning Curve: 100%

Analyst Summary

SuccessFactors is a balanced, customizable HRIS suite well-suited for larger companies. It’s effortlessly integrated into the SAP ecosystem, which the users found beneficial. It provides robust performance management capabilities, with annual review, performance comparisons and more. Leverage its reporting module to get in-depth insights into your workforce. 

However, users found its interface confusing and unintuitive. It has a steep subscription price, making it unaffordable for companies with smaller budgets. Standing out for its customizability, integrability and analytical capabilities, it’s a great platform to plan, develop and implement HR strategy.  

Cornerstone OnDemand

Cornerstone OnDemand is a cloud-based HRIS that stands out for its robust learning delivery, talent acquisition and performance management capabilities. It provides robust data-driven analytics with AI and machine learning for deeper insights.

Although targeted at small and midsize businesses, it can be a valuable platform for larger businesses as well.

 

Key Benefits

Data-Driven Decisions: Monitor and visualize real-time workforce data with in-depth analytics, customizable reports and visualization dashboards to make precise, data-driven decisions. 

AI-Driven Strategic Planning: Leverage AI and Machine learning to identify trends and make predictions on historical data to improve employee growth, hiring, retention, performance and more. 

Optimize Employee Training: Deliver an enhanced learning experience with auto-allocation of assignment, content recommendations, informal learning, quick searches and automated browsing for workforce growth. Manage and customize delivery methods.

• Learning Deployment: Implement courses and materials in various forms like text, quiz and audiovisual content. Create your own content or use pre-built materials. 
• Engage and Develop: Leverage machine learning to handpick content for employees. Engage and motivate workers with continuous performance evaluations and reviews.

Improve Hiring: Attract more qualified candidates with user-friendly process and a customizable platform. Get a 360-degree view of the applicant database. Get AI-based recommendations and auto-evaluate applicants based on preset variables to find and acquire the best talents. Streamline the recruitment process with automated workflows. 

Cornerstone OnDemand Strengths - Software Battlecard Analyst Ratings

User Review Summary

Strengths

Reporting: 90% 

Robust Learning Module: 100%

All-in-One Solution: 100% 

Regular Updates: 100%

Weaknesses

Customer Service: 100%

Learning Curve: 80%

Mobile App: 100%

Analyst Summary

Cornerstone provides extensive cloud-based HR solution to upskill employees, acquire and manage talent and gauge performance. Its reporting module provides a plethora of features and options to choose from and users still find it intuitive. The LMS module is effective and up-to-date with latest progresses in industries. The platform is updated regularly too. 

However, users found it difficult to learn and its mobile application lacking. Its customer support was reported to be slow and unresponsive.

Overall, it’s a great option for small and midsized businesses, especially those looking to amp up their learning and performance management.

Infor HCM

Infor HCM is a cloud-based platform with a holistic set of essential HR features for large and medium businesses, including payroll, database management, recrtuitment, performance and compensation, service delivery and globalization, and data-driven reporting.

User-friendly and interoperable, its employee engagement capabilities make it stand out among its competitors. 

Key Benefits

Engage Employees: Promote growth by letting employees collaborate with instructors and teammates. Let them communicate with teammates and other team members to drive alignment. Create and deliver engaging activities for individuals and teams in simulated environments. 

• Cultivate Learning and Succession: Empower employees by delivering filtered training courses across the company — leverage self-directed training, AI-based recommendations or manually select courses. Identify and cultivate employees best-suited for leadership positions.

 

Hire Better Talent: Leverage data analytics to identify applicants best suited for the role. Automate CV screening and applicant review processes. Leverage AI to scan resumes and make applicant evaluation based on preset variables.

Real-Time Visibility: Get a bird’s eye visibility into business KPIs and access real-time data from anywhere via mobile or desktop devices. 

Simplify Time Tracking: Auto-track worker hours depending on labor allocations. Manage time-off accumulations for any country. Flexibly customize time-tracking rules for different geolocations. 

Seamlessly Execute Global Payroll: Leverage two-way, real-time integration with payroll apps, data mapping based on geolocation and a drag-and-drop interface to manage connections. 

Use Adaptive Notifications and Workflows: Control and automate company workflows and notifications using business process management with a multi-step review and approval workflow and a point-and-click interface.

Infor HCM Strengths - Software Battlecard Analyst Ratings

User Review Summary

Strengths

Comprehensive Functionality: 57% 

Document Accessibility: 100%

Employee Satisfaction: 100%

User-Friendly: 60%

Weaknesses

Lags Frequently: 100%

Lacks Advanced Features: 100%

Limited Customizability: 100%

Slow Implementation: 100%

Analyst Summary

Infor provides a holistic set of essential HR features, including payroll, database management, performance and compensation, service delivery and globalization, and data-driven reporting. Users found it easy to use and liked its seamless integration, navigability and accessibility with other apps and modules. 

However, reviewers mentioned is slow at times, which sometimes affects productivity. It also lacks customizability and some desirable HR features like advanced time-tracking, leave management and career page creation. Some users also found it difficult to learn. 

That said, it’s still a robust platform for larger companies, especially if you’re looking for employee engagement capabilities.