HR Management Software

HR Management Software Overview

Human Resource (HR) Management Software, also called Core HR, include the following:

  • Benefits administration
  • Personnel tracking
  • Payroll

These systems are also referred to as back-end HR systems since they help manage key administrative HR tasks, and are essentially the employee system of record. These core tasks are distinct from strategic HR tasks like performance management, recruiting, talent management, and learning management.

Top Rated HR Management Products

TrustRadius Top Rated for 2021

These products won a Top Rated award for having excellent customer satisfaction ratings. The list is based purely on reviews; there is no paid placement, and analyst opinions do not influence the rankings. Read more about the Top Rated criteria.

HR Management Software TrustMap

TrustMaps are two-dimensional charts that compare products based on trScore and research frequency by prospective buyers. Products must have 10 or more ratings to appear on this TrustMap.

HR Management Products

(1-25 of 192) Sorted by Most Reviews

The list of products below is based purely on reviews (sorted from most to least). There is no paid placement and analyst opinions do not influence their rankings. Here is our Promise to Buyers to ensure information on our site is reliable, useful, and worthy of your trust.
ADP Workforce Now

ADP Workforce Now

Customer Verified
Top Rated
TRUE

ADP Workforce Now is a cloud-based HR platform for mid-sized businesses. It features customizable modules of various HR services that businesses can tailor to their specific needs, as well as regulatory monitoring and alerts to help businesses remain compliant.

Key Features

  • Direct deposit files (904)
    87%
    8.7
  • View and generate pay and benefit information (901)
    86%
    8.6
  • Pay calculation (913)
    86%
    8.6
UKG Pro

UKG Pro

Customer Verified
Top Rated
TRUE

UKG delivers cloud-based HCM solutions including UKG Pro that help businesses simplify payroll computations, accelerate talent acquisition, manage time and attendance, and support proactive, strategic talent management on a global level.

Key Features

  • Update personal information (710)
    91%
    9.1
  • View and generate pay and benefit information (706)
    90%
    9.0
  • Employment history (696)
    84%
    8.4
TriNet

TriNet

Customer Verified
Top Rated

TriNet provides small and medium size businesses (SMBs) with full-service HR and payroll solutions tailored by industry. TriNet also offers specialized services through client access to HR representatives for advice and notifications on impactful regulatory changes.

Key Features

  • Update personal information (568)
    92%
    9.2
  • Pay calculation (573)
    91%
    9.1
  • Benefit plan administration (579)
    83%
    8.3
Ceridian Dayforce

Ceridian Dayforce HCM

Customer Verified
Top Rated
TRUE

Ceridian Dayforce HCM is a cloud-based platform encompassing HR, payroll, benefits, and talent and workforce management. It provides companies with a scalable framework and real-time data, such as continual pay calculations, to enable efficient decision-making.

Key Features

  • Update personal information (482)
    86%
    8.6
  • Pre-built reports (481)
    70%
    7.0
  • Report builder (481)
    67%
    6.7
Rippling

Rippling helps companies manage Payroll, Benefits, HR, and IT in one platform. It brings employee systems and data together, and helps automate busy work. The vendor states that, for example, that with onboarding, Rippling users can just click a button and in 90 seconds set up…

Key Features

  • Update personal information (236)
    97%
    9.7
  • Benefit plan administration (202)
    95%
    9.5
  • View and generate pay and benefit information (227)
    94%
    9.4
Paycom

Paycom

Customer Verified

Paycom is a core HR management software solution. It includes features such as talent acquisition and management, time tracking, and payroll management. It offers some automation capacities, particularly regarding payroll.

Key Features

  • Update personal information (228)
    90%
    9.0
  • View and generate pay and benefit information (229)
    87%
    8.7
  • Pay calculation (219)
    79%
    7.9
Oracle Cloud HCM

Oracle Cloud HCM combines various human resources operations, such as Core HR functions, talent management, and workforce management, within one platform. The Cloud program provides global scaling and prioritizes mobile accessibility and integration.

Key Features

  • Employment history (179)
    87%
    8.7
  • Employee demographic data (170)
    84%
    8.4
  • Job profiles and administration (172)
    82%
    8.2
Paycor

Paycor

Customer Verified

Paycor provides core HR functions scaled towards small and mid-sized businesses. Paycor offers an integrated benefits platform for interfacing directly with insurance carriers and an adaptable time management platform.

Key Features

  • Direct deposit files (192)
    84%
    8.4
  • Pay calculation (195)
    84%
    8.4
  • Update personal information (168)
    77%
    7.7
Paychex Flex

Paychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.

Key Features

  • Direct deposit files (164)
    87%
    8.7
  • Pay calculation (167)
    86%
    8.6
  • Update personal information (147)
    85%
    8.5
RUN Powered by ADP®

RUN Powered by ADP®

Customer Verified
Top Rated

RUN powered by ADP is a benefits administration and payroll platform for small businesses with light additional HR features. It runs on a cloud-based platform with mobile accessibility.

Key Features

  • Direct deposit files (109)
    94%
    9.4
  • Pay calculation (114)
    84%
    8.4
  • Salary revision and increment management (81)
    79%
    7.9
UKG Ready

UKG Ready

Customer Verified
Top Rated

UKG Ready™ is presented as a flexible and seamless HR solution that provides a connected people experience to easily manage the entire employee journey, from a single solution. Designed for flexibility and ease of use, UKG Ready combines HR, talent, payroll, and time to deliver a…

Key Features

  • Pay calculation (133)
    82%
    8.2
  • Report builder (134)
    76%
    7.6
  • Pre-built reports (135)
    76%
    7.6
Ascentis

Ascentis HR uses web-based management programs to help automate complex HR processes. It's fully integrated with Ascentis’ other services including customizable payroll, time and attendance and recruiting modules.

Key Features

  • Update personal information (151)
    87%
    8.7
  • Pre-built reports (142)
    71%
    7.1
  • Report builder (144)
    63%
    6.3
Zenefits

Zenefits is a free, cloud-based core-HR platform. It primarily services small to mid-sized businesses and provides time management and benefits administration capabilities.

Key Features

  • Update personal information (129)
    80%
    8.0
  • View and generate pay and benefit information (123)
    77%
    7.7
  • Organization and location management (117)
    62%
    6.2
Namely

Namely

Customer Verified
TRUE

Namely offers a cloud-based HR platform for integrated core and specialized HR services, including time and employee performance management and onboarding processes.

Key Features

  • Update personal information (120)
    87%
    8.7
  • Employment history (118)
    74%
    7.4
  • Organizational charting (116)
    69%
    6.9
Gusto

Gusto

Customer Verified
Top Rated

Gusto offers payroll, benefits and compliance capabilities. Gusto is scaled for small to mid-sized businesses, and emphasizes an easy to use interface.

Key Features

  • Direct deposit files (87)
    77%
    7.7
  • Pay calculation (84)
    71%
    7.1
  • Salary revision and increment management (76)
    69%
    6.9
isolved

isolved

Customer Verified
Top Rated

isolved is a SaaS-based, cloud-resident Human Capital Management (HCM) solution that provides Payroll, HR, Benefits Administration, Time & Attendance, Talent Management and Compliance. Employers have the ability to schedule an upcoming shift, view overtime levels, run a customized…

Key Features

  • Pay calculation (86)
    92%
    9.2
  • Direct deposit files (87)
    90%
    9.0
  • View and generate pay and benefit information (82)
    89%
    8.9
Workday Human Capital Management

Workday HCM

Customer Verified
Top Rated

Workday Human Capital Management is built as a cloud-based system with global consistency in user experience. Workday HCM is part of a broader system with other Workday products.

Key Features

  • Update personal information (77)
    87%
    8.7
  • Employment history (75)
    86%
    8.6
  • Job profiles and administration (77)
    83%
    8.3
BambooHR

BambooHR is an on-line human resources solution that provides onboarding, payroll, and benefits management. It also offers automated time-off management and employee self-service.

Key Features

  • View job history (68)
    91%
    9.1
  • Update personal information (73)
    90%
    9.0
  • Employment history (67)
    89%
    8.9
Oracle PeopleSoft HCM

Oracle's PeopleSoft HCM is a complete, customizable suite including Global Core Human Capital Management, Workforce Management, Workforce Service Delivery, and Talent Management. PeopleSoft can be integrated to run on the Oracle Cloud.

Key Features

  • Update personal information (66)
    88%
    8.8
  • Job profiles and administration (65)
    86%
    8.6
  • Employee demographic data (65)
    78%
    7.8
ADP Vantage HCM

ADP Vantage HCM is a platform combining HR, payroll, benefits, talent management and time & attendance. ADP promotes dedicated HR representatives to work with businesses.

Key Features

  • Direct deposit files (60)
    89%
    8.9
  • View and generate pay and benefit information (63)
    81%
    8.1
  • Report builder (60)
    78%
    7.8
Paylocity

Paylocity provides 24/7 access to your online payroll and human resource data management. Paylocity offers highly customizable payroll functionality, as well as HR, benefits administration, and time and talent management programs.

Key Features

  • Direct deposit files (46)
    81%
    8.1
  • View and generate pay and benefit information (46)
    79%
    7.9
  • Pay calculation (49)
    73%
    7.3
SAP SuccessFactors

SAP SuccessFactors is a suite of HR/HCM products covering these capability areas: core HR and payroll, recruiting and onboarding, learning and development, performance and compensation management, workforce analytics and planning, and employee experience management.

Key Features

  • Individual goal setting (35)
    72%
    7.2
  • Performance tracking (33)
    72%
    7.2
  • Performance plans (33)
    71%
    7.1
BQE Core

BQE Core

Customer Verified

BQE Core is a business management solution built specifically for professional service firms. According to the vendor, BQE Core is a combination of a billing assistant, project management, and accounting solution. The vendor’s value proposition is that Core does the hard work for…

Key Features

  • Time tracking (37)
    83%
    8.3
  • Standard reports (26)
    79%
    7.9
  • Dashboards (34)
    67%
    6.7
UKG Workforce Central

Kronos Workforce Central is a suite of HR Management offerings targeted mainly at enterprise customers with larger-scale and more complex HR and workforce management issues. Workforce Central provides capabilities for managing time and attendance, payroll, HR, and other labor management…

APS Payroll

APS is a national workforce management and cloud-based HR solution provider. The platform includes core HR, payroll, time and attendance (including manager and employee self-service), compliance tools, and onboarding.

Key Features

  • View and generate pay and benefit information (32)
    92%
    9.2
  • Pay calculation (31)
    90%
    9.0
  • Report builder (32)
    77%
    7.7

Learn More About HR Management Software

What is HRMS and Core HR?

Human Resource (HR) Management Software, also called Core HR, include the following:

  • Benefits administration
  • Personnel tracking
  • Payroll

These systems are also referred to as back-end HR systems since they help manage key administrative HR tasks, and are essentially the employee system of record. These core tasks are distinct from strategic HR tasks like performance management, recruiting, talent management, and learning management.

HR Software and the Emergence of HCM Suites

The dividing line between various HR software categories is blurring. Many HR management software vendors are offering adjacent capabilities in order to capture the attention being given to categories that are seen as more strategic vs. administrative.

Talent management software, for example, is focused on helping companies hire, train and keep the highest quality staff. A number of HR management software vendors are adding talent management capabilities, just as some talent management vendors are adding in back-end core HR capabilities.

Ultimate Software, Oracle, ADP, and SilkRoad all offer some combination of core HR and talent management features. Few Human Capital Management Suites provide equally strong capabilities across all areas, but convergence is an important trend.

Core HR Software Features & Capabilities

The Core HR features common to most products in this category are as follows:

Core HR / HRIS

The primary function of Human resource management software is to provide a central database containing records for all employees past and present, along with contractors. The Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is an employee master record which supplies this, a system of record for employee data.

HRIS contain data on the following:

  • Employee personal information
  • Employment history
  • Job profiles
  • Workflow for transfers
  • Promotions
  • Pay raises
  • Benefits information, etc.

Payroll Management

Payroll management capabilities provide for the following:

  • Calculation of employee pay and benefits
  • Managing direct deposit
  • Salary revisions
  • Payroll tracking

Leave and Attendance Management

Leave and attendance management streamlines communication between HR and employees, and facilitates efficient management of employee leave including:

  • Requisitions
  • Approvals
  • Balance calculation
  • Annual carry-forward

Employee Self-Service

Provision of an employee portal allowing employees to view and update their personal information. This removes a considerable administrative burden from HR staff.

Asset Management

Some human resource management software has the ability to keep a record of assets issued to employees such as:

  • laptops
  • pagers
  • cell phones, etc.

The record typically includes asset type, number, serial number and date of issuance.

Reporting

HR reporting has come to be seen as more important than ever as HR data is now seen as strategic to the running of any business. Some vendors build their own reporting capabilities, while others partner with BI vendors to embed 3rd-party functionality.

HR Management Software Comparison

To compare different HR management systems, you will likely want to consider these facets of the software:

  1. Target Size: Many HR management systems are tailored to specific company sizes. For instance, some vendors focus on SMBs, while others tailor their HR management software to enterprises. Look for a product with proven users in your size range, as well as a demonstrated ability to scale up if you want to accommodate future growth.
  2. Core HR vs. Strategic functions: Many HR management systems have expanded to include strategic HR functions, like talent management, in addition to the core HR processes of payroll, personnel tracking, and employee recordkeeping. However, not all HR management vendors have expanded, or expanded to the same breadth, as the large HCMs. You may also not need to use, or pay for, all of the strategic HR functions if they’re not relevant to your industry or size.
  3. Reporting: Reporting is an increasingly standard aspect of many HR professionals’ lives, and it’s frequently one of the lowest-rated features across HR management systems. Feature ratings can give some indication of a product’s reporting capabilities in general. Reviews can also contextualize whether a product’s strengths or weaknesses in reporting comes from its customizability, exportability, or visualizations, so you can focus on the reporting aspects most relevant to you.

Start an HR management comparison

More Resources

HR Management Software Best Of Awards

The following HR management software offer award-winning customer relationships, feature sets, and value for price. Learn more about our Best Of Awards methodology here.

HR Management Products

Frequently Asked Questions

What is HR Management software?

HR management software is a core record of employee data to support payroll, benefits administration, and employee tracking. It commonly includes strategic HR functions, such as talent management and recruiting. Check out more information about core HR management software here.

What is Cloud HR software?

HR management software is increasingly deployed in the cloud instead of on-premise, which reduces the necessary maintenance costs and in-house IT expertise for users.

What is an HRIS?

HRIS is short for Human Resources Information System, which is a type of HR software database. These systems help HR departments enter, store, and track employee information over time. Read this article for advice on how to pick the best HRIS system for your business.

How much does HR software cost?

HR management software’s cost varies dramatically by the scope of the product, as well as the range of features in the software. Most products are priced per-employee/month or year, and can range from $10/employee/month upwards.