Best HR Software

Whether you handle human resources for a multinational company or a small business, the right HR software can help streamline your work. As companies demand ever-increasing levels of efficiency, HR management software offers services to match the scale and complexity of any company. We've evaluated the leading providers in various categories to help you select the best HR software for your company.

Our Top Picks for Best HR Software

• Rippling - Best Overall
• Bambee - Best for Small Businesses
• monday.com - Best for Recruitment
• Paylocity - Best for Nonprofits
• CEDR Solutions - Best for Healthcare Organizations

Best HR Software Reviews

Why we chose Rippling

Rippling helps consolidate and simplify your company’s HR, IT and finance departments. That means you have the ability to manage all of your employee data — not just parts of it — in one unified system. This online HR software provides consistently good customer support and a wide range of customizable products for small and large-scale organizations. Rippling’s global HR payroll software is one of the best payroll software services on the market.

By bringing together HR, IT and finance systems, Rippling helps you streamline crucial organizational processes. For instance, the software can assist in onboarding new employees. It can help manage orientation, add employees to the payroll, issue IDs and set up employee computers. Rippling's software offers the following HR, IT and finance products:

• HR Products: Global Payroll, Global Employment, Recruiting, Talent Management, PEO Services, Pulse (Surveys), Benefits, Time & Attendance, Headcount Planning and Learning Management

• IT Products: App & Identity Management (provisioning, password management, multi-factor authentication, etc.), Device Management (onboarding, setup, security, offboarding, etc.) and Inventory Management (device logistics)

• Finance Products: Corporate Cards, Expense Management, Bill Pay, etc.

In addition to its wide range of products, Rippling offers customizable plans so you can select only the products you need. Rippling charges a base fee for its services and a per-employee fee for each product you buy. In addition, all subscriptions require you to purchase the Rippling Unity Platform.

Switching from another HR management software to Rippling is simple and can be done at any time. The company’s customer service is easy to reach through its website and receives consistently glowing user reviews.

Why we chose Bambee

Bambee helps small businesses automate several HR processes, including employee training and compliance. The company's HR small business software is well suited for businesses with up to 500 employees and offers clear pricing plans that depend on the size of your business.

Small businesses need the best value for their money. Bambee offers seven different plans, ranging from $99 per month for startups looking to hire their first employee to $3,699 per month for companies with up to 249 employees. Custom plans are available for company workforces of 250-500. In addition, Bambee's plans require a one-time startup fee.

Bambee's HR software for small businesses excels at automation and compliance. The company's technology, combined with dedicated HR managers, helps businesses streamline traditional HR processes and follow best practices. Additionally, the company has over 10,000 customers and has received overwhelmingly positive user reviews for customer service and support.

Why we chose monday.com

The HR systems software offered by monday.com rivals the best recruiting software on the market. First and foremost, monday.com is a project management system that offers workflow solutions, and the step-by-step workflow of its Recruitment Pipeline tool can help you manage and simplify your employee recruiting process. It helps you attract and engage top talent, streamlines internal processes and tracks potential candidates. In addition to recruitment, monday.com can assist you with other HR processes, such as employee onboarding, learning and development, leave requests and performance reviews.

The company offers versatile, customizable HR management tools that allow you to create customized workflows. You can use ready-made templates and integrate technology you already use to build a system that works for your business. You can also customize your pricing plan according to your team size and required level of functionality. In addition, you can expand beyond HR and use monday.com to streamline workflow processes for other teams, including marketing, operations, sales, PMO and IT.

Customer feedback for monday.com is mostly positive, with users praising the software’s ease of use and powerful functionality. Also, many recognizable, high-profile companies use monday.com, which inspires confidence in its effectiveness.

Why we chose Paylocity

Paylocity is a cloud HR software system that can assist nonprofits with administrative and data collection tasks, such as tracking time spent on grant applications, tracking volunteer work hours and customizing payroll to stay within budget. By automating and streamlining these tasks, nonprofits can spend more time on their missions. Paylocity also offers a mobile app and the ability to generate detailed reports on headcount, payroll costs, budget, etc.

Paylocity's HR and payroll software handles core tasks like payroll processing, benefits management, compliance monitoring and shift management. It also offers tools to help the company with broader objectives like retaining talent and improving employee engagement and satisfaction.

With Paylocity, you can create a custom HR and Payroll Plan that works best for your organization. Scalable, tailored plans and pricing allow you to manage the entire employee lifecycle with the following features:

• Payroll Software
• Human Resources Software
• Workforce Management Software
• Talent Management Software
• Benefits Management Software
• Employee Experience Platform

Potential clients can choose which modules they require and customize their plans accordingly. Unfortunately, pricing information is not available online, but you can request a quote on Paylocity's website.

Despite an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, Paylocity has received negative comments on other online review forums. Complaints are focused on poor resolution of customer problems and difficulty onboarding and using the software due to its complexity.

Why we chose CEDR Solutions

CEDR Solutions has over 15 years of experience working exclusively in the healthcare, dental and wellness sectors, and it provides a team of HR experts to assist each customer.

Healthcare organizations deal with more complicated compliance standards than most other businesses, so CEDR creates custom employee handbooks based on federal, state, county, and city laws. These handbooks help standardize processes and provide the healthcare organization with a certain level of legal protection. A team of HR compliance experts is also available to advise customers on specific issues.

CEDR Solutions also offers HR management software suited to the needs of healthcare organizations and practices. It includes an employee training manager, a payroll and work hours, tracker and a tool to sign and share official documents.

CEDR offers custom pricing according to the needs of your organization. It also offers free secure cloud storage — called HR Vault — for employee files, digital signatures and official documents. CEDR presently works with over 2,500 healthcare, dental and wellness organizations across the U.S. and receives generally good reviews. Customers have noted the company’s dependable expertise in making handbooks and efficient customer service.

Other HR software we considered

We evaluated HR software providers on several factors, including standout features, pricing, transparency, customer experience and customizability. The following companies were considered but did not make it into our top picks because they underperformed in key areas.

Zenefits

Zenefits offers a comprehensive array of HR tools, starting from recruitment to performance management and employee engagement. The mobile app also has sufficient functionality, allowing employees to clock in and out of work. Where this company really shines is the team of HR and payroll experts on call to help customers one-on-one with their challenges.

Unfortunately, a few shortcomings cost Zenefits a spot in the top picks. For one, it has no learning management services. HR departments of medium to large companies generally have programs to help employees expand their knowledge base.

More crucially, Zenefits doesn’t offer payroll in any of its plans. Payroll is available as an add-on service for $6 per employee. Suppose an HR department is looking for payroll solutions. In that case, it will have to purchase a basic plan for $8 and then the additional payroll module, bringing the total to $14 per employee just to get a payroll solution.

Paycor

Paycor offers a good mix of HR, payroll, talent management, workforce management, employee experience and benefits services. It also offers a useful mobile app. This HR software shines in compiling and managing employee data. Because it syncs so well across modules, entering information in one place automatically updates it throughout the rest of the system.

Unfortunately, Paycor has received several complaints regarding its customer service. Furthermore, its pricing includes a setup fee and monthly base fee on top of the per-employee cost. This makes it less cost-effective than many of its competitors. Combined with the negative customer experience, the value proposition of Paycor takes a hit.

Bamboo HR

Bamboo HR offers several great features that make life easier for HR departments and employees. For example, the leaves manager is a self-service feature that allows employees to obtain leave approval without tedious back and forth.

Other services like automatic overtime calculating also help save time that could be invested in more productive tasks. Bamboo HR requires you to contact them for a price quote but does offer flat volume discounts, so your cost per employee reduces as your company grows.

Bamboo HR falls behind due to its lack of customizability. It only offers two plans, Essentials and Advantage, with no option to remove redundant services from either. You do, however, have the option to add services, such as payroll and benefits management to your plan. With so many HR software companies offering customizable plans, Bamboo HR's lack of customization is a significant shortcoming.

HR Software Guide

Our HR Software Guide provides an overview of what HR software is and how it helps companies streamline their processes, as well as how to choose one that suits your company’s specific needs.

What is HR software?

HR software, or HR management system software, is a form of Software as a Service (SaaS) that provides consumers with applications and tools to consolidate their HR processes in one platform. These cloud-based HR software programs store your company data on servers to keep it secure. In terms of complexity, software for HR can vary from simple to highly complex, depending on its level of functionality.

What does HR software do?

HR software helps companies automate repetitive tasks and manage large amounts of employee data efficiently, thus streamlining the company's workflow.

Good HR software will support everything from recruitment and onboarding to payroll, employee benefits, etc. Many also have mobile apps for remote use and allow employees to connect directly to them in order to simplify processes further. Through HR software, employees can "self-manage." This means managing one's leaves, work hours and sometimes even advances on salary directly through the software without having to initiate a process with someone in the HR department.

How to choose HR software

The following are some recommendations you should consider when you need to choose the right HR software for your company:

1. Identify your specific HR needs and goals

Before researching HR software, you should identify the services you need. If you’re looking for a single service, like payroll support, purchasing an entire suite of services wouldn't make sense. Identifying your HR needs and goals can help you save a significant amount of time and money. Since companies vary in size and complexity, many HR software companies offer customizable plans. Whether your company is a three-person startup or a global conglomerate with thousands of employees, you can find HR software to fit your needs.

2. Compare the best HR software solutions

The market for HR software solutions is large, so you can easily compare products and services to find what works for you. Because the market is so competitive, many providers have already honed their HR software to make it as efficient and cost-effective as possible.

When comparing companies, you may want to focus on which software can handle the complexities and future growth of your organization. In addition, you may want to evaluate each software's level of security. The HR software you select must protect crucial company information as well as your employees’ personal data.

3. Consider features, scalability and compatibility

Along with offering the services you need, the HR software you select must also work for the scale and industry of your company. If you’re a startup with only a few employees, you should look at HR software focused on small businesses. If you’re a fast-growing company and expect to significantly increase your workforce, look for services that offer volume discounts. This will reduce your cost per employee as your company expands.

Moreover, you can find HR software designed to meet your industry-specific needs. For example, the needs of a medical practice differ greatly from those of a food company, which differ greatly from a nonprofit organization. When conducting an HR software comparison, make sure the software you choose is compatible with your industry.

4. Assess user-friendliness and ease of implementation

The user-friendliness of HR software can be just as important as its functionality. After all, what good are amazing features if your employees can’t use them easily? HR software should have a simple user interface with clear and informative dashboards for important information and metrics. Entering and retrieving data from the software should also be simple and straightforward.

Another important factor to consider is ease of implementation. When you purchase new HR software, it must be updated with all company data. This upload should occur without affecting the day-to-day operation of your company. Therefore, the easier it is to implement your new HR software and get it working smoothly, the better it is for your company.

5. Read reviews to gauge customer satisfaction

Customer feedback is another way to evaluate specific HR software. Every software company emphasizes its strong points, but if you want to identify potential issues or shortcomings, you can read reviews from those who have used the software.

In addition to identifying any technical problems the software may have, customers will often comment on the responsiveness and efficiency of the company's customer service department. When dealing with a product as complex as HR software, responsive customer support can be critical to your daily operations.

6. Sign up for demos or free trials

Demos and free trials can give you a good idea of how a specific HR software will work for your organization. This way, you can test out the products and services without making a long-term financial commitment. While you may not get to try every feature in a free trial, you can evaluate the user interface and decide if it suits the working style of your HR department.

A demo can also introduce you to unique features of the software. HR software providers constantly add advanced features to set themselves apart from the competition. Demos often allow companies to preview these features in the hopes that you will want to continue using them.

7. Compare pricing and long-term cost-effectiveness

HR software can be expensive. That’s why you want to look for software that will fit your budget and give you the maximum return-on-investment. Some HR software services charge fees that increase with the size of your team, while others charge less per employee as your team grows. If you anticipate significant growth, be sure to consider how changes in your company's size and requirements could affect your future HR software costs.

How We Chose the Best HR Software

In evaluating service providers to select the best HR software, we looked at several factors, including:

• Core HR services offered and the ability to customize the software according to customer needs

• Unique features that set the software apart from competitors

• Pricing plans and discounts offered

• Customer satisfaction according to reviews posted online

• Industry and category-specific processes that account for the needs of many different businesses

Summary of Money’s Best HR Software

• Rippling - Best Overall
• Bambee - Best for Small Businesses
• monday.com - Best for Recruitment
• Paylocity - Best for Nonprofits
• CEDR Solutions - Best for Healthcare Organizations