The Best HCM Solutions List
Here’s a shortlist of the HCM platforms that made my top 10 list:
- Paycor
Best all-in-one HR suite
- Eddy
Best for easy customized onboarding
- Rippling
Best for small businesses and HR teams
- Oracle HCM Cloud
Best for AI and machine learning insights
- eXo Platform
Best for employee social networking
- Sage People
Best for employee engagement functionalities
- UZIO
Best HCM with payroll cum benefits solution for growing businesses
- Workday
Best for user experience and user interface design
- SAP SuccessFactors
Best for scalability of add-ons
- PeopleGuru
Best HCM for mid-market, US-based organizations
This article will help you quickly compare and evaluate the best human capital management (HCM) software.
HCM Systems Comparison Criteria
What are we looking for when we select HCM software for review? Here’s a summary of my evaluation criteria:
- User Interface (UI): Is it clean and attractive?
- Usability: Is it easy to learn and master? What is the user experience like? Does the company offer good tech support, user support, tutorials, and training?
- Features & Functionality:
- Advanced Payroll Management Features – Can the tool handle payroll, benefits administration, deductions, and compliance?
- Recruitment & Onboarding – Do they have tools to attract and retain staff, as well as get them trained on basic systems upon entry?
- Performance & Evaluation – Does the HCM tool offer a modern and useful solution for performance reviews, employee records, motivation, productivity, and evaluation in the workplace?
- Analysis & Reporting – Does the tool offer customizable reporting features that can deliver actionable insights?
- Self-service – Does the software allow employees to go in and update or view information relevant to them, including contact details, shift schedules, pay stubs, and more?
- Integrations: Is it easy to connect with other tools, including any other tools already in use for HR management? Are there any pre-built integrations?
- Value for $: How appropriate is the price for the features, capabilities, and use case? Is pricing clear, transparent, and flexible?
People Managing People is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click through links on our site — learn more about how we aim to stay transparent.
Overviews of the 11 Best HCM Software
Here’s a brief description of each HCM software that's featured on this list.
Paycor
Best all-in-one HR suite
Paycor modernizes every aspect of people management, from recruiting, onboarding and payroll to career development and retention. For more than 30 years, Paycor has been listening to and partnering with leaders to learn what they need: a comprehensive, unified HR platform, easy integration with third party apps, powerful HR analytics, and custom technology and support for specific industry needs. That’s why more than 29,000 customers trust Paycor to help them solve problems and achieve their goals.
Paycor offers everything from payroll management, to expense management software, analytics tools, recruiting, time and attendance, pulse surveys, learning management, benefits administration, ACA, and more. They are a truly holistic HCM software from top to bottom.
Paycor integrates with tools for wage and salary verification, expense management, employee wellness, certified payroll, and FMLA.
Paycor costs from $99 + $5/employee per month and offers a free trial.
Eddy
Best for easy customized onboarding
Eddy is an all-in-one HR Suite built for local businesses that streamlines tedious HR processes and improves the employee experience. Founded in 2017 by former professional basketball player turned entrepreneur, Travis Hansen, Eddy has grown rapidly due to its simple but powerful product, highly-rated customer service, and focus on local businesses with deskless workforces.
With Eddy, businesses can hire, onboard, manage, and pay employees with one easy-to-use software. Key features include job posting management, tracking incoming candidates, and a full-scale applicant tracking system (ATS). Their onboarding system lets HR managers create custom onboarding packages, assign tasks, and easily collect digital signatures.
A core function of Eddy is people management—users can access company directories and store important employee documents, add notes on employee performance, and track training and certifications in employee profiles. You can also create custom paid time-off (PTO) policies and approve or deny requests; tap into their time tracking tool, which allows employees to easily clock-in and clock-out; and navigate payroll processes using Eddy’s in-house, full-service system that includes support for multiple pay periods and end-of-year W-2 preparation, filing, and distribution.
Eddy starts at $8/employee/month and offers a free demo.
Rippling
Best for small businesses and HR teams
Rippling is a modern HCM solution that is built to tackle new hires, deductions, time and PTO, custom reports, and employee changes. They are an employee management platform that G2 Crowd rated as #1 in Core HR and IT and was a PC Mag Editor’s Choice in 2019.
Rippling is very competitively priced and doesn’t skimp on its features, making them a great option for smaller businesses with a tight budget. This ranked them highly in the Value for Cost segment of the evaluation criteria. They also offer a free trial, which is a bonus cost-wise.
One constructive criticism of the tools is that they could improve upon reporting features, where data visibility can be somewhat limited; for example, various levels of permission around viewing compensation info per user would be welcome.
Rippling starts at $7/user/month and has a free trial.
Oracle HCM Cloud
Best for AI and machine learning insights
You have probably heard of Oracle, as they are a big name in the software business. Oracle HCM Cloud is their answer to a complete HR solution to engage your workforce and optimize operations that include workforce modeling, an HR help desk, and talent acquisition.
Oracle Integration and Oracle SOA Suite can integrate any SaaS or on-premise HCM application. In addition to application adapters, Oracle offers many other integration options including technology adapters for REST, SOAP, LDAP, FTP, and file-based access. Thus, they scored highly in the Integrations section of the evaluation.
One con to note is that their payroll solutions are supported only for a limited number of countries, which may prove challenging if you have remote workers around the world.
Oracle HCM Cloud starts at $13/user/month and has a free demo.
eXo Platform
Best for employee social networking
eXo Platform is an all-in-one digital workplace solution that helps you connect, align, and engage your teams around a single interface. It is designed to fit the needs of enterprises of all sizes and industries that are looking to improve the company and peer-to-peer communication, boost collaboration, and manage company knowledge.
eXo Platform has a rich set of features to improve the working experience, including enterprise social networking features such as user profiles, activity streams, and more. Users can easily navigate through the platform and interact with their peers through a built-in chat application and the ability to like, comment on, and share various pieces of content.
Collaborative groups allow users to communicate, collaborate on projects, and easily find what they are looking for. Document management features allow users to share content easily through drag-and-drop, organize content in rich document libraries, and share information with the click of a button in the activity stream or the chat application.
eXo Platform has a number of integrations with third-party applications including Salesforce, Microsoft Office, and Google Suite. Built-in add-ons include eXo Wallet, gamification, kudos, chat, and more.
Three plans are available: Enterprise, Enterprise S, and Ultimate starting from $5/user/month. eXo Platform has a community edition in which users can test the platform’s different features. Additionally, demos are available for free to get more information.
Sage People
Best for employee engagement functionalities
Over 10 years, the Sage Business Cloud People system has grown into a respected and progressive company operating in the HR management software sector with a full suite of people analytics tools. Sage People is the #1 rated HR and People management system according to Salesforce.
Sage People excels in quick implementation, out-of-the-box automations, and streamlined and flexible reporting features. Additionally, if you check out their workforce engagement tools, you are bound to find something you love.
Sage People lost a few marks in the UX section of the evaluation criteria. An analysis of organization and navigation finds the tool lacking here and there, as the design feels a bit outdated and could use some modernization or fine-tuning.
Sage People starts at $10/user/month and has a free demo.
UZIO
Best HCM with payroll cum benefits solution for growing businesses
UZIO HRIS solution is an all-in-one platform that’s best for small and medium sized businesses and comes with employee onboarding features, HR automation, time off tracking, and allows for easy PTO approvals by schedule managers. UZIO ensures federal and state law compliance and accounts for any year-over-year changes in this regard. UZIO lets you pick and choose what tool you need so you only pay for what you actually use.
UZIO’s all-in-one package is probably the most bang for your buck ($10/month/employee + $30/month flat rate) and it encompasses all your human capital management basics: onboarding, offboarding, benefits syncing, payroll tax management, garnishments, time tracking, and ACA compliance.
One thing to note is that UZIO HRIS is only available for use within the US.
UZIO costs from $4/user/month per feature. They also offer a 30-day free trial with a free demo.
Workday
Best for user experience and user interface design
Used by Airbnb and Netflix, Workday HCM is a solution for all things finance, human resources, and capital management planning. They were named a leader for 4 years in a row as a part of the “Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud HCM Suites for 1,000+ Employee Enterprises” report.
Workday, as a newer platform on the market, absolutely nailed the user interface with a clean, modern, and intuitive layout on both the web browser version and the mobile app. This scored them favorably in the UI category of the evaluation criteria.
A few negative points of the software are 1) interacting with equity data (note: vesting data in particular) was rather weak and 2) the business processes may come across as a bit disconnected for some users, depending on their experience level with this type of tool.
Workday HCM starts at $100/user/year and has a free demo.
SAP SuccessFactors
Best for scalability of add-ons
SAP was founded in 1972 in Walldorf, Germany and now has offices around the world. SAP stands for “Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing” and SuccessFactors is one of their many enterprise-grade solutions for employee management and administration.
SAP SuccessFactors has great flexibility in pricing, as you can add or subtract tools as needed. A very basic plan will cost you under $10 per user per month and you can easily scale upwards from there. This scored them well in the Value for Cost evaluation section.
One con to note is that training can involve quite a bit of work on this software, as it has a lot of nooks and crannies to explore. The learning curve may be a bit steep for some, even if the payoff is worth it.
SAP SuccessFactors starts at $8/user/month and has a free trial.
PeopleGuru
Best HCM for mid-market, US-based organizations
PeopleGuru is an all-in-one HCM software designed to help mid-market organizations manage their entire employee lifecycle efficiently. Their HCM solution is comprehensive, with integrated functions for core HR data, payroll, time & labor, talent management, and more.
Using PeopleGuru's recruiting tools, high-growth companies can attract, retain, and engage their people, while driving efficiency within their HR operations. Other features include a learning management system, social engagement tools, a health check feature, and modules for scheduling, onboarding, performance, and compensation.
Each PeopleGuru client receives a dedicated account management team focused on helping them achieve their business objectives. PeopleGuru is available for US-based companies only, though they can accommodate US companies with Canadian employees too.
PeopleGuru offers pricing upon request, as well as a free demo.
Need Expert Help Selecting The Right HCM Software?
People Managing People has joined forces with the software comparison platform Crozdesk.com to assist you in finding the best tool for your needs. Crozdesk’s HCM Software advisors can create a personalized shortlist of software solutions with unbiased recommendations to help you identify the solutions that best suit your business's needs. Through our partnership you get free access to their bespoke software selection advice, removing both time and hassle from the research process.
It only takes a minute to submit your requirements and they will give you a quick call at no cost or commitment. Based on your needs you’ll receive customized software shortlists listing the best-fitting solutions from their team of software advisors (via phone or email). They can even connect you with your selected vendor choices along with community negotiated discounts. To get started, please complete the form below:
Best HCM Products Summary
Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Paycor Best all-in-one HR suite | Free demo available | From $99/month + $5/employee/month | Visit Website |
2 | Eddy Best for easy customized onboarding | Free demo available | From $8/employee/month + a $49 base fee/month | Visit Website |
3 | Rippling Best for small businesses and HR teams | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
4 | Oracle HCM Cloud Best for AI and machine learning insights | Free demo available | From $13/user/month for a minimum of 1000 employees | Visit Website |
5 | eXo Platform Best for employee social networking | Free demo available | From $5/user/month | Visit Website |
6 | Sage People Best for employee engagement functionalities | Free demo available | From $10/user/month | Visit Website |
7 | UZIO Best HCM with payroll cum benefits solution for growing businesses | 30-day free trial | From $4/month/employee | Visit Website |
8 | Workday Best for user experience and user interface design | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
9 | SAP SuccessFactors Best for scalability of add-ons | Free trial available | From $2.18/user and has software packages starting from $1000+/package | Visit Website |
10 | PeopleGuru Best HCM for mid-market, US-based organizations | Free demo available | Price upon request | Visit Website |
Other Human Capital Management Solutions To Try
Here are a few more options that didn’t make the best HCM software list. If you need additional suggestions for handy HCM software, check these out:
- Ascentis
Best for medium and large enterprises
- Viventium
Best for usability and user onboarding
- ADP Workforce Now
Best for integration with existing HR software
- Zoho Recruit
Complete solutions for both in-house recruiters and staffing agencies that help you source, track, and hire the best candidates
- Ceridian Dayforce
Cloud-based human capital management software designed to identify, attract, hire, reward, and develop your team as well as take care of payroll administration
- BambooHR
HR software that collects and organizes all the information you gather throughout the employee lifecycle-hiring, onboarding, or building culture
- StarGarden HCM
A cloud-based HR automation with automated workflows, reporting, and dashboards as well as full-function HRM/HCM
- Infor CloudSuite HCM
Best for reporting and HR analytics capabilities
- iCIMS Talent Cloud
A unified recruiting platform that has three product suites for recruitment marketing, advanced communications, and hiring
- ApplicantPRO
With ApplicantPro you can post jobs, push posts to job boards, organize qualified applicants, collaborate with your hiring managers, and send offers
Lists of Other Helpful Tools Similar to HCM Software:
- HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems)
- Staffing Software
- Performance Management Tools
- HR Management Software
- Workforce Planning Software
HCM System FAQ
Have some questions about human resources and human capital management? Need some human capital examples? Start with this handy FAQ.
What Is HCM?
Human capital management refers to the collection of organizational practices related to the acquisition, management, and development of the human workforce-or human capital-within an organization.
These practices include HR functions such as workforce acquisition, workforce planning, workforce management, and workforce optimization.
What is the difference between HCM and HRM?
The main difference between HCM and HRM is that HCM is more geared towards employee management. This includes employee performance, onboarding, analytics, position control, and absence management along with other HR services.
HRM includes all HRIS software and HCM systems but focuses largely on HR processes such as payroll processing and compensation management, benefits administration, and time and labor management.
What is the best HR software for a small business?
Small businesses may benefit from free or low-cost HR software like HoneybeeBased (free for up to 3 users), Rippling ($7 per user per month), or Zoho People (free for up to 5 users).
What Do You Think About This HCM Software?
Are there any human capital management tools that you think we have missed but should be on this list? Let us know in the comments. And subscribe to the People Managing People newsletter for more tools and tips!