Top HR Management Systems (HRMS) Software for 2024

Why I picked Rippling

With a 3.92 out of 5 score, Rippling is the best HRMS overall because it balances advanced HR features geared toward growing businesses with an approachable, easy-to-navigate interface. You can customize workflows, approvals, access levels, reports, and analytics for more pointed insights into your company’s workforce to drive a more efficient, productive, and engaging company culture.

Your HR teams can also offload some of their more repetitive work, like training course assignments, document collection, and task follow-ups, by having Rippling automate it for you. Moreover, most of Rippling’s modules are robust for an all-in-one HR solution. Its payroll solution is particularly noteworthy since you take care of domestic and international pay within the same platform to speed up processing times.

Although Rippling has great integration options with Slack, Google Workspace, and Zoom, it’s not the best option for companies with primarily frontline workers. It does not support employee private messaging and shift scheduling, for example. Its mobile app also does not have nearly the same capabilities as its desktop counterpart, forcing on-the-go teams to manage functions like payroll in an office.

But if you already have third-party solutions for these areas, Rippling’s vast integration library and app management features make it the best choice for consolidating your tech stack.

Why I picked ADP

ADP Workforce Now comes in with a total score of 3.85. It impressed me for its sheer number of features that allow companies to digitize almost all of their HR processes.

What’s more, Workforce Now is the backbone platform for most of ADP’s other offerings, including its PEO product and global payroll add-on. Its other services, like EOR, HRO, tax, and unemployment claim services, mean that you can access the level of HR support you need during various stages of growth.

As a result, you can stay with one company as you scale, aiding in knowledge retention, data migration, and employee satisfaction and experience. This makes Workforce Now your best bet if you want support for more complex needs, like multiple entities, divisions, departments, and employee types.

Why I picked BambooHR

BambooHR is the easiest and most approachable platform on my list. Although it doesn’t have the customization options of UKG Ready, the automation capabilities of Rippling, or the global support of ADP, you’ll likely find BambooHR the better option if you want to implement an HR software solution quickly.

With an overall score of 3.75, BambooHR does well with automatic workflows, document modification and recordkeeping, and employee communication and engagement. BambooHR also includes an ATS in all plans, which most HRMS reserve for higher tiers. This means you can manage and track a basic candidate pipeline for more consistent hiring.

BambooHR is not the best, however, if you expect rapid growth. While it has all the features of a full-scale HRMS, it doesn’t have options for more specialized workflows. For example, BambooHR’s reporting and analytics are fine for most operations-focused HR teams, but you cannot create custom charts. This can be a major drawback for workforce and big-picture company planning.

Nevertheless, BambooHR is a great choice to reduce the amount of administrative work on your HR teams. Because it contains more tools in the realm of tactical HR, it’s a step above a simple HRIS with only recordkeeping and limited workflow automation.

Why I picked UKG Ready

UKG Ready impressed me with its ability to customize each module to suit your specific HR processes. This means you create a tailor-made HR system with operations that occur your way, compared to more pre-configured platforms like BambooHR.

UKG’s customization also improves collaboration and consistency across teams. For example, if you want hiring managers to quickly look into recruitment metrics like time-to-fill for one of your open positions, you don’t have to create or schedule reports for them. It’s just as simple as creating a report view, saving it, and placing it in a widget for them to see in real time.

Besides making it easier for employees to find the information they need, you can also control the experience of less tech-savvy employees. You can create dashboards, hide or limit access to various information, and improve the efficiency of common HR processes, like injury recordkeeping.

Despite UKG Ready’s score of 3.66, its customization comes at a price. Its complex UI can take some time to understand. If your business is smaller, UKG Ready might be overwhelming as a first-time HRMS. But if you’ve outgrown more simplistic HRMS options like Gusto or TriNet HR Platform, UKG Ready can create a more personalized experience for your increasingly diverse teams and business model.

Why I picked Paycor

Paycor is an excellent choice to automate your core HR operations so you can focus on more meaningful workforce development. Except for UKG Ready, Paycor is the most feature-rich option for talent management. And even though UKG Ready has similar features, Paycor’s dashboard is more accessible for growing HR teams.

In particular, Paycor enables employees to manage their professional career goals. Managers can request employee feedback anytime to understand how to motivate their teams better and build psychological safety. Paycor also enables employees to take learning courses at their convenience to bolster their career advancement.

Paycor also provides opportunities for your teams to take action based on data insights. For example, skill assessments filter into performance review workflows to add context to employees’ successes and areas of opportunity during the review period. 

However, Paycor only received a 3.63 score overall for its clunky system navigation. Its starting price is also off-putting, especially if you’re a small business or startup that wants to take advantage of the tactical advantages of an HRMS, like hiring and upskilling, despite your headcount.

Still, I’d recommend Paycor if you want to improve the employee experience. Employees can engage directly with each other in Paycor to foster a positive company culture. Meanwhile, on-demand pay gives employees access to their funds when needed and Paycor’s compensation management can minimize pay inequity. As a result, Paycor is a better choice if you want capabilities to increase employee retention while reducing manual HR operations.