Finding the best HRIS software for any company can be challenging. Every company’s needs and processes are different, which means that what’s right for someone else may not be the right fit for your company. Matchr has spent hundreds of hours analyzing top HRIS software platforms and working with vendors in an effort to help match HR professionals with the right HRIS system.
To help in your search for the right software, we’ve compiled a list below of our top HRIS systems. Don’t forget to try out our vendor match tool. It’s completely free for HR professionals and can help you save a lot of time in your software search.
Matchr’s Top 10 Best HRIS Software System Recommendations for 2023
1) Paycor HRIS
Paycor tops our list as one of the best solutions for 2023. Paycor is a cloud-based solution specializing in HRIS software for businesses of all sizes. Paycor’s solution consists of intuitive cloud-based modules that can be accessed from anywhere. With both mobile and desktop solutions, Paycor covers all of your HR management needs which is why it made our list of best HRIS systems for 2023.
Why Paycor Made our List of Best HRIS Systems:
- Ranked best-in-class for HR and Payroll software
- Robust automation for even the simplest administrative tasks
- All-in-one HR solution that covers all aspects of HR
- Over 30 years in the HCM industry
- Trusted by over 2.3 million users
2) Vista by PDS HRIS
PDS is one of the oldest and most trusted brands in the HCM space. In operation since 1974, PDS services a wide variety of organizations and industries. Vista by PDS is an all-in-one suit of products that covers everything from recruiting and benefits to payroll and workflow management. Vista’s modern and efficient product provides robust tools that can seamlessly help any organization scale and grow and is aso why PDS is considered as one of our top HRIS picks for 2023.
Why PDS Made our List of Best HRIS Systems:
- Single, integrated recruiting, onboarding, HR, benefits, payroll database simplifies reporting
- Compliance Reporting (e.g. EEO, ACA, OSHA, FMLA, ADA, IRCA, Vets-4212, HIPAA, Federal, State, W-2)
- Translation component enables applicant recruiting and employee self-service outside of the U.S. and Canada
- Point-In-Time Builder creates data snapshots of historical information
- Integrates easily with other systems using the configurable External Interfaces tool
- e-Assistant provides superior assistance with directory services, workflow, and task scheduling
3) BambooHR HRIS
BambooHR is a modern day cloud based HRIS solution that streamlines and centralizes employee information into a single database. Founded in 2008, BambooHR is a tech focused HRIS software solution for both small and medium sized businesses. With an easy to use interface, BambooHR is a great option for your small business. When it comes to selecting the most modern solution, BambooHR is an obvious choice for our 2023 list.
Why BambooHR Made our List of Best HRIS Systems:
- Online and customized product demo available, along with video tutorials, forums, training webinars, and white papers
- Intuitive integration with BambooHR Payroll for streamlined HR payroll process, and improved payroll knowledge for HR professionals and employees
- Support of MS Windows, Mac, and online platforms. No long term contracts
- Winner of a 2013 Alfred P. Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Effectiveness and Flexibility
- Open API enables seamless data sharing with other services
4) ADP Vantage HRIS
ADP has been a leader in HCM software for decades. This was created as an enterprise solution for companies with 1,000 or more employees. ADP Vantage HCM is smart and powerful and has built-in processes to manage your company’s talent, payroll, benefits, Affordable Care Act compliance, time & attendance, and more. The Vantage HCM can manage and automate processes beginning with talent recruitment and onboarding through workforce management to payroll, tax filing, and reports.
Why ADP Vantage Made our List of Best HRIS Systems:
- Robust security and automation tools to create a safe and streamlined process
- All-in-one, open-architecture solution for strategic human capital management
- Boost productivity, manage costs and simplify compliance with a cloud-based, mobile platform featuring built-in insights
- Get faster, easier payroll plus strategic insights and automate certain compliance tasks
- Employees can easily access their pay stubs and Forms W-2 or clock time from any job location
- HR managers can view and edit team schedules, approve timesheets and see daily reports to track productivity
5) ADP Workforce Now HRIS
Workforce Now is a cloud-based platform that can simplify and streamline payroll, benefits, talent, workforce management, and HR management and is designed for companies ranging in 50-999 employees. ADP Workforce Now automates and simplifies the HR processes from payroll and benefits administration to workforce, HR, and talent management.
Why ADP Workforce Made our List of Best HRIS Systems:
- All-in-one, cloud-based solution designed specifically for mid-sized businesses
- Automated tax filing and payroll for increased accuracy
- Support for compliance with local requirements and ordinances for laws, company policies, union regulations, scheduling, and more
- Talent management from recruitment through training and succession planning
- Integration with existing benefits, human resources, and payroll and tax management systems
- Simplified benefits management, including open enrollment and benefits management
6) isolved HRIS
Isolved is a people-first HCM technology that is delivered directly or through their HRO partner network to more than five million employees and 145,000 employers across all 50 States. Isolved’s HCM platform, isolved People Cloud, intelligently connects and manages the employee journey across talent acquisition, HR & payroll, benefits, workforce management and talent management functions. For the second year in a row, isolved made our list of best HRIS systems.
Why isolved Made our List of Best HRIS Systems:
- Strategic HR technology that improves organizational efficiencies and profitability
- Proactive compliance with nimble software that rapidly evolves with an organization and its industry
- Better employee experience for a culture of collaboration and growth
- Reduces redundant data to make HR more efficient
- Comprehensive platform that meets unique needs regardless of industry or size
- Connected solution that aligns with the employee journey from start to finish
7) UKG HRIS
Ultimate Kronos Group, otherwise known as UKG, is an HR software conglomerate that provides HRIS solutions and services to tens of thousands of companies worldwide. UKG is a cloud-based, technology driven company whose goal is to improve efficiency, ensure compliance, and reduce manual processes and complexity when it comes to running your HR organization. UKG’s reputation, dedication to technology and support, and secure platform is why they top our list of software providers.
Why UKG Made our List of Best HRIS Systems:
- Control, run, and automate payroll in ways that match your organization’s needs
- Support keeping up with compliance and add targeted services to set you up for success
- Provide instant access anywhere to pay information and projections, and monitor trends like pay equity and fairness
- Leverage 24×7 support, rapid response, flexible support options, and more, all included with your subscription
- Call and connect to their support team for answers to urgent questions, without submitting a ticket
8) Rippling
Rippling is a comprehensive, cloud-based platform designed to manage an organization’s HR operations seamlessly. As an all-in-one solution, Rippling not only assists businesses in simplifying their employee management – covering aspects like onboarding, benefits, payroll, and device management. Rippling is lauded for its user-friendly interface, making it accessible to a wide range of users, regardless of their tech-savviness.
Why Rippling Made our List of Best HRIS Systems:
- Automated Onboarding and Offboarding
- Payroll services that integrate with time-tracking, benefits, and insurance
- Provides a seamless integration with insurance carriers and automatically updates payroll deductions
- Rippling provides top-tier security features that adhere to industry-standard data protection regulations
- Rippling can integrate with hundreds of third-party applications, ranging from accounting software, CRM systems, productivity tools, and more
9) Zenefits
Zenefits is a leading SaaS-based human resources platform designed to centralize and simplify all HR processes for small to midsize businesses. With a user-friendly interface and an extensive range of features, Zenefits covers key HR functions such as benefits administration, payroll, time and attendance tracking, performance management, and more, all housed within a single dashboard. The platform has been highly praised for its intuitive design and breadth of capabilities. It seamlessly integrates with various third-party applications, making it easy for businesses to adapt Zenefits to their existing operational ecosystem. Its mobile app provides the flexibility to manage HR tasks on-the-go, allowing for real-time updates and easy access to important information.
Why Zenefits Made our List of Best HRIS Systems:
- Zenefits’ mobile app provides the flexibility to manage HR tasks from anywhere
- The software includes features to track employee performance, set goals, and provide feedback
- Zenefits provides a full suite of HR services that include benefits administration, payroll management, time and attendance tracking, hiring and onboarding, performance management, and more.
- Zenefits focuses on automating administrative tasks, significantly reducing manual input
- It provides tools and resources to stay up-to-date and compliant with the latest laws and regulations
10) Eddy HRIS
Eddy is an all-in-one HRIS solution designed specifically to meet the needs of small businesses in particular. The system is meant to not only streamline HR processes but also to improve the overall employee experience. The software combines the features of ATS, Core HR, and payroll into one location so that small businesses can use just one software platform to meet all of their hiring, payroll, and HR needs. Payroll services also include tax filing and time clock tracking for employees. Eddy also offers robust customer service to help small businesses get started and use their software. The software was also designed with deskless HR in mind, making it ideal for businesses that may not have a dedicated HR department.
Why Eddy Made Our List of Best HRIS Systems:
- Employee-driven onboarding is completed before the new hire’s first day
- Employee directory with detailed employee profiles
- Cloud-based document storage and organization
- Time tracking linked to employee accounts
- Customizable PTO plans meet small business needs
- Simplified, easy-to-use software interface
Honorable Mentions – 5 Additional HRIS Software Systems
APS Software HRIS
APS is a cloud-based HRIS that centralizes HR core processes and automatically syncs data throughout its different modules. The software is designed to automate as many tasks as possible in order to free up HR time for more important tasks. The mobile application enables both HR staff and employees to access the information they need anywhere and anytime, making it easier to empower everyone across the organization.
Why APS Made Our List of Honorable Mentions:
- Versatile and scalable HRIS solution
- Highly customizable and personalizable
- Centralized format eliminates double data entry
- User feedback is used to improve the system
- Comprehensive assistance with ACA compliance
- Intuitive interface reduces the need for extensive training
Run Powered by ADP
ADP is a company that offers three different HRIS solutions, two of which made our top ten list. Run Powered by ADP is the small business version of ADP’s HRIS software, designed specifically to meet the needs of companies with up to 50 employees. This version of ADP’s software offers four different packages so that businesses can choose the one that best suits their needs. It’s also scalable so that it can grow with your small business.
Why Run Powered by ADP Made Our List of Honorable Mentions:
- Accessible both on desktop computers and a mobile application
- Proactive error flagging improves accuracy and efficiency
- Automatically calculate, deduct, and pay taxes
- 24/7 assistance from ADP’s payroll professionals
- Automatic tax filing processed for you
- Remain compliant with local, state, and federal regulations
UKG Ready
UKG’s Ready HRIS software is a flexible HR software platform designed to center around the people who are at the center of every business. It’s also highly customizable so that you can personalize the software to your own needs. The software provides a centralized location for employee information and syncs data across its modules and other software platforms. As its name suggests, this software is ready for those on the move and is easily accessible via mobile devices.
Why UKG Ready Made Our List of Honorable Mentions:
- Interfaces with third-party software
- Modular system that scales as businesses grow
- Designed to help businesses put people first
- Intuitive modular design for ease of use
- Step-by-step implementation process
- Can add complementary apps like E-verify and background checks
Zimyo
Zimyo is a cloud-based HRIS platform that seeks to provide an optimal experience for all users, HR and employee alike. The goal is to enable HR to manage every employee through every stage of the employee lifecycle from hire to retire in the way that works best for the organization’s processes. There are more than 40 different modules that HR can choose from in order to build the optimal HRIS platform for their needs.
Why Zimyo Made Our List of Honorable Mentions:
- Mobile app for ease of access anywhere
- Manage workflows to optimize HR processes
- Applicant tracking features to aid in hiring top talent
- Mobile time tracking for employees
- Employee lifecycle management from hire to retire
- Performance reviews help employees improve
EPAY Systems HCM
EPAY is a comprehensive HCM platform that is designed to help HR manage employees throughout their entire lifecycles with the company, taking them from hire to retire. The system is scalable and can suit the needs of a wide range of company sizes, from medium-sized businesses with 100 or more employees to large enterprises with up to 10,000 staff members. With one single sign-on, users can access all of the different HR modules that they need.
Why EPAY Systems HCM Made Our List of Honorable Mentions:
- Comprehensive, 24/7 customers support
- Easy to manage large workforces with hourly employees
- Calculates taxes for any locality within the United States
- Easily integrates with other HR platforms
- Multiple options for tracking employee time
- Reduce compliance risk with benefits management module
What Is HRIS?
An HRIS, which is also known as a human resource information system, is basically an intersection of human resources and information technology through HR software. This allows HR activities and processes to occur electronically.
To put it another way, an HRIS may be viewed as a way, through software, for businesses big and small to take care of a number of activities, including those related to human resources, accounting, management, and payroll.
Learn more about HRIS software by watching our video below:
How To Select The Best HRIS System
HRIS software offers many benefits. These benefits include saving HR professionals valuable time and the company money. Once you’ve decided that an HRIS is right for you, selecting one can be a daunting task. Most people start their search online and search for the most popular systems. However, popularity isn’t necessarily a good gauge of whether that system is the right one for you.
To find the right HRIS software for you, follow these steps:
Step 1: Make a List of Your Needs
Before you start your search, it’s important to know exactly what you’re looking for. Most importantly, make a list of your needs. Later on in your search, this list will help you to automatically eliminate any software that doesn’t meet those needs. It’s also a good idea to make a list of “nice to haves.” Once you’ve removed software that doesn’t offer everything on your “must have” list, then you can use the “nice to have” list to narrow down your options even further.
Step 2: Start Researching Vendors
There are a lot of systems out there, so the research can seem daunting. However, there are tools out there that can help you to find the right software. Matchr offers a software matching tool that can pair you with the top HRIS systems that meet your needs. Our software vendor match tool suggests systems that will meet the needs that you specify, which will help you to save a lot of time in the search process.
Step 3: Narrow Down Your HRIS System List
Once you have a list of the top HRIS software that suits your needs, it’s time to start narrowing down your options. Vendors typically offer demos, which can be helpful in the final selection process, but HR professionals generally don’t have the time to sit through demonstrations of anything but the systems that make the shortlist.
To narrow down your list, compare HRIS system feature sets to both your “must haves” and your “nice to haves.” This is where the “nice to have” list comes in handy, as all software on your list should meet your essential needs. You should also look for reviews online of each vendor, in particular for the vendor’s customer support and user-friendliness. It’s also a good idea to ask around to see what other HR professionals’ experiences were with a vendor.
Step 4: Schedule Demos with Shortlisted Vendors
Once you’ve created a shortlist of possible vendors, it’s time to see how these HRIS software platforms function. Test-drive each system on your shortlist by taking advantage of any free trials that are available. Scheduling a demonstration with the vendor is also important. During a demo, you can ask them questions specifically about how their software would work with your systems and processes.
Step 5: Get Feedback from Employees
Because any platform will be used not only by everyone working in the HR department but also by other employees logging into the employee portal, it’s important for the system you choose to work for everyone. User-friendliness and user experience are important because everyone at the company will need to use the system frequently, if not daily. Ask anyone who will use the system to try it out and ask for their feedback. If the system isn’t easy for them to use, then that will slow down processes and productivity.
Step 6: Select The Best Solution
Once you’ve completed the demo and trial process, it’s time to make your final selection. You can do some additional research or ask for a second demo from the vendor if you have more questions that came up after the first one or if you’re having difficulty deciding between a few HRIS platforms.
HRIS Software FAQs
What Does an HRIS Do?
An HRIS helps businesses by reducing the amount of time spent on HR processes by automating as many repetitive tasks as possible. This also helps to reduce costly errors by limiting the amount of manual data entry. Overall, using an HRIS can help a company save money.
What Are the Benefits of HRIS?
The benefits of an HRIS are numerous. This type of software helps to ease the burden on HR by automating repetitive tasks and freeing up time for more important, higher-level processes. An HRIS can also empower employees by enabling them to manage their own information and look up payroll, time tracking, and PTO information on their own without having to involve HR. Using software can help companies to save money, improve efficiency and productivity across the entire organization, reduce errors, increase the speed at which tasks can be performed, enhance communication and collaboration, and more.
How Does an HRIS Work?
An HRIS allows a company to plan its HR costs more effectively, as well as to manage and control them without needing to allocate too many resources toward them. In most situations, an HRIS will also lead to increases in efficiency when it comes to making decisions in HR. The decisions made should also increase in quality—and as a result, the productivity of both employees and managers should increase and become more effective.
Who Needs an HRIS?
An HRIS can be beneficial to even the smallest of businesses. A top HRIS software platform can save HR and business owners enough time that in many cases, they pay for themselves. It’s worth it to invest in an HRIS as soon as possible so that the software can scale with the company.
What Are Common HRIS Features?
While the features of different HRIS platforms vary, there are some that you can expect to find across practically all of them:
- Automation
- Integrations
- Employee self-service portal
- Mobile app
- Reports
- Analytics
How Can You Choose the Right HRIS?
There are many HRIS options available, which can make the choice seem overwhelming. Fortunately, there are ways you can narrow down your options to only those that are likely contenders:
- Make a list of the HRIS features you need and another of those that would be nice to have.
- Consider the needs you’ll have in the future.
- Outsource your HRIS search or use an online software match tool.
What HRIS Challenges Do Companies Face?
Whether you already have an HRIS or not, there still may be some challenges you’ll face during the search and implementation process.
These challenges include:
- The search for the right system
- The implementation process
- Keeping data secure
- Maintaining compliance
- Business disruptions due to change
- Difficulties with previous HRIS software that wasn’t the right fit
What Solutions Does HRIS Offer?
There are a number of solutions offered to a company that adopts an HRIS. Some of these include solutions in training, payroll, HR, compliance, and recruiting. The majority of quality HRIS systems include flexible designs that feature databases that are integrated with a wide range of features available. Ideally, they will also include the ability to create reports and analyze information quickly and accurately, in order to make the workforce easier to manage. An HRIS can also increase productivity, maintain compliance, reduce errors, improve speed, automate tasks, eliminate paper records, free up HR time, and more.
What Is the Difference Between HRIS, HRMS, and HCM?
Many use the terms HRIS, HRMS, and HCM interchangeably to refer to any type of HR software. In the past, the differences used to be more distinct, but there are still some subtle differences between the three despite the overlap in features.
- HRIS stands for human resource information system and is designed to help HR manage policies, procedures, and people.
- HCM stands for human capital management and is a broader term than HRIS. Typically, an HCM system includes all of the same features of an HRIS, as well as succession planning, performance management, and more.
- HRMS stands for human resources management system and is typically the broadest of the three types of HR software platforms. It usually includes all of the features of both an HRIS and an HCM as well as payroll and time & attendance tracking.
Need Help Choosing the Best HRIS Software for Your Business?
Choosing the best HR software for your business can be overwhelming. With so many systems and features available, it can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what your company needs and select the option that is right for you.
Matchr takes the hassle out of finding HR software by selecting hand-picked HR recommendations based on your company’s unique needs. When you need an HRIS system, we are the company to trust to match you with the right one.
To find the best HR software for your company, use Matchr’s Software Match Tool today.