Paylocity vs BambooHR

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Our analysts compared Paylocity vs BambooHR based on data from our 400+ point analysis of HR Management Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Paylocity Software Tool

Product Basics

Paylocity is an all-in-one cloud payroll solution that enables organizations of every size to execute administrative tasks such as talent acquisition, time and labor management, and other core processes. Its functionality includes multiple configuration options that allow companies to customize according to their needs.

It contains robust security measures such as encryption, real-time backups and secure data centers. It also has a user-friendly mobile app that is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
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BambooHR is an HRMS designed for small and medium-sized businesses, and provides solutions for organizations in all industries. Based in the cloud, it streamlines data collection throughout the employee lifecycle, warehousing relevant information in a centralized database to make it easily accessible for managers and individual employees.

It facilitates hiring, onboarding, compensation administration, performance management, provides employee self-service capabilities and everything in-between. It allows organizations to make customizations, set multiple administrators and maintain inactive employees.
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$19/Employee, Monthly
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$175 Monthly, quote-based
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Chromebook
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Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
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Videos
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Email
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FAQ
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Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
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Product Insights

  • Streamlined Talent Acquisition: The software is equipped with capabilities that make the recruiting process more manageable. Users can automate tasks, create custom workflows for hiring, post jobs internally, configure applications and post jobs. 
  • Simplified Onboarding: The portal centralizes information to create a simplified process for new hires. It can be configured to gather necessary employee details such as contact info, withholding forms and an employee handbook with e-signature functionality. 
  • Competent Employees: The platform facilitates easy-to-understand training that equips employees with critical skills, regardless of the initial skill set or position. The built-in LMS suite offers multiple methods and formats that fit the user’s preferred learning style. 
  • Compliance Peace of Mind: The software can train users on compliance topics and assess them on a regular basis. It also aggregates news and industry trends into a feed to keep users updated on compliance laws. 
  • Automatic Notifications: Users can easily stay informed with push notifications that automatically send updates about new hires, changes, time off approvals and terminations. 
  • Employee Engagement: The platform offers engagement tools that promote community interactions, gather feedback and support peer recognition. This boosts engagement within teams and across departments, as well as improves productivity. 
  • Administrative Add-Ons: Services like FSAs, HSAs, TMAs and COBRA supplement standard plans with complementary programs, giving employees a wide choice of benefits to meet their specific needs. 
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  • Apps Marketplace: Find official partner integrations and solutions in a unified location to choose add-ons that make BambooHR a more robust solution. 
  • Employee Self-Service: Employees can log in to view personal information, including time off balances, benefits information and the employee directory. Administrators can set reminders to notify employees when they have documents ready to e-sign or other tasks to complete. 
  • Ensure Privacy: Administrators can set permissions to allow employees to view and edit their personal information while restricting access to other sensitive data. Ensures that all individual employee information is kept private and protects important company information from employees who don’t need to see it. 
  • Live Support: Access live chat and phone support Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. 
  • Progress Tracking: Gain visibility into the progress of individual projects and activities to oversee workflows and approvals, as well as which individuals have completed them. 
  • Security and Peace of Mind: Guarantees enterprise-level data security for any data that is housed within the system, ensuring compliance for organizations with security needs. 
  • Self Onboarding: Enable employees to e-sign and complete documents as well as enter their own information to streamline the onboarding process and free up managers to focus on other important tasks. Employees and new hires can also send introduction emails to meet team members before the newest employee starts their first shift. 
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  • Payroll: Companies can simplify multiple financial tasks related to payroll with this feature. It automates payroll processes and takes care of tax compliance, expense reimbursements into paychecks, garnishment services and custom reports that derive whatever data that’s needed. It provides employees with the flexibility to access a portion of their earned wages when needed. 
  • Workforce Management: This feature helps eliminate the need for manual tracking of tasks, reduces administrative work and maintains accurate records of individual employees. The review forms can be customized to promote employees to set goals via an insight chart. 
  • Employee Self-Service: The software provides users with admin analytics, 24/7 secure access, enrollment and insurance access, and internal plans. This feature helps employees and employers to access, update, enroll and administer data respectively. 
  • Time and Labor Management: Workers can clock in and out via the mobile app, and managers can set geofencing rules that ensure accurate clock-punching. It also syncs with payroll automatically and allows managers to create and adjust schedules as needed, without manually correcting payroll data. 
  • Data Insights: The platform allows users to access demographic information, utilization, headcount, labor costs, position insights, turnover and retention. It also features real-time employee data, analytics for employment trends, strategic hiring and budgeting decisions, and programs to build a diverse workforce. 
  • Reports: The system comes with over 100 standard reports along with an ad hoc reporting tool. Users can schedule reports to automatically generate and track key reports with a favorites feature. 
  • Compensation Management: With this feature, administrators can configure settings such as the approval process and eligibility requirements. It also supports the customization of compensation plans to match organizational pay cycles. Company leaders gain a view into budgets and allocations, while managers can provide increases and view employee data like performance and pay history.  
  • Marketplace Integrations: Organizations can extend Paylocity’s capabilities to streamline the payroll regularity and HR data management across all policies. The solution connects with partner solutions in 20 categories, including single sign-on (SSO), ERP and a variety of HR-related functions. More than 300 integrations are available in the vendor marketplace. Data can flow into or out of Paylocity, or in both directions, depending on the integration. 
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  • Applicant Tracking System (ATS): Allows recruiters to post jobs to popular job sharing sites and social media. Sends alerts to notify recruiters as candidates move through the application process and offers in-app messaging features to answer candidate questions directly. 
  • Overtime Compliance: Checks overtime regulations in all 50 states and territories, ensuring compliance. 
  • Benefits Administration: Provides an option to set a variable rate health plan or enable users to sync with Maxwell Health, a third-party benefits administration outsourcer. 
  • Calendars: Generate a “Who’s Out” calendar to track which employees are out on sick leave or PTO. Integrates with popular third-party calendar apps such as Google Calendar, iCalendar and Outlook Calendar, enabling employees to synchronize their devices so they can easily view who will be available and when. 
  • Custom Workflows: Build data entry workflows that allow different individuals to be assigned to tasks and enter information. Up to five different individuals can make changes and approve workflows. 
  • Employee Reviews: Measure employee satisfaction and see how to boost employee engagement via anonymous scorecards that allow employees to evaluate the workplace. Combines eNPS and intelligent feedback analysis to gauge all aspects of the employee experience. 
  • Inbox Notifications: Alerts managers when an employee submits a time off request and reminds managers when they need to take action, such as approving or denying these requests. 
  • Mobile Capability: Provides desktop benefits from anywhere. Android and iOS-compatible apps allow employees to view time off balances, request time off, view company directories, contact employees via direct message and more. 
  • Offboarding Alerts: Send reminders to system administrators and managers to ensure that all aspects of the offboarding process are completed before an employee leaves their position and it’s too late. 
  • Performance Management Add-On: Allows employees to leave peer reviews through an objective feedback questionnaire to provide more robust evaluations. Aids managers in evaluating and comparing employee performance on an individual and departmental level, as well as across the entire company. 
  • Streamlined Reporting: Quickly generate a variety of reports including EEO-1 via the library of built-in reports. Set custom permissions to keep confidential information safe and then share reports with an unlimited number of individuals for review. 
  • Time Off Calculator: Employees can check their current PTO balances, see any upcoming time off that they have scheduled and make PTO calculations with the in-app calculator to determine how much PTO they will accrue in the future. 
  • Time Tracking: Allows employees to clock-in and clock-out for shifts as well as view their timesheets. Alerts remind employees and managers to keep their timesheets up to date with accurate hours and approve timecards when necessary. 
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Product Ranking

#17

among all
HR Management Software

#38

among all
HR Management Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Paylocity
BambooHR
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Applicant Tracking And Recruiting Benefits Management Compensation Management Document Management Employee Engagement Employee Onboarding And Administration Employee Self Service Learning Management Payroll Management Performance Management Platform Capabilities Reporting And Dashboard Succession Management Time And Attendance Management Workforce Management 62 49 21 78 79 80 60 36 49 53 61 62 25 54 31 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Paylocity
BambooHR
+ Add Product + Add Product
Availability And Scalability Deployment Options Integrations And Extensibility Mobile Platform Security 71 50 71 75 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Vendor Qualification Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 5068 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 4948 reviews
84%
of users recommend this product

Paylocity has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 84% when considering 5068 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

91%
of users recommend this product

BambooHR has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 91% when considering 4948 user reviews from 6 recognized software review sites.

4.6 (21)
5.0 (38)
4.5 (2500)
4.4 (1048)
4.5 (825)
4.58 (1773)
n/a
4.6 (1589)
4.4 (245)
4.6 (272)
3.5 (1477)
4.3 (228)

Awards

we're gathering data

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated BambooHR and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Vendor Information. BambooHR stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award
Vendor Information Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly Interface: 60% of users suggested that the interface is user-friendly, with automated payroll and simplified workflows that make it easy to operate and monitor teams.
Unified Dashboard: Paylocity enables HRIS, payroll, timekeeping and admin-related tasks to be handled from a single location, according to 60% of users.
Performance Benefits: It eases task management for essential activities such as checking time off balances and paychecks, conducting goal assessments and achievements, performing year-end reviews, and more.
Easy PTO: It’s easy to use and implement in a day-to-day work routine, with 30% of users mentioning they can check staff availability before approving leaves.
Streamlined Onboarding: The onboarding process checks in candidates and sends paperwork before they start, making it 10%-20% easier for admin setup and paperwork completion according to users.
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Ease to Use: BambooHR has an intuitive and user-friendly interface, according to 100% of reviews on the UI.
Leave and Attendance Management: 85% of reviews on leave and ATS indicated that it’s quick and efficient for recording and updating these details.
Employee Self-Service: 100% of reviews mentioning self-service observed that it helps easily update personal information, view job history, and generate pay stubs and benefits information.
Onboarding: Automated workflows make the onboarding experience simpler and faster, according to all reviews referring to this aspect.
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Support Team: Paylocity's support process is lengthy according to 30% of users, requiring a lot of back and forth to get an issue resolved, which usually takes days.
Cumbersome Payroll: The payroll module requires set up by different people and doesn’t function accurately according to 10% of users.
Timesheets: Tracking time is difficult, as Paylocity doesn’t update and capture time entries until a shift is completed.
System Logouts: Despite automation, additional verification is required when logging in, causing 10% of users to completely exit and then log in again.
Tracking: Tracking functionality doesn’t work well for all the features in the experience of 10%-20% of users.
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Lacks Crucial Tools: Lacks functions such as attaching documents for employee benefits, restrictions on editing employee forms once saved and more, according to all reviews on this element.
Custom Report Filters: According to 100% of reviews on reports, it doesn't provide any option to customize report filters.
Payroll Processing and Management: All reviews mentioning this element noted that the software lacks an in-house tool for payroll processing and management.
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Paylocity is a user-friendly HCM solution that works well for SMBs and delivers an array of features such as payroll management, hiring and talent management in a unified suite. Self-service capabilities help employees access their information. Some users found issues with its payroll, tracking and timesheet capabilities, reducing accuracy and limiting what can be done. However, it offers an intuitive interface, with tools like onboarding and PTO that make tasks easier while speeding up processes. Businesses looking for an end-to-end system to manage HR functions should consider this as a good contender.

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BambooHR provides hiring, onboarding, compensation administration, performance management and employee self-service capabilities to companies of all sizes and industries. Reviews suggest that it has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. Employee self-service and a simplified onboarding experience are some noteworthy capabilities. The most repeated drawbacks include the absence of crucial functionality and the inability to customize report filters. Moreover, in-house payroll processing and management isn’t included. It can be a solid choice for companies willing to integrate with a third-party payroll provider.

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