Best of HR Software 2021
Buying new HR software, like many other large technology
purchases, can be a stress-inducing process. Some of the most
difficult parts can be figuring out which products meet all your
business needs, getting the information you need from vendors,
making sure everyone is on the same page internally, and
scheduling time for multiple product evaluations.
With our Best of Awards, TrustRadius aims to recognize top technology products who are leading the way in terms of Customer Support, Usability, and Feature Set. Our winners were determined entirely on customer feedback from users with use cases and needs similar to yours.
Here are the best HR software solutions for 2021:
Corporate Learning Management
Lessonly, Customer Support, 1st Place
Tovuti LMS, Customer Support, 2nd Place
Articulate 360, Customer Support, 3rd Place
Tovuti LMS, Feature Set, 1st Place
Articulate 360, Feature Set, 2nd Place
Employee Performance Management
15Five, Customer Support, 1st Place
15Five, Feature Set, 1st Place
HR Management
BambooHR, Customer Support, 1st Place
TriNet, Customer Support, 2nd Place
Zenefits, Usability, 1st Place
Paycom, Usability, 2nd Place
ADP Workforce Now, Usability, 3rd Place
Zenefits, Feature Set, 1st Place
ADP Workforce Now, Feature Set, 2nd Place
Paycom, Feature Set, 3rd Place
Talent Management
ClearCompany, Customer Support, 1st Place
Time Tracking
Everhour, Feature Set, 1st Place
Workforce Analysis
ActivTrak, Customer Support, 1st Place
ActivTrak, Usability, 1st Place
ActivTrak, Feature Set, 1st Place
Workforce Management (WFM)
Paypro Workforce Management, Customer Support, 1st Place
When I Work, Customer Support, 2nd Place
When I Work, Feature Set, 1st Place
Corporate Learning Management
It can be difficult to succeed in online learning scenarios, but businesses today increasingly find themselves relying on Corporate Learning Management Software to deliver trainings and courses to employees and customers. Given that distance learning is a rapidly developing field, it’s critical that any software have excellent customer service teams that smooth technical difficulties and an excellent set of features that meet demands for a variety of industries and learners. TrustRadius has highlighted those softwares that are making a difference in today’s market based on feedback from actual program users.
Best Customer Support – Corporate Learning Management
Trainings can be time-consuming, and there are few things more frustrating than technical difficulty during a learning session. Evade frustration with these softwares that have excellent customer service programs available to their users to keep consumers moving through their material in a timely manner. Quick response times, effective solutions and helpful representatives are the factors that make these companies stand out.
Lessonly, 1st Place
Customer Support Score: 9.7
Lessonly users rain praise on the program, consistently noting the responsiveness of the customer service reps and the quick moves to resolve any issues. Lessonly’s customer service ratings speak for themselves, ensuring that their customers receive as much support as they wish for this product. Cait K., an events production specialist for Cady productions reviewed Lessonly, saying “the support team is very friendly and eager to help you learn the ins and outs of Lessonly. They can set up training for large groups or send links in a chat for individual help. They are quick to respond and if one person doesn’t have the answer, they will collaborate with others to help find the answer.”
Tovuti LMS, 2nd Place
Customer Support Score: 8.8
Tovuti’s review page is awash in users who laud the customer support services available to them. From the onboarding process to resolving any software glitches for longer-term users, Tovuti offers a leading service that keeps customers usual. Allyson C., a Learning Management Specialist, at CNR wrote enthusiastically about the product, saying “Tovuti support is the best. They are so quick to respond and do all they can to help answer your questions. Their help website is informative and easy to use. It is one of the best support teams I have worked with.”
Articulate 360, 3rd Place
Customer Support Score: 8.7
Articulate has a reputation for excellence in customer service, as is evident in their product reviews. Writers commend their capable customer service teams, their prompt response times, and their effective solutions, setting Articulate 360 to be an industry-leading product. TrustRadius user Phil M., a director at ELearning laboratory, shared the extent to which Articulate’s customer service impressed them, saying “Support is Articulate’s golden egg, no other company comes close to the support offered by Articulate and their community.
Best Feature Set – Corporate Learning Management
Industry specificity and individual learning styles mean that Corporate Management Softwares have to offer a variety of features in their products that can be utilized to meet customer needs and expectations. Functions need to be both powerful and diverse, ensuring that supplemental softwares aren’t necessary. The softwares commended here do it all, to make training as easy and comfortable for any size business or customer.
Tovuti LMS, 1st Place
Tovuti has garnered a reputation for features that streamline the corporate learning process and that help companies use the program to great effectiveness. Training, event planning, and attendance tracking keep supervisors in the loop about which trainings and events are working effectively and help learners use the system comfortably. With these benefits in mind, Christine S. a Deputy Director for the Association of Student Conduct, wrote “Our organization had been interested in the idea of implementing a learning management system for some time, but when the pandemic closed down our possibility of in-person events we turned to Tovuti. We were up and running in no time and have gotten very positive feedback from our users.”
Articulate 360, 2nd Place
Articulate 360 offers a variety of features that meet needs for a variety of businesses, providing creative solutions to modern problems presented by pandemic set working conditions. From their storytelling functions for training courses to their unique content reviewing system, Articulate 360 stands apart. Writing on behalf of their company, founder and lead programmer, Veronica B. reviewed Articulate 360, writing “I run a small e-learning firm and I am a long term user of Articulate products, especially Articulate Storyline. With Articulate 360 we can not only develop e-learning, but we have access to tonnes of new assets, a solid reviewing system and many more tools.”
Employee Performance Management
Employee Performance Management software can be an essential tool for employers looking to formalize their employee evaluation process. It can help employers and employees to cooperate in goal setting, progress tracking, and feedback based on actual data. It’s important that whatever software businesses use, they have a capable customer support team and a first-rate toolbox of features for client use. These softwares will keep communication flowing between supervisors and employees, making sure business runs as efficiently as possible.
Best Customer Support – Employee Performance Management
Positive relationships between team members and their supervisors start with positive communication and technical difficulties can disrupt that chain of communication. With that in mind, 15Five has created a program that leads the way in this category, ensuring that problems are quickly resolved and everyone can get back on track.
15Five, 1st Place
According to Tyler O. Director of Vendor Relations, at Toast Wedding Films “15Five does exactly what we need it to do. This is a huge help in a remote business setting to connect with one another and keep up to date on what each person is doing. It also provides a platform to keep track of how we are personally doing in different areas of the job.” 15Five is a straightforward product that has an assortment of reviews that all laud it as a software suite with a uniquely excellent support staff that sets it apart from competitors.
Best Feature Set – Employee Performance Management
Employee Performance Management software shouldn’t be a cumbersome tool that feels like big brother looking over the shoulder of ground level employees. 15Five offers a diverse and nuanced software package that makes it a useful tool for both workers and supervisors, ensuring that individual needs are met while the greater picture of infrastructural success continues smoothly.
15Five, 1st Place
Communication has never been more critical than during a global pandemic, with the bulk of corporate employees working remotely. 15Five provides a virtual workspace that helps companies stay in touch, set professional goals, and keep progress moving forward. It has garnered a loyal collection of users that appreciate it’s inventive features that make it an industry leader. Steve T., a Leadership Development Director at theThe Austin Stone Community Church, said “15Five is being used by our entire organization. We’re leveraging it primarily for performance management. It helps us to make sure each team member is staying focused on the right strategic objectives and meaningfully contributing each week. We use the reflection questions and social features to encourage and reinforce key cultural values.”
HR Management
HR departments are the central hub for employee information and any software used to help them function needs to be highly useful and efficient. Functioning as central data collectors for employee information, it is important that these systems be secure and easily accessible for HR department representatives. These softwares are often comprehensive and offer payroll, employee personal information, job profiles, and benefits information. The softwares mentioned below are leading the field for their capable customer service packages, their easy-to-use interfaces, and their useful features.
Best Customer Support – HR Management
So many people depend on the HR department for a variety of services so it only makes sense that HR departments need to have someone to depend on when things go wrong in their world. With that in mind, BambooHR and TriNet have put together software packages that come equipped with efficient CS programs that exceed expectations.
BambooHR, 1st Place
Customer Support Score: 8.4
The best defensive strategy is a great offense, and Bamboo HR takes uses that strategy by creating such a solid product that many users note how little they have had to avail themselves of it’s customer service staff. However, on those occasions when it has been necessary, users comment frequently on the quick response times and effective solutions offered by the positive and helpful CS staff. John W., Director Non-Clinical Development, Auregen BioTherapeutics reviewed BambooHR and said “The support for the implementation of the platform was excellent with a very simple and hassle-free rollout. Internally, there has been great support for it from management and to-date most people seem to use it without any notable complaints. Ongoing tech support is fine, but to be honest there is little to go wrong so we have had little need for it.”
TriNet, 2nd Place
Customer Support Score: 8.3
TriNet users have a diverse range of positive things to say about the software, from smaller companies that brought TriNet on board to adapt to remove work environments, to larger companies that have used it for years, it has a customer service staff that is reliable for all it’s clients. Many businesses have had to adapt to new working conditions, making hiring and benefits administration more dependent on online functions, and TriNet has been there to help. Brad W. Ceo of Chunker, wrote “TriNet has all of the functions and benefits needed to run the HR department, including many different reports that would take a lot of time and effort to generate without them. The TriNet team themselves has always been willing to go the extra mile for us, especially in the early days of the Covid19 pandemic when we were really struggling.”
Best Usability – HR Management
With so much data on hand, HR representatives need to be able to conveniently navigate the system. HR management systems see daily use, and as such it’s important that these systems have efficient interfaces that keep usability as a priority in the software design. Zenefits and Paycom are two programs that are doing exactly that, which is why TrustRadius is celebrating them as top HR management systems this year.
Zenefits, 1st Place
Usability Score: 8.9
Payroll, wage garnishment, benefits administrations, and employee personnel data are only some of the different functions found in this HR Management software. Not only does it a useful array of tools to save HR personnel time, but it also offers an easy to use interface that makes it a staple in any HR department. Expressing similar sentiments, Tim E, an Account Executive at Jolt, reviewed Zenefits, saying “I can easily find everything I need all from one centralized menu. Very easy to navigate the website. I also love how it is an all in one solution for several things that an HR team needs. I feel like there are 3 or 4 different platforms that come included in Zenefits. It is by far the easiest system I’ve used to view and edit my employee benefits as well.
Paycom, 2nd Place
Usability Score: 8.2
Paycom is a user friendly option for HR Programs looking for something that will streamline the HR Department. With features that are easy to access, including PTO, payroll, and benefits administration, this product won’t disappoint. Scott S, President of M-CO Wiring LLM, reviewed the product, and commended it’s usability, commenting “Paycom is very user friendly and easy to use. The employee portal is very valuable as all employees are able to login with very little support from the administrator. Paycom worked with us on implementation and added all of our initial information making the start up process very simple and intuitive.”
ADP Workforce Now, 3rd place
Usability Score: 8.2
ADP Workforce now offers a usable and helpful interface for HR Reps. Used broadly in a variety of functions, ADP Workforce Now’s usability is what keeps it ahead of competitors, making it an essential software for those who use it. Laura G, Chief People and Culture Officer, at Open Doors Academy, wrote “We use ADP Workforce Now as our main HRIS and Payroll. We use it for performance evaluations, benefits, and time tracking. We love how friendly and easy it is to use. We recently transitioned and it was very easy for everyone in the organization to adapt to ADP. The app is very easy to use and everyone in our organization uses it all the time.”
Best Feature Set – HR Management
HR departments in different industries have different needs, and with that in mind, it’s important that the softwares they use can be as flexible and unique as they are. Administering employee benefits and keeping track of personnel records are just some of the basic functions of any HR management system, but Zenefits, ADP Workforce Now, and Paycom go above and beyond with their software packages.
Zenefits, 1st Place
Zenefits offers a large suite that offers a variety of features, such as time clock management and PTO management. It’s features are efficient and have a reputation for excellence but especially stands out for how easy it is to use and the way that it helps HR Reps manage their data. Elizabeth M., a Business Development Manager at the New Jersey Centers for Physical Therapy, echoed this sentiment, saying “Everyone picks up the software fairly quickly, with little to no-training. Zenefits is used for all the necessary onboarding processes, payroll, calendar dates, days off requests, keeping logs, etc. It does a tremendous amount of work that is streamlined easily. Each person part of our organization appreciates the steadfast solution making it does for their position.”
ADP Workforce Now, 2nd Place
ADP Workforce Now is an industry-leading software that keeps up with its competitors by offering a powerful software suite that helps users manage their time. It’s features are easy to use and wide-ranging enough that a variety of users in different corporate positions can use them for their purposes. Ruth P., an HR Manager at Trekker Tractor, says “I can utilize my time now on other projects not related to HR. My assistant is also very knowledgeable in ADP. We currently utilize time and attendance, payroll, and 401k. We have purchased onboarding and recruitment. I enjoy the report feature it has, very quick and computer friendly. It was very computer friendly with the PPP process and reporting information to the banks for forgivable loans. Overall ADP is a great tool to have in any company.”
Paycom, 3rd Place
Coming in at number 3, Paycom offers a competitive range of features with streamlining HR Departments as the focus. Paycom leads the pack by offering inventive softwares that mean Paycom has a wide deployability and use scope. Expressing similar ideas, Mika G, a Nurse Manager and Clinic Lead at Immediate Care of Olklahoma wrote “ Paycom’s service is user friendly and management friendly. I highly recommend using any and all [of] their provided services. Not only for your payroll needs, but for tax purposes, too. Paycom makes things extremely [easy] to verify payroll and do end of year taxes for our employees. Paycom will track vacation time, PTO, and has a scheduling option as well.”
Talent Management
For most companies, people are the most valuable asset they hold. Talent management services help protect and expand the investment that companies make into their personnel, beginning with the recruiting process and often expanding as far as the post-onboarding stage to include goal setting and incentive systems. Good customer service packages, usability, and versatile feature sets mean these softwares pack a punch.
Best Customer Support – Talent Management
Consumers know that customer service can make or break the success of a software company and the following companies are ones that put an emphasis on their CS programs, ensuring that a staff of capable professionals are available to resolve any issues effectively and promptly.
ClearCompany, 1st Place
Customer Support Score: 8.9
Clear Company definitely places an emphasis on support from it’s users. From the beginning of a client’s relationship with the company to long time users, ClearCompany successfully supports clients in the use of their software. Quick response time and helpful, dedicated reps are just some of the characteristics that set ClearCompany apart. According to Human Resources Manager, Tyler M. at the Colorado Early Education Network, ClearCompany exceeded expectations, they said “Our sales rep did an incredible job listening for our needs and demonstrating how ClearCompany could fulfill those needs. ClearCompany even provided us with a dedicated rep for implementation and offered on-site training for our team!”
Time Tracking
Even though most companies no longer use old-fashioned punch cards, it doesn’t mean that tracking employee payable hours is any less important. These softwares ensure that clients, employees, and supervisors can all stay on the same page about billable hours and that time is being used efficiently and honestly. While many larger HR management suites include time tracking software, these are ones that are more finely tuned in case businesses aren’t looking for the larger package features.
Best Feature Set – Time Tracking
Given that time tracking softwares are a smaller, more specific software package, it’s important that they meet expectations and fulfill the needs of their specific consumers. Everhour is certain to stand out from the pack with the robust features that get the job done.
Everhour, 1st Place
With a broad sweep of applications, Everhour is a software that can be useful to a wide assortment of businesses that need to keep track of billable hours. It can serve as a third party time tracker software to those that rely on other task management softwares can centralize their hours and for smaller businesses it can ensure clients get detailed reports of billable hours. With this in mind, Rui R. wrote “We use Everhour on a daily basis, to record all our time spent on all projects we work on, from finance and accounting to design and developing of products for our clients. It’s simple enough to be usable quickly and easily by everyone in our company.”
Workforce Analysis
Workforce Analytics Softwares help businesses to maximize their human capital usage, helping businesses gain broad-based insights into their labor forces. This type of software is especially effective for companies with large populations of hourly workers, assiting with recruitment, scheduling, and data collection.
Best Customer Support – Workforce Analytics
Customer support interactions should be prompt and effective, minimizing the amount of time spent trying to resolve issues instead of actually using the software. FAQ sheets, effective trainings, and responsive customer service representatives ensure that these softwares lead the industry in their ability to support their clients.
ActivTrak, 1st Place
Customer Support Score: 8.1
Admins require powerful insights into their labor populations and ActivTrak is a top pick for this purpose. With a responsive and prompt customer service team, many consumers note that they rarely need to avail themselves of it. Renee M. an HR Representative at Healthplex Associates noted ActivTraks exemplary customer service, saying “The entire team has been very responsive when I have chatted in for assistance. The customer service team is top notch and very promptly assists with challenges.”
Best Usability – Workforce Analytics
Data analytics softwares can be convoluted and difficult to use effectively, which is it is so important that data analytics software are designed with the user in mind and with a system that is as easy to learn as it is easy to use. ActivTrak is an industry leading software that makes it easier for industries to leverage their AI capabilities in collaboration with their workforce to maximize efficiency.
ActivTrak, 1st Place
Usability Score: 8.1
This software is widely used in companies, and as such, it needs to be easy to learn for a variety of individuals with different technological capabilities. This is a place that ActivTrak excels, as it is designed with the user in mind, keeping things simple and streamlined. Alessandro C., a Firm Manager for Saranto Calamas CPA/PC noted this ease of use, saying “Easy implementation and easy follow up. I was able to invite the other management members with ease. Training is also very easy, all members of management picked it up quickly and are now using it regularly. The agent install is silent and is pushed out very easily as well.”
Best Feature Set – Workforce Analytics
Workforce Analytics software is widely applicable, and thus it is a useful software for many industries, making it important that these softwares have customizable feature sets. Scheduling, employee tracking, and data collection need to function for a variety of business types. ActivTrak stands out for it’s broad collection of functions that are leaders in this software category.
ActivTrak, 1st Place
With an increase in remote workers, it has never been more important that companies stay on the same page and evade time-wasting practices with their employees. ActivTrak allows companies to monitor employee computers locally and remotely, helping them commend those with higher productivity rates. Andy S., the IT Manager at Digestive Health Specialists, noted their appreciation for ActivTrak’s features, saying “ActivTrak allows us to monitor the productivity of users in-office and remote. It has helped us on several occasions with performance evaluations. ActivTrak also sends a helpful weekly report showing productivity levels for our top users. I like that I can dial down to an individual user and see screenshots of their actions at any workstation via Active Directory login. Our managers love customized reports for their separate departments. It’s a great tool for any organization.”
Workforce Management (WFM)
Workforce Management Software is similar to HR Management software, but focuses instead on more logistical functions, such as scheduling larger working shifts, data collection, and attendance tracking. With this in mind, some companies may opt for WFM software due to the features they offer for businesses with large labor populations and hourly workers. With that in mind, these companies lead the pack in Customer Support packages and exciting feature sets.
Best Customer Support – Workforce Management
Customer Support services ought to be used minimally, and when they are used they should be smooth processes that maximize usefulness of client’s time. With that in mind, Paypro Workforce Management and When I Work both offer excellent customer support suites that solve problems and making fluency in the program easy.
Paypro Workforce Management, 1st Place
Customer Support Score: 9.6
Designated CS representatives, rapid response times, and efficient problem solutions set Paypro apart from the competition. With this in mind, Jack H., General Manager at Harder Services, Inc, described their experience with the product, saying “We went through a very thorough on-boarding process, and received very thorough and specific instruction on the pre-determined packages that we had discussed with the implementation team. Since then, we have reached out to support many times via phone and email, and we’ve had our issue resolved every time. Whether it’s adjusting permissions for various users, helping us create custom reports, or working with us to come up with a creative solution, the customer service has always been very responsive and very efficient.”
When I Work, 2nd Place
Customer Support Score: 8.7
Staying on the same page is a priority for many businesses as distanced workers struggle to stay in touch. When I Work has a dedicated customer service team that helps facilitate communication, making sure that glitches and inquiries are resolved quickly. Amy M., the Director of Marion County Library, explained the effectiveness of When I Work, noting that “Customer support is great. Their online response time to answer questions is almost immediate. They are definitely there to help when you need it! I can ask a question of their online rep and within minutes I get a response. They get right on helping remedy whatever issue I have or giving me a step by step guide for how to get what I need.”
Best Feature Set – Workforce Management
Workforce Management software is a widely applicable software that requires a diverse set of tools that clients can customize to fulfill their work requirements.
When I Work, 1st Place
When I work functions as a central hub for those companies that require scheduling and time management functions. When I Work offers those features and a variety of others to ensure that their users can stay on the same page as their organizations. Anna C., Director of Operations, Atlanta Movie Tours enthusiastically reviewed the system, saying “When I Work is used at AMT for mainly scheduling and payroll. It is very useful for the staff and managers to keep track of everyone’s schedules and alert them with reminders. Our accounting department also uses it in conjunction with another program in order to run payroll. It keeps our schedules organized!”