HRIS Buyer's Guide

A robust human resources information system (HRIS) is the bedrock of any professional HR program. The right HRIS can unify employee and talent data, helping your HR team get the people insights that let them make better strategic decisions. 

Of course, not all HRIS solutions are created equal. In this HRIS buyer’s guide, you’ll learn: 

• The key benefits of introducing a modern HRIS
• What to look out for when you’re evaluating different HRIS options 
• The top 10 HRIS on the market in 2024 — how they differ, and which one might be the best fit for your organization  

What Is an HRIS?

A human resource information system (HRIS) is a platform that consolidates your employee information and integrates all your talent management processes. Your HRIS is the central nervous system of a professional HR program, letting your team: 

• Store employee data securely: Modern HRIS solutions bring together all your critical employee information in one place, giving you a single source of truth for your people data: performance reviews, employee engagement, compensation and benefits, employee demographics, attendance, and more. 

• Onboard new hires quickly: With the right HRIS, you can make every new hire’s onboarding experience simple and consistent. For instance, you can assign onboarding tasks, upload key documents like Form I-9s or copies of the employee’s ID, and send customized welcome emails and onboarding content. 

• Reduce manual tasks for the HR team: An HRIS can help your employees self-serve their own PTO requests, find answers to their HR questions, or schedule training opportunities. Plus, today’s HRIS solutions typically come with automation features, so you won’t waste time on repetitive work or fixing human errors. For instance, Ally Spencer, the People Operations Manager at Trust & Will, told us that introducing the new Lattice HRIS has been really helpful “to automate tasks and emails within our workflows and ensure we're not missing any steps in the process, for both our team preparing to onboard someone or for the new hire as they get set up.” 

• Gain more insight into your workforce: By bringing all your people data together, an HRIS can help HR teams lead strategic conversations about employee performance and workforce planning. Reporting functions make it far easier to surface insights, without spending hours writing formulas, copy-pasting data into spreadsheets, or digging around in unconnected platforms. 

📖 Further Reading: What Is an HRIS, and How Can It Help Your Organization? 

Core HR Software vs. HRMS vs. HCM vs. HRIS 

The HRIS purchasing process is full of jargon and acronyms. Here’s a quick guide to the different terms you’ll see bandied around: 

• Core HR software is a centralized system of record for employee data (e.g. contact information, employee status, start date, and similar.) This is the most basic of the types of software discussed in this guide. 
• Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS) include core HR functionality but facilitate multiple HR processes such as benefits, workforce management, and payroll.
• Human Resources Management System (HRMS) is a term that was more commonly used in the early 2000s to describe a more comprehensive HRIS that included other capabilities, such as recruiting, talent management, and employee engagement. These days, these systems are usually just called HRIS (for a little added confusion!) 
• Human Capital Management (HCM) software is the term often used for a cloud-based HRIS. 

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10 Best HRIS Systems in 2024

Not every HRIS is going to suit every organization. Factors like company size, your existing tech stack, and the complexity of your HR program will dictate the right choice for your company. Here’s our list of the 10 best picks for HRIS to suit a variety of different budgets and priorities: 

1. Lattice

If you’re a small or mid-market organization that places a high value on talent strategy, Lattice’s new HRIS may just be your best option. Yes, we might be a bit biased — but here’s why we think Lattice is a great choice: 

Unified Employee Data

Lattice HRIS lets you fully integrate your employee records, so you can analyze your employee data across platforms and talent programs. For example, you can easily link performance to compensation, or get a single view of your workforce that includes insights into demographics, engagement, retention, employee lifecycle, and performance. 

Native Integration With Talent Management Tools

Instead of a complicated tech stack with lots of different HR systems, you can use the same, user-friendly interface to manage all your HR programs — from employee data, to engagement, to L&D, to manager one-to-ones, and much more. 

Employee-Centric Design

Many legacy HRIS platforms were built with HR teams in mind, and employees a distant second. As a result, employees find them hard to use, making for a frustrating employee experience — and also ensuring that HR wastes a ton of time fielding questions and dealing with basic HR tasks. 

Lattice was built with employees in mind, so it’s intuitive, easy to use, and simple for your workforce to self-serve their own onboarding, time off, time tracking, and more. 

Highly Flexible 

If your organization is growing, you’ll need a tool that can grow with you. That’s why we built Lattice to be modular, so you can add more functionality as you need it.  

We also made sure that the workflows, reports and permissions are all fully customizable, so your HRIS manager can set up your HRIS exactly how they want it. 

Plus, it doesn’t just work with our own talent suite — it also integrates with a growing ecosystem of technologies and HR tools. No more “Frankenstein” HR tech stacks. 

What People Say About Lattice HRIS: 

“The Core HRIS is huge for us, finally allowing us to pull together data that's sitting in several places into a single spot to make it easy to access,” Amanda Heironimus, the People Partner at LTSE told us. 

Ally Spencer of Trust & Will said, “The ability to do custom tasks, emails, and manager communications all in one is amazing!” 

And Ross Anne Frazier, the Senior Manager of People Operations at SafelyYou, remarked that “[Lattice HRIS] will enable us to create a better experience for our employees...by reducing the use of other platforms, manual processes, and forms through automation with workflows, onboarding templates, and reporting features."

If you want to see for yourself what they’re so excited about, you can take a quick product tour on our website.  

2. ADP WorkforceNow 

⭐ G2 Rating: 4.1/5

ADP WorkforceNow is an HRIS suite with a robust integration marketplace. It has a modular structure and includes HR management, payroll, benefits, learning, time management, and analytics tools. 

‍Users on G2 say they find it “robust” and “comprehensive.” However, when it comes to customer support and implementation, the picture isn’t quite as positive: 

“Service tickets often take a considerable time to resolve and typically lack details about the issue being addressed when you are notified of a resolution,” writes one reviewer. She adds that the “training required for implementation could be overwhelming.” 

ADP WorkforceNow: Key Features  

• Benchmarking data from over 40 million employees 
• Integrated payroll tools
• Time and attendance capabilities 

3. BambooHR

⭐ G2 Rating: 4.4/5

BambooHR offers an affordable all-in-one HR platform for SMBs with strong customer support.   It focuses on ease of use, with an integrated payroll solution and a fast time to implementation. 

‍Users on G2 say that BambooHR is “easy to set up, implement, and use for admins and end users alike.” On the other hand, some G2 reviews mention that it’s hard to customize BambooHR for their needs. For instance, one reviewer comments, “The customization options are restricted, and its integration capabilities with other tools are limited.” 

BambooHR: Key Features 

• HR data and reporting tools 
• ATS and new hire onboarding 
• Employee satisfaction and eNPS tracking

4. Deel

⭐ G2 Rating: 4.8/5

An all-in-one HRIS for global and remote workforces, Deel’s differentiator is its in-house employer of record (EOR) system, which allows customers to hire and pay talent worldwide. Deel doesn’t have native talent management or performance management features, although it does integrate with other HR platforms.  

G2 reviewers like its “seamless management of global payroll,” but some mention issues with customer support. For instance, one reviewer mentioned that “the customer support response times can sometimes be slower than expected, which can be frustrating when urgent issues arise.” 

Deel: Key Features 

• Built-in EOR system to support global hiring
• International payroll 
• Contractor management to hire remote contractors and freelancers 

5. Gusto

⭐ G2 Rating: 4.5/5 

Gusto is a popular HRIS aimed primarily at small businesses and startups. It comes with robust full-service payroll options, and G2 users reviewing Gusto say that “the initial setup to running payroll is a breeze.”

Gusto: Key Features 

• Fast and easy payroll tools
• Hiring and onboarding functionality
• Employee benefits management and brokerage 

6. HiBob

⭐ G2 Rating: 4.5/5

HiBob is a modern HRIS with a visually appealing user interface and proactive analytics tools. Founded in Israel in 2016, HiBob has a strong presence in EMEA and APAC and is starting to expand into the North American market.  

Users on G2 like HiBob’s “user-friendly interface” and “ability to build workflows that align with our processes”. However, some users complain of a lack of features. For instance, one UK HR manager comments, “Some elements need to have manual workarounds which can be a little time-consuming,” and another reviewer says that there are too many “limits on filters within the reporting.”  

HiBob: Key Features 

• User-friendly interface with automations, workflows, and personalization tools
• Compensation management and salary benchmarking 
• People analytics and reporting tools

7. Paylocity

⭐ G2 Rating: 4.4/5 

Paylocity offers an HRIS and native payroll platform, with strong insurance and broker partnerships.  Users on G2 say they like its “integration with benefits carriers”, “self-service options for employees and supervisors”, and “new payroll processing process” 

However, over 102 reviewers mention that Payroll has a steep learning curve. “The main drawback of Paylocity is its complexity,” remarks one G2 reviewer. Some reviewers also mention that implementation can be slow and challenging. For instance, one user comments, “It was a difficult transition ensuring everything had been set up correctly.” 

Paylocity: Key Features  

• Integration with insurance brokers and benefits partners 
• Comprehensive global payroll management
• Employee self-service portal

8. Rippling

⭐ G2 Rating: 4.8/5

Sitting at the center of HR, IT, and Finance for small customers, Rippling thrives when it comes to workflows and automation. G2 reviewers say that it’s “highly adaptable” and “incredibly efficient,” and that they like “its ability to integrate with so many other tools we already use.” 

However, some comment on its opaque pricing structure, with a lot of hidden costs: “Any semi-complicated reports cost extra. Any automation/notifications cost extra,” says one people manager at a mid-market company. 

Rippling: Key Features  

• Modular platform, with applicant tracking system (ATS), full payroll and benefits management, time and attendance tracking, learning management, and more
• Global payroll and benefits management
• Integrations with 500+ business apps 

9. Workday

⭐ G2 Rating: 4.1/5

Operating in over 100 countries, Workday’s complete HR suite is optimized for enterprises and has extensive social proof from its customer base. Users on G2 mention its “real-time data and analytics,” “flexibility and scalability,” and “excellent tools to monitor and review my staff's time management as well as stay on top of career progression, training and most importantly setting goals for the year.” 

Workday is an enterprise suite of tools, and, as a result, comes with a high price tag and a long and complex implementation process that one reviewer describes as “very tough.” 

Workday: Key Features:

• Comprehensive  solution including workforce planning, recruiting, talent management, compensation, and benefits administration
• Tools for general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable, procurement, asset management, and financial reporting
• Integrated payroll processing and time tracking for employee management and payment
• Manages hiring processes, candidate tracking, job postings, and new employee onboarding

10. UKG Pro

⭐ G2 Rating: 4.2/5  

UKG Pro is a comprehensive enterprise HRIS that differentiates itself with strong reporting and platform configuration capabilities. G2 reviewers comment on UKG Pro’s breadth of features, “comprehensive solutions,” and “user-friendly interface.” 

However, some organizations struggle to find reliable support: one reviewer says bluntly that “the customer service is non-existent.” Implementation also comes up as a challenge, with one reviewer, the Director of HR at a mid-market company, commenting that “The implementation team was more worried about "checking boxes" than actually completing the tasks.”  

It’s worth noting that UKG Pro is aimed at large organizations. UKG also offers UKG Ready for small businesses. 

UKG Pro: Key Features 

• Highly customizable platform configuration, with modules for workforce planning and management, talent management, compliance, communication and reporting tools 
• Great Place to Work Hub, with insights, benchmarks, and guidance to improve your organization’s DEIB efforts and employee experience 
• Multi-country payroll, with strong compliance and reporting tools

Must-Have Features for Modern HRIS Software

There’s no one-size-fits-all HRIS out there. Depending on the size of your organization and the complexity of your HR program, you might be looking for a more comprehensive solution or a simpler option that’s quicker to implement. That said, most companies will benefit from an HRIS that has the following key components: 

1. Onboarding

30% of employees leave their jobs in the first 90 days, according to a 2022 report from Jobvite. A streamlined, positive onboarding experience can help keep new hire turnover down. 

Your HRIS should help create that seamless onboarding journey. Look for platforms that let you: 

• Store onboarding documents securely 
• Create user-friendly onboarding checklists 
• Send personalized emails to help new hires feel at home 

2. Integration with Talent Management 

If you want to make the most of your HRIS, it needs to gather all your employee data, not just the basics. 

Look for an HRIS that lets you centralize data on employee engagement, performance, and employee development, as well as payroll and demographic information. 

3. Payroll

An HRIS should let you collect all the information you need to process your payroll — employee tax statuses, bank account details, and current salary data. 

Some HRIS solutions also let you send payments to employee bank accounts — but at a minimum, you should look for an option that connects easily with your payroll system. Otherwise, you’ll end up needing to manually update employee salary data in your payroll system every time it changes. 

Other key payroll features to look out for include: 

• Integration with performance data, so you can make sure that pay aligns with performance 
• Timesheet approval functionality 
• Tax filing requirements 
• Dashboards and analytics so you can track your payroll trends over time 
• Employee self-service access to paystubs 
• Timecard management 

4. Time Off and Attendance

HRIS solutions should make it easy to track employee hours and attendance so that everyone gets paid the right amount every time. Look for a solution that includes scheduling tools, to reduce scheduling conflicts — especially important for hybrid and remote teams. 

To reduce the manual workload of your HR team, prioritize solutions with a robust, user-friendly employee portal. That way, your workforce can easily log their own hours and request PTO, and managers can quickly approve requests and keep tabs on absenteeism. 

5. Compliance

Your people trust you to keep their data safe. Keep an eye out for HRIS with strong compliance and security features, such as access controls to make sure only the right people see confidential information, SOC 2 certification, and GDPR compliance.

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6. Reports and Analytics

The biggest advantage of using a great HRIS is to be able to use data to make better decisions. But that means finding a solution that lets you bring all your people data (engagement, performance, talent, attendance, and demographics) into the same platform. 

The right tool will help you easily collate and analyze people data, generate actionable insights, produce and share reports in the format of your choosing, and demonstrate the ROI of your talent management programs. 

7. Employee Self-Service

A user-friendly, self-service employee portal can take a huge administrative burden off the shoulders of your HR team — and also improve your employee experience. Look for a solution that lets your workforce access their records, download paystubs and tax information, and submit requests for PTO.  

8. Performance Management

Ideally, your HRIS platform needs to connect employee data with performance management. That way, you can focus on building a high-performance business culture, tie compensation to performance, and gain a more holistic overview of your workforce. 

9. Employee Benefits Administration

Some HRIS solutions come with tools to help manage employee benefits (like insurance, retirement, and voluntary deductions). This ensures accurate payroll, keeping paychecks and contributions correct.

While you may want to use a separate benefits vendor, you should make sure that your HRIS integrates well with your benefits platform of choice, or you’ll risk duplicating work or introducing manual errors. 

10. Integrations

Speaking of integrations — to be truly useful, your HRIS must play nicely with your existing tech stack. Otherwise you’ll spend all day entering the same information into multiple systems and toggling between platforms. 

That’s why we made sure that Lattice HRIS connects with a broad ecosystem of integration partners, so you can put together a customized HR suite for your company’s unique needs and structure. 

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How to Choose the Right HRIS System

Here are some key tips to help you develop a strong evaluation process for selecting your new HRIS: 

Step 1: Assess your specific HR needs.

Audit your existing systems to identify where you have gaps, where you’re duplicating effort, and where you have blind spots in your People data.  

Then, gather feedback from both your employees and your HR department. An employee survey can help you get a benchmark into how well your current system is working and where it’s creating headaches for your workforce. You can even ask people which features they’re currently missing the most (use the list above for guidance.) 

Step 2: Identify integration requirements. 

If you want your HRIS to work the way it’s supposed to, you’ll need it to integrate with your existing tech stack. Audit your current HR and business tools to map out the key data flows and integration needs. For example, you may need integrations with: 

• Payroll systems 
• Applicant tracking systems (ATS) 
• Performance management tools 
• Time and attendance systems 
• Benefits administration 
• Learning management systems
• Accounting and finance tools
• Collaboration tools 
• Enterprise resource planning (ERP) tools 
• Employee engagement tools 

This is also the moment to decide if you’d like your HRIS to integrate with an existing tool or replace it. For instance, some HRIS solutions can be used to run payroll, manage recruitment, handle talent management, and manage time and attendance.

📖 Further Reading: Learn more about Lattice’s HRIS integrations in our Help Center

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Step 3: Consider scalability. 

Before making a purchase, you need to figure out both your current headcount and your projected growth. HRIS solutions are typically built with a specific organization size in mind. For instance: 

• Gusto and Deel are primarily aimed at smaller businesses.
• Lattice HRIS, BambooHR, and HiBob are best suited for mid-market companies and scaling small businesses 
• Workday and UKG Pro lean more towards enterprises

Consider what scalability you’ll need and if you’re planning to expand your workforce internationally. You may also want to look out for a modular platform configuration, which will let you add additional functionality as you grow. 

Step 4: Define your requirements with a checklist. 

When you start getting into the weeds on each application, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with information. A checklist with your must-haves and nice-to-haves is a good way to make sure you’re evaluating each option thoroughly and using the same criteria each time. 

Here’s a sample checklist to modify for your own purposes and requirements:  

Example Checklist: HRIS Purchase Criteria

Top Priorities:

• User-friendly interface 
• Fully customizable 
• Easy, fast implementation
• Great customer support 

Must-Have Functionality: ‍

• Core HR 
• Onboarding and offboarding 
• Workflow automation 
• Performance management 
• Reporting dashboards and analytics 
• User-level permissions control 

Integrations: 

• Payroll 
• Benefits administration platform
• Learning management system (LMS)

Nice-to-Have Functionality: 

• Modular configuration 
• Employee engagement tools
• Compensation benchmarking

Create a table with this checklist. Once you’ve developed a shortlist of three to five providers, set up a demo with each and rate each platform against these requirements. Add a column for insights on pricing, and leave space for some qualitative notes. 

Partner With Lattice for Robust HRIS Capabilities

If you’re looking for an HRIS that works seamlessly with your talent management tools, Lattice might be the best option for you. The latest addition to the Lattice product suite, our HRIS lets HR teams: 

• Centralize your employee and performance data into one platform, so you can streamline your workflows and gain deeper insights with unified reporting 
• Boost your strategic decision-making with real-time, accurate data
• Increase your overall productivity with a user-friendly design so your employees can manage their own HR needs
• Customize your workflows and automations exactly as you need them, with support from our award-winning customer service team 

Ready to get started? Book a demo today or take a quick product tour. 

‍The information provided in this article is accurate at the time of publication. Changes in product functionality and other relevant factors may occur after publication. We encourage readers to verify information directly