Updated: January 2026
Human resources and talent management
AI talent intelligence platform
Eightfold is a talent intelligence platform that uses AI to match candidates with opportunities. HR teams improve hiring quality, internal mobility, and workforce planning with deep skills analysis. The platform helps organizations build diverse, skilled teams efficiently.
Talent intelligence platform
SeekOut helps recruiters find and engage diverse talent using AI-powered search across professional networks. The platform surfaces candidates from underrepresented groups and provides insights to reduce hiring bias. Talent acquisition teams use SeekOut to build diverse pipelines and meet DEI goals.
Payroll and HR services
Paychex is a comprehensive payroll and human resources platform serving businesses from startups to enterprises. The Paychex Flex platform provides cloud-based payroll processing, tax administration, employee benefits management, time tracking, and HR services through an integrated solution designed to simplify workforce management. The platform handles the complexity of payroll compliance including tax calculations, filings, and payments across all jurisdictions where you have employees. Beyond payroll, Paychex offers hiring and onboarding tools, retirement plan administration, health insurance options, and a learning management system for employee training and development. Paychex serves over 730,000 businesses with scalable solutions from basic payroll processing to full-service HR outsourcing through their PEO (Professional Employer Organization) offering. While pricing is customized based on company size and needs, the platform provides enterprise-grade features accessible to small businesses through tiered packages.
Experience management
Qualtrics powers experience management for enterprises, capturing feedback across customer, employee, product, and brand touchpoints. The platform goes beyond surveys to provide AI-driven insights that help organizations understand sentiment and take action. Fortune 500 companies rely on Qualtrics for everything from NPS tracking to comprehensive CX programs.
Employee experience platform
Workvivo brings company culture to life through an employee experience platform that combines communication, engagement, and recognition. Teams stay connected via social feeds, company podcasts, and event management. The platform helps organizations build stronger workplace communities through peer recognition, pulse surveys, and seamless integrations with existing HR tools.
HR software spans the entire employee lifecycle—recruiting (ATS), onboarding, performance management, payroll, benefits, and offboarding. Some platforms try to do everything (HRIS/HCM); others specialize in specific areas.
The HR tech landscape has fragmented. While enterprise companies use comprehensive HCM platforms (Workday, SAP SuccessFactors), most companies assemble stacks of specialized tools. Recruiting tools (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby) often operate separately from HR systems (Rippling, Gusto, BambooHR).
Modern HR tools emphasize employee experience alongside administrative efficiency. Self-service portals, mobile apps, and integrations with work tools are now expected. AI is entering HR—resume screening, interview scheduling, and performance insights.
Manage job postings, applications, and hiring pipelines. Greenhouse, Lever, and Ashby for recruiting-focused companies.
Core HR records, org charts, and employee data. The system of record for people information.
Compensation, tax filing, and benefits administration. Gusto for SMB, Rippling for integrated approach.
Reviews, goals, feedback, and development. Lattice, 15Five, and Culture Amp lead.
New hire paperwork, training, and integration. Often part of HRIS or specialized tools.
Time tracking, PTO management, and scheduling. Critical for hourly workforces.
HR software serves different users across organizations:
HR systems are hard to change—choose carefully:
International hiring tools (Deel, Remote) have grown rapidly with remote work. Rippling's integrated approach is influencing the market. AI is entering recruiting—resume screening, interview scheduling, and bias detection. Employee experience platforms are growing alongside core HR. Performance management is evolving toward continuous feedback over annual reviews. The SMB HR market is mature; innovation is concentrated in mid-market and specialized tools.
Greenhouse is the most established with the best agency/external integrations—great for companies hiring at scale. Lever has the cleanest UX and CRM-like candidate nurturing—great for relationship-based hiring. Ashby is newer with excellent analytics and modern features—gaining popularity with fast-growing companies. All are excellent; choose based on your hiring style.
Rippling's value is integration—HR, IT, and finance in one system. If you're managing devices, access, and benefits separately, Rippling consolidates that. If you just need payroll and basic HR, Gusto is simpler. Rippling shines for tech companies with complex device management needs. The breadth creates learning curve but reduces tool sprawl.
Gusto works well up to ~100-150 employees for US-only companies. Consider switching when you need: international hiring, more sophisticated performance management, complex org structures, or advanced analytics. BambooHR and Rippling are common next steps. Don't switch for features you won't use.
Basic performance features (reviews, goals) are built into most HRIS. Specialized tools (Lattice, 15Five, Culture Amp) offer better employee experience, engagement surveys, and analytics. If performance management is strategic for you—developing managers, tracking engagement, running sophisticated review processes—specialized tools are worth it.
Options: set up legal entities (expensive, slow), use an Employer of Record (EOR) like Deel or Remote, or hire contractors (compliance risk). For a few international hires, EORs are the practical choice—they handle local compliance, payroll, and benefits. Your existing HR system may integrate with EORs or you may need parallel systems.
At Toolradar, we combine editorial expertise with community insights:
Rankings are updated regularly. Last updated: January 2026.
Your review helps thousands of others make better decisions.