What users are saying about
323 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 7.8 out of 100
Based on 323 reviews and ratings
Zenefits
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring#question3' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>Customer Verified: Read more.</a>
207 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 6.1 out of 100
Based on 207 reviews and ratings
Feature Set Ratings
- Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 9 feature sets: Human Resource Management, Payroll Management, Leave and Attendance Management, Employee Self Service, Asset Management, HR Reporting, Onboarding, Performance and Goals, Performance Management
- Zenefits ranks higher in 2 feature sets: Succession Planning, Recruiting / ATS
Human Resource Management

7.5
Ascentis (discontinued)
75%

6.2
Zenefits
62%
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 7/7 features
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 7/7 features
Employee demographic data
7.6
76%
137 Ratings

6.1
61%
106 Ratings
Employment history
7.8
78%
140 Ratings

5.6
56%
101 Ratings
Job profiles and administration
7.6
76%
128 Ratings

6.0
60%
100 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.
7.4
74%
126 Ratings

7.4
74%
105 Ratings
Organizational charting
6.3
63%
90 Ratings

5.8
58%
115 Ratings
Organization and location management
7.9
79%
109 Ratings

5.4
54%
117 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)
7.8
78%
102 Ratings

6.9
69%
102 Ratings
Payroll Management

8.3
Ascentis (discontinued)
83%

5.9
Zenefits
59%
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 7/7 features
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 7/7 features
Pay calculation
8.3
83%
115 Ratings

5.9
59%
97 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors
7.2
72%
62 Ratings

5.7
57%
48 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment
8.2
82%
28 Ratings

5.5
55%
61 Ratings
Benefit plan administration
7.7
77%
108 Ratings

6.4
64%
102 Ratings
Direct deposit files
9.2
92%
100 Ratings

6.2
62%
99 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management
8.5
85%
92 Ratings

5.4
54%
91 Ratings
Reimbursement management
8.8
88%
51 Ratings

6.0
60%
63 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management

8.1
Ascentis (discontinued)
81%

6.2
Zenefits
62%
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 3/3 features
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 3/3 features
Approval workflow
8.5
85%
99 Ratings

6.4
64%
111 Ratings
Balance details
7.8
78%
99 Ratings

6.5
65%
109 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment
8.0
80%
84 Ratings

5.8
58%
90 Ratings
Employee Self Service

7.9
Ascentis (discontinued)
79%

6.2
Zenefits
62%
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 5/5 features
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 5/5 features
View and generate pay and benefit information
8.2
82%
138 Ratings

6.3
63%
123 Ratings
Update personal information
8.8
88%
151 Ratings

7.0
70%
129 Ratings
View company policy documentation
6.9
69%
110 Ratings

6.0
60%
116 Ratings
Employee recognition
7.1
71%
61 Ratings

5.2
52%
61 Ratings
View job history
8.5
85%
108 Ratings

6.3
63%
99 Ratings
Asset Management

6.0
Ascentis (discontinued)
60%

1.3
Zenefits
13%
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 1/1 features
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 1/1 features
Tracking of all physical assets
6.0
60%
33 Ratings

1.3
13%
20 Ratings
HR Reporting

6.6
Ascentis (discontinued)
66%

5.3
Zenefits
53%
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 3/3 features
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 3/3 features
Report builder
6.5
65%
144 Ratings

5.5
55%
98 Ratings
Pre-built reports
7.3
73%
142 Ratings

5.4
54%
100 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data
6.0
60%
73 Ratings

5.1
51%
62 Ratings
Onboarding

6.3
Ascentis (discontinued)
63%

6.1
Zenefits
61%
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 1/2 features
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 1/2 features
New hire portal
6.5
65%
98 Ratings

6.6
66%
109 Ratings
Manager tracking tools
6.1
61%
76 Ratings

5.6
56%
89 Ratings
Performance and Goals

7.0
Ascentis (discontinued)
70%

6.8
Zenefits
68%
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 3/4 features
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 3/4 features
Corporate goal setting
6.5
65%
43 Ratings

6.8
68%
36 Ratings
Individual goal setting
7.5
75%
53 Ratings

6.8
68%
39 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility
7.1
71%
38 Ratings

6.8
68%
34 Ratings
Performance tracking
7.0
70%
50 Ratings

6.8
68%
36 Ratings
Performance Management

6.4
Ascentis (discontinued)
64%

6.0
Zenefits
60%
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 3/5 features
Ascentis (discontinued) ranks higher in 3/5 features
Performance plans
6.2
62%
59 Ratings

4.6
46%
52 Ratings
Performance improvement plans
6.3
63%
50 Ratings

4.6
46%
49 Ratings
Review status tracking
6.7
67%
57 Ratings

7.3
73%
50 Ratings
Review reminders
7.0
70%
55 Ratings

6.7
67%
50 Ratings
Multiple review frequency
5.9
59%
50 Ratings

6.6
66%
46 Ratings
Succession Planning

6.0
Ascentis (discontinued)
60%

7.8
Zenefits
78%
Zenefits ranks higher in 4/4 features
Zenefits ranks higher in 4/4 features
Create succession plans/pools
6.4
64%
21 Ratings

7.8
78%
19 Ratings
Candidate ranking
6.4
64%
21 Ratings

7.6
76%
20 Ratings
Candidate search
5.3
53%
27 Ratings

7.7
77%
22 Ratings
Candidate development
6.0
60%
23 Ratings

8.1
81%
21 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS

6.4
Ascentis (discontinued)
64%

7.6
Zenefits
76%
Zenefits ranks higher in 7/7 features
Zenefits ranks higher in 7/7 features
Job Requisition Management
6.7
67%
85 Ratings

7.4
74%
19 Ratings
Company Website Posting
6.5
65%
79 Ratings

7.4
74%
14 Ratings
Publish to Social Media
6.5
65%
59 Ratings

7.4
74%
13 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting
6.5
65%
71 Ratings

7.7
77%
15 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention
6.5
65%
57 Ratings

7.6
76%
17 Ratings
Applicant Tracking
6.4
64%
83 Ratings

7.5
75%
16 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts
5.6
56%
69 Ratings

8.1
81%
21 Ratings
Attribute Ratings
- Ascentis (discontinued) is rated higher in 1 area: Likelihood to Recommend
- Zenefits is rated higher in 7 areas: Likelihood to Renew, Usability, Availability, Performance, Support Rating, Implementation Rating, Product Scalability
Likelihood to Recommend

7.6
Ascentis (discontinued)
76%
164 Ratings

4.3
Zenefits
43%
138 Ratings
Likelihood to Renew

6.3
Ascentis (discontinued)
63%
12 Ratings

8.2
Zenefits
82%
11 Ratings
Usability

7.5
Ascentis (discontinued)
75%
44 Ratings

8.9
Zenefits
89%
32 Ratings
Availability

6.5
Ascentis (discontinued)
65%
7 Ratings

9.1
Zenefits
91%
4 Ratings
Performance

6.9
Ascentis (discontinued)
69%
5 Ratings

8.2
Zenefits
82%
4 Ratings
Support Rating

8.1
Ascentis (discontinued)
81%
252 Ratings

8.4
Zenefits
84%
52 Ratings
In-Person Training

8.0
Ascentis (discontinued)
80%
1 Rating

Zenefits
N/A
0 Ratings
Online Training

8.2
Ascentis (discontinued)
82%
4 Ratings

Zenefits
N/A
0 Ratings
Implementation Rating

8.2
Ascentis (discontinued)
82%
8 Ratings

9.1
Zenefits
91%
4 Ratings
Product Scalability

6.4
Ascentis (discontinued)
64%
4 Ratings

8.9
Zenefits
89%
4 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
Ascentis (discontinued)
In working with Ascentis in payroll, the program makes my job so much easier. I am new to this position and the learning process has been so much easier with this product than those in the past. I appreciate the patience I am given when I call in for assistance as well.

Verified User
Paraprofessional in Corporate
Hospital & Health Care Company, 501-1000 employeesZenefits
I think as a small business owner, this system gives peace of mind. When I'm onboarding an employee I can automatically integrate the process with Gmail and Quickbooks. I feel like they are always doing work in the background and I don't have to keep checking up on them or verifying the work that's been done
Founder, CEO
The TC AdvantageReal Estate, 1-10 employees
Pros
Ascentis (discontinued)
- Easy to use software. I have had several new HR employees comment on how easy the system is to learn!
- Problem Solving- Ascentis is always problem solving! When we were in the process of selecting a new payroll company, we needed unemployment claims management assistance for our locations, something Ascentis did not currently offer. The sales rep went out of his way to find a unemployment claims management company that would work with Ascentis and us. That company has helped us keep an 80% win rate for our claims!
- User conference- Engage is an awesome way to learn more about the products Ascentis has available as well and meet up with the staff you work with every day!

Verified User
Director in Human Resources
Hospital & Health Care Company, 1001-5000 employeesZenefits
- Payroll services in all 50 states, including payroll tax filings
- Integrations with tools like QuickBooks, Google Workspace, Slack, and Human Interest (401(k))
- Simple yet powerful mobile app for employees to access information including paystubs, benefits, and time off requests
- Streamlined admin portal for People Ops professionals
SVP Finance
BoomtownComputer Software, 51-200 employees
Cons
Ascentis (discontinued)
- Updating the system so it is one platform and not two.
- Create changes to the benefit enrollment process and upgrade the system so hire dates do not need to be changed to trigger benefits for status changes.
- Focus updates on HR Admin, mobile application, ATS and transitioning to one platform. Larger areas of focus have been on the payroll portion of the system with a few updates to other areas.
- When something is broken, quicker turn time on fixing the issue.
- System needs updates to support AAP reporting.

Verified User
Director in Human Resources
Civil Engineering Company, 501-1000 employeesZenefits
- Support doesn't exist once you are a customer
- Tax team has a 3-6 month response time
- Poor Menu/Navigation structure
- Fails to pay taxes on time, results in delinquency notices and fees
- Glitchy UI, sometimes you need to wait a day or two for a section to work again
- Feels like a perpetual beta product, nothing polished about it

Verified User
C-Level Executive in Corporate
Marketing & Advertising Company, 11-50 employeesPricing Details
Ascentis (discontinued)
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Ascentis (discontinued) Editions & Modules
—
Additional Pricing Details
—Zenefits
General
Free Trial
Yes
Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
$8 per employee/per month
Zenefits Editions & Modules
Edition
Essentials | $81 |
---|---|
Growth | $141 |
Zen | $211 |
- per employee/per month
Additional Pricing Details
—Likelihood to Renew
Ascentis (discontinued)
Ascentis (discontinued) 6.3
Based on 12 answers
This rating would be a 10 if it were not for some issues we have been having recently with the benefit carrier connections. The carrier connections are critical for us so how these issues are resolved will be key in our renewal decision.
Human Resources Manager
San Juan Construction, Inc.Construction, 201-500 employees
Zenefits
Zenefits 8.2
Based on 11 answers
We've already renewed after our first year with Zenefits due to the cost savings, ease of administration, reduction in overhead required to perform HR functions, and the employees happily embracing and liking the software. I've found employees generally hate anything new, but we've had no complaints about Zenefits outside the first few weeks of getting used to it.

Verified User
Executive in Corporate
Law Practice Company, 51-200 employeesUsability
Ascentis (discontinued)
Ascentis (discontinued) 7.5
Based on 44 answers
I'd give it a 7.5. If the modules were easier to access and not so buried (or placed in left field to find), I would give it a higher rating. As I said, as the potential to be great if ACCESS to other modules was easier.

Verified User
Director in Human Resources
Building Materials Company, 51-200 employeesZenefits
Zenefits 8.9
Based on 32 answers
It's extremely user friendly and customer service is super helpful. The app needed help a while back but it has greatly improved. There were issues with files being cut off, and when I was onboarded, it actually cut my offer letter off hiding important information. Since then, it's been fixed so they are continually improving.

Verified User
Director in Marketing
Education Management Company, 11-50 employeesReliability and Availability
Ascentis (discontinued)
Ascentis (discontinued) 6.5
Based on 7 answers
They normally give you notice when an update will affect the use of the system. Otherwise, when we have an error , we send a message to the support team. Sometimes someone will get right back with you and sometimes it takes a while.

Verified User
Employee in Human Resources
Government Administration Company, 51-200 employeesZenefits
Zenefits 9.1
Based on 4 answers
We have not experienced any application errors or unplanned outages in the two years I have been using this app. Sometimes there is a lag in the time keeping/ confirming your location, however, it quickly resolves itself within seconds and more often than not is an internet connection error

Verified User
Professional in Corporate
Telecommunications Company, 51-200 employeesPerformance
Ascentis (discontinued)
Ascentis (discontinued) 6.9
Based on 5 answers
Yes, this pages do load pretty good but there are times when things are slow and I believe that's because they are sometimes trying to do updates.

Verified User
Employee in Human Resources
Government Administration Company, 51-200 employeesZenefits
Zenefits 8.2
Based on 4 answers
This app always loads extremely quickly and in a reasonable time frame. Like I said, when we do experience lags from this app, it is more often than not an internet connection error

Verified User
Professional in Corporate
Telecommunications Company, 51-200 employeesSupport Rating
Ascentis (discontinued)
Ascentis (discontinued) 8.1
Based on 252 answers
Support is attentive and quick to answer the call and get the answer for you. If they for any reason cannot answer right then, they are back to you within a day and always seem to have a sense of urgency. You truly get the impression that they are aiming to make you happy.

Verified User
Strategist in Marketing
Oil & Energy Company, 201-500 employeesZenefits
Zenefits 8.4
Based on 52 answers
Not good at all. Basically I typically feel like they can solve the issue at hand. However, they take forever and it never feels like they really care. It can be frustrating that the agent will never speak with you on the phone or just give you their direct contact info so that you can continue to follow up on the same issue. Once they "close" the issue - you have to go back to the main customer service email or line again, even though it may be related to something you've contacted them about in the past
Operations & Project Manager
MercarisMarket Research, 1-10 employees
In-Person Training
Ascentis (discontinued)
Ascentis (discontinued) 8.0
Based on 1 answer
First, to clarify our "in-person" training was done mainly through Web-X meetings and conference calls. It was the closest thing we got to as far as an "in-person" training for this software. However, for the large majority of it, this type of training worked out well. We were able to share our screens and the trainer was able to share his/her screen. We could follow along with what we were doing in our database in real time and see how different functions worked and how manipulating our information could produce different results. It was also nice in that it provided for real-time results if something hadn't been coded correctly or we were having issues as to why something wasn't working the way we thought it should be. However, it did have some downsides in that we often had to rely on a conference phone and that made it difficult to hear people on both sides. Also, sometimes the trainers had internet difficulties when working from home and that caused issues with the WebX meetings.
IT & Marketing Coordinator
Howry Residential ServicesMental Health Care, 201-500 employees
Zenefits
No score
No answers yet
Can't really say just because I would not know.
Sales Support
Air CommTelecommunications, 51-200 employees
Online Training
Ascentis (discontinued)
Ascentis (discontinued) 8.2
Based on 4 answers
Ascentis HR has a number of online training videos to watch on a number of different topics. I gave it a lower rating because there is not much interactivity with the videos and it seems to cater to really only one or two learning styles. Plus, one has to be pretty motivated to go to a separate area to access the videos and then pull up a specific one to watch it and then learn. From my experience, people know that they are there, many just don't take the time and effort to go find them and actually watch them - especially since the username and password are different from their normal username and password.
IT & Marketing Coordinator
Howry Residential ServicesMental Health Care, 201-500 employees
Zenefits
No score
No answers yet
It went through successfully.
Sales Support
Air CommTelecommunications, 51-200 employees
Implementation Rating
Ascentis (discontinued)
Ascentis (discontinued) 8.2
Based on 8 answers
It was very easy to implement, but the customization pieces should really be fleshed out in order to determine the full need of an organization at the time of implementation. I believe if a little more time was spent on the requirements, the recruiting module would not have to be customized again at a cost at a later date.
Human Resources Manager
MultiLingual Solutions, Inc.Government Administration, 201-500 employees
Zenefits
Zenefits 9.1
Based on 4 answers
Unfortunately I do not have any insights on the implementation of Zenefits as I was not employed with this company when Zenefits was introduced. Based on how effortless it is to use Zenefits, I wouldn't image there would be many issues with the implementation of Zenefits

Verified User
Professional in Corporate
Telecommunications Company, 51-200 employeesAlternatives Considered
Ascentis (discontinued)
Ascentis has far better customer service and the implementation experience was also better. The ability to do a lot of customization is also easier with Ascentis as it's smaller organization. The payroll has positive and negatives compared to ADP but the accuracy is the same in both. Ascentis just started their community site which doesn't have a lot of traffic but hopefully can become more like ADP's community site, which was extremely helpful to me as an administrator.

Verified User
Manager in Human Resources
Logistics & Supply Chain Company, 201-500 employeesZenefits
Zenefits has been a better tool for our purposes than Paychex Flex. While Zenefits is a fairly rigid tool without a lot of options for customization, Paychex has even fewer options for customization and their customer services is even more difficult to deal with

Verified User
Administrator in Human Resources
Non-profit Organization Management Company, 11-50 employeesScalability
Ascentis (discontinued)
Ascentis (discontinued) 6.4
Based on 4 answers
Large acquisition would be very complicated, seems more appropriate for companies under 100
Human Resources Manager
N/AEntertainment, 51-200 employees
Zenefits
Zenefits 8.9
Based on 4 answers
It is very easy to use and does not require the end user to go to multiple sites to obtain many facets of HR/ Payroll information that the app offers

Verified User
Professional in Corporate
Telecommunications Company, 51-200 employeesReturn on Investment
Ascentis (discontinued)
- HR DPT. is much more effective, as we can assess any employee information no matter where we are, etc. This helps to provide information immediately when requested!
- Employees have access to Ascentis, and therefore to their timecard, open enrollment, etc., from anywhere at any time!
- Time, PTO requests, employee goals, and evaluations can be approved from anywhere at any time!
- Recruiting can be accessed any where at any time, and this helps with hiring, internal communication, etc.

Verified User
Employee in Human Resources
Mechanical Or Industrial Engineering Company, 201-500 employeesZenefits
- California Meal Break Violations cost a full hour of each employees pay rate. If an employee clocks in 1 minute early it costs us at least 10.50 (minimum wage Ca, 15.00 in Los Angeles) which adds up quickly. We had 37 meal break violations when we first rolled it out. They need to add a feature that disallows them to clock in ahead of 30 minutes, or add a feature that shows them how long they've been on break.
People Operations Coordinator
MeUndiesApparel & Fashion, 51-200 employees