BambooHR vs Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

Likelihood to Recommend

If you are managing a small/medium-sized organization with up to 500 employees, BambooHR is a great utility. It will automate the entire recruitment and selection process, make time tracking benefit administration highly efficient, and enhance the integrity of annual performance appraisals. It will eliminate nearly all kinds of unnecessary record management and paperwork. All the information about an employee can be accessed at any time of the day. However, for a large organization, the HRIS can erect virtual walls among employees and make management of human resources a daunting task for the HR manager.

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Verified User

Analyst in Professional Services

Renewables & Environment Company, 51-200 employees

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I would definitely recommend Octopus HR if companies need every employee, not just one HR team, to use it. I think it's too much and would suggest something like Taleo for one team to use.Key questions would be: Do you need a simple platform? Are you using this just for your HR team or will everyone need access? Is the way employees request PTO at your company disorganized?

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Verified User

Employee in Human Resources

Internet Company, 201-500 employees

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Feature Rating Comparison

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

Employee demographic data

Employment history

Job profiles and administration

Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.

Organizational charting

Organization and location management

Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

Pay calculation

Support for external payroll vendors

Off-cycle/On-Demand payment

Benefit plan administration

Direct deposit files

Salary revision and increment management

Reimbursement management

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

Approval workflow

Balance details

Annual carry-forward and encashment

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

View and generate pay and benefit information

Update personal information

View company policy documentation

Employee recognition

View job history

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

Tracking of all physical assets

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

Report builder

Pre-built reports

Ability to combine HR data with external data

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

New hire portal

Manager tracking tools

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

Corporate goal setting

Individual goal setting

Line-of sight-visibility

Performance tracking

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

Performance plans

Performance improvement plans

Review status tracking

Review reminders

Multiple review frequency

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

Create succession plans/pools

Candidate ranking

Candidate search

Candidate development

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

Job Requisition Management

Company Website Posting

Publish to Social Media

Job Search Site Posting

Duplicate Candidate Prevention

Applicant Tracking

Notifications and Alerts

Pros

Helps us prepare our payroll on time and do so in an error-free manner.
Implements ATS in our organization and this is crucial in growing our talented workforce.
It's stable, and all organizations from small to mid-sized are able to use it efficiently.

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Martin Oliver

IT Specialist

KPMG UKAccounting, 5001-10,000 employees

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It's simple. I really appreciate that the layout of Octopus HR isn't something I have to question. I know where to look for something because it's clearly labeled, that's more than I can say for a lot of other HR systems I've seen.
Support. If I ever have a question about setting something up, or if something goes wrong, they're always on top of it. For instance, I had no idea how to set up employee photos on our accounts. I tweeted them and they responded right away, I'm based in LA and they're a UK company, I was impressed that they were able to respond right away. They make sure their customers are taken care of.
Great self guide. If there's ever an ordinary question I need answered their "Octopus Guide" is very thorough and walks you through everything.

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Verified User

Employee in Human Resources

Internet Company, 201-500 employees

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Cons

Some edge cases aren't as fleshed out. For example, asset inventory management isn't something BambooHR can really excel at currently.
Something akin to Google Forms but with the privacy protections of being already in the HRIS would be great for collecting anonymized responses.

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Verified User

Administrator in Information Technology

Biotechnology Company, 51-200 employees

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Adding employee photos. That's definitely something I think is hard to figure out on your own.
An easier way for users to retrieve their passwords. Sometimes I notice even when employees put in all the correct information, the system doesn't recognize it.

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Verified User

Employee in Human Resources

Internet Company, 201-500 employees

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Likelihood to Renew

BambooHR 10.0

Based on 2 answers

We have tried other software in the last year and have not found it to be comparable to Bamboo HR especially in relation to the HR functionalities such as workflows, onboarding, automation, user-friendly experience, innovation, timekeeping, and ability to integrate with other 3rd party Payroll processing software. In addition, the employee ease of access and navigation of the platform makes this software crucial within our current culture of multi-site and remote work environments.

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Kendra Zondervan

Director of Financial Operations

Radiant ChurchNon-Profit Organization Management, 51-200 employees

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Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR) 8.0

Based on 1 answer

Employees don't complain about it! If anything they've commented on how nice of a tool it is to have.

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Verified User

Employee in Human Resources

Internet Company, 201-500 employees

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Usability

BambooHR 9.3

Based on 3 answers

Does not have many problems and this ensures all of users are able to use it reliably. There is a free demo available to illustrate the accurate usage of the platform and even customer support. All of these help in improving the usability of the platform and ensure that all users are comfortable with the platform.

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Chris Edwards

Project Manager

TotalOil & Energy, 5001-10,000 employees

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No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Reliability and Availability

BambooHR 10.0

Based on 1 answer

Yes, there is a huge team in the back of the online platform or it looks like it because I have never been left without an answer when I have a question or waiting from a response on my chat .... There must be a huge team, this is so great and I always seem to have someone that is very knowledgeable too. So many times in the past I had to leave with customer service that would connect you with someone else because of the expertise, here everyone seems to be some kind of an expert in the HR function.

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Verified User

Employee in Human Resources

Computer Software Company, 11-50 employees

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No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Performance

BambooHR 9.0

Based on 1 answer

I love BambooHR. Reports are easy to run and download and it usually covers any types of requests I get from the management team. You get excel or .csv downloads/reports and it is fast and simple, not too crowded so it is easy to read through. We don't integrate the tool yet but again, soon we will. we just did not had the time to utilize it yet but that's the plan.

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Verified User

Employee in Human Resources

Computer Software Company, 11-50 employees

View all 1 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Support Rating

BambooHR 8.4

Based on 28 answers

Support is effective and responsive. During our time with BambooHR we did not experience many issues, but initial support on setup was helpful and allowed for a quick turnaround on getting started. Since then, few needs have arisen for contacting support, but I would not hesitate to do so and would recommend BambooHR based on the quality of their support team.

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Matt LeMaire, B.A., M.A.

Vice President, People & Operations

Peel Mutual InsuranceInsurance, 11-50 employees

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No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Online Training

BambooHR 10.0

Based on 1 answer

The online training team is great. Theis is so well done! very user friendly, very nice to go through. Then you get all those exemples and questions to test you and make sure you understand the training as we go along. This is a great asset from the tool, I don't think I have ever been left without understanding because there is help and additional resources to understand or extra windows that explain terms or answer Q&A.

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Verified User

Employee in Human Resources

Computer Software Company, 11-50 employees

View all 1 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Implementation Rating

BambooHR 10.0

Based on 2 answers

it was very easy to sign up, quick and we could use the site very quickly as well.

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Verified User

Employee in Human Resources

Computer Software Company, 11-50 employees

View all 2 answers on this topic

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Alternatives Considered

I would say they both have a lot of strengths for sure. Workday manages data on a mass scale a little bit better in my opinion, but Bamboo HR is more user friendly and pleasing to the eyes

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Hayden Anderson

Senior Enterprise Account Development II - Team Lead

LucidchartComputer Software, 201-500 employees

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Very different platforms. You get a lot of bang for your buck using Octopus HR. It's a much more modern and simple layout and that's something forward thinking companies definitely enjoy.

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Verified User

Employee in Human Resources

Internet Company, 201-500 employees

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Scalability

BambooHR 10.0

Based on 1 answer

There is so much you can do with this platform, it is incredible and so welcoming. We don't utilize it 100% yet just because we are growing and the HR team has not been able to concentrate on other areas offered to us but but we will soon. Which is also why we got the product, specifically because what BambooHR can do to help us meet our growing business needs.

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Verified User

Employee in Human Resources

Computer Software Company, 11-50 employees

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No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Return on Investment

There has been an excellent rate of profitability in our work season, especially thanks to the optimization of our operations through BambooHR.
Currently estimated gains appear to be 500%, which leaves our ROI at 4, demonstrating that the platform has a high return on investment.

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Verified User

Vice-President in Marketing

Marketing & Advertising Company, 201-500 employees

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Employee efficiency. There's never a question of who I request my time off with. The program sets up line managers who take in all the requests.
Less wasted time. Contact info and photo are very visible and easily accessed.

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Verified User

Employee in Human Resources

Internet Company, 201-500 employees

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Pricing Details

General

Free Trial

Yes

Free/Freemium Version

—

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Yes

Entry-level set up fee?

Optional

Call for Quote*

* company size

BambooHR Editions & Modules

—

Additional Pricing Details

—

General

Free Trial

—

Free/Freemium Version

—

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

—

Entry-level set up fee?

No

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR) Editions & Modules

Edition

Basic	$1.50¹

Per User Per Month

Additional Pricing Details

—

Rating Summary

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)

BambooHR

Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR)