BambooHR vs. Iris HR Software

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BambooHR
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
BambooHR is an cloud-based human resources solution that provides onboarding, payroll, and benefits management. It also offers automated time-off management and employee self-service.
$10
per month per user
Iris HR Software
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR, acquired by Iris Software Group April 2016) is an HR suite.
$1.50
per month per user
Pricing
BambooHRIris HR Software
Editions & Modules
Core
$10
per month per user
Pro
Contact Sales
per month
Elite
Contact Sales
per month
Standard
$1.50
per month per user
Plus
$2
per month per user
Pro
$3.50
per month per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BambooHRIris HR Software
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPrices are in British Pounds.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BambooHRIris HR Software
Features
BambooHRIris HR Software
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.9
385 Ratings
4% below category average
Iris HR Software
8.6
2 Ratings
5% above category average
Employee demographic data8.3342 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Employment history8.1339 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.1352 Ratings10.02 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.7317 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Organizational charting7.8362 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Organization and location management8.1339 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.4204 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.6
265 Ratings
7% below category average
Iris HR Software
7.6
2 Ratings
7% below category average
Pay calculation8.1197 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.0147 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.4144 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.2205 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.3198 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.9215 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.6131 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.8
335 Ratings
7% above category average
Iris HR Software
8.3
2 Ratings
1% above category average
Approval workflow8.7335 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Balance details8.5321 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment9.2129 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.5
372 Ratings
3% above category average
Iris HR Software
8.2
2 Ratings
1% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.5257 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Update personal information8.9372 Ratings9.02 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.4322 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Employee recognition7.9241 Ratings8.02 Ratings
View job history8.8335 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
9.1
74 Ratings
12% above category average
Iris HR Software
7.0
1 Ratings
14% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets9.174 Ratings7.01 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.3
272 Ratings
4% below category average
Iris HR Software
7.3
2 Ratings
4% below category average
Report builder7.4266 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.5263 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.9199 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.2
305 Ratings
2% above category average
Iris HR Software
8.5
2 Ratings
6% above category average
New hire portal8.4292 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Manager tracking tools7.9264 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.9
224 Ratings
3% below category average
Iris HR Software
8.3
2 Ratings
2% above category average
Corporate goal setting7.0166 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.9216 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility9.169 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Performance tracking7.6213 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.8
242 Ratings
2% below category average
Iris HR Software
8.4
2 Ratings
5% above category average
Performance plans7.3229 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.3196 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Review status tracking8.697 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Review reminders8.1101 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.7217 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
9.1
81 Ratings
14% above category average
Iris HR Software
8.0
2 Ratings
1% above category average
Create succession plans/pools8.946 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Candidate ranking9.067 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Candidate search9.068 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Candidate development9.359 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.9
247 Ratings
0% below category average
Iris HR Software
7.8
2 Ratings
2% below category average
Job Requisition Management7.6187 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Company Website Posting7.6203 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Publish to Social Media9.291 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting7.3198 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.588 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Applicant Tracking8.0219 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.1235 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BambooHRIris HR Software
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.1 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BambooHRIris HR Software
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(406 ratings)
8.0
(3 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(18 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.7
(333 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Availability
9.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.7
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(175 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.2
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.6
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.4
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.4
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.6
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.9
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Professional Services
9.2
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
BambooHRIris HR Software
Likelihood to Recommend
BambooHR
Pros: You can handle multiple time-off requests from your team members at once. A complete list of directories is available to all the employees of the organization. As a result, communication with other employees is easier. All the important documents and agreements are available in one place. Cons: You need to manually check how many team members are on leave on a given day and whether there are any conflicts.
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IRIS Software Group
Our staff is kept updated with more company policies and we are able to track their holiday and sick days much better. The help and support of their contact support are super good. They reply super fast and are very kind. Also, their sales department isn't pushy like other services they are very knowledgeable and kind.
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Pros
BambooHR
  • Ease of use for established staff and admins, all the way down to brand new hires.
  • Integrations, especially for posting and managing jobs during the hiring process.
  • Making regularly occurring things like meetings and assessments easy to customize and to action easily.
  • Being able to assign out tasks for onboarding and offboarding.
Read full review
IRIS Software Group
  • 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.
Read full review
Cons
BambooHR
  • I think it could display PTO in number of days, as well.
  • I wish that the benefits page was easier to navigate.
  • I don't like that the pay stub area is hidden, since I am typically alone at home when I review that data.
Read full review
IRIS Software Group
  • initial scope/setup support (outside of template)
  • Contacting support can be difficult
  • case sensitive username for end users (email addresses have to match exactly)
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
BambooHR
There's nothing wrong with this platform. I would recommend it to any business starting with more than 10 employees. I will continue to use the program for as long as I need to, hoping they continue being tremendous and finding other ways to incorporate more technology.
Read full review
IRIS Software Group
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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Usability
BambooHR
I often have trouble finding where a setting or task I need should be. It's gotten better since we started using BambooHR®, but it's still hard to find things. Support chat is ALWAYS unavailable when I do have a question, even during their posted business hours.
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IRIS Software Group
Iris HR Software is a stable and fairly intuitive product which has had a positive impact on our organisation. We have had some support issues but generally feel we've had a positive experience and our personnel and finance teams have benefitted from this process structure. Whilst contacting the correct Iris HR Software support channel has been our biggest issue once we have established contact our tickets have been raised and resolved promptly.
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Reliability and Availability
BambooHR
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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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
Performance
BambooHR
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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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
BambooHR
I think that the Bamboo customer support team is great. I've only had to contact them twice, but both times they were very easy to work with, assisted me quickly, and made sure I fully understood the solution and that it worked the way I needed it to.
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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
In-Person Training
BambooHR
I didn't have in-person training besides teaching my managers how to use the program. However, I couldn't omit this question (maybe a system glitch).
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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
Online Training
BambooHR
Overall this training was great and our implementation specialist was wonderful and very helpful. We felt really prepared once our training was completed, But we could get additional help immediately even when we were live. The continuation Support heros after implementation are wonderful and you can always get a LIVE person each time you call into their office.
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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
BambooHR
We implemented bambooHR in Fall, 2023 then implemented Payroll 1/1/24. A vital piece of information was not known or missed in that we are exempt from State Unemployment Tax and have a Reimbursement Set-up, so bambooHR did not send Payroll Reports to the State. Those reports need to be sent regardless if we are exempt or not.
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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
BambooHR
Compared to other software, Bamboo is more modern and intuitive, especially in terms of user experience. But there is other software with more capabilities and features; maybe Bamboo is pretty good for a small- to mid-sized company.
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IRIS Software Group
I would say the pricing is good but it could be better. Also, the customer service is amazing they do such a great job and you can tell they know what they are doing. Visually it is very easy to use and looks very professional. It is a quick set up and they do their best to give you what you want and need.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
BambooHR
Since my organization has dropped with employees, I always find ways to reduce costs. I thought there would be a cheaper option, but I was glad that my package included a lot for the price, and downgrading would cost more. The rep could have let me downgraded and taken me to a higher package. I am thankful that didn't happen.
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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
Scalability
BambooHR
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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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
BambooHR
VERY professional!
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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
BambooHR
  • We were able to cancel our ATS monthly subscription with another provider to use the Hiring module with BambooHR®. We save on average $600 a month!
  • We cancelled another monthly subscription that we were using for time off tracking saving hundreds a month.
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IRIS Software Group
  • Our staff is super happy with the service
  • Huge improvement
  • Looks quite professional
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ScreenShots

BambooHR Screenshots

Screenshot of the Job Info tabScreenshot of Onboarding TasksScreenshot of a New Hire PacketScreenshot of an Employee Performance ReportScreenshot of Employee Satisfaction (eNPS®)Screenshot of Open Enrollment