BambooHR® vs. Paylocity

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BambooHR®
Score 8.4 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.
$250
per month
Paylocity
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
Paylocity provides 24/7 access to your online payroll and human resource data management. Paylocity offers highly customizable payroll functionality, as well as HR, benefits administration, and time and talent management programs.N/A
Pricing
BambooHR®Paylocity
Editions & Modules
Core
$250
per month
Pro
Contact Sales
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BambooHR®Paylocity
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BambooHR®Paylocity
Considered Both Products
BambooHR®
Chose BambooHR®
Loved BambooHR and was looking to move to them with my last company until I decided to make a job change. Paylocity was very difficult to use and their customer service was abysmal. I did not use the payroll feature. The reporting with Trax was not as robust as we would have …
Chose BambooHR®
I did not select BambooHR, it was already in use and it works well for the size of the company so there is no reason to change it. Paylocity has better payroll functionality but is lacking on the HRIS side, so BambooHR and Paylocity are somewhat comparable. In my opinion, avoid …
Chose BambooHR®
BambooHR was a significant cost savings for us compared to Paylocity. As we compared both systems, Paylocity might have a few more bells and whistles, but BambooHR's simplicity and price tag made It a much better fit for us as we transitioned to an HRIS and payroll platform.
Chose BambooHR®
BambooHR is easy to use whether you have one or 1,000 employees.
Chose BambooHR®
Bamboo's simplicity in utilization beats all the above. The functionality isn't as robust as some, but it gets the job done well and has no huge misses, especially as I believe the simplicity outweighs the lack of functionality in small areas!
Chose BambooHR®
We have BambooHR because of its great interface and user-friendly design. It meets our employees' needs as well as our employer's needs. We have integrations with some programs where Bonusly isn't able to cover.
Chose BambooHR®
Although there are many products in the marketplace, there is no perfect system. BambooHR is the most economical HRIS for a small business, start-up, or business that has never had HR software. BambooHR was selected for its affordable functionality. However, if they continue …
Chose BambooHR®
I used to use that software but couldn't meet up my demand. But in BambooHR workforce management platform features are really amazing than that. Platforms, content and overall everything of BambooHR is work-worthy.
Chose BambooHR®
Other tools with a more unified platform (including a more mature payroll solution) have been much more robust in terms of their data and reporting capabilities. BambooHR, however, has the edge on having a flashier look that may be more appealing to some up-and-coming …
Paylocity
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is FAR better than Paycom, ADP, and Paychex. BambooHR is much more user friendly and "fun" but not quite as robust. I would say for companies over 250 employees that need an all in one, that Paylocity outperforms BambooHR.
Chose Paylocity
Paycom looked very dated but had decent functionality. BambooHR is for smaller companies. Paylocity was a great price and platform switching from ADP TotalSource. Used Paycor at another company I worked for an did not have great customer service experience.
Chose Paylocity
It is better for growing organizations due to its integrations with Bswfit and BambooHR. It saves time when we do not manually enter benefits, which we had to do while we were on Gusto.
Chose Paylocity
Used to use ADP. We're transitioning from ADP. We looked at BambooHR and we looked at Workday when we were trying to decide who to use. But we decided to go with Paylocity as we think it was the best choice. I've had 5 years of using it and been more than happy with it.
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity has much more functionality than BambooHR. I think BambooHR was simpler to use and had a cleaner look, but it did not have integrated Payroll, and it could not report out at the level that Paylocity reports out on. BambooHR is too barebones for the needs of our …
Chose Paylocity
The systems functionalities are very similar, but no matter how great a system may be is good customer care does not represent the program, the reviews will always be poor.
Chose Paylocity
I think Paylocity is robust. While it still has some kinks to iron out, it is building out over time nicely. ADP is a really nice system, but a bit dated. PeopleAdmin requires an immense amount of time to build ones system. BambooHR and Gusto aren't as robust in my opinion.
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity beats all of these hands down. I will give credit to ADP for having a good payroll system, but everything else they have is terrible. Bamboo HR is a really simple to understand and use platform, but that's also it's downside, it's too simple and not robust where …
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is more cost effective than ADP. It offers more features and more payroll enhancement capabilities than Bamboo.
Chose Paylocity
It is better than Paycor and Bamboo, AS good as ADP, and gives UKG and SAP a run for their money. Paycor has more than most and almost as much customization as UKG and SAP. For smaller businesses (less than 1000), by far Paylocity is my choice.
Chose Paylocity
We were very close to selecting Proliant or Rippling. Proliant because their customer service was superior to any of the other platforms we looked at. They were so much more personable and ready to work with us. However, we chose Paylocity because Proliant didn't have many …
Chose Paylocity
Price Ease of system commitment to a long-term relationship.
Chose Paylocity
Pricing and ease of use were much better with Paylocity.
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity seems to have more functionality.
Chose Paylocity
All HRIS are clunky, some more than others. I like it better than Workday and ADP.
Chose Paylocity
I think it is an easy platform to use and navigate. Great customer service.
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is so much easier to use and automates many of the daily HR functions allowing me to focus more on individual employees.
Features
BambooHR®Paylocity
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.8
210 Ratings
1% below category average
Paylocity
7.9
1235 Ratings
0% above category average
Employee demographic data8.4187 Ratings8.61172 Ratings
Employment history8.0191 Ratings8.21136 Ratings
Job profiles and administration7.8185 Ratings8.01060 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.7176 Ratings7.61070 Ratings
Organizational charting6.8193 Ratings7.2991 Ratings
Organization and location management8.0182 Ratings7.8969 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.6102 Ratings7.6826 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.4
135 Ratings
8% below category average
Paylocity
8.2
1199 Ratings
3% above category average
Pay calculation7.895 Ratings8.61170 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.471 Ratings7.7575 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.167 Ratings8.6898 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.1104 Ratings7.5808 Ratings
Direct deposit files7.899 Ratings9.01167 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.1107 Ratings8.2940 Ratings
Reimbursement management6.560 Ratings8.1590 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.7
182 Ratings
7% above category average
Paylocity
7.5
1018 Ratings
8% below category average
Approval workflow8.5177 Ratings7.6906 Ratings
Balance details8.7168 Ratings7.3972 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment9.0127 Ratings7.5769 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.3
203 Ratings
2% above category average
Paylocity
8.4
1212 Ratings
3% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.1128 Ratings8.51180 Ratings
Update personal information9.0200 Ratings8.71202 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.3172 Ratings8.1970 Ratings
Employee recognition7.8124 Ratings8.3879 Ratings
View job history8.5191 Ratings8.51037 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.5
73 Ratings
7% above category average
Paylocity
7.3
379 Ratings
8% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets8.573 Ratings7.3379 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.2
172 Ratings
5% below category average
Paylocity
7.3
1118 Ratings
3% below category average
Report builder7.2166 Ratings7.31071 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.4164 Ratings7.51092 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data7.0114 Ratings7.1703 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.3
173 Ratings
4% above category average
Paylocity
8.3
1053 Ratings
4% above category average
New hire portal8.4167 Ratings8.41046 Ratings
Manager tracking tools8.1153 Ratings8.2840 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.8
109 Ratings
3% below category average
Paylocity
7.8
584 Ratings
3% below category average
Corporate goal setting7.376 Ratings7.9463 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.8104 Ratings7.8538 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility8.766 Ratings7.8406 Ratings
Performance tracking7.397 Ratings7.9545 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.7
124 Ratings
3% below category average
Paylocity
7.6
738 Ratings
4% below category average
Performance plans7.2112 Ratings7.5672 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.294 Ratings7.6577 Ratings
Review status tracking8.294 Ratings7.6680 Ratings
Review reminders8.198 Ratings7.7684 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.6104 Ratings7.7571 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.1
79 Ratings
4% above category average
Paylocity
7.5
382 Ratings
3% below category average
Create succession plans/pools7.345 Ratings6.9256 Ratings
Candidate ranking8.465 Ratings7.4310 Ratings
Candidate search8.166 Ratings8.0349 Ratings
Candidate development8.657 Ratings7.6282 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.0
143 Ratings
4% above category average
Paylocity
8.0
701 Ratings
4% above category average
Job Requisition Management7.8109 Ratings8.1601 Ratings
Company Website Posting7.9117 Ratings8.1627 Ratings
Publish to Social Media8.889 Ratings8.0488 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting7.7113 Ratings7.9597 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.486 Ratings7.6505 Ratings
Applicant Tracking8.2132 Ratings8.2650 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.4134 Ratings7.9644 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BambooHR®Paylocity
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BambooHR®Paylocity
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(215 ratings)
8.3
(1305 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.4
(15 ratings)
8.7
(152 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(142 ratings)
8.1
(103 ratings)
Availability
9.3
(5 ratings)
9.0
(32 ratings)
Performance
8.7
(5 ratings)
8.6
(31 ratings)
Support Rating
8.4
(114 ratings)
7.1
(137 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(5 ratings)
Online Training
9.2
(4 ratings)
7.9
(23 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.7
(6 ratings)
7.6
(80 ratings)
Configurability
8.6
(4 ratings)
7.4
(23 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.4
(3 ratings)
8.5
(20 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.6
(2 ratings)
7.3
(24 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.9
(5 ratings)
8.2
(31 ratings)
Professional Services
9.2
(2 ratings)
9.2
(16 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(4 ratings)
7.3
(29 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(4 ratings)
8.5
(26 ratings)
User Testimonials
BambooHR®Paylocity
Likelihood to Recommend
BambooHR
BambooHR® is great for small businesses. I would recommend to anyone looking to get out of spreadsheets and have a more streamlined process in place. However, it becomes more challenging to use the larger the company. It would just depend on the size of the company and their current processes.
Read full review
Paylocity
Paylocity has a very user-friendly interface and is easy to navigate. The new payroll system is well-designed and efficient. Creating the batches is an easy, straightforward process. I also love that the system guides you through the steps of generating the pre-process payroll register, running the audit, and submitting payroll and prompts you if there are any steps left to complete. The employee onboarding packets are well-designed and have a nice, simple layout as well. However, the issues mentioned in the previous question have created complications for employees when completing these packets. Our main concerns are the technical difficulties employees experience when attempting to complete the withholding forms task, HR not being able to verify employee direct deposit information during onboarding, and no longer being able to make edits to the PERC task. If these issues were resolved, completing the Paylocity onboarding packets would be a very streamlined, easy process.
Read full review
Pros
BambooHR
  • I have contacted Customer Service several times and everyone I have spoken to has been amazing. I always get my questions answered in a friendly, professional and efficient manner.
  • BambooHR is extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate.
  • I love that I can customize certain features according to our company's needs.
Read full review
Paylocity
  • The layout makes the system user friendly, especially if you have used other platforms
  • The amount of information stored in Paylocity is amazing
  • I love the community tab with the birthday and anniversary announcements and have began using it for our employee appreciation announcements. I think this has been well received.
Read full review
Cons
BambooHR
  • Notices for approving hours don't always coincide with pay periods well.
  • Payroll reports are by pay period without the ability to combine hours, etc. into a monthly report.
  • There is not an easy way to fix payroll errors. Must get it right the first time.
Read full review
Paylocity
  • Not enough training content in spanish.
  • Need to be able to easily switch the site and app language.
  • Creating or editing security roles is too confusing but a needed option for most.
  • The site needs the ability to track non-employee HR and training data.
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
Paylocity
We most likely will because we are learning how to use it better all the time. It does integrate with our Advanced Benefits. But the customer service is not responsive when needing help. It almost always requires several contacts to get anywhere, and the contacts can be several days apart. Once you actually get to TALK to someone, things are usually resolved fairly quickly, but their email system is not efficient. I get half answers and they close the ticket! But once I can get to someone, it is almost always great service. Very hard to get someone though.
Read full review
Usability
BambooHR
The usability from a user perspective is pretty straightforward and navigating the system is quite easy. The prompts for managers to approve certain things like time off could be improved as there isn't any follow-through after the first prompt. The availability of customer service can also be hard as we are a UK based company.
Read full review
Paylocity
To begin with, Paylocity provides easy instructions, lots of training tools, and an excellent support team. The data entry is easy to use, and the reporting is outstanding. The report function allows options to fit nearly all of our needs. The search engine makes it easy to navigate through the software.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Paylocity
I can always call the direct number and there is a representative always available to answer questions. I can also email the service desk for Paylocity or my representative and they are pretty quick to respond if we are having issues
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Paylocity
Reports load within seconds. The ease of finding information in the system is very nice. If for some reason you cannot get the info you need, you can either look it up in the help section or if time is of the essence, you may call the help desk and speak with a Paylocity representative immediately. You are never left alone. You never get a voicemail. You always get a live representative who can help you at that moment
Read full review
Support Rating
BambooHR
There is a lot of good documentation on BambooHR features through their stock support library. Support agents are also typically available for more in-depth questions. Sales representatives, however, are extremely hands-off once they sell you the license. They know only enough to sell the platform, but any in-depth questions require technical support, which can prolong the response time.
Read full review
Paylocity
I really appreciate that we are assigned a support manager. That person is very familiar with our set up, our needs and our history. However, I've spoken to others on the support team and have had very positive interactions and get the help needed.
Read full review
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).
Read full review
Paylocity
I didn't have in-person training, but I'm sure it was just as great as any other training/assistance Paylocity provides. Paylocity customer service is always available. You never have to be on hold and their answers are always accurate and timely. Documents in the help section are helpful as well. My in-person training was conducted y one of our employees who was involved in the initial set-up and training of all employees. She was excellent.
Read full review
Online Training
BambooHR
As far as I can recall, everything went well with doing it online and got questions answered. Was thankful to work with a dummy file to get used to some practices prior to getting our own domain within bamboo to then place our personnel information in the system, this helped a lot!
Read full review
Paylocity
The training was live online, but was with a group of other companies. We did not receive any personalized training with our team. Whenever we would ask for training, we would be sent a peak article link or a video. It felt like the reps we dealt with didn't know the answer to the questions.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
BambooHR
BambooHR's initial implementation team was amazing. We loved having a dedicated person we could call, email or speak to during the entire process. I feel that's so important when you are new to a software. Our process was time consuming, but well worth the final product.
Read full review
Paylocity
We were handed off to multiple implementation people, some quit, one went on leave, one left suddenly, one was transfered to a diff dept...all causing a significant amount of disruption for our team. Many had conflicting info on how to properly set things up...hence a complete mess was left for us to figure out
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
BambooHR
I felt Bamboo HR was what we needed for our company. Other HRIS systems didn't give me the care and dedication I have gotten from Bamboo. It was almost like I was another notch in their belt. Bamboo has always made me feel like I came first...like I was their only customer!
Read full review
Paylocity
We chose Paylocity over ADP, Paycom and Kronos because it offered a better balance of functionality, user experience, and customer support tailored to our organizational needs. Paylocity’s platform felt more modern and intuitive, especially for our employees and managers who use it daily for time tracking, communication, and document acknowledgements. The engagement tools—like Community, Impressions, and Surveys—were more robust and better integrated into the core HR functions, helping us foster a stronger company culture. Additionally, Paylocity provided more flexibility in reporting and a more responsive implementation and support team, which made the transition smoother and more collaborative.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Paylocity
I didn't help but I like the pricing
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Paylocity
Our main function for Paylocity is payroll, data insights for employee working hours and onboarding. This has been a very reliable source for us for these functions. Payroll has been extremely easy to do using Paylocity. The onboarding process is very simple for new hires and makes the process run smooth. It is easy to find the information you are looking for while on Paylocity.
Read full review
Professional Services
BambooHR
VERY professional!
Read full review
Paylocity
They are thorough, care about quality and success, take the time needed to implement properly, answer questions, build data feeds. A professional, caring, very skilled team there.
Read full review
Return on Investment
BambooHR
  • Gave more time back to HR, Directors, and Managers by providing options for easy reports and a place to have all the information.
  • PTO! This has given so much time back to accounting as they no longer have to manually calculate PTO and it's also allowed our team to feel more comfortable to take time off by having an official way to ask off and see what their balances are.
  • Onboarding and offboarding: this has helped HR with the many many tasks of helping team members come onboard as well as when they leave a company.
  • Professionalism: the ability to create forms and has stepped up our game for new hires and even tracking things we have needed our team to fill out!
Read full review
Paylocity
  • Less errors for payroll reporting to states and local municipalities. Freeing up our Finance ADM to focus on other duties.
  • New Hire Onboarding creates less work and higher potential for human error.
  • The ease of W-2 tracking throughout the year frees up time at the end of the year to focus on other year end responsibilities.
Read full review
ScreenShots

BambooHR® Screenshots

Screenshot of an employee timesheetScreenshot of the Job Info tabScreenshot of a new hire packetScreenshot of a new hire packet (2)Screenshot of an Employee Performance ReportScreenshot of Employee Satisfaction (eNPS®)

Paylocity Screenshots

Screenshot of a view of real-time employee data and performance metrics used to uncover and analyze trends. This creates an impactful understanding of the business, increase retention, understand labor costs, and plan for changes.Screenshot of where to automate manual processes with Paylocity's self-serve automation engine, Workflows. Users can implement routines for time-consuming manual tasks.Screenshot of where to manage and comply with employment law. Paylocity's HR Compliance solution helps users to stay on track and view important employee compliance items, from Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), healthcare, and compensation.Screenshot of how Paylocity Recruiting can automate hiring processes. amplify outreach, showcase a company's culture, and build stronger candidate connections to swiftly fill positions.Screenshot of recognition and rewards in Paylocity.