BambooHR® vs. SmartRecruiters

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BambooHR®
Score 8.2 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 (minimum price for 25 employees or fewer)
SmartRecruiters
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
SmartRecruiters’ Talent Acquisition Suite is a cloud-based recruitment marketing and collaborative hiring platform. It features an open marketplace for third party recruitment services. SmartRecruiters also offers talent sourcing and screening as add-on features.
$0
per month
Pricing
BambooHR®SmartRecruiters
Editions & Modules
Core
$10
per month per user
Pro
Contact Sales
per month
Elite
Contact Sales
per month
Corporate
Varies, per FTE
Billed annually
Global
Varies, per FTE
Billed annually
SmartStart
Free
up to 10 active job postings
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BambooHR®SmartRecruiters
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeOptional$1,000
Additional DetailsThe software subscription is determined by the number of a company's full time employees. There is a one time cost to set up software, including customizations, integrations, data migration and training.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BambooHR®SmartRecruiters
Considered Both Products
BambooHR®

No answer on this topic

SmartRecruiters
Features
BambooHR®SmartRecruiters
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.8
249 Ratings
4% below category average
SmartRecruiters
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data8.3224 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history8.2229 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.0223 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.7213 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.3230 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management8.0220 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.3130 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.5
168 Ratings
8% below category average
SmartRecruiters
-
Ratings
Pay calculation8.2123 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors6.892 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.392 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration6.8129 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.3126 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.0137 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.381 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.6
215 Ratings
5% above category average
SmartRecruiters
-
Ratings
Approval workflow8.3209 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details8.2200 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment9.1129 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.5
242 Ratings
4% above category average
SmartRecruiters
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information8.6162 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information8.8238 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.3210 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition8.1154 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history8.7228 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.8
74 Ratings
10% above category average
SmartRecruiters
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets8.874 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.1
206 Ratings
6% below category average
SmartRecruiters
-
Ratings
Report builder7.3199 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.4198 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.5142 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.1
207 Ratings
1% above category average
SmartRecruiters
-
Ratings
New hire portal8.3199 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools7.8186 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.8
138 Ratings
3% below category average
SmartRecruiters
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting7.099 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.8132 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility8.969 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking7.5126 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.7
155 Ratings
3% below category average
SmartRecruiters
-
Ratings
Performance plans7.2141 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.2119 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking8.497 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders8.1101 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.7134 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.7
81 Ratings
11% above category average
SmartRecruiters
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools8.246 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking8.867 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search8.768 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development9.059 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.0
176 Ratings
4% above category average
SmartRecruiters
8.6
127 Ratings
8% above category average
Job Requisition Management8.1134 Ratings9.8109 Ratings
Company Website Posting7.7144 Ratings9.9114 Ratings
Publish to Social Media9.191 Ratings7.5112 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting7.4140 Ratings8.0116 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.488 Ratings9.6114 Ratings
Applicant Tracking8.3160 Ratings9.9126 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.3167 Ratings9.9119 Ratings
Customized Application Form00 Ratings9.7104 Ratings
Resume Management00 Ratings5.6119 Ratings
Candidate Search00 Ratings8.1122 Ratings
Collaboration00 Ratings9.6117 Ratings
Task Creation and Delegation00 Ratings9.997 Ratings
Email Templates00 Ratings9.7114 Ratings
User Permissions00 Ratings9.7109 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings1.7105 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BambooHR®SmartRecruiters
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Breezy HR
Breezy HR
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.2 out of 10
Breezy HR
Breezy HR
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BambooHR®SmartRecruiters
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(245 ratings)
7.9
(129 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.7
(17 ratings)
6.0
(15 ratings)
Usability
8.6
(173 ratings)
9.1
(12 ratings)
Availability
9.3
(5 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
8.7
(5 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.1
(137 ratings)
9.0
(10 ratings)
Online Training
9.2
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.6
(6 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Configurability
8.6
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.4
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.6
(2 ratings)
7.1
(12 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.9
(5 ratings)
9.0
(1 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
BambooHR®SmartRecruiters
Likelihood to Recommend
BambooHR
It works very well for submitting PTO requests and identifying information around personnel matters. I love being able to quickly see how long someone has worked for the company or whether there are upcoming birthdays so I can send a personal note. There are analytics and charts around organizational segmentation that are less valuable for a smaller company like ours.
Read full review
SAP
SmartRecruiters has allowed us to enable our hiring managers to self-service their requirements for recruitment, simplifying our internal processes. We have visibility of recruitment requirements and significantly improved our approvals process using the software. We have been able to configure our hiring processes relevant to different areas of the business. Collaboration for our hiring teams (managers and business partners) is simple and effective. Candidate experience is enhanced and engaging. The platform has brought many benefits to our Resourcing business partners and hiring managers. We have visibility and insightful data which has integrity, allowing us to make informed business decisions. Our offer process has seen significant improvements and provides an engaging candidate experience, previously this was a labour-intensive process that is now streamlined and automated. The recently launched Community for collaboration amongst customers is very helpful and insigtful for how other people are using the software and exploring ideas with each other
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Pros
BambooHR
  • Recruiting- communications are easy for both the internal team and candidates
  • Onboarding- the onboarding tasks are great. I love being able to attach documents as well as delay sending out tasks
  • Communication- the employee community is a great tool to keep our communications clean and organized. I love that we now have insight as to who has viewed the comms
Read full review
SAP
  • Job Referrals - can easily refer others to a job posting and view the status
  • Job Postings - can easily search for job openings and read job description and criteria
  • Application online - Can easily apply for the job directly and see who the hiring manager and hiring recruiter is
Read full review
Cons
BambooHR
  • I feel like BambooHR is rolling out a lot of updates all at one time, which is awesome, but I could see somebody who's maybe not as tech savvy, feeling like it's a lot of information at one time. I think the support area of the website has thorough walkthroughs, but sometimes the search functions don't really take you to exactly what you're asking about.
Read full review
SAP
  • Settings page can be difficult to navigate & find what you're looking for
  • Job approval chains would be better with additional qualifying fields so that we can segregate different areas of the business better
  • The ability to edit an existing offer template in-system would improve the experience, rather than having to edit offline and upload a whole new version.
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
SAP
I thoroughly enjoy using SmartRecruiters and have shared this feedback with those responsible, however I am not a decision maker in the process. I understand that at the moment there are lots of factors affecting the economy and business outcomes, so I cannot comment with certainty on the renewal of SmartRecruiters at this time, not involved in the confirmation of renewal.
Read full review
Usability
BambooHR
It's clear and well appointed with prompts on where to go for each category of information it holds. The user has limited access based on a need to know/job related basis. It has a clear help option with the ability to chat, email or read documentation on how to do something.
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SAP
I would give this rating as overall it a great combo of all your problems. With just one click you can get away with all your problems such as recruitment, candidate update, Interview scheduling, updating candidates, reports of a job perspective, and recruiters perspective. Usability is worth of SmartRecruiters. The dashboard is also very attractive and once you open you will love working on this platform again and again. I would say it is the best platform to use once for smooth work in your organization.
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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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SAP
Rarely is there an issue and if the product is down, it typically is restored quickly.
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.
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SAP
I have no complaints about performance. The system works virtually flawless.
Read full review
Support Rating
BambooHR
I have used their support team over a dozen times. They have chat agents available throughout the day. They have support ticket submissions. They have their own resources website with different programs to learn BambooHR®. They also have onboarding support.
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SAP
Response is normally very fast. There are times, however, when the response is not useful. It is difficult to work with the reporting and the offer letter templates, and the front line support agents usually are not very knowledgeable. Second, if there are any issues with integrations, the regular support agents will not be able to help you. You'll have to create that ticket and ask them to escalate it to an integration specialist.
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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
SAP
Quick and easy to learn.
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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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SAP
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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SAP
It really was a painless and easy process to switch to SmartRecruiters.
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Alternatives Considered
BambooHR
At my previous employer, I evaluated over 20 HRIS platforms before choosing and implementing BambooHR® (in 2019). I love it! The continuous improvements are promising and I actually feel like product feedback is reviewed and, at times, implemented. With BambooHR®, it truly comes down to what you are looking for. If I was solely doing performance management and career ladders, BambooHR® probably wouldn't be a fit. However, it does an overall great job at most things, and is a good quality product.
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SAP
I've really enjoyed using SmartRecruiters, but these other ATSs that we've checked out offer better reporting features and price points. Over time, we may be transitioning off of SmartRecruiters to one of these ATSs because the price is a set price where SmartRecruiters has employee-based pricing model. Also, these other software products offer better reporting features that would eliminate some of our manual tracking process that we're currently doing.
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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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SAP
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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SAP
No explanation really, just a great product.
Read full review
Professional Services
BambooHR
VERY professional!
Read full review
SAP
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
BambooHR
  • Time Savings: Automating onboarding, payroll, and employee record management has cut HR admin time by up to 30%, allowing teams to focus on strategic initiatives instead of paperwork.
  • Improved Onboarding: Streamlined workflows have cut onboarding time by nearly 50%, ensuring new hires are productive faster, reducing turnover risk in the critical first months.
  • - Enhanced Informational Clarity: Centralized employee data means fewer errors and faster access to essential information, reducing compliance risks and increasing accuracy in reporting.
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SAP
  • In terms of ROI, SR helped our business greatly in returning precious time to my productivity in business management, as well as my team's, so that we could get back to the main work we were hired for. The SR process did most of the heavy lifting.
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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

SmartRecruiters Screenshots

Screenshot of a candidate experience to  reach, engage, and connect with talent wherever they are.Screenshot of engaged hiring managers empowered by collaboration tools and applicant tracking to drive better hiring decisions.Screenshot of digital offer management, onboarding, and reporting deliver a seamless journey for new hires and recruiters.Screenshot of how SmartRecruiters eases the burden of juggling multiple open roles and hiring large volumes.Screenshot of an example of the routine task automation that frees up hiring teams to focus on making great hires and delivering a better candidate experience.Screenshot of where to find and discover qualified talent while getting the most from the advertising budget.