Buddy Punch vs. UKG Pro vs. UKG Ready

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Buddy Punch
Score 9.2 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Buddy Punch is an online time tracking, scheduling, and payroll application. Track time, time off, locations, and jobs. The solution aims to help make punching in and out intuitive for employees and easy for users to view and export time. Employees can clock in using a browser or the Buddy Punch Google, iOS, and Android apps. Users can view who's working, their GPS position, or even limit where they can punch. The solution integrates with QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, and SurePayroll, to name a…
$24.49
per month ($19 base fee + 5.49 per user)
UKG Pro
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
UKG delivers cloud-based HCM solutions including UKG Pro that help businesses simplify payroll computations, accelerate talent acquisition, manage time and attendance, and support proactive, strategic talent management on a global level.N/A
UKG Ready
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
The UKG Ready® software suite is a centralized HCM solution designed for small to mid-sized businesses. It automates and streamlines HR, payroll, benefits, time, talent, and scheduling processes. UKG Ready's suite of tools offer actionable insights while helping to ensure compliance. Using AI, it draws on work, people, and culture data to boost efficiency and productivity. For example, UKG Ready streamlines core HR functions by centralizing…N/A
Pricing
Buddy PunchUKG ProUKG Ready
Editions & Modules
Starter
$5.49
per month per user
Pro
$6.99
per month per user
Enterprise
$11.99
per month per user
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Buddy PunchUKG ProUKG Ready
Free Trial
YesNoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeRequired
Additional DetailsThree plans are available via a monthly or annual payment option. Each plan has a per user price and a base fee of $19. There are no startup, cancellation, support, or additional fees of any kind. A discount is available for the annual payment option.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Buddy PunchUKG ProUKG Ready
Considered Multiple Products
Buddy Punch

No answer on this topic

UKG Pro
Chose UKG Pro
UKG Pro [(formerly Ultimate Software UltiPro)] is more user friendly, has a easier interface, more features, better compliance.
Chose UKG Pro
Pro is much more user friendly than Ready.
Chose UKG Pro
We wanted to do everything in UltiPro but Kronos had a much better timesheet solution. So instead we export from Kronos into UltiPro for our weekly payroll. They also have a much better customer service model. When I have an issue and create a case, they respond within 24 hours.
Chose UKG Pro
UltiPro is the all inclusive solution, our CEO calls it the cadillac and you will likely pay a cadillac price. Kronos is a very similar solution for a much better price but did not have every feature that UltiPro had at the time we reviewed. Namely was great and innovative …
UKG Ready
Chose UKG Ready
I had limited exposure to UKG Pro but it was also fairly complicated to use belt for audit readiness, but it also had much more expensive capabilities which in comparison or superior service. namely was much more user-friendly, but it wasn’t as good of a platform from a …
Chose UKG Ready
Can't really remember; it's been awhile in between products.
Chose UKG Ready
I loved Ultipro and halogen at my last employer. Both were easy to use. halogen implementation was easy and it was easy to make changes as we advanced in our use. I also used Hodes IQ for applicant tracking. It was much easier than WFR's system.
Chose UKG Ready
Kronos appeared more user friendly and offered us the valued options that the other time and attendance systems we looked at did not. We have 150 employees working in the field and wanted to ensure they had a system that was user friendly and easy to use while being cost …
Chose UKG Ready

We moved to Kronos in 2014 after evaluating the following other products:

  1. Ceridian Dayforce
  2. Paychex
Chose UKG Ready
It seemed a lot like Ultipro, but at a much more affordable price.
Features
Buddy PunchUKG ProUKG Ready
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Buddy Punch
-
Ratings
UKG Pro
7.8
940 Ratings
4% below category average
UKG Ready
8.4
247 Ratings
4% above category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.6851 Ratings8.9217 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings8.3877 Ratings8.4211 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings8.0847 Ratings8.3211 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.6832 Ratings8.4197 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings7.1743 Ratings8.0161 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings8.0756 Ratings8.3186 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings7.2599 Ratings8.8159 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Buddy Punch
-
Ratings
UKG Pro
8.1
857 Ratings
0% below category average
UKG Ready
8.5
240 Ratings
4% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.3811 Ratings8.6222 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings7.8407 Ratings8.1135 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings8.2318 Ratings8.0116 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.7732 Ratings8.6176 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.5799 Ratings8.7182 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.2659 Ratings8.8166 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings8.057 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Buddy Punch
-
Ratings
UKG Pro
7.7
662 Ratings
6% below category average
UKG Ready
8.0
216 Ratings
2% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings7.7587 Ratings7.6198 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings7.8617 Ratings7.6206 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings7.7510 Ratings8.9177 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Buddy Punch
-
Ratings
UKG Pro
8.1
907 Ratings
1% below category average
UKG Ready
8.2
229 Ratings
0% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.3875 Ratings8.2209 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.5880 Ratings8.4216 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings8.0649 Ratings7.9177 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings7.3340 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings8.4861 Ratings8.5185 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Buddy Punch
-
Ratings
UKG Pro
7.6
229 Ratings
5% below category average
UKG Ready
8.9
88 Ratings
11% above category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.6229 Ratings8.988 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Buddy Punch
-
Ratings
UKG Pro
7.1
843 Ratings
6% below category average
UKG Ready
8.2
232 Ratings
8% above category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.4819 Ratings8.0225 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.3832 Ratings8.5225 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings6.7579 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Buddy Punch
-
Ratings
UKG Pro
7.9
643 Ratings
1% below category average
UKG Ready
7.8
161 Ratings
2% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings8.2636 Ratings8.0159 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings7.7515 Ratings7.7131 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Buddy Punch
-
Ratings
UKG Pro
7.5
438 Ratings
7% below category average
UKG Ready
7.1
99 Ratings
12% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings7.4345 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings7.5417 Ratings7.191 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings7.6298 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings7.6387 Ratings7.198 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Buddy Punch
-
Ratings
UKG Pro
7.5
542 Ratings
5% below category average
UKG Ready
7.5
125 Ratings
5% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings7.6484 Ratings6.8113 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.0381 Ratings6.8103 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.7498 Ratings8.3112 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings7.5468 Ratings8.4116 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.6394 Ratings7.2101 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Buddy Punch
-
Ratings
UKG Pro
7.1
235 Ratings
9% below category average
UKG Ready
6.6
51 Ratings
17% below category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings6.7189 Ratings5.743 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings7.2203 Ratings6.624 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings7.5206 Ratings7.230 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings7.0187 Ratings7.125 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Buddy Punch
-
Ratings
UKG Pro
7.5
530 Ratings
2% below category average
UKG Ready
7.5
131 Ratings
2% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings7.5499 Ratings7.5111 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.6489 Ratings7.8107 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.2387 Ratings7.283 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings7.5451 Ratings7.589 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings7.1382 Ratings7.384 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings7.7486 Ratings7.8112 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings7.7451 Ratings7.2120 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Buddy PunchUKG ProUKG Ready
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
TimeClock Plus
TimeClock Plus
Score 9.5 out of 10
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
Zoho People
Zoho People
Score 9.0 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Buddy PunchUKG ProUKG Ready
Likelihood to Recommend
9.3
(28 ratings)
8.2
(1076 ratings)
8.2
(271 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(197 ratings)
7.8
(19 ratings)
Usability
9.3
(7 ratings)
8.0
(312 ratings)
8.4
(154 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(76 ratings)
5.3
(4 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(333 ratings)
5.0
(8 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
5.9
(496 ratings)
5.2
(75 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(88 ratings)
7.8
(2 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(206 ratings)
6.0
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(87 ratings)
5.1
(11 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(78 ratings)
5.2
(5 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
6.8
(68 ratings)
6.0
(118 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(95 ratings)
3.3
(4 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(57 ratings)
5.2
(4 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(50 ratings)
5.2
(4 ratings)
User Testimonials
Buddy PunchUKG ProUKG Ready
Likelihood to Recommend
Buddy Punch
I think that is very convenient as far as tracking your employees when they are punching in or out to ensure they are physically at the location they are supposed to be for that shift. I also think that the option to download this app to your personal phone is amazing, it makes it more convenient to punch in or out when you aren't near a laptop or a residence to use one. The feature of being able to attach a note with your punches explaining possible late punchers or absences is very beneficial to the employee allows show proof if needed.
Read full review
UKG
I would say, well, I don't want to focus on less appropriate. I want to be well suited. I really feel like if the transparency with our count rep and then just diving in onto how to problem solve and how to troubleshoot, I think that's most important with that.
Read full review
UKG
I might recommend UKG to a larger organization than ours. The complexity is rich, but perhaps it is too powerful a tool for what we need. That or it's a bit messy in its construction, having so many tools available but difficult to find or not working appropriately. UKG Ready processes payroll efficiently and with ease, but unless you are using a simple accounting platform it may not be able to easily integrate with yours
Read full review
Pros
Buddy Punch
  • Their customer service is second to none. We have requested several changes over the years for the web interface and app; I think all the requests we've made were implemented by this point. I only wish this was the case with other companies we utilize.
  • They allow you to set different pay rates based on department which allows us to pay employees more for the skilled jobs they perform versus the more basic work they perform. This is a huge benefit to a small company as it encourages employees to strive for more skilled work and they keep moving up the ladder to become even better assets to the company.
  • The reports you can run are very thorough and work very well for us when it comes time to enter payroll.
  • Having the ability to set alerts has allowed us to cut back on unnecessary overtime as employees can get reminders prior to going over. We can also set reminders for employees to punch in/out for the ones that have a tendency to forget.
Read full review
UKG
  • UKG has an amazing support team to reach out to if assistance is needed
  • All add-ons of UKG Pro integrate seamlessly making it a powerful software program
  • UKG Pro is very configurable to meet the specific needs of companies
  • It is easy to use and navigate
  • The mobile app is loved by all employees and provides on-demand access
  • The Ultimate Community is amazing!! On-demand information on all products and how they are used. Connect with other companies that use UKG Pro and learn from each other.
  • The Learning Centre is also amazing!! Learning right at your fingertips anytime, anywhere.
Read full review
UKG
  • Support—UKG support, from the Account Managers to CSMs to Ready Support, is amazing. They are always willing to help!
  • Documentation—UKG has built-in online documentation, which is a live, easy-to-use version of a very lengthy manual.
  • Ease of use- the system is intuitive, easy to train others to use.
Read full review
Cons
Buddy Punch
  • Sometimes I need to check back to be sure I'm still punched in.
  • The indicator between punched in and out is not very indicative of if I am or not.
  • I want to total hours not just by the week but by pay periods 1-15 days, 16-end of [the] month.
Read full review
UKG
  • Onboarding and recruiting need an environment that is more stable and dependable.
  • Core Benefits could be enhanced to allow OE and LE events via the mobile app.
  • Service and support need to be increased; days and weeks now, when we first went live, it was minutes and hours.
  • Adapting all version of time management into one or two versions, at no cost to the customer would allow the resources from UTA, UTM and WFM Classic to be directed to future enhancements and would allow support services to be increased for the 2 remaining platforms.
Read full review
UKG
  • We have had ongoing issues with our accruals.
  • Auto generate timesheets in the "Team Timesheets" view.
  • Granting manager access is cumbersome - access needs to be given in multiple places.
  • The sync between Pro and Ready in my opinion is terrible and needs much improvement.
  • Auto assign Employee Time Zones based on work location.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Buddy Punch
No answers on this topic
UKG
We have been a customer since 2015, we have gone to market and find that UKG Pro product is both user friendly for administrators as well as the employee. The qualify of support and service of UKG team is valued and we trust the product.
Read full review
UKG
We plan to renew our support and use of UKG Ready each year unless it becomes unavailable or the district seeks another vendor. As of now, there are no plans to changes vendors. The district staff is now familiar with using UKG. Another vendor will need to meet the same expectations we have come to enjoy with using UKG
Read full review
Usability
Buddy Punch
Buddy Punch is really easy to use. It's easy to punch in and out when needed as it's on the home page. It's also easy to track your colleagues who are on leave so you know how to plan for coverage. This makes it easy for us to adjust accordingly.
Read full review
UKG
It gets the job done, but not with a few deep sighs. Once you know where stuff lives, it's manageable, but the first learning curve is steep, some menus feel buried. However, it's consistent, reliable and doesn't crash on me, which counts for a lot. With a little UI glow up it could push into a 9 zone.
Read full review
UKG
UKG is the platform with the best overall usability on both an admin and user side. Employees find it easy to update personal information, the dashboards are clear and easy to follow, and the navigation of it is also easy to follow. Overall my favorite platform to use and learn more about.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Buddy Punch
No answers on this topic
UKG
For the most part UltiPro has been reliable, but it could definitely be better. There have been several notable server issues where we were unable to access the product or unable to utilize some of the features. Customer support is usually quick to respond to questions about these issues, but they do not proactively reach out to customers whose environments have been effected by outages
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UKG
The system seems very stable. Being hosted in the cloud, we are vulnerable to internet speeds and busy times. The system has been down a couple times over the 3 months we have been live, but Kronos resolved the issues very quickly. To have access from a desktop, tablet, time clock, or phone app is one of the best features....users have almost NO REASON they can't clock in.
Read full review
Performance
Buddy Punch
No answers on this topic
UKG
Normally UKG Pro loads quickly. We had been having major issues with reports running in a timely manner but recently they broke out our virtual server to another instance where is wasn't sharing resources and that seems to have helped reporting run more efficiently.
Read full review
UKG
We were always told that Kronos was the best, but there are reports that we got out of ADP and other payroll providers that we cannot get out of Kronos. One example is a report of Productive/Non-productive hours by department. We also need the dollar amount associated with the hours. This is information that is required on our cost report and we were told that that report is unavailable. It is very frustrating when I can't get what I need.
Read full review
Support Rating
Buddy Punch
No answers on this topic
UKG
The quality of UKG Support is related directly to the UKG rep. who handles the issue. In some cases you get someone who really is good at supporting the product and others may not have as much experience and it shows
Read full review
UKG
If I was only rating support itself that would be a 10. Every support case I have entered has been addressed efficiently and with the desired result. On the implementation and transition to support there were multiple issues that those doing the implementation or transition could not answer or workflows and various settings left undone only to be discovered later. We implemented 3 different modules and the expertise we got for each one varied widely.
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In-Person Training
Buddy Punch
No answers on this topic
UKG
I've been to a few in-person (hands on) training sessions and it is very similar to the online classes. You have the same reference material to look back on after the training. So regardless of in person training or online you really get the same thing.
Read full review
UKG
Our in-person training was a hybrid. Live online training with an instructor. They were very knowledgeable of the product & the area they were training on. I asked several specific questions and if they didn't know the answer immediately they followed up after class.
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Online Training
Buddy Punch
No answers on this topic
UKG
Most of the online training was very generic (to be expected) but we had specific requirements for configuration that could have been better addressed with more individual sessions earlier on from our project team. However, we did finally begin booking training sessions with our implementation team which were recorded, and so provided additional information for how to correctly configure and test the system.
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UKG
Pretty good online training, you have many how to options and can watch them several times. It can be hard at times to dig through the amount of data online but can usually find what you are looking for. Also you can download documentation for setting up the profiles and policies.
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Implementation Rating
Buddy Punch
No answers on this topic
UKG
Make sure you have all of your tax account information with all the states you are registered in available and that you are knowledgeable about the filing status, frequency, etc. We had some unique challenges with our state unemployment tax set up that I was not aware of and needed to be addressed prior to going live. Working with the state unemployment office can be a challenge.
Read full review
UKG
Make sure the people who are doing the build have extensive knowledge on employment law and asking the right questions. I would bet that the people who helped with our builds did not read any of our employment contracts or ordinances; and when I asked questions about how other companies handled certain basic dictates from federal employment laws, they didn't have any idea what FMLA, FLSA, etc were.
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Alternatives Considered
Buddy Punch
We originally scheduled and ran payroll through Homebase, but in the last few months the software became very buggy, customer service was slow and when they did respond, was not helpful. When we cancelled our account they didn't even try to make things right. We are so happy that Buddy Punch is like us--taking care of their clients and really invested in their success!
Read full review
UKG
We used ADP WFN prior to switching to UKG. We interviewed three different payroll companies to see what our options were. UKG stood out and aligned with our company values. The sales team was very helpful and asked questions about what we were currently doing and how they could assist with simplifying things. I personally had a side meeting with them to see if there were options for a process that we manually process and if UKG could actually eliminate the process. We came to the conclusion that we weren't able to get it 100%, but we could pull 80% of what we needed from UKG, and then we would only need to manipulate 20% of the information. It was also determined from that meeting that we wouldn't need to pay extra to have a special report built. The customer service is what we were sold on. The other companies that we looked at didn't give us the confidence that their customer service would be any better than what we previously had.
Read full review
UKG
We currently use Paycom and are extremely dissatisfied with the lack of functionality and poor customer service. Rippling and ADP were other vendors we evaluated who performed well and offer a lot of functionality but we decided UKG was the best fit for our needs now and to scale with our strategic growth plans.
Read full review
Scalability
Buddy Punch
No answers on this topic
UKG
Read full review
UKG
Thus far we are able to add as many users as necessary, implement 3 different bargaining units, 5 different types of user groups. Very flexible.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Buddy Punch
  • Efficiency has definitely gone up switching to Buddy Punch. Ive never quantified specific hours or time lapse it has given to my personal managerial efficiency. But it has without doubt.
  • I can see a better overview of the employees I need to be concerned with and not have to filter out others not concerning me.
  • Ease of use has decreased mental stress and angst in maneuvering employee time cards.
Read full review
UKG
  • Personally as a veteran user of UKG Pro, in past employers I have seen many amazing increases in employee engagement and ROI.
  • With QuVa, we are still very new to the UKG Pro platform and are just now beginning to get out of the implementation phase where we can start measuring the change. I will be looking for changes in Overtime spending to reduce as a result of more informative and actionable dashboards for managers to monitor overtime and timeclock abuses in real time. I am also expecting employees to engage more with new features being pushed out to the mobile app.
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UKG
  • This is basic, but we finally know how many employees we have! It sounds ridiculous, but prior to UKG Ready we were on a payroll system that's reports were only as accurate as the last payroll cycle, so they were always 2 weeks behind and static. UKG Ready allows for realtime, daily reporting of information.
  • We are able to get salary data for our various locations to be able to compare them to each other, as well as across our "competitors" and external competition.
  • The data provided allows us to be able to understand the trends at individual locations including attrition, advancement, raise information, and other data points that we haven't historically done comparisons on
  • We can see the demographic and geographical information for our employees and the benefits that they elect
Read full review
ScreenShots

Buddy Punch Screenshots

Screenshot of the Administrator's DashboardScreenshot of Time Off CalendarScreenshot of Schedule View

UKG Pro Screenshots

Screenshot of included workforce analytics.Screenshot of the payroll gateway.

UKG Ready Screenshots

Screenshot of the employee mobile interface.Screenshot of trust index survey results.Screenshot of the manager dashboard.Screenshot of payroll analytics.