Criterion HCM vs Zenefits | TrustRadius

What users are saying about

Score 1.6 out of 10

Based on 3 reviews and ratings

Score 6.3 out of 10

Based on 212 reviews and ratings

Feature Rating Comparison

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Employee demographic data

Employment history

Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.

Job profiles and administration

Organizational charting

Organization and location management

Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Pay calculation

Off-cycle/On-Demand payment

Benefit plan administration

Direct deposit files

Salary revision and increment management

Support for external payroll vendors

Reimbursement management

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Approval workflow

Balance details

Annual carry-forward and encashment

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

View and generate pay and benefit information

Update personal information

View company policy documentation

Employee recognition

View job history

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

New hire portal

Manager tracking tools

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Tracking of all physical assets

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Report builder

Pre-built reports

Ability to combine HR data with external data

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Corporate goal setting

Individual goal setting

Line-of sight-visibility

Performance tracking

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Performance plans

Performance improvement plans

Review status tracking

Review reminders

Multiple review frequency

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Create succession plans/pools

Candidate ranking

Candidate search

Candidate development

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Job Requisition Management

Company Website Posting

Publish to Social Media

Job Search Site Posting

Duplicate Candidate Prevention

Applicant Tracking

Notifications and Alerts

Pros

changes in pay rates
rehiring employees
payroll calculations
assisting with PTO accruals

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Building Materials Company, 51-200 employees

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Payroll services in all 50 states, including payroll tax filings
Integrations with tools like QuickBooks, Google Workspace, Slack, and Human Interest (401(k))
Simple yet powerful mobile app for employees to access information including paystubs, benefits, and time off requests
Streamlined admin portal for People Ops professionals

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Christian Slack

SVP Finance

BoomtownComputer Software, 51-200 employees

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Cons

payroll reports
state filing of W-2s
support
implementation
employees access to W-2

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Building Materials Company, 51-200 employees

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Support doesn't exist once you are a customer
Tax team has a 3-6 month response time
Poor Menu/Navigation structure
Fails to pay taxes on time, results in delinquency notices and fees
Glitchy UI, sometimes you need to wait a day or two for a section to work again
Feels like a perpetual beta product, nothing polished about it

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Verified User

C-Level Executive in Corporate

Marketing & Advertising Company, 11-50 employees

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Likelihood to Renew

Criterion HCM 1.0

Based on 1 answer

We are changing to another payroll/HR vendor.

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Building Materials Company, 51-200 employees

View all 1 answers on this topic

Zenefits 8.2

Based on 11 answers

We've already renewed after our first year with Zenefits due to the cost savings, ease of administration, reduction in overhead required to perform HR functions, and the employees happily embracing and liking the software. I've found employees generally hate anything new, but we've had no complaints about Zenefits outside the first few weeks of getting used to it.

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Verified User

Executive in Corporate

Law Practice Company, 51-200 employees

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Usability

Criterion HCM 1.0

Based on 1 answer

too many instances of errors, unable to access program/time sheets

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Building Materials Company, 51-200 employees

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Zenefits 8.9

Based on 32 answers

It's extremely user friendly and customer service is super helpful. The app needed help a while back but it has greatly improved. There were issues with files being cut off, and when I was onboarded, it actually cut my offer letter off hiding important information. Since then, it's been fixed so they are continually improving.

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Verified User

Director in Marketing

Education Management Company, 11-50 employees

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Reliability and Availability

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Zenefits 9.1

Based on 4 answers

We have not experienced any application errors or unplanned outages in the two years I have been using this app. Sometimes there is a lag in the time keeping/ confirming your location, however, it quickly resolves itself within seconds and more often than not is an internet connection error

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Telecommunications Company, 51-200 employees

View all 4 answers on this topic

Performance

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Zenefits 8.2

Based on 4 answers

This app always loads extremely quickly and in a reasonable time frame. Like I said, when we do experience lags from this app, it is more often than not an internet connection error

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Telecommunications Company, 51-200 employees

View all 4 answers on this topic

Support Rating

Criterion HCM 1.0

Based on 1 answer

Support is very slow to correct issues. I have actually reported an issue then 2-3 hours later received screen shots where they were able to do what we could not as though we were doing something different that usual. They are quick to say it is user error. Took too long to correct payroll reports and reports still do not reconcile. Very difficult to complete quarterly and annual reporting.

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Building Materials Company, 51-200 employees

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Zenefits 7.5

Based on 49 answers

Not good at all. Basically I typically feel like they can solve the issue at hand. However, they take forever and it never feels like they really care. It can be frustrating that the agent will never speak with you on the phone or just give you their direct contact info so that you can continue to follow up on the same issue. Once they "close" the issue - you have to go back to the main customer service email or line again, even though it may be related to something you've contacted them about in the past

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Operations & Project Manager

MercarisMarket Research, 1-10 employees

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In-Person Training

No answers on this topic

Can't really say just because I would not know.

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Sales Support

Air CommTelecommunications, 51-200 employees

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Online Training

No answers on this topic

It went through successfully.

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Sales Support

Air CommTelecommunications, 51-200 employees

View all 136 answers on this topic

Implementation Rating

Criterion HCM 1.0

Based on 1 answer

Had to continually repeat our information. Kept getting us confused with another client.

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Building Materials Company, 51-200 employees

View all 1 answers on this topic

Zenefits 9.1

Based on 4 answers

Unfortunately I do not have any insights on the implementation of Zenefits as I was not employed with this company when Zenefits was introduced. Based on how effortless it is to use Zenefits, I wouldn't image there would be many issues with the implementation of Zenefits

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Telecommunications Company, 51-200 employees

View all 4 answers on this topic

Alternatives Considered

When reviewing the various software before selecting Criterion HCM, it appeared to be the best choice and value. During implementation (which took nine months with us having to do most of the work) we realized we were not given accurate information regarding the software

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Building Materials Company, 51-200 employees

View all 1 answers on this topic

Zenefits has been a better tool for our purposes than Paychex Flex. While Zenefits is a fairly rigid tool without a lot of options for customization, Paychex has even fewer options for customization and their customer services is even more difficult to deal with

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Verified User

Administrator in Human Resources

Non-profit Organization Management Company, 11-50 employees

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Scalability

No score

No answers yet

No answers on this topic

Zenefits 8.9

Based on 4 answers

It is very easy to use and does not require the end user to go to multiple sites to obtain many facets of HR/ Payroll information that the app offers

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Telecommunications Company, 51-200 employees

View all 4 answers on this topic

Return on Investment

does not impact our ROI

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Verified User

Professional in Corporate

Building Materials Company, 51-200 employees

View all 1 answers on this topic

California Meal Break Violations cost a full hour of each employees pay rate. If an employee clocks in 1 minute early it costs us at least 10.50 (minimum wage Ca, 15.00 in Los Angeles) which adds up quickly. We had 37 meal break violations when we first rolled it out. They need to add a feature that disallows them to clock in ahead of 30 minutes, or add a feature that shows them how long they've been on break.

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Brittany Martin, PHRca

People Operations Coordinator

MeUndiesApparel & Fashion, 51-200 employees

View all 136 answers on this topic

Screenshots

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See All (12) Zenefits Screenshots

Pricing Details

General

Free Trial

—

Free/Freemium Version

—

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

—

Entry-level set up fee?

No

Criterion HCM Editions & Modules

—

Additional Pricing Details

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General

Free Trial

Yes

Free/Freemium Version

—

Premium Consulting/Integration Services

—

Entry-level set up fee?

No

$8

Zenefits Editions & Modules

Edition

Essentials	$8¹
Growth	$14¹
Zen	$21¹

per employee/per month

Additional Pricing Details

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Rating Summary

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

Criterion HCM

Zenefits

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