TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Frontline HCM

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/AN/AN/A

    PDS Vista

    Score1.2 out of 10
    Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
    Vista® is a human resource, benefits, payroll, recruiting, and self-service software. Functional elements include recruitment, staffing, position and training management, compliance, and performance and compensation.N/A
    Pricing
    Frontline HCMPDS Vista
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Frontline HCMPDS Vista
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—License pricing is based on the number of full and part-time active employees within bands (e.g. 751-1,000). SaaS pricing is based on PEPM.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Frontline HCMPDS Vista
    Considered Both Products
    Frontline Education
    No answer on this topic
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    80%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    90%
    Happy with the feature set
    9 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Frontline HCMPDS Vista
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Frontline HCM and PDS Vista
    Feature
    Frontline HCM
    -
    Ratings
    PDS Vista
    1.9
    19 Ratings
    125% below category average
    Employee demographic data00 Ratings1.018 Ratings
    Employment history00 Ratings1.019 Ratings
    Job profiles and administration00 Ratings1.015 Ratings
    Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings1.013 Ratings
    Organizational charting00 Ratings3.014 Ratings
    Organization and location management00 Ratings3.017 Ratings
    Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings3.012 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Frontline HCM and PDS Vista
    Feature
    Frontline HCM
    -
    Ratings
    PDS Vista
    3.2
    19 Ratings
    88% below category average
    Pay calculation00 Ratings3.017 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings1.010 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration00 Ratings1.017 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings4.018 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings1.014 Ratings
    Reimbursement management00 Ratings8.25 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Frontline HCM and PDS Vista
    Feature
    Frontline HCM
    -
    Ratings
    PDS Vista
    1.0
    14 Ratings
    157% below category average
    Approval workflow00 Ratings1.08 Ratings
    Balance details00 Ratings1.014 Ratings
    Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings1.013 Ratings
    Employee Self Service
    Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Frontline HCM and PDS Vista
    Feature
    Frontline HCM
    -
    Ratings
    PDS Vista
    2.0
    18 Ratings
    122% below category average
    View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings4.017 Ratings
    Update personal information00 Ratings1.015 Ratings
    View company policy documentation00 Ratings3.09 Ratings
    Employee recognition00 Ratings1.06 Ratings
    View job history00 Ratings1.05 Ratings
    Asset Management
    Comparison of Asset Management features of Frontline HCM and PDS Vista
    Feature
    Frontline HCM
    -
    Ratings
    PDS Vista
    7.3
    7 Ratings
    10% below category average
    Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.37 Ratings
    HR Reporting
    Comparison of HR Reporting features of Frontline HCM and PDS Vista
    Feature
    Frontline HCM
    -
    Ratings
    PDS Vista
    2.0
    17 Ratings
    117% below category average
    Report builder00 Ratings2.015 Ratings
    Pre-built reports00 Ratings2.017 Ratings
    Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings2.014 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of Frontline HCM and PDS Vista
    Feature
    Frontline HCM
    -
    Ratings
    PDS Vista
    1.0
    2 Ratings
    156% below category average
    New hire portal00 Ratings1.02 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Performance and Goals
    Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Frontline HCM and PDS Vista
    Feature
    Frontline HCM
    -
    Ratings
    PDS Vista
    2.8
    3 Ratings
    97% below category average
    Corporate goal setting00 Ratings1.03 Ratings
    Individual goal setting00 Ratings1.03 Ratings
    Performance tracking00 Ratings6.42 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of Frontline HCM and PDS Vista
    Feature
    Frontline HCM
    -
    Ratings
    PDS Vista
    1.0
    5 Ratings
    155% below category average
    Performance plans00 Ratings1.03 Ratings
    Performance improvement plans00 Ratings1.02 Ratings
    Review status tracking00 Ratings1.03 Ratings
    Review reminders00 Ratings1.04 Ratings
    Multiple review frequency00 Ratings1.03 Ratings
    Succession Planning
    Comparison of Succession Planning features of Frontline HCM and PDS Vista
    Feature
    Frontline HCM
    -
    Ratings
    PDS Vista
    2.3
    2 Ratings
    109% below category average
    Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
    Candidate ranking00 Ratings1.02 Ratings
    Candidate search00 Ratings1.02 Ratings
    Candidate development00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
    Recruiting / ATS
    Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Frontline HCM and PDS Vista
    Feature
    Frontline HCM
    -
    Ratings
    PDS Vista
    1.4
    4 Ratings
    140% below category average
    Job Requisition Management00 Ratings1.04 Ratings
    Company Website Posting00 Ratings1.04 Ratings
    Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings1.92 Ratings
    Applicant Tracking00 Ratings1.04 Ratings
    Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings2.02 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Frontline HCMPDS Vista
    Small Businesses
    No answers on this topic
    UZIO
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    No answers on this topic
    Zoho People
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Enterprises
    No answers on this topic
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Frontline HCMPDS Vista
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.1
    (16 ratings)
    1.0
    (24 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (7 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    2.0
    (3 ratings)
    Availability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.5
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    8.2
    (3 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.3
    (1 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Frontline HCMPDS Vista
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Frontline Education
    Frontline is well suited for an organization such as a school district where teachers sometimes need to put in for a substitute at the last minute or especially early in the morning. The system also helps with substitutes in picking up the jobs when a teacher puts in an absence.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    As Vista HRMS is fully customizable to suit your needs, a company should determine if they have a current employee who can do the work themselves otherwise they will need to consider the additional cost of asking PDS to do the customizations for them. There are additional modules that we aren't currently making use of, but each company should learn about the functionality of each of them as some may be more beneficial than others. When gathering your questions, ask all potential users of the system what they would want to see in an HRMS. We did so before selecting Vista HRMS and we got pages and pages of questions and comments and made sure that each item was addressed beforehand and was something that we would be able to incorporate into the system. You have the option of taking the system in house or being a hosted client. Make sure you figure out what resources your IT department has available. If you have a dedicated administrator who will do all the upgrades and enhancements great, otherwise you may need PDS to help out and having PDS host may be a better option
    Read full review
    Pros
    Frontline Education
    • Easily submission process. Select the day you need to schedule on the listed calendar, mark the type of request, and submit.
    • Works on different digital devices including phones, tablets, and computers.
    • Easily track your balances by looking at your account history.
    • Delete requests you have already submitted.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    • Vista HRMS is very flexible, it does everything we need for HR, benefits and payroll. It’s user-friendly and intuitive to use, when we roll out new self-service items our employees have no problems and require minimal training or documentation.
    • PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are usually addressed within a few days. We were upgrading our production servers to Windows 2012 over a weekend and a key person in our organization was on leave. When we checked with PDS to see what cost would be involved if we needed their help, they said it was included in our regular maintenance, no extra cost.
    • The PDS User’s Conference is an excellent learning opportunity for training on everything Vista does, including using Crystal Reports for custom reporting. You also get to meet and talk to the executive and development staff and have direct input into the future product development.
    Read full review
    Cons
    Frontline Education
    • Teachers cannot cancel their own absence. We have to ask the office staff to do so. This is irritating when an absence must be canceled (Due to a canceled professional development, for example).
    • Sometimes absences go unfilled. It would be great if AESOP could have a roster of qualified substitutes to cover absences.
    • You cannot assign your absence to a particular substitute if you know he or she is available and a good fit for your absence.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    • Typical of any system built for the unknown requirements of hundreds or thousands of customers with varying needs, PDS sometimes doesn't fit our processes precisely out of the box. However, this con is far outweighed by the ability to configure and customize the system.
    • The most significant pet peeve of our users is the necessity for so many clicks to navigate between different areas or the system or to review applicants. These items are being addressed based on feedback from the user community in an upcoming release.
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Frontline Education
    Long time customer with Frontline Absence Management. Product support has been excellent, integrations easy to work with, & suite of products mesh together well.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    I feel so invested in Vista HRMS that I don't really want to try other options. I know we as an organization are not using this product to it's full potential and that is just due to us lacking the resources to be able to invest the time into breaking it apart and making it work to the best ability for us. The system works great as is, but there are a lot of implementations we can put into place to help us out even more. For example, we would love to start using Workflow to create more efficiencies. I personally have a very good relationship with our hosted vendor who supports Vista HRMS and can help me with any issues and concerns, this is a big part of the reason that I would renew with this product and continue to be an advocate for Vista HRMS.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Frontline Education
    While we have had minor issues logging in as our organization has its own login page, the site and its application are very easy to use. So long as members of a group log in through the appropriate page, navigating and using this site is quite easy. With the transition from Aesop to Frontline, the page also seems to have worked through any glitches found with the previous page and its app.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    In my line of work, PDS Vista doesn't fit. I recruit and manager talent pipelines, as well as all onboarding aspects of 11 companies. I spend more hours getting data configured and searching for information within this software than I spend with my candidates. Theres an abundance duplication, and there isn't a single stream of information shared across screens. I have to input the SAME details into several screens for them to match up. Nothing is intuitive, and its certainly not end user friendly
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Frontline Education
    There have been several times the system was unavailable. When there has been an issue, Frontline HAS NOT notified us....which has been disappointing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Frontline Education
    No issues reported by end users of slow or not loading pages.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Frontline Education
    Internal support is provided by EDU Staff based out of Grand Rapids. Whenever I have had an issue they are very responsive to my needs. For instance, there may be conflicts in the amount of money that was listed for the contract. There may be questions about the length of an assignment such as 1/2 day, full day, or early dismissal. The school will sometimes enter the wrong information. Very good IT support, but sometimes you are on hold for 5 to 10 minutes because they do not have enough workers in their Call Center
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the
    majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we
    call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are
    usually addressed within a few days
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Frontline Education
    Our Implementer/Trainer was a product line expert. He (Connor) walked us through every step with confidence and explained everything in detail. Frontline provided written documentation, cut-n-paste emails to staff, and a test environment for us to play in. We were able to test unique scenarios without actually sending emails, notifications, alerts to staff. This was very useful.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Frontline Education
    No answers on this topic
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    The resources and online tools that PDS provide are extremely thorough and helpful in our training and learning.
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Frontline Education
    Our Frontline implementer was an expert in the field & knew the product in & out. We had very little issues going live.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    Ask lots of questions, ensure you fully understand the functionality (particularly history records) and train, train, train the users for correct and complete utilization of the system.
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Frontline Education
    Frontline seems to be the industry standard for this software in the education industry. I am not familiar with any competitors or what was evaluated prior to implementing Frontline. For it to be the industry standard, I would assume that its cost is fair in relation to competitors and that the onboarding process is simple.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    I've used Peoplesoft HCM in the past. The products have some similarities, but they are marketed to different sized companies, so it's a bit of apples to oranges. Peoplesoft was very complex and challenging to manage and support. Vista HRMS should require fewer technical resources and still provide robust features for HR and Payroll. We selected Vista HRMS because it met the majority of our requirements and was priced to enable us to purchase and implement it within our budget. Also, it's an integrated system (although not truly one system when you count Vista Time) which is an improvement over our current state.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Frontline Education
    Our district has approximately 300 substitutes & 1,800 employees. Size has never been an issue with Absence Management. There are other districts much larger using Absence Management with no problems
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Frontline Education
    • It's given staff direct access to inputting their absences and secure coverage quicker, whereas before they had to make a call to a person. That person had to secure coverage for the entire district at different levels. Sometimes that person was absent or unable to provide coverage.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
    • Positive impact would definitely be self-service for both employees and managers to view and update selected data.
    • Through some analytics our managers are able to track turnover for their site/department by many criteria (length of service, reason, etc) and can view a number of other analytical reports such as headcount and demographics which help them to make informed decisions about their department.
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    PDS Vista Screenshots

    Screenshot of employee data, which is the heart of a corporate knowledge base. Within Vista, an organized database of employees, applicants, jobs, and positions can be created and maintained. The product’s flexibility allows users to structure corporate data as simply or as complicated as business needs require.Screenshot of Vista Payroll, which is designed to strike the perfect balance between power and simplicity. It is designed to process large volumes of data within tight time constraints, whether U.S., Canadian, or Caribbean.

Vista Payroll is focused on its main tasks of calculating pay, creating paychecks, producing payroll registers, and federal, state, local, and provincial tax reports.Screenshot of the included Vista Benefits features, which can include unlimited plans and coverage levels, automated benefits eligibility, auto-housekeeping of valuations and premiums.Screenshot of Vista Recruiting, which presents critical applicant information in an efficient manner for both human resources professionals and hiring managers, alike.

Vista Recruiting gives HR departments command over the entire hiring process for each department in every location while more easily tracking and controlling costs, improving applicant management, strengthening relationships with applicants, and reducing paperwork for the HR team.