Heartland Payroll+ vs. PDS Vista

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Heartland Payroll+
Score 3.6 out of 10
N/A
Heartland Payroll+ is presented as a complete management solution, designed to serve as a single point of contact, making it easy to deal with any issue. Customers have online access to their payroll data and employee information, and Heartland’s tools are accessible on the go.N/A
PDS Vista
Score 6.2 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
Heartland Payroll+PDS Vista
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Heartland Payroll+PDS Vista
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsLicense 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
Features
Heartland Payroll+PDS Vista
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Heartland Payroll+
8.3
8 Ratings
0% above category average
PDS Vista
8.0
18 Ratings
0% below category average
Pay calculation9.24 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors10.01 Ratings7.39 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.72 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration9.72 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Direct deposit files3.07 Ratings8.217 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.25 Ratings8.213 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.01 Ratings8.25 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Heartland Payroll+
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.7
18 Ratings
2% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings9.017 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings9.018 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings9.014 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.012 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings7.013 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings7.016 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.011 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Heartland Payroll+
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
8.2
13 Ratings
2% above category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings8.27 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings8.213 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.212 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Heartland Payroll+
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.1
17 Ratings
13% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings7.314 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.38 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings7.25 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings5.84 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Heartland Payroll+
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.3
7 Ratings
6% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.37 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Heartland Payroll+
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
8.0
16 Ratings
5% above category average
Report builder00 Ratings8.014 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings8.016 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Heartland Payroll+
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.3
1 Ratings
9% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Heartland Payroll+
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
5.8
2 Ratings
34% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings5.52 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings5.52 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings6.42 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Heartland Payroll+
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.3
4 Ratings
8% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings7.23 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Heartland Payroll+
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
3.6
1 Ratings
75% below category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Heartland Payroll+
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
2.5
3 Ratings
102% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings3.13 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings3.13 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings1.92 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings2.33 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings2.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Heartland Payroll+PDS Vista
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Heartland Payroll+PDS Vista
Likelihood to Recommend
2.5
(8 ratings)
8.0
(23 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(7 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(2 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.5
(2 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
1.0
(4 ratings)
8.2
(3 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
1.0
(1 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Heartland Payroll+PDS Vista
Likelihood to Recommend
Global Payments
We changed payroll companies from Paycom to Heartland this year at the recommendation of our insurance agent who insisted they would integrate with the EASE system, which tracks employee benefits and deductions. However, 8 weeks into it, I regret my decision, since the setup hasn't been completed yet. The lack of responsiveness in some cases is astounding and often we have to ask 3, 4, and 5 times for something to be done. I hate to think what will happen after we are "handed off" from the payroll implementation team to the regular schmucks. We still are not able to track PTO and time off and we have been begging for the self-service feature to be turned on for employees so they can change addresses, bank account info, etc. Their training is NONEXISTENT and their manual is abysmal. DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY!!!!! I wish I could go back to Paycom!
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
Global Payments
  • White-glove customer support. All employees are in the United States and they must pay them well, because they don't seem to have turnover there.
  • Technology is awesome. We have Payroll, HR, T&A, ATS, and onboarding with them.
  • Their Tax Credit tech is amazing. I received more money in tax credits last year than payroll cost me. That's a net positive!
  • Compliance with their HR team is great, and they don't hit you over the head on the price for it.
  • Pricing is fantastic with a 3-year price lock. No BS discounting that jumps back up a year later.
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
Global Payments
  • Sometimes the system (geocode) will not allow me to process address changes by asking for help from our specialist.
  • Response for assistance is usually a lot slower when our dedicated specialist is not available.
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
Global Payments
No answers on this topic
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
Global Payments
No answers on this topic
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
The interface is intuitive, even if it does require some extra clicks to get to where you are going. The screens are consistently designed and formatted. There is a logical flow and organization to the application layout and menuing systems.
Read full review
Support Rating
Global Payments
I never have trouble reaching customer support. They always are able to assist with fixing any problems that arise. There honestly haven't been many issues at all. Only ones I've created :)
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
Online Training
Global Payments
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
Global Payments
The Heartland team could care less about how difficult your experience is. In fact, I think they delight in seeing you struggle!
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
Global Payments
I've considered moving payroll over to QuickBooks Online so that everything is in one place, but it would probably take too much work considering that our current system works really well. I think QuickBooks would confuse me, honestly. There are other systems that offer different user interfaces that are neat looking, but I haven't done too much research because Heartland Payroll offered me a really good deal for processing since we are a small company.
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.
Read full review
Return on Investment
Global Payments
  • We have a net positive using Heartland. We actually bring more money in from their tax credits than the payroll service actually costs.
  • I used to have a part-time person handing our payroll/HR needs. Now this is done by me because it's so easy.
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