BambooHR® vs. HRdirect Smart Apps

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BambooHR®
Score 8.3 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.
$10
per month per user
HRdirect Smart Apps
Score 7.0 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
HRdirect Smart Apps is an HR Management software solution from HRdirect, a a division of ComplyRight, Inc., dedicated to developing and delivering “Solutions for Smart Employers” since 1985. The vendor says HRdirect supports business managers at more than 500,000 locations with essential employee management and compliance tasks. HRdirect Smart Apps aims to help users work efficiently and affordably. The vendor's goal is to simplify complex processes and free employers from compliance…N/A
Pricing
BambooHR®HRdirect Smart Apps
Editions & Modules
Core
$10
per month per user
Pro
Contact Sales
per month
Elite
Contact Sales
per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BambooHR®HRdirect Smart Apps
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsNO PER EMPLOYEE PRICING, NO BUNDLED FEATURES. JUST $60 A YEAR PER APP. Simple Pricing, No Matter How You Slice It Only use the Smart Apps that best fit your unique needs and pay the same, low price for each one: just $60 a year. It's easy to add more at any time, too - either as your needs change or as our solutions expand.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BambooHR®HRdirect Smart Apps
Features
BambooHR®HRdirect Smart Apps
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.9
290 Ratings
3% below category average
HRdirect Smart Apps
10.0
1 Ratings
21% above category average
Employee demographic data8.3261 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Employment history8.1261 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.1262 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.7244 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.7267 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management8.1257 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.4153 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.6
200 Ratings
7% below category average
HRdirect Smart Apps
-
Ratings
Pay calculation8.0145 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.0107 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.4109 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.1154 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.2143 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.9162 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.597 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.8
251 Ratings
8% above category average
HRdirect Smart Apps
1.0
1 Ratings
156% below category average
Approval workflow8.6245 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Balance details8.5233 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment9.2129 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.5
281 Ratings
4% above category average
HRdirect Smart Apps
10.0
1 Ratings
20% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.5191 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Update personal information8.9275 Ratings10.01 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.4244 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Employee recognition7.9173 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history8.8258 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
9.1
74 Ratings
13% above category average
HRdirect Smart Apps
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets9.174 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.2
228 Ratings
4% below category average
HRdirect Smart Apps
1.0
1 Ratings
153% below category average
Report builder7.3220 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.4218 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.9162 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
8.2
239 Ratings
3% above category average
HRdirect Smart Apps
1.0
1 Ratings
155% below category average
New hire portal8.4226 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Manager tracking tools7.9211 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.9
166 Ratings
2% below category average
HRdirect Smart Apps
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting7.0123 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.9160 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility9.169 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking7.5153 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.8
185 Ratings
1% below category average
HRdirect Smart Apps
-
Ratings
Performance plans7.3170 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.3146 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking8.697 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders8.1101 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.7161 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
9.0
81 Ratings
14% above category average
HRdirect Smart Apps
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools8.946 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking9.067 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search9.068 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development9.359 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR®
7.9
198 Ratings
1% above category average
HRdirect Smart Apps
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management7.7152 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting7.7161 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media9.291 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting7.4158 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.588 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking8.0179 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.1189 Ratings00 Ratings
User Ratings
BambooHR®HRdirect Smart Apps
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(298 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.9
(17 ratings)
1.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.7
(225 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.7
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(150 ratings)
1.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
8.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.6
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.5
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.4
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.6
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.9
(5 ratings)
-
(0 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®HRdirect Smart Apps
Likelihood to Recommend
BambooHR
The best use of it is for employee tracking and vacation requests. It can also be used for payroll; however, my company uses a separate program for that. The best use for it, in my opinion, is staff performance management. All the notes and documents can be added/attached to the employee. You can click on an employee's profile and see what days they have been off, how close they are to achieving goals, etc.
Read full review
ComplyRight
UPDATE 3/20/2020: I initially gave HRDirect a "0" recommendation due to all the issues we had with the PTO Module. However, since purchasing the Harassment Training Module ($90), this product is the best value for the money and puts us in compliance with mandated requirements. It is easy to use and well-presented. At this point in time, with the issues and frustration level of all our employees, managers, and payroll department, it would be difficult for me to recommend this app as suitable in any scenario. However, should HRdirect fix the issues and get the app to perform as it was originally designed, it would be a great product for a small to medium company that has limited resources yet wants a good product for the money. In our experience, the new hire portal did not appear to be functioning properly; our new hires were not able to access the blank documents. They could see them but not open them (PDFs).
Read full review
Pros
BambooHR
  • Ease of use for established staff and admins, all the way down to brand new hires.
  • Integrations, especially for posting and managing jobs during the hiring process.
  • Making regularly occurring things like meetings and assessments easy to customize and to action easily.
  • Being able to assign out tasks for onboarding and offboarding.
Read full review
ComplyRight
  • Initially, you were able to see all activity and drill down for details.
  • It was easy-access for all our employees in the 7 states we operate in.
  • It provided tracking for the managers.
  • Payroll had access to all PTO requests.
Read full review
Cons
BambooHR
  • No file viewer (need to download the attachments).
  • No option to enable notifications if certain people are out (you can just check, but it would be nice to have).
  • No customization of my personal view (f.e., i can't have the PTO page be my default).
Read full review
ComplyRight
  • HRdirect performed an upgrade in 2019 and that's where things went awry.
  • You could no longer drill down through the calendar to see the details - i.e. Doctor's appointment, illness, childcare issues, vacation, etc.
  • Previous year PTO requests were not archived and you now had to scroll through hundreds of PTO requests to see the most current.
  • Previous PTO requests were listed oldest to most current, resulting in much frustration trying to locate specific ones.
  • The print option was not longer functional.
  • The online help request form was no longer accessible.
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
ComplyRight
As previously described, there are too many unresolved issues.
Read full review
Usability
BambooHR
It is pretty intuitive and easy to use for most functions! This is helped by the clean and simple interface. The drop down filters and prompts are definitely strong points, and could be easily enhanced with more AI/automation features built in in future to make it even more efficient. I also like the playful icons, making it less dull as a HR tool :)
Read full review
ComplyRight
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
ComplyRight
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
ComplyRight
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
BambooHR
Support has always been excellent. I was skeptical about not having a dedicated account manager at first, but my concerns were quickly eased. I love the different options for communication. Being able to chat, send emails or call a representative are great so that my workflow isn't disrupted by having to complete a call. I have never had an issue reaching anyone and the email follow up is great!
Read full review
ComplyRight
Due to the fact that we were patient for more than 6 months with no resolution in sight, we decided to end our relationship with HRdirect for PTO tracking. 3/20/2020: We have purchased the Harassment Training Module. Excellent product with great value for the money.
Read full review
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
ComplyRight
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
ComplyRight
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.
Read full review
ComplyRight
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
BambooHR
BambooHR® was a great fit for our organization of 75-100 people. We became too big for our small custom MS Access system but not big enough for Workday. Lattice was more of an employee engagement and performance management system and didn't have some of the HR management and API integration we wanted. BambooHR® was robust enough to scale with us and provided the features and functionality we needed.
Read full review
ComplyRight
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
ComplyRight
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.
Read full review
ComplyRight
No answers on this topic
Professional Services
BambooHR
VERY professional!
Read full review
ComplyRight
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
BambooHR
  • HR team members have been saved thousands of hours over the 3.5 years we've had BambooHR®. It saved me personally several hours a day once BambooHR® was set up. Specifically, onboarding, offboarding, and a formal Hiring system are the major time savers.
  • Employee Information is much easier to access and is all centralized. Employees are empowered to update their information when applicable, and we have designed custom access levels for different positions and managers to ensure every individual is seeing the appropriate types of information about employees.
  • We saved significant money by switching from Lattice to BambooHR®'s Performance Management solution. This solution is less advanced, but the simplicity meets our needs perfectly fine, and it even saves time for managers and employees by BambooHR®'s standard questions, carefully designed to get to the heart of performance and improvement.
Read full review
ComplyRight
  • Initially, HRdirect was proving to be an excellent tool, and we were getting a quick turnaround on small issues. However, the upgrade messed things up on our accessibility, with no resolution in sight.
  • Harassment training module is excellent.
Read full review
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

HRdirect Smart Apps Screenshots

Screenshot of EMPLOYEE RECORDS
Smarter, Centralized Employee Management

 - Directory & Records
 - Employee Self-Service
 - Document StorageScreenshot of ATTENDANCE CALENDAR
Take Control of Employee Attendance

 - 12-Month Calendars
 - Absence Code Management
 - Absence NotesScreenshot of I-9 & W-4
Ease the Burden of Completing I-9 and W-4 Forms

 - Onboarding Workflow
 - Guided I-9 & W-4 Forms
 - History & Audit TrackingScreenshot of JOB APPLICATION
Smart Hiring Begins Before the Interview

 - Compliant Questions Library
 - Customizable Application
 - Online Application LinkScreenshot of PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE
Your Guide to an Effective Disciplinary Program

 - Employee Warning Notices
 - Discipline History
 - Action Plan DocumentationScreenshot of TIME OFF REQUEST
Let Employees Handle Time Off Requests for You

 - Employee Time Off Requests
 - Supervisor Approval Workflow
 - Attendance Calendar Sync