Iris HR Software vs. SAP Core HR and Payroll

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Iris HR Software
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR, acquired by Iris Software Group April 2016) is an HR suite.
$1.50
per month per user
SAP Core HR and Payroll
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
N/AN/A
Pricing
Iris HR SoftwareSAP Core HR and Payroll
Editions & Modules
Standard
$1.50
per month per user
Plus
$2
per month per user
Pro
$3.50
per month per user
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Iris HR SoftwareSAP Core HR and Payroll
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPrices are in British Pounds.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Iris HR SoftwareSAP Core HR and Payroll
Features
Iris HR SoftwareSAP Core HR and Payroll
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.6
2 Ratings
6% above category average
SAP Core HR and Payroll
7.1
5 Ratings
13% below category average
Employee demographic data9.02 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Employment history8.01 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Job profiles and administration10.02 Ratings6.04 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.9.02 Ratings5.05 Ratings
Organizational charting8.02 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Organization and location management8.02 Ratings9.05 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)8.02 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
7.6
2 Ratings
7% below category average
SAP Core HR and Payroll
7.3
5 Ratings
11% below category average
Pay calculation8.01 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.01 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.01 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.02 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Direct deposit files7.01 Ratings7.04 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.02 Ratings6.05 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.02 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.3
2 Ratings
1% above category average
SAP Core HR and Payroll
4.7
3 Ratings
54% below category average
Approval workflow9.02 Ratings5.03 Ratings
Balance details8.01 Ratings5.03 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.02 Ratings4.03 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.2
2 Ratings
0% below category average
SAP Core HR and Payroll
5.8
5 Ratings
34% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information9.02 Ratings6.04 Ratings
Update personal information9.02 Ratings7.05 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.02 Ratings6.03 Ratings
Employee recognition8.02 Ratings5.04 Ratings
View job history7.01 Ratings5.04 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
7.0
1 Ratings
13% below category average
SAP Core HR and Payroll
3.0
1 Ratings
90% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets7.01 Ratings3.01 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
7.3
2 Ratings
3% below category average
SAP Core HR and Payroll
5.0
4 Ratings
41% below category average
Report builder9.02 Ratings5.04 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.02 Ratings4.04 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.02 Ratings6.03 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.5
2 Ratings
6% above category average
SAP Core HR and Payroll
9.0
3 Ratings
12% above category average
New hire portal8.02 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Manager tracking tools9.01 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.2
2 Ratings
2% above category average
SAP Core HR and Payroll
7.8
3 Ratings
3% below category average
Corporate goal setting9.02 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Individual goal setting9.02 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.01 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Performance tracking8.02 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.4
2 Ratings
6% above category average
SAP Core HR and Payroll
8.0
3 Ratings
1% above category average
Performance plans8.01 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Performance improvement plans9.02 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Review status tracking8.02 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Review reminders9.02 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Multiple review frequency8.02 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.0
2 Ratings
3% above category average
SAP Core HR and Payroll
7.0
3 Ratings
11% below category average
Create succession plans/pools8.02 Ratings6.03 Ratings
Candidate ranking8.02 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Candidate search8.02 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Candidate development8.02 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
7.8
2 Ratings
2% above category average
SAP Core HR and Payroll
6.7
3 Ratings
14% below category average
Job Requisition Management8.02 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Company Website Posting7.02 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention8.01 Ratings4.02 Ratings
Applicant Tracking8.01 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.02 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Iris HR SoftwareSAP Core HR and Payroll
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
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Score 9.4 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
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
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
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Score 9.9 out of 10
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User Ratings
Iris HR SoftwareSAP Core HR and Payroll
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(3 ratings)
8.0
(5 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(1 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Iris HR SoftwareSAP Core HR and Payroll
Likelihood to Recommend
IRIS Software Group
Our staff is kept updated with more company policies and we are able to track their holiday and sick days much better. The help and support of their contact support are super good. They reply super fast and are very kind. Also, their sales department isn't pushy like other services they are very knowledgeable and kind.
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SAP
SAP HR can be well suited for global companies with operations in multiple countries. The Payroll module needs to be limited to one instance per country, otherwise trying to maintain multiple countries on the same instance is too complicated. I would not recommend using SAP HR and Payroll for smaller companies because the total cost of ownership and the lack of flexibility will make it unfeasible. There are many cloud-based options now a days available that would fit better for this type of scenario.
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Pros
IRIS Software Group
  • It's simple. I really appreciate that the layout of Octopus HR isn't something I have to question. I know where to look for something because it's clearly labeled, that's more than I can say for a lot of other HR systems I've seen.
  • Support. If I ever have a question about setting something up, or if something goes wrong, they're always on top of it. For instance, I had no idea how to set up employee photos on our accounts. I tweeted them and they responded right away, I'm based in LA and they're a UK company, I was impressed that they were able to respond right away. They make sure their customers are taken care of.
  • Great self guide. If there's ever an ordinary question I need answered their "Octopus Guide" is very thorough and walks you through everything.
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SAP
  • Employee lifecycle JLM process.
  • Globally employee engagement.
  • Employee Learning and development process.
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Cons
IRIS Software Group
  • initial scope/setup support (outside of template)
  • Contacting support can be difficult
  • case sensitive username for end users (email addresses have to match exactly)
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SAP
  • The design looks outdated
  • Could add more functions like PTO tracking
  • The help sections aren’t very helpful
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Likelihood to Renew
IRIS Software Group
Employees don't complain about it! If anything they've commented on how nice of a tool it is to have.
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SAP
I live to mention this rating due the SAP core HR very user frndly and providing and multi HR module under single umbrella. there are multi reasons for this rating we have
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Usability
IRIS Software Group
Iris HR Software is a stable and fairly intuitive product which has had a positive impact on our organisation. We have had some support issues but generally feel we've had a positive experience and our personnel and finance teams have benefitted from this process structure. Whilst contacting the correct Iris HR Software support channel has been our biggest issue once we have established contact our tickets have been raised and resolved promptly.
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SAP
The application is highly available, easy to use, and very user-friendly.
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Support Rating
IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
SAP
Even we have excellent team for SAP system who aways working good, whenever we needed for Support for SAP we got quick support for SAP as well
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Alternatives Considered
IRIS Software Group
I would say the pricing is good but it could be better. Also, the customer service is amazing they do such a great job and you can tell they know what they are doing. Visually it is very easy to use and looks very professional. It is a quick set up and they do their best to give you what you want and need.
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SAP
SAP is very intuitive to use and allows us to achieve our goals.
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Return on Investment
IRIS Software Group
  • Our staff is super happy with the service
  • Huge improvement
  • Looks quite professional
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SAP
  • SAP HR is suited for large companies with a sufficient budget. Small budgets will not be able to cover the expensive licensing, technical personnel and consultants required of an SAP installation.
  • In regards to the total cost of ownership, my ROI experience has been that by replacing SAP HR modules with cloud solutions we have been able to reduce the cost up to 60% while modernizing our systems and improving the employee experience.
  • I would encourage decision makers to look for cloud-based alternatives with a robust system integration, before believing that supporting every area of HR with a single SAP installation is a good long-term strategy. Having SAP HR as the core integrated to best-in-class cloud-based systems is a very valid and effective system strategy.
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ScreenShots