Namely vs. PDS Vista

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Namely
Score 7.3 out of 10
N/A
Namely offers a cloud-based HR platform for integrated core and specialized HR services, including time and employee performance management and onboarding processes.
$9
per month
PDS Vista
Score 5.0 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
NamelyPDS Vista
Editions & Modules
Namely Now
$9
per month per user
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
NamelyPDS Vista
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional DetailsNamely Now offers small-businesses an HCM including payroll and HR at a budget conscious price. For growing companies we have Namely Plus which includes payroll and HR, talent, time, and other tools to engage and enrich their employees. For companies looking to free up more time internally for strategy, Namely offers Namely Plus People, including managed Payroll and Benefits. And for the business who wants to expand while minimizing risk and liability, our white-glove comprehensive PEO solution is Namely Complete.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
Features
NamelyPDS Vista
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Namely
6.3
143 Ratings
22% below category average
PDS Vista
7.7
18 Ratings
2% below category average
Employee demographic data6.6132 Ratings9.017 Ratings
Employment history7.1138 Ratings9.018 Ratings
Job profiles and administration7.030 Ratings9.014 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.0132 Ratings7.012 Ratings
Organizational charting4.8134 Ratings7.013 Ratings
Organization and location management5.8129 Ratings7.016 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.282 Ratings6.011 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Namely
7.2
127 Ratings
11% below category average
PDS Vista
8.0
18 Ratings
0% below category average
Pay calculation8.8111 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors6.953 Ratings7.39 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.257 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration6.8109 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.3113 Ratings8.217 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management5.5100 Ratings8.213 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.157 Ratings8.25 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Namely
7.7
124 Ratings
5% below category average
PDS Vista
8.2
13 Ratings
2% above category average
Approval workflow7.3121 Ratings8.27 Ratings
Balance details7.5116 Ratings8.213 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.295 Ratings8.212 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Namely
7.5
141 Ratings
8% below category average
PDS Vista
7.1
17 Ratings
13% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information7.9129 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Update personal information8.2140 Ratings7.314 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.0127 Ratings7.38 Ratings
Employee recognition7.3116 Ratings7.25 Ratings
View job history7.3134 Ratings5.84 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Namely
5.7
53 Ratings
30% below category average
PDS Vista
7.3
7 Ratings
6% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets5.753 Ratings7.37 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Namely
6.8
121 Ratings
11% below category average
PDS Vista
8.0
16 Ratings
5% above category average
Report builder7.3117 Ratings8.014 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.6112 Ratings8.016 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data5.774 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Namely
6.5
116 Ratings
21% below category average
PDS Vista
7.3
1 Ratings
9% below category average
New hire portal7.4110 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Manager tracking tools5.685 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Namely
5.1
96 Ratings
46% below category average
PDS Vista
5.8
2 Ratings
34% below category average
Corporate goal setting6.086 Ratings5.52 Ratings
Individual goal setting4.894 Ratings5.52 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility4.372 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking5.289 Ratings6.42 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Namely
5.4
107 Ratings
38% below category average
PDS Vista
7.3
4 Ratings
8% below category average
Performance plans5.296 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Performance improvement plans3.868 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Review status tracking6.595 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Review reminders6.298 Ratings7.23 Ratings
Multiple review frequency5.485 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Namely
5.6
21 Ratings
34% below category average
PDS Vista
3.6
1 Ratings
75% below category average
Candidate search5.621 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Namely
7.7
6 Ratings
1% below category average
PDS Vista
2.5
3 Ratings
102% below category average
Job Requisition Management7.75 Ratings3.13 Ratings
Company Website Posting7.35 Ratings3.13 Ratings
Publish to Social Media7.35 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting8.05 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.55 Ratings1.92 Ratings
Applicant Tracking7.85 Ratings2.33 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.16 Ratings2.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
NamelyPDS 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
NamelyPDS Vista
Likelihood to Recommend
7.4
(145 ratings)
8.0
(23 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(9 ratings)
9.1
(7 ratings)
Usability
7.1
(71 ratings)
8.2
(2 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.5
(2 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.0
(27 ratings)
8.2
(3 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.0
(85 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
NamelyPDS Vista
Likelihood to Recommend
Namely
Namely is aesthetically very pleasing and navigates like other social media platforms which can be appealing to potentially a remote workforce who interacts more online than in person. Unfortunately, it did not serve our population well as we are primarily manufacturing where people are not as interested in utilizing the HRIS for interactions when they would rather connect in person.
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
Namely
  • Namely has helped with our COVID sick leave response. It has made a major difference both with the weekly payroll and the 941 tax filing
  • Keeping track of our multiple PTO plans. Thank goodness for Namely, I have shredded my old PTO spreadsheets.
  • Employees like the convenience of the cell phone app. As a payroll administrator, I like the Geo Tracking tool where I can see where some are when the clock is in or out.
  • The flexibility inside of the payroll system both as you are finalizing an employee profile and when you are processing payroll is a major advantage.
  • The reports I get out of Namely in Excel format work well for me.
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
Namely
  • Limits to custom reporting
  • No direct feed for Ohio Workers Comp (now a manual process on our end)
  • No option to place an employee on Leave of Absence and exclude them from payroll while they are "inactive"
  • No option to suppress certain deductions for certain pay types (i.e. allow 401K for commissions but block remaining deductions - also now a manual process to uncheck the suppress box for 401K for each commission check)
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
Namely
Administrators and employees love Namely. It is very easy to use and streamlined. Employees stay engaged with news feed updates and enjoy all the self service options. The time cards are very easy to access and clocking in and out for non-exempt employees is a breeze. Namely is part of our family.
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
Namely
It is very simple to use for myself, the HR team, and our employees. I find the payroll process very user-friendly. Reporting is simple to navigate and produce the required information requested. I know our employees enjoy the self-service feature and use it on a regular basis, which saves me time.
Read full review
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
Namely
Unfortunately, in more recent years we've had a lot of difficulty with Namely as they've undergone a lot of internal changes. It took 4 returned emails saying the person no longer worked at Namely to find someone to help me (I finally called payroll) and it took a while to get connected with a direct source of help. Namely now has set up their "pod" feature of communication which works well for the most part, but is different. I felt spoiled when we first started with Namely, but now it feels very much like working with most large companies' help centers. There is a system to go through and you do have the option to click "urgent". In general the help is efficient, but it still takes a few days and it's hard to speak with someone directly. It is all done via online communications and is difficult to actually speak to someone on the phone. This works well for most cases, but I do feel frustrated more often than I'd like to with this type of communication. (2019/2020)
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
Namely
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
Namely
Implementation was a bit complicated and our company had to carry most of the weight. It often felt like our implementation manager was giving us extra work that she did not want to do herself. It also took much longer than expected - I believe almost 2 months. I believe our company carried a bit too much of the weight.
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
Namely
Namely has a robust suite of offerings, and fallows for a la carte selection of add-ons (rather than a single bundled option). This has allowed our company to save money by not purchasing options / functionalities that we dont need, but may drive up the cost for other companies who need more a la carte selections. In all, the size of the company, the size & capabilities of the internal HR team, and considerations like managed payroll and benefits should be key drivers in selection.
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
Namely
  • When we were over 100, it provided a huge benefit to us due to the accuracy of payroll, benefits integration and management, and org chart and performance tracking. Having all of that in one place was a huge improvement from the former disjointed user experience.
  • When we dropped below 100 due to covid, our insurance rates went up 93% to offer comparable plans, and we had to move over to a PEO for benefits which meant we also had to move payroll. It was hugely disruptive, and now our employees have a bad experience when trying to manage their HR lives in multiple places. It is confusing and, again, disjointed.
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

Namely Screenshots

Screenshot of Namely News Feed: The home base to make announcements, express appreciation, and to celebrate important milestones.Screenshot of HR Analytics: data to drive confidence in an active people strategy and to encourage pride in provable resultsScreenshot of Talent & Performance Management: connects, engages, and develops the workforce in a platform designed so that employees actually want to use itScreenshot of Benefits Administration: modern, integrated benefits technology makes it easy for employees to enroll and easier to manageScreenshot of Payroll Administration: integrated with HR data and coupled with full payroll tax servicesScreenshot of Namely Mobile App: request time off and access paystubs and benefits information from anywhere