Iris HR Software vs. SumTotal Talent Development

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Iris HR Software
Score 6.4 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 User Per Month
SumTotal Talent Development
Score 7.7 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
The SumTotal Core Platform (formerly elixHR) is a human resource information system (HRIS) integrable with the SumTotal Talent Expansion Suite of software: SumTotal (LMS), and the SumTotal Work workforce management and payroll system. All SumTotal software is now offered and supported by Skillsoft since the October 2014 acquisition.N/A
Pricing
Iris HR SoftwareSumTotal Talent Development
Editions & Modules
Basic
$1.50
Per User Per Month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Iris HR SoftwareSumTotal Talent Development
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Iris HR SoftwareSumTotal Talent Development
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Iris HR SoftwareSumTotal Talent Development
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
2% above category average
SumTotal Talent Development
1.9
1 Ratings
122% below category average
Employee demographic data8.01 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Employment history8.01 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.01 Ratings2.01 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.8.01 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Organizational charting8.01 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Organization and location management8.01 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)8.01 Ratings2.01 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
0% below category average
SumTotal Talent Development
3.3
1 Ratings
84% below category average
Benefit plan administration8.01 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
1% below category average
SumTotal Talent Development
6.7
3 Ratings
18% below category average
Approval workflow8.01 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Balance details8.01 Ratings8.53 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.01 Ratings3.01 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.3
1 Ratings
2% above category average
SumTotal Talent Development
3.0
1 Ratings
92% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.01 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Update personal information8.01 Ratings2.01 Ratings
View company policy documentation9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
5% above category average
SumTotal Talent Development
7.2
3 Ratings
5% below category average
Report builder8.01 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Pre-built reports8.01 Ratings6.52 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data8.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
0% below category average
SumTotal Talent Development
8.2
2 Ratings
2% above category average
New hire portal8.01 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
2% below category average
SumTotal Talent Development
8.8
1 Ratings
8% above category average
Corporate goal setting8.01 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Individual goal setting8.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Performance tracking8.01 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
1% above category average
SumTotal Talent Development
8.2
2 Ratings
3% above category average
Performance plans8.01 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Performance improvement plans8.01 Ratings7.52 Ratings
Review status tracking8.01 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Review reminders8.01 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Multiple review frequency8.01 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
1% above category average
SumTotal Talent Development
7.0
1 Ratings
12% below category average
Create succession plans/pools8.01 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Candidate ranking8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search8.01 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Candidate development8.01 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
3% above category average
SumTotal Talent Development
7.9
2 Ratings
2% above category average
Job Requisition Management8.01 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Company Website Posting8.01 Ratings7.52 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.01 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings6.52 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Iris HR SoftwareSumTotal Talent Development
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
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User Ratings
Iris HR SoftwareSumTotal Talent Development
Likelihood to Recommend
7.0
(2 ratings)
7.5
(9 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.0
(1 ratings)
6.0
(5 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
2.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
3.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Iris HR SoftwareSumTotal Talent Development
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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SumTotal
Very good for learning and development and training of employees. For Applicant tracking, recuirement, onboarding, and enablement, I prefer SAP SuccessFactors or Skillate. I also found that the SumTotal app is not very friendly on android and crashes sometimes and it is not optimized for mobile. Hence I end up never using it.
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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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SumTotal
  • Assign complete learning plans to users so they don't have to spend time searching for courses.
  • Export learner's transcripts so managers can easily see their employee's progress.
  • Embed Social Media feeds that are relevant to their business.
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Cons
IRIS Software Group
  • It can take some effort to understand
  • Perhaps the price can go down a bit
  • Menu layout
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SumTotal
  • Reporting
  • Mass importing of manual checks to be issued in California
  • Ability to fund pay cards immediately
  • Perform gross-up calculations within the payroll system automatically
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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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SumTotal
I have transitioned from a position who supported the product to a position where I use the product. I continue to be impressed with the robustness of the product and how efficient it is. It is a user friendly software that can be used to navigate and accomplish tasks to meet organizational requirements.
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Usability
IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
SumTotal
I do not find SumTotal to be intuitive. I feel we need to adjust our needs to meet the functionality available in the tool.
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Support Rating
IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
SumTotal
We have our own IT support to assist in SumTotal issues, however, we have had to log in cases directly. Support is mediocre at best.
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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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SumTotal
When I came to my company, they had been using a "light" LMS called Articulate. It was cheap and bare bones; i.e. not a lot of features, really just a platform to launch eLearning from and not real interface for student to utilize. When I began to overhaul the training department, this was one of the first things I changed. Articulate would only run courses built in their software, and the software was not 508 compliant. In addition, we had no ability to create learning plans, house transcripts, customize the interface, or manage the students. I made the choice to select and LMS that was a true LMS with all of the features that were critical to our clients' needs. Thus far, SumTotal has been able to support all of our needs, except one; mobile learning that is media rich
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Return on Investment
IRIS Software Group
  • Employee efficiency. There's never a question of who I request my time off with. The program sets up line managers who take in all the requests.
  • Less wasted time. Contact info and photo are very visible and easily accessed.
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SumTotal
  • Clean front-end user interface for easier course catalog management.
  • Reporting has been more difficult than previous LMS.
  • Audience building has more variables making it more difficult to manage.
  • Slower overall client turnaround due to admin side interface.
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ScreenShots

SumTotal Talent Development Screenshots

Screenshot of SumTotal Learning Management: Deliver the learning your organization needs including skilling/upskilling/reskilling, career planning & development. All delivered with our engaging learner experience across all modalities (desktop, tablet & mobile) and in the flow of workScreenshot of SumTotal Onboarding: Foster learning before day one with our robust onboarding solution. Build culture, complete necessary paperwork and begin the path to productivity for all your new and returning employees.Screenshot of SumTotal Performance: Performance management that meets the needs of today’s forward-thinking organizations. Align the goals and performance of your entire workforce with those of the broader organization for better business outcomes.Screenshot of SumTotal Succession: Make succession planning an organizational strength. SumTotal allows you to better understand your workforce now and better plan for your future with our intuitive succession planning tools.Screenshot of SumTotal Recruiting: A modern recruiting solution that delivers a powerful candidate experience, recruiter productivity, job matching and internal mobility.Screenshot of SumTotal Compensation: SumTotal makes compensation planning easier and less time consuming. Build a pay for performance culture that meets your organizations goals and objectives while keeping you competitive in the ever-changing marketplace.