PeopleStrong vs. SmartSearch ATS

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
N/A
PeopleStrong HCM is a cloud-based solution which provides visibility across the talent acquisition process creating a “kiosk-simple” experience designed to free up users and allow them to focus on important aspects like sourcing, managing candidates and stakeholder experience with smart sourcing, managing and reporting techniques. PeopleStrong HCM is aimed to simplify and automate the whole HR information system. The system offers users to manage a database of employees in a secure…N/A
SmartSearch ATS
Score 6.6 out of 10
N/A
SmartSearch is an enterprise-grade native recruitment platform that unifies applicant tracking, CRM, onboarding, and reporting. Purpose-built for staffing and talent acquisition teams, it automates workflows, improves visibility, and reduces reliance on disconnected recruiting tools.N/A
Pricing
PeopleStrongSmartSearch ATS
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PeopleStrongSmartSearch ATS
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
PeopleStrongSmartSearch ATS
Features
PeopleStrongSmartSearch ATS
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
PeopleStrong
9.0
3 Ratings
11% above category average
SmartSearch ATS
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management7.93 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
PeopleStrong
9.7
3 Ratings
18% above category average
SmartSearch ATS
-
Ratings
Pay calculation10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.42 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
PeopleStrong
10.0
3 Ratings
20% above category average
SmartSearch ATS
-
Ratings
Approval workflow10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
PeopleStrong
9.1
3 Ratings
10% above category average
SmartSearch ATS
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information9.53 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information7.43 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition8.43 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
PeopleStrong
7.6
3 Ratings
1% above category average
SmartSearch ATS
-
Ratings
Report builder7.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data7.92 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
PeopleStrong
10.0
3 Ratings
22% above category average
SmartSearch ATS
-
Ratings
New hire portal10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
PeopleStrong
10.0
3 Ratings
22% above category average
SmartSearch ATS
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility10.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
PeopleStrong
9.2
3 Ratings
15% above category average
SmartSearch ATS
-
Ratings
Performance plans10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans10.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders8.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency8.43 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
PeopleStrong
9.9
2 Ratings
25% above category average
SmartSearch ATS
3.4
17 Ratings
80% below category average
Job Requisition Management10.02 Ratings3.017 Ratings
Company Website Posting9.52 Ratings3.017 Ratings
Publish to Social Media10.01 Ratings1.013 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting10.02 Ratings1.017 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention10.02 Ratings10.016 Ratings
Applicant Tracking10.02 Ratings3.017 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts10.02 Ratings5.513 Ratings
Customized Application Form00 Ratings9.016 Ratings
Resume Management00 Ratings1.017 Ratings
Candidate Search00 Ratings3.017 Ratings
Collaboration00 Ratings1.015 Ratings
Task Creation and Delegation00 Ratings1.014 Ratings
Email Templates00 Ratings1.016 Ratings
User Permissions00 Ratings1.016 Ratings
Reporting00 Ratings8.016 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PeopleStrongSmartSearch ATS
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Breezy HR
Breezy HR
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.2 out of 10
Breezy HR
Breezy HR
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PeopleStrongSmartSearch ATS
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(3 ratings)
6.0
(31 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
3.0
(18 ratings)
Usability
9.7
(3 ratings)
8.2
(10 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
7.4
(8 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
6.0
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
PeopleStrongSmartSearch ATS
Likelihood to Recommend
PeopleStrong
As we are all working online, and sometimes employees have to be on fieldwork PeopleStrong have the option of location-based check-in which makes it very convenient to ensure work is happening. Every document has to be verified and passed on in the software hence assuring no forgery is happening. As a user, I am able to set goals and achieve them, view my employment history definitely gives a sense of self-achievement too. The constant reminders ensure all assigned tasks are met and completed. I do not see any inappropriate instance, as this has been anything but very useful for our organization.
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Advanced Personnel Systems (SmartSearch)
I think our environment has stretched SmS and their capabilities (positively) but we have grown together and developed an enormously capable system together that is now very well integrated into our business. For doing applicant tracking, requisition management and offer management that has really been strong. I think we can partner together and build some better analytics and reporting capabilities that would be better suited for our business.
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Pros
PeopleStrong
  • Salary Slips are updated on the portal and a person can access those slips from the joining date also.
  • Calender provides a data of the events which are lined up through the company for the future time.
  • An Employee can check the leaves and the history of leaves applied in history
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Advanced Personnel Systems (SmartSearch)
  • The search functions are outstanding. It is the reason we originally went with SmartSearch many years ago. The ability to do very simple or complex searches gives the recruiting staff great flexibility in how they look for and narrow down candidates.
  • The hire and onboarding traks allow us to create very specific processes we want our staff to follow to insure a consistent and repeatable result. I can create traks that can be very general or traks that literally provide emails and reminders to all of the players (recruiters, managers, candidates, etc...) every step of the way. This is particularly helpful where we have customers who have extremely stringent contractual guidelines that must be followed.
  • Support. Their customer support is second to none. We always joke that they are our favorite vendor to deal with.... Anytime we have an issue or question. They are there to walk us through it. The training is on target and the staff has always been friendly and more than eager to help make us successful with the tool.
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Cons
PeopleStrong
  • The user interface
  • Reduce workflow / approval is needed
  • Easier navigations
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Advanced Personnel Systems (SmartSearch)
  • SmartSearch has a steep learning curve if you want to extensively use the features like automated tasks and the report writer
  • Technical support is spotty and sometimes very frustrating, they don't respond for weeks at a time.
  • SmartSearch user interface is old and has far less ability to customize the interface than other tracking systems
  • SmartSearch has virtually no ability to connect directly with other software and allows now other software to connect in - so no Microsoft Flow, no Zapier, no mail parser, etc. and since Smart Search capabilities are limited, not being able to integrate it with other platforms easily is unfortunate.
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Likelihood to Renew
PeopleStrong
No answers on this topic
Advanced Personnel Systems (SmartSearch)
I believe over the past 30 or so pages (or so it seems), you have every reason for my business to continue as a SmartSearch ATS client and user. The support is off the charts great the few times I need them (generally not even once per year). My business has been a client since 2004. That should say it all.
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Usability
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong is a great platform. When businesses optimize the use of PeopleStrong, they can drive long-term benefits such as talent retention, reduced administrative costs, and enhanced overall workforce performance, ultimately contributing to a strong return on investment that effectively implement and adopt the platform, leading to improved HR processes, cost savings, and enhanced employee engagement.
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Advanced Personnel Systems (SmartSearch)
There are so many facets of SmartSearch, that to know everything about it is nearly impossible. While it is mainly straight forward, there is a lot. After using the program for a while, you become pretty comfortable with the basics and can start adding some of the other features.
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Reliability and Availability
PeopleStrong
No answers on this topic
Advanced Personnel Systems (SmartSearch)
My license for SmartSearch goes back to 2004. It has always been available for me - don't remember a single time it was not available in all of those years.
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Support Rating
PeopleStrong
No answers on this topic
Advanced Personnel Systems (SmartSearch)
Once you get the 1 person on the phone they are very knowledgeable and tend to solve the problem. The issue is there are not enough resources to handle all the clients. Their primary clients are "recruiting firms" and I think that is where most of the their support resources go
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Implementation Rating
PeopleStrong
No answers on this topic
Advanced Personnel Systems (SmartSearch)
Using the basic functions of SmartSearch is an easy implementation. But consider carefully what your organization needs to really drive placements. Because we only did a basic implementation first, we were caught off guard when later trying to implement more functions and realizing that the capabilities were limited or were difficult to learn and implement and realizing that tech support was not going to be consistent.
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Alternatives Considered
PeopleStrong
I haven't used any other platform other than Peoplestrong.
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Advanced Personnel Systems (SmartSearch)
Functionally, SmartSearch is not on the same page as ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter as a platform is much more geared toward helping applicants and is essentially a glorified resume database. SmartSearch offers so much more in terms of features and abilities, that would not really be appropriate to try and compare the two. Similarly, the overall use of SmartSearch is an apples and oranges comparison to LinkedIn Talent. LinkedIn is great for sourcing and attracting talent, but in terms of tracking candidates all the way through a hiring process and tracking a heavy volume of job orders across a variety of states and locations, the two just don't really compare.
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Return on Investment
PeopleStrong
  • Increase recruitment process
  • Saves time
  • Database management
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Advanced Personnel Systems (SmartSearch)
  • That's easy - they have helped us grown and make more money. The core element of their technology (e.g. the ability to search for, identify and contact candidates is excellent).
  • They are a business partner and do their very best to help us succeed.
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