PDS Vista vs. Sage HR

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
PDS Vista
Score 6.2 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
Sage HR
Score 6.6 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
Sage HR is HR software for small to medium businesses. The vendor states Sage HR is designed to be easy to use, and automates every step of the human resource process. Sage HR is designed with modular functionality to be customized for users' needs. According to the vendor, key differentiators include: 1. Easy to use 2. Modular functionality 2. Automates the end-to-end HR process 3. There's a mobile app (iOS & Android) 5. Feature…
$5.50
per month
Pricing
PDS VistaSage HR
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Expenses Management
$1.50
per user, per month
Performance Management
$3.00
per user, per month
Shift Scheduling
$3.00
per user, per month
Timesheets
$3.00
per user, per month
Leave Management
$5.50
per user, per month
Recruitment
$200.00
per user, per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PDS VistaSage HR
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsLicense 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.The modular product. - No hidden fees - Cancel anytime - No credit card required
More Pricing Information
Features
PDS VistaSage HR
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.7
18 Ratings
2% below category average
Sage HR
4.9
9 Ratings
46% below category average
Employee demographic data9.017 Ratings5.19 Ratings
Employment history9.018 Ratings5.19 Ratings
Job profiles and administration9.014 Ratings4.07 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.012 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.013 Ratings3.08 Ratings
Organization and location management7.016 Ratings4.27 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.011 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
8.0
18 Ratings
0% below category average
Sage HR
-
Ratings
Pay calculation8.216 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.39 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.216 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.217 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.213 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.25 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
8.2
13 Ratings
2% above category average
Sage HR
2.8
9 Ratings
97% below category average
Approval workflow8.27 Ratings6.09 Ratings
Balance details8.213 Ratings1.29 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.212 Ratings1.26 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.1
17 Ratings
13% below category average
Sage HR
7.8
8 Ratings
4% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.216 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Update personal information7.314 Ratings7.18 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.38 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Employee recognition7.25 Ratings8.06 Ratings
View job history5.84 Ratings7.06 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.3
7 Ratings
6% below category average
Sage HR
1.0
5 Ratings
154% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets7.37 Ratings1.05 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
8.0
16 Ratings
5% above category average
Sage HR
3.4
9 Ratings
76% below category average
Report builder8.014 Ratings2.18 Ratings
Pre-built reports8.016 Ratings2.18 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data8.013 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.3
1 Ratings
9% below category average
Sage HR
8.0
6 Ratings
0% below category average
New hire portal7.31 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
5.8
2 Ratings
34% below category average
Sage HR
3.7
6 Ratings
75% below category average
Corporate goal setting5.52 Ratings4.26 Ratings
Individual goal setting5.52 Ratings4.26 Ratings
Performance tracking6.42 Ratings2.26 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings4.16 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.3
4 Ratings
8% below category average
Sage HR
4.5
6 Ratings
55% below category average
Performance plans7.32 Ratings3.26 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.31 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Review status tracking7.32 Ratings2.26 Ratings
Review reminders7.23 Ratings2.26 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.32 Ratings7.06 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
3.6
1 Ratings
75% below category average
Sage HR
9.1
2 Ratings
14% above category average
Create succession plans/pools3.61 Ratings9.12 Ratings
Candidate ranking3.61 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search3.61 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development3.61 Ratings9.12 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
2.5
3 Ratings
102% below category average
Sage HR
6.5
1 Ratings
18% below category average
Job Requisition Management3.13 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Company Website Posting3.13 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention1.92 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Applicant Tracking2.33 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts2.02 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PDS VistaSage HR
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
PDS VistaSage HR
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(23 ratings)
1.2
(10 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.2
(2 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Availability
9.5
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(3 ratings)
9.1
(5 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.3
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
PDS VistaSage HR
Likelihood to Recommend
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
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Sage
Keeping an accurate time off calendar, with specific buckets, is extremely important. It has helped my company grow without having to manage things in Excel. Also, implementing an annual review process by using CakeHR has been very clean and transparent with my employees. This also allows me to see year over year. In years past, we used Word or a Jotform which made it challenging to pull up years past.
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Pros
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.
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Sage
  • Employee self service - the apps and desktops GUIs are very intuitive.
  • Leave management - this manages itself through the app and system, saves lots of admin.
  • Customization - you can tailor the system more and more to suit your specific needs.
  • Updates and Customer Service - the CakeHR team gave dedicated a lot of time to bring out weekly updates and systems improvements which shows they are dedicated to making this a great product - the fact that they were bought by Se recently is also testament to their ongoing mission.
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Cons
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.
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Sage
  • Updating information in a central location that implements changes across whole system.
  • Custom reporting and history
  • Time off policies tracking and management
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Likelihood to Renew
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.
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Sage
No answers on this topic
Usability
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.
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Sage
My staff "actually" likes it! I can tell because they are actively in the program almost daily!
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Support Rating
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
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Sage
Customer support is amazing. There are times I post a question and I don't get back to support. They will always follow-up with an email to make sure our questions are answered. I even had a call with Julianna who was wonderful and very personable. You definitely get a level us service that exceeds most companies. Keep up the good work CakeHR.
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Online Training
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
The resources and online tools that PDS provide are extremely thorough and helpful in our training and learning.
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Sage
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
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.
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Sage
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
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.
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Sage
For core HR functionality, this is the only product we use. For ATS, we have experimented with BreezyHR. We've learned that CakeHR is adding an ATS module soon though.
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Return on Investment
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.
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Sage
  • The system shows us all days off and overtime, so we can manage this and know everything is like agreed in the contract.
  • A simple and affordable system with room to grow.
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ScreenShots

Sage HR Screenshots

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