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IBM Kenexa vs Oracle HCM Cloud comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM Kenexa
Ranking in Benefits Administration
18th
Ranking in Talent Management
19th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
Applicant Tracking and Recruiting Software (10th)
Oracle HCM Cloud
Ranking in Benefits Administration
4th
Ranking in Talent Management
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
75
Ranking in other categories
Cloud HCM (4th), HR Analytics Software (1st), Talent Acquisition (3rd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Benefits Administration category, the mindshare of IBM Kenexa is 1.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle HCM Cloud is 4.6%, down from 12.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Benefits Administration Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Oracle HCM Cloud4.6%
IBM Kenexa1.7%
Other93.7%
Benefits Administration
 

Featured Reviews

Karan Grover - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Suitable for larger-scale companies aiming to streamline and automate their processes digitally
The deployment of the solution took between six to eight months. When we introduced BrassRing at my company, we encountered several challenges. First, moving data from our old system to BrassRing was tough because it needed reformatting. Second, connecting BrassRing with our HR data was tricky due to manual processes for roles and departments. Third, setting up the workflow in BrassRing was complex. Fourth, configuring user access and approval levels was a detailed task. We also had to manage the change process, including running both old and new systems in parallel, communicating changes, and training users. Lastly, monitoring and reporting were needed to ensure data accuracy and proper system usage once everything was in place. We had a team of six to eight people managing the project from our side during the BrassRing deployment. I'm not sure about the size of the BrassRing team, and we also had our own technical team, which had three to four members. The solution required maintenance, particularly from my side as the administrator. Maintenance responsibilities were divided into two parts: some tasks we, as end-users, could control, while others were the responsibility of the BrassRing team. Payment-related tasks were a regular part of our responsibilities. I wasn't the only person maintaining the solution. There were three power users from Infosys, each responsible for a specific geography. My counterpart managed it in the US, and I, along with my colleague in India, managed it for other geographies.
AanilaNanda - PeerSpot reviewer
Human Resources Intern at a government with 10,001+ employees
Provides unified access to multiple HR functions and reduces navigation effort
I am generally satisfied with the talent management capabilities in Oracle HCM Cloud, but as I mentioned, there are certain pages that really lag sometimes and there are a lot of bugs in talent management. Before, when it had a responsive UI, it was fine, but after it switched to Redwood, I feel there are bugs, and the functionality stated in the documents is not accurate. It takes some time to get that feature, and we need to raise product SR or ask in the community how it works. It's not easily understandable, especially in the talent management area. One potential area of improvement for Oracle HCM Cloud is that it lags. It takes time to reflect the pages, and the loading time now requires us to wait for the page to load. Earlier, we used to click and see the page immediately. However, now we need to wait for it to get loaded, which can be frustrating when working in a fast mode.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"As I said, IBM are doing a great job with us at the moment, but we're always looking and speaking and open to having conversations with other people because the market's changing and IBM are aware of that."
"Now, having provided this, amongst many other things, we have a much closer relationship to the business."
"Scalability is great, as we use the system for everything from a very low-volume, high-touch corporate recruiting model to our tax office, high-volume approach, which is 80-100,000 people each season."
"We acquired a pharmacy retailer three years ago, and Kenexa enabled us to actually standardize our employee engagement across both of those organizations, helping us understand at an enterprise level what was going on and, most importantly, how people were starting to feel about being acquired and joining the broader company space."
"The streamlined, simplicity approach of Kenexa makes it simple for me to navigate."
"The ability now to be able to take data, load it yourself, ask the business questions and get the answers on your own process with the business just made it a lot faster, and the cognitive solution gives us some insights for us to think about."
"Kenexa’s scalability has been great, as we can grow and expand our use no matter what and seamlessly incorporate our business process for new launches."
"I would definitely and highly recommend the applicant tracking system."
"We have 35,000 employees in our organization, so we consider the solution to be scalable."
"In my opinion, one of the most useful features in Oracle HCM Cloud is that we currently have so many things on the same screen—we don't need to click so many times to get the answers; on the same screen, we get a lot of information, which is really helpful."
"The most valuable feature is the support for mobile devices."
"This is a very comprehensive solution, covering every aspect of the HCM profit cycle and the life cycle."
"What I like most about Oracle HCM Cloud is that I didn't see any area that needs to be dramatically improved. I also appreciate that it has good integration with other Oracle products. The process of integrating Oracle HCM Cloud is rather explanatory. I also found the Oracle library to be helpful. As Oracle HCM Cloud is quite a robust solution, I like it versus other solutions. I like the people at Oracle."
"Oracle HCM Cloud is easier to use than Oracle ETS. Everything is included on one page, and we no longer need to do workarounds. For example, creating elements, eligibility profiles, and formulas is much easier."
"Oracle HCM Cloud is scalable, and Oracle is spending a lot of effort in research and development to increase scalability and speed with the high demand for mobile usage, with approximately 30,000 users using this solution in my organization."
"We have 35,000 employees in our organization, so we consider the solution to be scalable."
 

Cons

"Technical support was not always great. They tend to push you towards workbench admins or paid support."
"The reporting feature currently is our biggest struggle point; getting the data we need and in the fashion that we need it is a current struggle point for us."
"We're really looking forward to some of their enhancements to their onboarding portal, specifically for recruiters and hiring managers."
"There are tools that actually are not there where clients need them, especially the survey analytics to analyze verbatim in different languages."
"The user interface could do with an overhaul."
"Maybe there's some room for improvement in the functionality around the actual tools that we build with."
"Once-a-year engagement kind of seems to be a little bit lagging in terms of how we can actually shape and improve organizations, so I was looking forward to understanding a bit more where IBM Kenexa's thinking is going in terms of pulsing with the employee voice and how that kind of integrates and works with tell-it-as-it-is, and the other two applications we have; it's just too early to know."
"Improvements can be made from the back end, with the workbench."
"The solution's approvals hierarchy or employee hierarchy needs some improvement and more flexibility."
"One of the challenges that we've discovered is that for some things like report modifications, whenever Oracle provides a new release, they will overlay certain customizations that you have, and then it becomes a real hassle to re-customize for our needs."
"I would like to see improvements in the user experience, specifically reducing the number of clicks required to achieve desired outcomes. Additionally, enhancing the look and feel of the front end and allowing for a greater level of configuration would be beneficial. Its pricing should be less."
"The performance and reaction time can be improved."
"The solution has much room for improvement in all the modules."
"It could be more user-friendly."
"From the feedback that I get, the functional side of the payroll could be improved."
"In some cases, the price may be lower depending on what is negotiated."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Kenexa was fairly priced. However, in 2019, before I left my previous organization, they significantly increased their pricing. It can be affordable, but their pricing is going up. It is not just licensing; it is how many applicants you have in your system on the database side."
"The solution is expensive."
"Oracle HCM Cloud is pricey, but price-wise, it's now more competitive than in the past year. Here in Central Europe, people also look at the pricing, but Central Europe falls under the UAE and Abu Dhabi in terms of headquarters, management, and strategy, but those states don't care too much about the pricing. Pricing is a significant factor in choosing a solution. In the past, Oracle HCM Cloud was compared to the SAP solution, the largest competitor and up to thirty percent higher in price. Now, Oracle HCM Cloud has a price increase of five to ten percent, which could be pricier than SAP now, but it's a more competitive product nowadays and comparable to SAP."
"I rate the product's pricing a seven out of ten."
"Pricing is largely determined by what is agreed upon."
"The solution is quite expensive for small and medium-sized companies."
"Oracle HCM offers many features at a low price."
"Though I cannot comment on the solution's cost, a fixed cost is involved based on my understanding. The cost multiplies based on the number of users."
"The cost of Oracle HCM Cloud is high, it could be reduced. There is an annual subscription and it is user-based."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
12%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Construction Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise28
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business25
Midsize Enterprise18
Large Enterprise33
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
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What are the differences between Oracle HCM Cloud and PeopleSoft?
Although both are solutions to manage HR, their differences make each one suitable for different companies. Oracle Cloud HCM is a platform for connecting all human resource processes in your organ...
What do you like most about Oracle HCM Cloud?
The most valuable features of the solution are the core HR, absence, payroll, and recruitment modules.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle HCM Cloud?
I feel the pricing for Oracle HCM Cloud is market competitive; other products are in the same range. Out of ten, I feel it's around six or seven. It's reasonable and not that much.
 

Also Known As

IBM Smarter Workforce, Outstart
Oracle Human Capital Management Cloud
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Sweet Spot International (SSI), Leo Burnett Worldwide (LBW), Sika AG, Legacy Health, Apollo Group Inc., Regeneron, Transurban Group, National Health Service, New Zealand Police, Overland Footwear, Yealands, Johnson Controls, Allscripts, Kerry Foods, Masterpet, AMD, Balfour Beatty
Kovaion Consulting India Pvt. Ltd., eVerge Group, Kalpataru, Logicalis Inc., Macmillan Science and Education, Drivestream Inc., Kamal Osman Jamjoom Group LLC, WAXIE Sanitary Supply
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Kenexa vs. Oracle HCM Cloud and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
886,510 professionals have used our research since 2012.