SAP HCM vs SAP SuccessFactors comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 29, 2022
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP HCM
Ranking in Talent Management
4th
Ranking in Cloud HCM
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
51
Ranking in other categories
Benefits Administration (3rd)
SAP SuccessFactors
Ranking in Talent Management
1st
Ranking in Cloud HCM
1st
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
91
Ranking in other categories
Talent Acquisition (2nd), Global Payroll (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2024, in the Cloud HCM category, the mindshare of SAP HCM is 15.0%, up from 14.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP SuccessFactors is 18.6%, down from 20.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud HCM
Unique Categories:
Benefits Administration
12.8%
Talent Management
10.3%
Talent Acquisition
24.4%
 

Featured Reviews

AA
Dec 23, 2019
Some capabilities are self-service for the employees which cuts down on administrative time
This product has a lot of features that are much improved and more advanced than other solutions. In our area of the Gulf region and the Middle East, a lot of organizations depend on it because it meets with regulation compliance and security concerns. So government and banking depend on the SAP HCM solution for administration on-premises. SAP had developed new screens for the latest release of SAP HANA for HR on the cloud. They are doing the most innovation for HR on the cloud. So, there are some screens right now for both on-premises and cloud but the company is focused mostly on cloud development. A lot of the clients who deal with regulations must currently stay with on-premises solutions for critical data. SAP needs to continue trying from time-to-time to develop and release some new screens and new tools for HR on-premise that facilitate the working and interaction with the interface. They should do this in parallel with the cloud. Instead, they are leaving the on-premises customers behind. For the next release of HCM, I would like to see more interactive screens and parallel development for on-prem and cloud. SAP now does the most innovation for the cloud solution and less innovation for the on-premises client. In our experience and with our clients almost all customers depend on the on-premises solution for sensitive data — either by choice or regulation. It would be nice to see a mobile interface as well.
it_user585888 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 12, 2017
You can use the Compensation and Recruitment modules without additional instructions.
Comp and Recruitment: They really bring value for the managers and cost savings to HR. They are the easiest to use without additional instructions. The feedback received from the managers is very positive and they can also understand the benefits to their own organizations. E.g., in Compensation, a…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The platform is simple to use and has a user-friendly dashboard and integration features."
"Sometimes, employees may have pending requests that need approval, so you should check those and clear any errors to ensure smooth processing."
"I think HCM was the most stable for me...It is a very scalable product."
"The feature I like most in SAP HCM is its effectiveness for talent management."
"Technical support is excellent."
"The user interface is the solution's most valuable feature. It makes it easy for us to use."
"Customers can create custom infotypes to store any custom data points."
"The stability of the solution is good."
"Considering the flexibility of the system and its ability to accommodate complex business processes, the product is ready to be used in multiple industries."
"Provides an open architecture and an open platform so it can coexist with other systems."
"It is a scalable solution."
"SAP SuccessFactors, in my opinion, is the best cloud-based HR solution tool for any size business."
"SuccessFactors' best features are talent management and HR Analytics."
"The performance goals and learning management solutions are the product's most valuable features."
"Compared to other on-premise solutions, the first advantage of SAP SuccessFactors is that it is a SaaS-based solution."
"The initial setup was pretty simple."
 

Cons

"The organizational structure visualization could be improved in future releases. The solution has a very poor interface."
"In my experience, SAP HCM and similar products are very good, but the focus now should be on providing features to encourage employee adoption. For example, accessing pay slips is a task that naturally drives adoption. However, AI tools that can prompt employees at the right time through the right application are needed for actions such as conducting surveys or gathering performance feedback."
"Managing changes in applications can be challenging since it complicates testing and unit testing, resulting in longer testing phases. This time-consuming process often leaves little room for actual work."
"The talent modules are lacking in HCM, so I would recommend switching to SuccessFactors for talent management, but HCM excels at time management and payroll."
"SAP HCM has many different channels for communication with the consultants which makes it complex. There are delays when there is a problem."
"We find some challenges in the integration between SAP HCM and SAP SuccessFactors."
"I'm currently working for a state-owned government company, and we need to follow some standards and regulations. We also have a strategy to be followed. Sometimes the template and the format are not available in the SAP HCM, so we have to work around this limitation. The tax also sometimes changes in my country, and we have to redo everything to change the payroll calculations, benefits, and things like that. The talent management feature can be improved. It is currently very simple in SAP HCM. SAP is also very hard to integrate. In terms of monitoring, there are no monitoring tools, but as long as we take care of the disk capacity, there is no problem."
"SAP HCM cannot integrate with other third-party applications. One of the drawbacks we encounter with SAP HCM, specifically in payroll management, is the limitation regarding changing payroll areas within the same month. For instance, if an employee transitions from staff to non-staff status during the month, we face difficulties because the system doesn't allow us to change the payroll."
"The price of the solution could improve, it is too high."
"We have many interruptions and disconnection points into processes, which is why we are looking to another solution. We are not so happy with the system. We believe we have in the market better solution, so we are looking for alternatives but so far the system has been used a lot."
"One area for improvement is making SuccessFactors more compatible with other countries, especially in terms of payroll and other functionalities."
"The initial setup could be simplified."
"I would like to be able to configure objects from instances, not from import and export files."
"SAP SuccessFactors can improve the recruitment module and artificial intelligence features. More powerful analytics are needed."
"The integration between the recruitment module and employee central is a big problem."
"The product doesn't have a modernized look and is not very user-friendly like other products."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Licensing is pretty complex. SAP does not have a straight forward way of licensing, and it differs from client to client."
"The cost of SAP HCM is high, the license should be reduced. SAP HCM has a lot of hidden costs."
"The solution is a little expensive and we are charged per user for the license. The solution can be paid monthly or annually."
"For implementation, SAP offers little support unless you buy SAP Safeguarding from SAP Consulting."
"We have an annual license for this solution, and the price depends on the number of users."
"The pricing is not reasonable at all."
"The product is expensive."
"HCM is cheaper than SuccessFactors."
"It could be cheaper."
"We are on an annual subscription to use SAP SuccessFactors. The pricing model is something that they could restructure a bit better. If it was based differently on the type of usage it would help."
"The price of the solution is highly expensive."
"We have a yearly license. There are no additional costs."
"It is not expensive because it is a complete suite with a module-based cost."
"It is not cheap, but it is reasonable."
"I rate the tool's pricing a seven to eight out of ten."
"If you go by best practices and do it right from the outset, the setup won't be a costly endeavor. In terms of setup, there is a lot of flexibility compared to three years ago."
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Answers from the Community

NC
Jan 25, 2024
Jan 25, 2024
When it comes to user experience, SuccessFactors is unquestionably superior, as it provides end users with a new experience and an advanced user interface. Additionally, the entire concept of SF is to simplify the process, giving life back to HR systems so that they can be more modern and flexible, and rely more on the heart of HR – the employee. On the other hand, while SF is technically less ...
See 2 answers
YZ
Sep 6, 2021
When it comes to user experience, SuccessFactors is unquestionably superior, as it provides end users with a new experience and an advanced user interface. Additionally, the entire concept of SF is to simplify the process, giving life back to HR systems so that they can be more modern and flexible, and rely more on the heart of HR – the employee. On the other hand, while SF is technically less complex than SAP HCM, it also has significantly less capability, particularly when it comes to integration with other SAP modules. For example, while SAP's integration between the SAP Project system and the SAP HCM process is robust, SuccessFactors' integration is limited and still in its early stages. In all circumstances, SAP SF represents the future of HR, with a highly promising road map. I believe that if SAP continues to create more features, SF will have greater functionality than SAP HCM in 5 years.
Kseniia Gravis - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 25, 2024
So are you striving to successfully deploy and utilize SAP systems to centralize data, streamline operations, gain real-time insights and achieve business efficiency? SAP applications are the backbone of every business. We also discuss the best SAP implementation process as an ideal solution for such problems: https://www.cleveroad.com/blog/why-outsource-sap/ 
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Retailer
6%
Educational Organization
47%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about SAP HCM?
SAP HCM is the one of the best ERP for an organization with a small to large scale business. It has the most efficient payroll functionality. Regards : SAP HR classes in pune
What do you like most about SAP HCM?
HCM is a very important module that each organization should want to use. It will help any organization to calculate and control the cost of their human resources.
What is better, SAP HCM or SAP SuccessFactors?
When it comes to user experience, SuccessFactors is unquestionably superior, as it provides end users with a new experience and an advanced user interface. Additionally, the entire concept of SF is...
What are the biggest differences between Workday, Oracle Cloud and SAP SuccessFactors?
Differences between Workday, Oracle Cloud,w and SAP SuccessFactors:w Oracle: "simple interface and deep customization to suit the purpose." SAP: Multiple functionalities that increase process effi...
What do you like most about SAP SuccessFactors?
The tool is easy to use for performance management. We haven't experienced any issues with SAP SuccessFactors for performance management, which is great. However, since we're still learning to use ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP SuccessFactors?
Probably, it is one of the priciest products, and is very costly to put up and maintain but because it is a good solution end to end, people take it.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

SAP Human Capital Management
SuccessFactors
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

City of Cape Town, ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Ltd., TransAlta Corporation, Keolis, PT XL Axiata Tbk, National Football League (NFL), Plan International, Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company, China Talent Group (CTG TMO), Umicore S.A., Butterfield Bank, Skrill Group Ltd.
City of Cape Town, ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Ltd., TransAlta Corporation, Keolis, PT XL Axiata Tbk, National Football League (NFL), Plan International, Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company, China Talent Group (CTG TMO), Umicore S.A., Butterfield Bank, Skril
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP HCM vs. SAP SuccessFactors and other solutions. Updated: July 2024.
793,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.