SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central vs UKG comparison

SAP SuccessFactors Employee...

Read 125 UKG reviews

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89% willing to recommend

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 22, 2026

UKG and SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central compete in the human capital management solutions category. UKG seems to have the upper hand in pricing and customer support, whereas SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central has a wide range of features.

Features: UKG provides workforce management with advanced scheduling, strong time-tracking capabilities, and operational efficiency tools. SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central offers extensive global HR capabilities, strong analytics, and compliance tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: UKG offers a straightforward deployment model with responsive customer service facilitating quick adoption. SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, while more complex to deploy due to its vast feature set, provides comprehensive support to manage this complexity.

Pricing and ROI: UKG has a competitive pricing model with a faster ROI due to lower setup costs and immediate impact on workforce efficiency. SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, although requiring higher initial investment, provides long-term ROI with its advanced HR functionalities and global scalability.

To learn more, read our detailed SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central vs. UKG Report (Updated: March 2026).

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central vs. UKG

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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

SAP SuccessFactors Employee...

Ranking in Cloud HCM

15th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

3.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

UKG

Ranking in Cloud HCM

5th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

Benefits Administration (4th), Talent Management (5th), Employee Scheduling Software (1st), Employee Time Tracking Software (2nd), HR Analytics Software (2nd), Talent Acquisition (5th), AI-Agents for HR (2nd)

Featured Reviews

SajidFarooq

Senior Consultant

Comprehensive payroll and reporting have improved HR insights but still require reduced duplication

There are some activities that we perform in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central and similar activities that we must also perform in Employee Central Payroll. If information has been entered in Employee Central, why is there a need to add the same information in another module of SAP SuccessFactors? This duplication of activities is a concern we have faced. One thing is opened in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, and the same activity must be performed in Employee Central Payroll as well. If the product is the same and contains two to three modules, why does SAP require us to perform duplication of work under the same product? The pricing is very high. There is significant competition in the market, and we face challenges in selling the product due to the high prices that SAP is offering. SAP needs to reconsider their pricing strategy.

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Harish_Mahanta

Works

Streamlined time tracking boosts operational efficiency across multiple regions

The time tracking feature is the most effective for employee management. UKG is used in Europe, the United States, Australia, and East Asian countries for HR activities like payroll. The application is like an ERP, providing comprehensive features for organizations, simplifying their processes, and reducing the need to use multiple software solutions.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central is cloud-based, eliminating the need for any infrastructure with readily available data centers, and it is very user-friendly and integrates seamlessly with the Employee Central Payroll and all other talent modules."

"I find SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central to be user-friendly, with a good UI, accessible through Fiori, making it easy to navigate without using T-codes."

"With just a single click, you can retrieve comprehensive information about an employee, such as their current profile, where they work, how many organizations they have changed, their years of experience, and their capacities and capabilities."

"Reporting"

"One system for all modules makes it easier to administer employee data."

"UltiPro has allowed me to provide management with meaningful and informative reporting."

"Customer service is great."

"Allows us to keep HR functions centralized."

"Benefits, Life Events and OE have allowed us to move away from paper and integrate and track our data with our benefit providers, allowing us to better focus on improving benefits and communications versus data entry."

"It allows me to disseminate the information in the way I see fit."

"The employee self-service feature is most valuable, with a mobile app that allows employees in the restaurant industry to manage their own data, including direct deposit accounts and emergency contacts, which is definitely the biggest benefit."

More UKG pros

Cons

"SAP can improve RDP and reports by making them more user-friendly, as there are complex processes in understanding and handling them."

"There are some activities that we perform in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central and similar activities that we must also perform in Employee Central Payroll. If information has been entered in Employee Central, why is there a need to add the same information in another module of SAP SuccessFactors?"

"Automation, rules for life insurance, etc., are areas with room for improvement."

"We encountered stability issues with UTM; still is not working properly."

"Increase product knowledge in their customer service people. My experience has been when I speak with a support person, I know more than they do."

"Customer service is poor. Technical support is poor."

"The solution could use better reporting with standard reports. We use the Cognos platform in BI for a lot of our reporting. However, they need to have more robust standard reporting available to their user base."

"Customer service is hit or miss. Some of the growth has caused a decline in the level of customer service that I have previously enjoyed."

"LMS integration in Career Development needs to improve."

"Having no person on site to help us through integration was a big negative."

More UKG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"While I am unsure of the licensing cost itself, the total cost of implementation and licensing for a company with over 5000 employees would be around 6,00,000. So, there are additional costs beyond licensing."

"I wasn't involved in the pricing part. I'm a user, and I believe it is based on the user count. One thing that is nice about Ultimate is that you can learn how to use the system without additional fees. The learning aspect is the life of a product, and the training was a huge reason why we went with Ultimate. We did have some integration costs. They were a part of the implementation because of the integrations to other systems that we included in our implementation."

"UKG's pricing and licensing model involves ongoing expenses based on the number of employees paid. The initial implementation cost is low when UKG implements it directly. However, when partners handle the implementation, it becomes more expensive since partners don't receive the monthly recurring fees."

"The pricing depends on the number of licenses we buy."

"The platform is not affordable but also not the most expensive."

"If you're going for the full suite, it can be fairly pricey."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Insurance Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Outsourcing Company

Comms Service Provider

10%

Construction Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	48
Midsize Enterprise	43
Large Enterprise	48

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central?

What is your primary use case for SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central?

SAP Business One targets small to medium-sized enterprises, while SAP Cloud ERP targets large enterprises. There is a clear difference between the target markets for these two products. I am curren...

What advice do you have for others considering SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central?

SAP Cloud ERP, previously called Grow with SAP, had its name changed last year in 2025. It is a complete SaaS model ERP with more modules included, such as sales, purchase, production, after-sales ...

What needs improvement with UKG?

UKG needs more publicity. It is a productive ERP ( /categories/erp ) application, but many people in the IT market are not aware of it. Greater awareness could increase its adoption.

What is your primary use case for UKG?

I worked for a healthcare organization and a university. Most organizations use UKG ( /products/ukg-reviews ) to track employee timesheets, capturing accurate swipe-in and swipe-out data. UKG ( /pr...

What advice do you have for others considering UKG?

Publicity is very important for any software. If people aren't aware of UKG, despite its productivity, they won't use it. Expanding the awareness is essential for greater adoption. Overall, I would...

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Product Reports

Cloud HCM

Download SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central product report

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central report

Download UKG product report

Also Known As

No data available

UKG Pro, UKG Dimensons, UKG Ready

Overview

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central is a cloud-based HRIS designed to streamline global HR processes and provide real-time insights for informed HR decisions.

With automated workflows and intelligent services, SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central facilitates end-to-end HR management rather than treating tasks individually. It enhances operational efficiency, delves into deeper insights, and strengthens business results by standardizing HR functions worldwide.

What are the key features of SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central?

Employee Profile & Org Structures: Effectively manage employee data and organizational setups.
Global HR Compliance: Maintain HR compliance across over 100 countries and industries.
Self-Service Tools: Enhance productivity with intuitive self-service functionalities and notifications.
Benefits & Absence Management: Simplify management with built-in capabilities for benefits and absence handling.

What benefits or ROI should users look for?

Increased Efficiency: Streamlined HR processes lead to improved time and resource management.
Improved Decision-Making: Real-time insights aid in making informed HR decisions.
Global Scalability: Capability to seamlessly manage HR functions worldwide.

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central is implemented across various industries to support HR processes tailored to specific industry needs. Its flexibility allows for adaptation, ensuring HR compliance and boosting productivity in diverse business sectors.

SAP

At UKG, our purpose is people — real people with real challenges, and a simple request. Help me keep my employees productive, connected, and happy. So that’s what we did.

We’ve created an unmatched suite of HR and workforce management solutions, backed by our people who care about yours. Our solutions deliver global workforce experiences that truly reflect the connection between life and work today. That means insights are deeper. Work is easier. And interactions are more meaningful.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Tesla, Marriott, Yamaha, Aramark, Feeding America, Samsung, Sony Music, Dave & Buster's, Revlon

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central vs. UKG