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SAP SuccessFactors vs SmartRecruiters comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 5, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.0
SAP SuccessFactors offers ROI within years by automating HR, though high costs may reduce perceived financial benefits.
Sentiment score
8.4
SmartRecruiters improved efficiency and cost-effectiveness, reducing hiring time and increasing user satisfaction with its intuitive design.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.1
SAP SuccessFactors' support experiences vary, with some users satisfied, but others face delays and note limited expertise.
Sentiment score
6.7
SmartRecruiters' support is praised for efficiency but faces criticism for ticketing; phone support is suggested for improvement.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.7
SAP SuccessFactors offers scalable solutions with quarterly updates, cloud compatibility, and modular design for diverse organizational needs.
Sentiment score
7.0
SmartRecruiters is scalable and flexible, supporting diverse organizations globally with tailored capabilities for recruitment and internal mobility.
We have implemented it for 25,000 employees, scaling from 7,000 to 25,000 using the same set of rules, and it was not difficult.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.5
SAP SuccessFactors is highly stable, with occasional updates or custom field issues, but generally surpasses other ERP systems in reliability.
Sentiment score
8.1
SmartRecruiters is a reliable ATS with occasional minor issues, praised for stability and consistent performance in recruitment.
The solution is absolutely stable.
I hardly ever encounter any stability issues, as SAP SuccessFactors is very good and stable.
 

Room For Improvement

SAP SuccessFactors needs enhanced analytics, integration, user interfaces, customization, localization, cloud features, AI, and improved documentation.
SmartRecruiters faces challenges in accessibility, integration, user experience, compliance, and requires improvements in tech support and feature robustness.
They should implement soft connectors through a marketplace for virtual learning integration with platforms such as Teams, Cisco, and Webex, rather than relying on hard connectors using APIs.
Workforce analytics is still challenging due to customizations. It does not provide flexibility in terms of analytics, and we have to customize extensively.
Advisories can only be placed at the bottom, which is less effective as employees may not scroll down to see them.
 

Setup Cost

SAP SuccessFactors offers customizable pricing with an annual subscription, though costs vary by company size and additional services.
SmartRecruiters pricing starts at $10,000 annually, varies by size and features, but offers discounts for non-profits.
The licensing cost is not expensive now.
The licensing costs are quite high, which is a typical scenario for such solutions.
 

Valuable Features

SAP SuccessFactors enhances recruitment, provides seamless integration and customization, increasing employee engagement and satisfaction with robust analytics.
SmartRecruiters provides an intuitive interface, effective sourcing, integration, and customization, making it adaptable and suitable for diverse organizations.
The best features of SAP SuccessFactors are workflows, the storyboard, the workforce analytics, and customization in terms of doing those portlets and MDIs, which are much simpler.
Employees can view their goals, performance, ratings, and employee information, which enhances the employee experience.
SAP SuccessFactors has advantages in providing AI-driven initiatives such as candidate screening and matching features within the recruitment module.
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP SuccessFactors
Ranking in Talent Acquisition
2nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
99
Ranking in other categories
Talent Management (2nd), Cloud HCM (2nd), Global Payroll (2nd)
SmartRecruiters
Ranking in Talent Acquisition
7th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
Applicant Tracking and Recruiting Software (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Talent Acquisition category, the mindshare of SAP SuccessFactors is 22.6%, down from 24.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SmartRecruiters is 2.3%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Talent Acquisition Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SAP SuccessFactors22.6%
SmartRecruiters2.3%
Other75.1%
Talent Acquisition
 

Featured Reviews

ManujGupta - PeerSpot reviewer
Has improved employee satisfaction and streamlined real-time data management
In terms of customizations in specific modules for industry requirements, SAP SuccessFactors is much more generic and does not comply many times with industry requirements as a vertical. In my experience with SuccessFactors' analytics capabilities influencing decision-making, workforce analytics is still challenging due to customizations. It does not provide flexibility in terms of analytics, and we have to customize extensively. For the future of the product, I would like to see more AI implementation, Python integrations, and GPT integrations.
SUMANTA  GHOSH - PeerSpot reviewer
A user-friendly tool that functions without any glitches
With SmartRecruiters, compatibility with other HRIS systems is an area with certain shortcomings that require improvement. SmartRecruiters is a tool that we use as an ATS platform in our company, but we manage the employee lifecycle with the help of SAP, and I don't see the integration of SmartRecruiters with SAP happening quite seamlessly, making it an area where improvements are required.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Comms Service Provider
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Healthcare Company
13%
Government
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business22
Midsize Enterprise13
Large Enterprise69
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business4
Midsize Enterprise4
Large Enterprise8
 

Questions from the Community

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 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 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 do you like most about SmartRecruiters?
The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that amongst all the other ATS platforms that I have used, SmartRecruiters is the most user-friendly tool.
What needs improvement with SmartRecruiters?
With SmartRecruiters, compatibility with other HRIS systems is an area with certain shortcomings that require improvement. SmartRecruiters is a tool that we use as an ATS platform in our company, b...
 

Also Known As

SuccessFactors
No data available
 

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, Skril
Atlassian, Aol, IBM, Napa, Skechers
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP SuccessFactors vs. SmartRecruiters and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
867,370 professionals have used our research since 2012.