DarwinBox vs UKG comparison

Read 125 UKG reviews

3,348 Views
1,634 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

DarwinBox

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

UKG and DarwinBox compete in the human capital management solutions category. DarwinBox seems to have the upper hand with superior features, while UKG is more compelling for cost-conscious buyers due to its pricing and support.

Features: UKG offers comprehensive payroll management, workforce scheduling, and integrates third-party applications with a user-friendly interface. DarwinBox provides employee engagement, AI-driven analytics, and customizable modules, emphasizing adaptability and innovation in HR automation.

Room for Improvement: UKG could enhance its mobile app functionality, simplify its complex interface for new users, and increase integration flexibility. DarwinBox can improve its customer support availability, expand global compliance features, and enhance onboarding modules to suit diverse industries.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: DarwinBox offers agile deployment with robust technical support for quick integration. UKG's deployment focuses on stability and confidence through a thorough process, though more time-intensive, offering comprehensive support.

Pricing and ROI: UKG features scalable pricing with predictable cost structures, enhancing ROI through accessible entry points. DarwinBox requires a higher initial investment but targets long-term value through enhanced automation and efficiency gains.

To learn more, read our detailed DarwinBox vs. UKG Report (Updated: June 2025).

DarwinBox vs. UKG

Download the complete report

Helped 860,168 peers since 2012

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

DarwinBox

Ranking in Talent Management

12th

Ranking in Cloud HCM

11th

Ranking in HR Analytics Software

6th

Ranking in Talent Acquisition

10th

Average Rating

6.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

UKG

Ranking in Talent Management

6th

Ranking in Cloud HCM

5th

Ranking in HR Analytics Software

2nd

Ranking in Talent Acquisition

6th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

Benefits Administration (5th), Employee Scheduling Software (1st), Employee Time Tracking Software (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Cloud HCM category, the mindshare of DarwinBox is 3.6%, up from 2.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of UKG is 5.5%, up from 5.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud HCM

Featured Reviews

SHANOOPCHATHOTH PARAMBIL

Program Manager at Intelliswift

Enhancing attendance and leave management but needs better performance customization

Our primary use case for DarwinBox includes managing attendance, payroll-related tasks, and employee appraisal cycles DarwinBox has provided a significant return on investment for our finance team. Managing payroll and attendance manually would require more team members, so using DarwinBox…

Read full review

Talia Jean Paul

Global HR UKG Specialist at a outsourcing company with 10,001+ employees

Affordable but needs to improve its stability

Our company is testing the UKG Ready Mobile App, but there are some glitches. I feel that in the system when you log on to Kronos, UKG Dimensions, and UKG Workforce Central, we have different modules in different versions. With regards to the newer version, I feel the older version, which was UKG Workforce Central, was more user-friendly for the end user as opposed to the newer version, which looks a bit more complicated. When training someone who wants implementations to be done, it would be easier if you could hover above certain things, and it shows you or tells you exactly what it is. There are certain SAP modules that can be audible. If you click on it if someone is being a bit slow with regards to training, the tool will tell you what needs to be done and what needs not to be done by you, but for us, it is fine because we are in the back end with configuration and the administrators. I am talking about the need for improvements in the tool for the benefit of the end users. The explanation on UKG's community consists of training manuals and some of the other stuff that we use, and we send to our supervisors at the site. With the tool in place, catching onto white-collared employees is quicker. The tool is not quick to catch onto certain blue-collared employees in the plant or supervisors who are actually working with machinery and stuff because they are not as computer-centric as white-collared employees. If I could scan the tool across the globe with our site supervisors, there are a few loopholes in the tool. There are some issues with the tool's stability. For me, I would like someone who is building the system in the back end to know if a front-end user can manipulate the system. I am not going to rate the tool's scalability to be high. I would rate the tool's scalability to be at a mediocre level or at something like 50 percent, so there is a lot of room for improvement.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"In our company, we use DarwinBox to maintain the data of our employees and for recruitment purposes."

"The solution that we used previously was very complex. As a result, without referring to the manuals and consulting an expert, it was difficult for a newly hired employee to navigate the platform. However, this is not the case with Darwinbox. It has a very intuitive user interface, and anyone can use it and implement it without having to use a guide or a walk through process. It's very simple."

"The most valuable features of the solution are organogram and position-based mapping."

"The leave-related modules are comprehensive, offering built-in functionalities for optional leaves."

"The most valuable feature is being able to get time management reports which break out reclassified jobs and departments to separate areas of the company. This allows for better tracking of hours spent in certain jobs and where more hours may be needed."

"UKG allows us to customize our home screen so that we can easily monitor important items on a daily basis."

"The setup process is straightforward."

"The solution's employee experience is pretty good."

"Overall, I would rate UKG nine out of ten."

"It enables us to manage the system ourselves. We don't need an additional team to do a lot of maintenance and add the things that we want."

"I like UKG's integration."

"The fact that I can see the whole HR information in a single point is valuable. There is a unified view of everything, which is good. Previously, we had many different systems for each part of the information. Now, it is all centralized. It is very good."

More UKG pros

Cons

"DarwinBox is not a stable solution...DarwinBox is not a scalable solution."

"The solution's API integration with third-party applications should be improved."

"Like most software, it has a base version, the vanilla, out-of-the-box version, and customization is required to match it to the unique processes of each company. The Darwinbox team seems to be having difficulty with the customization process. They have to be a little more mature to customize it as per every company's need."

"Customization in performance management is cumbersome."

"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."

"UKG has complex clock-in and clock-out features. It changes things too often, and it feels like the tool is constantly changing things without testing before implementing changes in production. Additionally, it doesn't communicate these changes very well."

"The product's integration features need improvement."

"I would like to see more functionality in the next release to be able to get hours and dollars per calendar month rather than just by payroll in the Business Intelligence reports."

"The tool needs improvement on the configuration side."

"UKG could be a little more flexible in some areas."

"Since UKG is a SaaS software, other parts of the application or add-on solutions are not the best in class or very configurable."

"The navigation on the screen could be better. Sometimes, I have to dig a little bit deep to find what I need. Everything is there. It just needs to be a little bit smoother."

More UKG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Compared with SuccessFactors, there is no major difference in DarwinBox's cost."

"My company makes some yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to DarwinBox."

"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."

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

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

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

"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."

"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."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Cloud HCM solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

16%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

61%

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about DarwinBox?

The most valuable features of the solution are organogram and position-based mapping.

What needs improvement with DarwinBox?

Customization in performance management is cumbersome. Processes like six-month appraisals lack easy configurations, and any significant customization requires working with vendors.

What is your primary use case for DarwinBox?

Our primary use case for DarwinBox includes managing attendance, payroll-related tasks, and employee appraisal cycles.

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...

SAP SuccessFactors vs DarwinBox

Comparisons

Compared 23% of the time

ZingHR vs DarwinBox

Compared 16% of the time

PeopleStrong vs DarwinBox

Compared 13% of the time

Workday vs DarwinBox

Compared 7% of the time

Keka Performance vs DarwinBox

Compared 6% of the time

More DarwinBox Competitors

Workday vs UKG

Compared 26% of the time

SAP SuccessFactors vs UKG

Compared 16% of the time

SAP HCM vs UKG

Compared 12% of the time

Dayforce HCM vs UKG

Compared 8% of the time

PeopleSoft vs UKG

Compared 7% of the time

More UKG Competitors

Product Reports

Cloud HCM

Download DarwinBox product report

Download UKG product report

Also Known As

No data available

UKG Pro, UKG Dimensons, UKG Ready

Overview

Darwinbox is a cloud-based, feature-rich human resources management system that emphasizes on usability and data protection. ... The software unifies all your HR processes, enabling you to be on top of your employees' whole lifecycle with a centralized, singular platform.

DarwinBox

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

Myntra, GVK BIO, Bisleri, Times Internet, Delhivery, Aarti

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

DarwinBox vs. UKG