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IBM Kenexa vs PeopleStrong 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 Talent Management
17th
Ranking in Applicant Tracking and Recruiting Software
10th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
Benefits Administration (16th)
PeopleStrong
Ranking in Talent Management
13th
Ranking in Applicant Tracking and Recruiting Software
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
Cloud HCM (15th), Talent Acquisition (12th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Talent Management category, the mindshare of IBM Kenexa is 1.6%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PeopleStrong is 1.9%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Talent Management Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
PeopleStrong1.9%
IBM Kenexa1.6%
Other96.5%
Talent Management
 

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.
Vibha  Mishra - PeerSpot reviewer
Global L&D Lead at Tieto Sweden AB
Provide performance management and HR operations but lacks AI capabilities
Using PeopleStrong, uploading modules, and downloading reports was very easy. The process was hassle-free and user-friendly. We use PeopleStrong for performance management and HR operations, such as storing data and handling documentation when a new person joins the company. For learning and…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I just think it's a good tool, with great flexibility."
"Great value and flexibility in an ATS, mainly through the automation and the configuration through Workbench you can do to manipulate the candidate experience to really be something that candidates like and allows them to apply to your site easily and put them in a pipeline for recruiters to access and move through a process and get somebody hired."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"The ease of scaling is one of BrassRing's biggest strengths, making it a trusted choice for large companies."
"We like IBM; IBM has been great partners for us, they're really invested in our success, and they see us as a valuable client."
"PeopleStrong Alt is flexible because it allows customization and the user's experience is very good."
"The product has valuable flexibility for customization, user interface, and search capabilities."
"The hiring process is good. It will create a process-oriented procedure in terms of hiring, promotion, the movement of people, and other related HR tasks."
"PeopleStrong Alt is flexible because it allows customization and the user's experience is very good."
"Some of the most valuable features are the onboarding experience of new employees, the employee service portal, and the entire performance management system."
"The UI and UX are fantastic."
"It has the capability of reporting. We, as a business team, found it good. In fact, we migrated to PeopleStrong essentially because of its reporting feature."
"It is priced low."
 

Cons

"The price can always be better. Right now, we can only do part of that, but not as much as I want to."
"I would say that it could likely be made slightly easier to consume and work with - less scientific or engineering oriented - but IBM Kenexa Talent Insights is about the most powerful and useful tool I've seen."
"The team didn't find the reporting tool that easy to use, in terms of pulling their own data, slicing and dicing it, combining groups."
"Improved integrations: There are all kinds of issues with integrations, hires failing."
"I'm just taking over the account, so I'm still pretty new to the whole system."
"If you happen to be an early adopter of enhancements, it can be a frustrating process, as it is hard to decipher together with their support whether an issue is a bug or working as intended (a change in the way something works)."
"The downside is it's a system that was created many, many years ago and so it just evolves."
"IBM Kenexa has a lot of room for improvement. The solution is not advancing anymore in terms of the user experience and in the workflows."
"It would be helpful if you could work offline because sometimes, we have problems with internet connectivity."
"They could improve talent management capabilities."
"The global scalability and support could improve."
"PeopleStrong could make it AI-friendly."
"They had challenges getting the performance management system up and integrated with our systems."
"They could include a sort of collaborative platform where employees are able to work together with a chat mechanism like WhatsApp and video chat."
"The solution's workflow can improve by adding more customization at the organizational level."
"The global scalability and support could improve."
 

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 pricing is reasonable."
"It's very reasonably priced. It is paid per employee."
"The product has reasonable pricing."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Healthcare Company
7%
Construction Company
14%
Computer Software Company
13%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

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 Business2
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise5
 

Questions from the Community

Ask a question
Earn 20 points
What do you like most about PeopleStrong Alt?
It has the capability of reporting. We, as a business team, found it good. In fact, we migrated to PeopleStrong essentially because of its reporting feature.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PeopleStrong Alt?
It is priced low. I rate the product’s pricing a three out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.
What is your primary use case for PeopleStrong Alt?
Using PeopleStrong, uploading modules, and downloading reports was very easy. The process was hassle-free and user-friendly. We use PeopleStrong for performance management and HR operations, such a...
 

Also Known As

IBM Smarter Workforce, Outstart
PeopleStrong Alt
 

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
Hyundai, Amara Raja, Air Asia, Tata Motors, Aviva, Schneider Electric, JLL Business Services, Schindler, Tata AIG, novo nordisk, Cipla
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Kenexa vs. PeopleStrong and other solutions. Updated: April 2026.
893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.