Sage People vs SmartRecruiters comparison

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Sage People

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 5, 2024

SmartRecruiters and Sage People compete in the recruitment and HR software category. SmartRecruiters has the upper hand with its advanced candidate sourcing and recruitment features.

Features: SmartRecruiters offers strong candidate sourcing capabilities, effective candidate pipeline management, and customization options for recruitment processes. It seamlessly integrates with other systems and supports collaboration among users. Sage People provides comprehensive HR management features including robust reporting, absence management, and payroll integration. It is designed to consolidate various HR processes into a unified system.

Room for Improvement: SmartRecruiters needs to enhance its global accessibility and improve system integration. Users request more advanced onboarding solutions and enhanced customization options. Sage People requires better automation, enhanced reporting capabilities, and increased customization for workflows and interfaces.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SmartRecruiters primarily offers public cloud deployment with responsive customer support through ticket systems, though users want easier access to live help. Sage People provides flexible deployment options including public, private, and on-premises solutions. Its technical support is good, but there are noted delays, and users seek more direct support channels.

Pricing and ROI: SmartRecruiters is priced at the higher end but delivers significant value with comprehensive features that contribute to a positive ROI through streamlined recruitment processes. Discounts for non-profits are appreciated. Sage People's pricing is moderate, ideal for larger SMEs, although potentially costly for startups. Its scalable HR functionalities provide value for extensive usage.

To learn more, read our detailed Sage People vs. SmartRecruiters Report (Updated: August 2026).

Sage People vs. SmartRecruiters

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Helped 913,924 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

Sage People

Ranking in Talent Acquisition

16th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Benefits Administration (16th), Talent Management (23rd), Cloud HCM (18th), HR Analytics Software (8th)

SmartRecruiters

Ranking in Talent Acquisition

9th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Applicant Tracking and Recruiting Software (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Talent Acquisition category, the mindshare of Sage People is 2.3%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SmartRecruiters is 2.5%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Talent Acquisition Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
SmartRecruiters	2.5%
Sage People	2.3%
Other	95.2%

Talent Acquisition

Featured Reviews

Spencer Gray

People Advisor at Thomas International

Highly customizable, robust, and access to helpful online community

In my opinion, the performance management module of this system could use improvement as it falls behind compared to other specialized performance management platforms. While I understand that this system is not solely focused on performance management and is more of a generalist solution, it still lacks the capabilities and features that you can find in other specialized platforms. If we were to switch to a provider solely focused on performance management, we would have access to a wider range of features and capabilities that are not currently available in this system. Sage People offers a wide range of functions that meet most requirements. However, there is still room for improvement. One feature that I would like to see added is the ability to detect and address any failures in the custom processes or functions built within the system. I would like to see a tool that can automatically sense and identify any issues in the system. Currently, when something goes wrong, it's not always immediately obvious and requires a lot of manual troubleshooting. It would be helpful if there was an error message that clearly explained why the system is failing. This would speed up the investigation process and make it ten times faster.

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SUMANTA GHOSH

Regional Recruitment Lead at IQ-EQ

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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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable features of Sage People are the reports that are useful for decision-making and the API that can be integrated well. Additionally, the solution can be accessed from mobile devices onto the cloud."

"I guess I would say maybe that it is a more robust system."

"It is easy to see all the information we have for a person across two screens, and reports are easy to run, view, amend, and add."

"Sage makes all the information accessible, like pulling a file because an employee needs something ASAP. It's all in the system. It's easy to find old reports if I need them for payroll purposes. It might take days to do some of this work by hand."

"Without a doubt, the most valuable aspect of this solution is the reports, as it offers endless possibilities for report customization. You can easily build any report you can imagine with this system."

"The product is really easy to customise and configure, and the automation has enabled us to manage several HR processes at the right time in the correct manner."

"We are now able to visualize global team structures, and as we rollout other features, the organization will benefit from an easy to use system and standard processes."

"The solution's initial setup was straightforward."

More Sage People pros

"I used the free version, which I found valuable."

"With this solution, I was able to add diversity to my recruiting. I was able to source from multiple locations, and I could show where applicants came from. The reporting tools that are on offer, allowed us to expand our reach. We were able to add meaningful diversity into recruiting."

"SmartRecruiters is a candidate management system or ATS system that we use for recruitment purposes."

"It is a really user-friendly tool, and its implementation is quite wide. It is very easy to manage users and build your workflows. Overall, it works very well for the customization of the workflows for us. The recruitment team has generally found the whole platform useful. We were looking to kind of expand it by using the CRM functions that it has. However, with COVID and recruitment being on the freeze, we weren't really able to make the most of the tool. They are, however, finding it useful to actually build up their talent pools and client candidates to be able to contact them when we kind of have this freeze off."

"It is a reliable system, and you can use it for the full cycle of recruitment, easily configuring and adapting it to your processes while everything is tracked in one place."

"The candidate experience was better because the whole process was there."

"The most valuable feature is the way that they've set it up for collaboration."

"What I really like about it is that it feels minimal, but is also dynamic. There aren't a lot of ways to get lost, which is good."

More SmartRecruiters pros

Cons

"The budget module does not work. Sage People need to maybe make it more user-friendly."

"Its stability could be better."

"Right now, Sage doesn't seem to have what we are looking for when it comes to managing HR tickets. In my previous experiences with other HR software, we had to buy another solution to obtain this functionality, and it would be a great feature for Sage to consider adding. For an HR system, Sage would do very well to include it."

"Its technical support could have been better."

"Right now, Sage doesn't seem to have what we are looking for when it comes to managing HR tickets."

"The automation in Sage People could improve. The solution is the best used for data storage but the automation could be better to have more functionality."

"There were a couple of things that we wanted to customize, but we couldn’t do it ourselves."

"If Sage People were to become a fully cloud-based solution, it could lead to significant improvements. With the COVID pandemic highlighting the benefits of remote work, a complete shift to cloud-based functionality would be a welcome development for users."

More Sage People cons

"One of the areas that we would like them to improve is the self-scheduling feature. They have a self-scheduling feature that can be made a little bit more automated when it comes to scheduling. We are trying to use it, but it doesn't feel very user-friendly. This is something that could be improved. They have launched WhatsApp connections in the system, where instead of sending emails, you can WhatsApp candidates directly from the system, but currently, it mainly works in a few countries. Spain, where I'm based, is not one of them. If we use the system, the phone number for the candidates would be from the UK, and we don't think that would be the best. This feature is good for some countries, but not for all at the moment. It was first launched in the USA and then in a couple of countries in Europe. It is not yet launched fully in Europe. Reporting is always something that can be improved. Even though it is working well for us, its reporting can be better. Currently, it is a little bit complicated when it comes to reporting. It has a few pre-made reports that are easy to access, but if you want more details, you need to build your own reports. In order to do that, it is a bit tricky to learn and understand how it works. Even though you have help agents and support for help, it takes some time to learn, but it is not impossible. We have very recently made some integrations with Tableau. We are building dashboards in Tableau where we can get daily updated reports, and they are definitely helpful. That's something we would recommend. SmartRecruiters has recently implemented an inbox. You can have an inbox where you can see all your conversations, but currently, it is not filtering between the recruiters, so you see everyone's emails in there. They have already announced that they are working on the filtering feature for a specific inbox to make it more personalized per recruiter. This way the recruiters can have an overview of their own work."

"We ran into some serious issues related to language barriers."

"The solution needs to work on a single sign-on."

"The major improvement area is how it integrates with other systems. That's where we've had some sort of pain points. They've done a lot of work with their development team in setting up integrations with other types of software like SuccessFactors, which we use, but we have found some glitches there. This is probably where they need to do some work. Sometimes, when it refreshes or there is any sort of update in SmartRecruiters, it has a direct impact on the integrations that we have with other tools. We are not always notified when that takes place. We have had HR say to us, "We've just hired this guy. He is not there in our end board at all. What's going on?" That's when we realized that the integration is actually broken. When we have other solutions like SuccessFactors, it would be very helpful to have knowledge articles for such integrations. We have found some of the templates that we want to use and some of the customizations that we do around the offer letters and the contract letters to be a little bit more difficult, which hasn't made this process any more efficient than it was. We still have to do a bit of manual intervention there. I don't know if it is just our company, but we need to have different clauses and things in place. We have stopped using DocuSign as well, and we are trying to look at other ways of doing that. They are aware of this."

"I don't see the integration of SmartRecruiters with SAP happening quite seamlessly, making it an area where improvements are required."

"Around 2015 and into '17, I worked at a federal contractor. I had to switch to a different applicant system as I didn't know if SmartRecruiters was OFCCP compliant, which is something that, as a US-based federal contractor, you have to ensure. They should work to appeal to the contractor industry and get the product OFCCP compliant."

"Sometimes, there is this language or communication barrier in terms of what the applicants mentioned. SmartRecruiters sometimes has trouble understanding certain types of keywords or has certain types of language, translation, or grammar issues."

"The filters are not accurate. The results are inaccurate when filtering multiple criteria, such as country and hiring manager."

More SmartRecruiters cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I think it's reasonably priced. But in comparison to other systems, I would choose them over Sage People, regardless of their prices."

"From an SME standpoint, I wouldn't necessarily describe it as expensive. However, for the average startup, it may not be affordable since our current annual expenditure on the system, which supports approximately 210-220 users, amounts to approximately £15,000 to £18,000."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"There is other software on the market that can do similar functions to Sage People that could be better in price. Some solution allows you to do your payroll processes by month or by the process. Small companies could benefit by using another solution."

"I believe we pay licensing on a yearly basis, but I can't comment on the total amount that we pay on licensing."

"Its cost is moderate for a multi-group licensing model."

"We have to purchase the solution's license to use it."

"The cost of Sage People varies depending on the financial resources of the organization. While it may be affordable for middle-level companies, it may be more challenging for young companies to bear the cost."

More Sage People pricing and cost advice

"SmartRecruiters is much better than its competitors. Considering the type of features and services it provides, it is probably one of the best solutions in the market. Others may offer a similar price, but their services won't be that good or the user-friendliness won't be that great. The licensing works based on how many users are there in a company. If you are using other functionalities, like CRM and HRS, the price increases."

"SmartRecruiters is an expensive solution."

"I haven't been so involved with pricing, so I don't have all details, but I know that we are paying per head when it comes to different countries. There is an additional fee for new features that they release. If it is something that we would like to use, we need to pay some extra for it."

"They are pretty competitive. As the product matures, it has much more functionality and different pricing models. It can relatively cost a lot more if you want to use additional features, but, in general, it is competitive in the industry. We work on a yearly license agreement based on the company size. There are the support costs, which are a part of the additional cost based on the percentage of the licensing fee. So, it has a license plus support cost. Then, of course, there are other add-on options that we can purchase and procure whenever we want to based on certain negotiated arrangements."

"I wasn't involved in its acquisition, but I would assume that SmartRecruiters is pretty pricey."

"There were implementation costs in the first year to get everything set up and running, and then they have various modules on top, which are optional and available at an extra charge."

"Back in 2018, when I engaged with their sales, they wanted to charge around $10,000 for an annual subscription. Depending on your organization, that either could or couldn't be expensive. I personally think it's a fair price. However, I engaged them and negotiated a lower price with them. I think I got closer to $6,000. It came with a commitment of three years."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

15%

Comms Service Provider

15%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Marketing Services Firm

Outsourcing Company

11%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Healthcare Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	3
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	6

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	8

Comparisons

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Compared 8% of the time

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Compared 6% of the time

UKG vs Sage People

Compared 5% of the time

ADP Workforce Now vs Sage People

Compared 4% of the time

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SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting vs SmartRecruiters

Compared 11% of the time

Workday HCM vs SmartRecruiters

Compared 10% of the time

Ashby vs SmartRecruiters

Compared 8% of the time

SAP SuccessFactors vs SmartRecruiters

Compared 6% of the time

EVA AI & ML vs SmartRecruiters

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Sage People

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Also Known As

Fairsail

No data available

Overview

Sage People offers customizable reporting, system integration, and HR management capabilities tailored to companies managing diverse teams globally through Salesforce technology. It enhances workforce engagement and enables seamless interaction with payroll and financial systems.

Sage People is built for managing HR services, including payroll integration, employee data handling, and talent acquisition. It provides a visually appealing interface powered by Salesforce, enhancing employee processes with functions like time-off management and legally compliant reporting. Implementation supports global operations across APAC, EMEA, and Americas, optimizing workforce engagement and standardizing HR processes.

What are Sage People's key features?

Customizable Reporting: Enables detailed analysis and evaluation of HR metrics
Payroll Integration: Seamlessly connects with payroll systems to streamline financial transactions
Global Team Visualization: Visualizes team structures for better management
Employee Information Management: Centralizes employee data for easy access and updates
Cloud and On-Premise Support: Allows flexibility in deployment and ensures robust performance

What benefits are important to consider in reviews?

Process Standardization: Facilitates consistent HR practices across various regions
Employee Engagement: Enhances workforce interaction and satisfaction
Mobile Access: Provides remote accessibility for team management
Efficient Integration: Connects with existing financial systems for simplified workflows

Sage People is widely used across industries for efficient HR management, especially in talent acquisition and onboarding processes. Its adaptability enables companies to customize according to workforce requirements, whether in the cloud or on-premise, supporting comprehensive payroll management and application oversight.

Sage

SmartRecruiters offers user-friendly recruitment solutions, excelling in diverse candidate sourcing, cost-efficiency, and seamless integration. It simplifies candidate tracking, job publication, and communication while providing valuable data analysis and customizable workflows.

SmartRecruiters is a comprehensive talent acquisition and applicant tracking system that streamlines recruitment from job postings to offer letters. Healthcare organizations utilize SmartRecruiters for its seamless HRS integration and candidate tracking, valuing its capability to source diverse candidates. It facilitates efficient job publication, resume analysis, interview scheduling, and communication, enhancing recruitment through automated notifications and feedback features. However, challenges like regulatory compliance, customization options, and integration with other systems persist. Users cite issues such as complex application processes, language barriers, and inefficiencies in workflow customization.

What are the most important features of SmartRecruiters?

User-Friendliness: Easy to navigate and use, facilitating feedback sharing.
Candidate Tracking: Effective management of the candidate lifecycle.
Job Publication: Efficient posting and advertising of job positions.
Data Analysis: Provides valuable insights through reporting tools.
Customizable Workflows: Tailors processes to meet specific needs.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces expenses in the recruiting process.
Diverse Candidate Sourcing: Supports inclusivity and broadens talent pool.
Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrates with HRS for streamlined operations.
Feedback Mechanisms: Enhances communication with candidates.
Communication Efficiency: Allows for effective candidate interaction.

SmartRecruiters is widely adopted in industries focused on talent acquisition, such as healthcare, emphasizing its user-friendly design and adaptability to low-bandwidth environments. It supports end-to-end recruitment processes, enabling improvements in job requisition creation, career page updates, data management, and offer letter generation, promoting consistency and efficiency.

Sample Customers

Rocketship Education, Monitise, u-blox, SolarWinds, Mitsubishi, SmartStream, Canonical, Betfair

Atlassian, Aol, IBM, Napa, Skechers

Sage People vs. SmartRecruiters