Sage People vs UKG comparison

Sage and UKG are both solutions in the Cloud HCM category. Sage is ranked #28, while UKG is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0. Sage holds a 0.8% mindshare in CHCM, compared to UKG’s 5.6% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of Sage users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 89% of UKG users who would recommend it.

Sage People

Read 15 Sage People reviews

699 Views
440 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

UKG

Read 125 UKG reviews

3,905 Views
2,499 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

Sage People

UKG

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

UKG and Sage People compete in the HR software category, with UKG having the upper hand due to its comprehensive features and user satisfaction with business intelligence tools, while Sage People is preferred for its customizable reporting capabilities.

Features: UKG provides comprehensive payroll functionalities, seamless integration with third-party systems, and user-friendly self-service options for performance management and onboarding. Its business intelligence tools are also highly regarded. Sage People is known for strong reporting capabilities that are highly customizable, employee self-service, and convenient mobile access, ensuring flexibility.

Room for Improvement: UKG users note the complexity of advanced scheduling and benefits integration as areas needing enhancement, along with better integration across modules and an improved customer experience during implementations. Sage People users emphasize expanding customization capabilities, improving user-friendliness, and addressing functionality gaps like performance management, with configuration simplifications suggested to enhance usability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: UKG offers private, hybrid, and public cloud hosting options, although customer service experiences are mixed, with some users citing response delays. Sage People primarily uses public and private clouds, with variable customer support quality depending on personnel.

Pricing and ROI: UKG positions itself as a premium solution with higher costs, yet users value the return on investment through efficiency and comprehensive features. Sage People offers economical pricing attractive to SMEs, with competitive licensing arrangements. Its ROI is somewhat uncertain initially, but its cost structure is accessible for mid-sized businesses exploring HCM solutions.

To learn more, read our detailed Sage People vs. UKG Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Sage People vs. UKG

July 2025

Download the complete report

Helped 866,088 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 Benefits Administration

33rd

Ranking in Talent Management

31st

Ranking in Cloud HCM

28th

Ranking in HR Analytics Software

12th

Ranking in Talent Acquisition

18th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

UKG

Ranking in Benefits Administration

5th

Ranking in Talent Management

6th

Ranking in Cloud HCM

5th

Ranking in HR Analytics Software

3rd

Ranking in Talent Acquisition

6th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

Employee Scheduling Software (1st), Employee Time Tracking Software (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Cloud HCM category, the mindshare of Sage People is 0.8%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of UKG is 5.6%, up from 5.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud HCM Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
UKG	5.6%
Sage People	0.8%
Other	93.6%

Cloud HCM

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.

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

"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 most valuable feature of Sage People is the integration with our payroll system."

"Compared to the other system that we were using, I think Sage is more friendly. As an administrator, Sage's dashboard is visually friendly and many tasks are easier to accomplish. Another feature that we've liked since we started using Sage is the reporting. With the other system, we needed to configure a lot of things manually when it came to reporting, but with Sage the reporting tasks are much simpler."

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

"The solution is beneficial overall."

"The report builder and dashboard builder are very, very good."

"The solution provides the ability to trace back records, is reliable, makes life easy, and is secure."

"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."

More Sage People pros

"The solution has improved our organization by helping us cut hours and lessen our labor force. It saved us probably over $100,000 in just the last couple of years."

"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."

"I have found the most valuable feature to be business intelligence and Cognos reporting."

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

"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."

"The tool improved employee onboarding efficiency, especially in healthcare, where timely onboarding is crucial. This change directly impacted retention rates positively. It was a massive project that involved various teams working together. It took about a year to revamp the entire process and ensure compliance. However, once implemented, it improved employee satisfaction by saving them two whole days in the onboarding process."

"The pay policies and approvals are valuable features."

More UKG pros

Cons

"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."

"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."

"The integration with our payroll system could improve. However, it is managed by another company."

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

"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."

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

"In my opinion, the performance management module of this system could use improvement as it falls behind compared to other specialized performance management platforms."

"The user interface is not great."

More Sage People cons

"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 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."

"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."

"I would like the capability to use UKG as a single platform without the need to alternate between systems."

"The tool needs improvement on the configuration side."

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

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

"One area where UKG could improve is in its ability to understand its own competency and then work hard to improve it."

More UKG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

"The price of the solution 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."

"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."

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

More Sage People pricing and cost advice

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

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

"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 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."

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

866,088 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

20%

Comms Service Provider

15%

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

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	48
Midsize Enterprise	43
Large Enterprise	48

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

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.

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

Comparisons

Workday vs Sage People

Compared 41% of the time

Cegid vs Sage People

Compared 33% of the time

SAP SuccessFactors vs Sage People

Compared 26% of the time

More Sage People Competitors

Workday vs UKG

Compared 24% of the time

SAP SuccessFactors vs UKG

Compared 15% of the time

SAP HCM vs UKG

Compared 10% of the time

Dayforce HCM vs UKG

Compared 9% of the time

PeopleSoft vs UKG

Compared 6% of the time

More UKG Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Sage People

August 2025

Download Sage People product report

Buyer's Guide

UKG

August 2025

Download UKG product report

Also Known As

Fairsail

UKG Pro, UKG Dimensons, UKG Ready

Overview

Connect teams across borders

Customise communications: Deliver business updates to specific groups and gather feedback with surveys.
Personalise experiences: Create engaging, branded experiences – tailored by group or region.
Connect global teams: Manage your entire workforce, wherever they are. Embed global policies while enforcing local regulations.
Help teams thrive, anywhere: Support wellbeing, provide localised benefits packages, and more.

Get ahead with actionable HR analytics

Make informed decisions: Use People analytics for actionable insights in seconds.
Provide real-time insights: Give up-to-the-minute recommendations so leaders jump on trends and adjust plans.
Customise dashboards: Plan hiring, analyse attrition, manage absence, and more.
Get actionable feedback: Understand the employee experience through surveys, tailored to different groups.

Compete successfully for top talent

Deliver a differentiated, stand-out candidate experience with easy-to-use employer branding themes and options that shows off your culture and company story.
Fill roles faster with skilled talent using our unique, AI-powered, intelligent candidate matching.
Have new employees hit the ground running with seamless remote pre-boarding and onboarding experiences.

Sage

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.

UKG

Sample Customers

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

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

Buyer's Guide

Sage People vs. UKG

July 2025

Free Report: Sage People vs. UKG

Find out what your peers are saying about Sage People vs. UKG and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

DOWNLOAD NOW

866,088 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Sage People vs. UKG report.

See our list of best Cloud HCM vendors, best Benefits Administration vendors, and best Talent Management vendors.

We monitor all Cloud HCM reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.