SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central vs UKG comparison

SAP SuccessFactors Employee...

Read 125 UKG reviews

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6,937 Comparison Views

89% willing to recommend

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 22, 2026

UKG and SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central compete in the human capital management solutions category. UKG seems to have the upper hand in pricing and customer support, whereas SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central has a wide range of features.

Features: UKG provides workforce management with advanced scheduling, strong time-tracking capabilities, and operational efficiency tools. SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central offers extensive global HR capabilities, strong analytics, and compliance tools.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: UKG offers a straightforward deployment model with responsive customer service facilitating quick adoption. SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, while more complex to deploy due to its vast feature set, provides comprehensive support to manage this complexity.

Pricing and ROI: UKG has a competitive pricing model with a faster ROI due to lower setup costs and immediate impact on workforce efficiency. SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, although requiring higher initial investment, provides long-term ROI with its advanced HR functionalities and global scalability.

To learn more, read our detailed SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central vs. UKG Report (Updated: September 2026).

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central vs. UKG

September 2026

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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

SAP SuccessFactors Employee...

Ranking in Cloud HCM

11th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

3.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

UKG

Ranking in Cloud HCM

6th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

125

Ranking in other categories

Benefits Administration (4th), Talent Management (6th), Employee Scheduling Software (1st), Employee Time Tracking Software (2nd), HR Analytics Software (2nd), Talent Acquisition (6th), AI-Agents for HR (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Cloud HCM category, the mindshare of SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central is 0.9%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of UKG is 4.6%, down from 5.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud HCM Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
UKG	4.6%
SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central	0.9%
Other	94.5%

Cloud HCM

Featured Reviews

SajidFarooq

Senior Consultant at a consultancy with 11-50 employees

Comprehensive payroll and reporting have improved HR insights but still require reduced duplication

There are some activities that we perform in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central and similar activities that we must also perform in Employee Central Payroll. If information has been entered in Employee Central, why is there a need to add the same information in another module of SAP SuccessFactors? This duplication of activities is a concern we have faced. One thing is opened in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central, and the same activity must be performed in Employee Central Payroll as well. If the product is the same and contains two to three modules, why does SAP require us to perform duplication of work under the same product? The pricing is very high. There is significant competition in the market, and we face challenges in selling the product due to the high prices that SAP is offering. SAP needs to reconsider their pricing strategy.

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Harish_Mahanta

Works

Streamlined time tracking boosts operational efficiency across multiple regions

The time tracking feature is the most effective for employee management. UKG is used in Europe, the United States, Australia, and East Asian countries for HR activities like payroll. The application is like an ERP, providing comprehensive features for organizations, simplifying their processes, and reducing the need to use multiple software solutions.

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

"SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central is cloud-based, eliminating the need for any infrastructure with readily available data centers, and it is very user-friendly and integrates seamlessly with the Employee Central Payroll and all other talent modules."

"I find SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central to be user-friendly, with a good UI, accessible through Fiori, making it easy to navigate without using T-codes."

"With just a single click, you can retrieve comprehensive information about an employee, such as their current profile, where they work, how many organizations they have changed, their years of experience, and their capacities and capabilities."

"Payroll is reliable."

"Customer service is 10/10."

"Improvement of processes Reduction in man hours to complete tasks Employee engagement"

"The ease of use; UltiPro is easy for both the tech savvy HR person and those with limited knowledge of using HCM applications."

"We have been able to eliminate many paper forms and have streamlined some of our processes."

"Employees love to see their paychecks as soon as payroll has processed."

"Our account manager is fantastic which makes our experience great."

"We have not encountered any deployment issues."

More UKG pros

Cons

"There are some activities that we perform in SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central and similar activities that we must also perform in Employee Central Payroll. If information has been entered in Employee Central, why is there a need to add the same information in another module of SAP SuccessFactors?"

"SAP can improve RDP and reports by making them more user-friendly, as there are complex processes in understanding and handling them."

"Initial setup was too complex; an outside vendor set up the core."

"Customer service is okay. In some areas, they really excel, and in others, they have room for improvement."

"Documents upload and the way it is used for life events, it is too many steps to process."

"We have encountered deployment issues; communication was very poor."

"Certainly, the time and attendance and the payroll integration need a lot of work. They are disjointed pieces, and they don't work smoothly together. That's the main drawback."

"The Time Management module currently lacks the same look and feel of the UltiPro application and the other modules that Ultimate provides its clients."

"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."

"Technical support is 4/10."

More UKG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"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."

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

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

"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."

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Outsourcing Company

Insurance Company

Construction Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Outsourcing Company

12%

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	48
Midsize Enterprise	43
Large Enterprise	48

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central?

What is your primary use case for SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central?

SAP Business One targets small to medium-sized enterprises, while SAP Cloud ERP targets large enterprises. There is a clear difference between the target markets for these two products. I am curren...

What advice do you have for others considering SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central?

SAP Cloud ERP, previously called Grow with SAP, had its name changed last year in 2025. It is a complete SaaS model ERP with more modules included, such as sales, purchase, production, after-sales ...

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 SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central

Comparisons

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Compared 8% of the time

SAP HCM vs UKG

Compared 4% of the time

Dayforce HCM vs UKG

Compared 4% of the time

PeopleSoft vs UKG

Compared 3% of the time

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Product Reports

Download SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central product report

Cloud HCM

September 2026

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central report

Download UKG product report

August 2026

Also Known As

No data available

UKG Pro, UKG Dimensons, UKG Ready

Overview

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central is a cloud-based HRIS designed to streamline global HR processes and provide real-time insights for informed HR decisions.

With automated workflows and intelligent services, SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central facilitates end-to-end HR management rather than treating tasks individually. It enhances operational efficiency, delves into deeper insights, and strengthens business results by standardizing HR functions worldwide.

What are the key features of SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central?

Employee Profile & Org Structures: Effectively manage employee data and organizational setups.
Global HR Compliance: Maintain HR compliance across over 100 countries and industries.
Self-Service Tools: Enhance productivity with intuitive self-service functionalities and notifications.
Benefits & Absence Management: Simplify management with built-in capabilities for benefits and absence handling.

What benefits or ROI should users look for?

Increased Efficiency: Streamlined HR processes lead to improved time and resource management.
Improved Decision-Making: Real-time insights aid in making informed HR decisions.
Global Scalability: Capability to seamlessly manage HR functions worldwide.

SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central is implemented across various industries to support HR processes tailored to specific industry needs. Its flexibility allows for adaptation, ensuring HR compliance and boosting productivity in diverse business sectors.

SAP

UKG offers a comprehensive suite for payroll processing, HR management, and business intelligence, integrating seamlessly with systems like PeopleSoft and Workday. Its cloud-based service enhances workforce management across industries with advanced customization and intuitive use.

UKG's extensive features include payroll processing, business intelligence reporting, and self-service options for employees and managers. The platform is designed for ease of integration, providing a user-friendly experience with extensive onboarding tools and robust data management. While UKG excels in configuration and reporting capabilities, it requires improvements in customer support and benefits administration flexibility. Implementation can be complex, and areas such as real-time support and automated processes need refinement.

What are UKG's most valued features?

Payroll Processing: Streamlined for accurate and efficient transactions.
Business Intelligence Reporting: Offers insightful data analytics to inform decision-making.
Employee and Manager Self-service: Empowers users with access to essential tools and information.
Benefits Administration: Manages employee benefits with ease.
Data Integration: Ensures seamless interaction with other systems, enhancing performance.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Improved Employee Satisfaction: Cloud-based updates foster an engaging environment.
Streamlined HR Activities: Integrates with existing systems to enhance operation efficiency.
Ease of Use: Users appreciate its intuitive design and customization options.

UKG is leveraged across multiple industries for its robust functionalities in payroll and HR management, supporting recruitment, onboarding, and workforce dynamics. The platform's integration with time management and learning modules supports comprehensive employee management and compliance across global deployments.

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

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