SAP SuccessFactors HCM vs UKG comparison

Read 125 UKG reviews

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SAP SuccessFactors HCM

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 22, 2026

UKG and SAP SuccessFactors HCM are leading solutions in the human capital management category. SAP SuccessFactors HCM seems to have the upper hand with its extensive range of functionalities, comprehensive feature set, and advanced customization options.

Features: UKG offers an intuitive design with efficient workforce management, payroll solutions, and seamless third-party integrations. SAP SuccessFactors HCM provides robust talent management, extensive customization, and flexible analytics.

Room for Improvement: UKG could enhance its advanced analytics and customization features. Some users find the UKG interface could be better, and the setup process more streamlined. SAP SuccessFactors HCM could benefit from a simpler deployment process and improved MDF-based reporting, and its recruitment module may need periodic updates for evolving needs.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: UKG provides straightforward deployment with dedicated support renowned for efficiency. SAP SuccessFactors HCM involves a more complex setup but is backed by extensive support structures and expert teams.

Pricing and ROI: UKG is cost-effective with swift ROI, catering to mid-sized businesses with competitive pricing. SAP SuccessFactors HCM has higher initial costs but offers substantial ROI over time owing to its scalability and detailed features.

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

SAP SuccessFactors HCM 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 HCM

Ranking in Cloud HCM

8th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

4.3

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 (3rd), Talent Management (6th), Employee Scheduling Software (1st), Employee Time Tracking Software (2nd), HR Analytics Software (2nd), Talent Acquisition (7th), AI-Agents for HR (5th)

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2026, in the Cloud HCM category, the mindshare of SAP SuccessFactors HCM is 1.2%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of UKG is 5.0%, down from 5.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Cloud HCM Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
UKG	5.0%
SAP SuccessFactors HCM	1.2%
Other	93.8%

Cloud HCM

Featured Reviews

Stuti Ghosh

VP – Skills Architecture And Management at Standard Chartered Bank

Unified talent workflows have streamlined performance reviews and continuous feedback

Based on my experience with SAP SuccessFactors HCM, there are a lot of improvements needed. They are improving definitely, but SAP SuccessFactors HCM needs a lot more integrated flow of data and information across different modules because it is sitting in a lot of places. The biggest improvement is that SAP SuccessFactors HCM is very plain and vanilla and is not very engaging in terms of UI/UX. From a UI/UX perspective, it is not very intuitive. You need to know where to go and navigate and what information is sitting there. Therefore, we have to do a lot of change management education, a lot of guidance work, and a lot of change management to get higher adoption and engagement on the platform. Something that would be really intuitive could fit better with the flow.

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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

"Using SAP SuccessFactors HCM analytics and insights helps my customers in data-driven decision-making."

"The feature I appreciate the most about this solution is the integration with SAP S/4HANA system."

"The SAP SuccessFactors HCM tool is a fantastic platform to work with, offering end-to-end employee lifecycle coverage."

"SAP SuccessFactors HCM has positively impacted my customer's environment by ensuring they are digital; we promote using DocuSign for document signing and ensuring effective onboarding, and post-implementation we provide hyper-care and digital adoption reports after six months or a year to show how much more paperless and workflow-enabled their organization has become after SAP SuccessFactors HCM implementation."

"Regarding how SAP SuccessFactors HCM has helped my organization, we have timelines that work with the platform in terms of when we set up our goals and record them, performance reviews, check-ins, and everything work seamlessly."

"The employee experience management tools have had a very positive impact on employee satisfaction and well-being within our organization."

"UltiPro has allowed me to provide management with meaningful and informative reporting."

"Good solution - still working out the kinks but confident we will get where we need to be!"

"Recruiting BI Talent management"

"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."

"Pending pay and retroactive pay are the most valuable features."

"I believe it was well worth it based on the former HRIS."

"We use the tool for various functions, including payroll, HR, recruiting, onboarding, and workforce management. We've implemented all these modules across all the clients I've worked with."

"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

"The SAP SuccessFactors HCM has room for improvement in terms of product development nimbleness. Additionally, the speed of the application platform occasionally reduces, primarily due to data center related issues."

"The main area for improvement would be implementing a better pricing model. It is expensive, and with people discussing Workday more frequently, SAP needs to compete by becoming more free-flowing and dynamic compared to traditional SAP systems."

"It is very difficult to purchase SAP SuccessFactors HCM over here for smaller or medium-sized organizations, mainly because of the price."

"Based on my experience with SAP SuccessFactors HCM, there are a lot of improvements needed."

"The reporting part is quite weak in SAP SuccessFactors HCM because the drill-down capabilities are not what a customer wants compared to what it offers."

"The pricing of the solution is very high concerning pricing, setup cost, and licensing of this tool."

"Depending on who you get on the phone, customer service is either fantastic or non-existent."

"There were issues with deployment. It was poorly launched due to a lack of personnel on our part."

"Only issues is slow response time when checks have needed to be voided or reissued for payees."

"Customer service is sometimes frustrating."

"Rollout of new products/communication is sometimes problematic."

"Technical support is 4/10."

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

"Customer service is 5/10. Technical support is 5/10."

More UKG cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"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."

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

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

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

"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."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

14%

Educational Organization

Construction Company

Financial Services Firm

12%

Construction Company

12%

Outsourcing Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP SuccessFactors HCM?

The pricing of SAP SuccessFactors HCM is a bit expensive; its HCM without SuccessFactors was reasonable when it was on-site, but SuccessFactors is very expensive. On-premise HCM was good regarding ...

What needs improvement with SAP SuccessFactors HCM?

What is your primary use case for SAP SuccessFactors HCM?

I have hands-on experience with SAP SuccessFactors HCM and we use different modules. As an HR person, I work from that side of the platform. I am the customer of SAP SuccessFactors HCM. We utilize ...

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...

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Product Reports

Download SAP SuccessFactors HCM product report

SAP SuccessFactors HCM

October 2026

Download UKG product report

October 2026

Also Known As

No data available

UKG Pro, UKG Dimensons, UKG Ready

Overview

SAP SuccessFactors HCM provides cloud-based HR solutions covering core HR, payroll, talent management, and more. This suite helps organizations remain agile by focusing on people-centric strategies and AI-powered decision-making tools.

SAP SuccessFactors HCM offers a full suite of HR management tools designed to enhance every HR aspect, from core HR and payroll to comprehensive talent management, sales performance, and workforce planning. As work dynamics shift, the emphasis on placing people at the core of strategic planning helps drive agility and informed decisions, fortifying growth within organizations.

What are the most valuable features of SAP SuccessFactors HCM?

Comprehensive Core HR: Streamlines HR processes, ensuring efficiency and compliance across HR tasks.
Payroll Management: Delivers accurate and timely payroll processing, adaptable to diverse needs.
Talent Management: Empowers nurturing and development of talent, enhancing employee engagement.
People Analytics: Provides actionable insights into workforce trends with advanced analytics.
Workforce Planning: Facilitates strategic planning by forecasting workforce requirements effectively.

What benefits and ROI should be evaluated in SAP SuccessFactors HCM reviews?

Increased Agility: Ability to adapt quickly to changing business environments with flexible HR solutions.
Data-Driven Decision Making: Leveraging AI to make informed HR decisions that support growth.
Scalable Growth: Supports both current needs and future expansion with robust HR capabilities.
Enhanced Employee Engagement: Focus on employee needs leading to improved morale and productivity.

SAP SuccessFactors HCM sees extensive adoption across industries like retail, healthcare, and finance, where managing a diverse workforce and ensuring regulatory compliance are paramount. The suite’s adaptability to industry-specific requirements exemplifies its practical application in different 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