IBM Kenexa vs Oracle HCM Cloud comparison

IBM and Oracle are both solutions in the Benefits Administration category. IBM is ranked #14 with an average rating of 6.0, while Oracle is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.3. IBM holds a 0.6% mindshare in BA, compared to Oracle’s 12.9% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Oracle users who would recommend it.

IBM Kenexa

Read 30 IBM Kenexa reviews

187 Views
115 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Oracle HCM Cloud

Read 73 Oracle HCM Cloud reviews

5,418 Views
3,602 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

IBM Kenexa

Oracle HCM Cloud

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

IBM Kenexa and Oracle HCM Cloud are competing HR solutions. Oracle HCM Cloud is often considered superior due to its extensive integration capabilities and comprehensive feature set.

Features: IBM Kenexa provides advanced data analytics, talent acquisition tools, and employee engagement resources. Oracle HCM Cloud offers global HR, advanced workforce management, and comprehensive analytics.

Room for Improvement: IBM Kenexa could improve on global HR functionalities and broader integration options. Oracle HCM Cloud might benefit from simplifying complex configurations and enhancing user training.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM Kenexa is praised for easy deployment and excellent customer support. Oracle HCM Cloud's deployment is more complex but supported by a significant partner network and dedicated service team.

Pricing and ROI: IBM Kenexa generally offers lower setup costs with rapid ROI, appealing to budget-conscious organizations. Despite higher initial costs, Oracle HCM Cloud promises long-term ROI with its extensive features and integration abilities.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM Kenexa vs. Oracle HCM Cloud Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM Kenexa vs. Oracle HCM Cloud

April 2025

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Helped 847,959 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

IBM Kenexa

Ranking in Benefits Administration

14th

Ranking in Talent Management

23rd

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Applicant Tracking and Recruiting Software (17th)

Oracle HCM Cloud

Ranking in Benefits Administration

2nd

Ranking in Talent Management

4th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Cloud HCM (4th), HR Analytics Software (2nd), Talent Acquisition (3rd)

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Benefits Administration category, the mindshare of IBM Kenexa is 0.6%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle HCM Cloud is 12.9%, down from 16.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Benefits Administration

Featured Reviews

Karan Grover

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.

Read full review

OswinSteve

Lead Digital HR Transformation, Product Owner at Chubb

Capable of consolidating data from all countries and providing access to any employee information across locations but poor user experience

Oracle HCM Cloud definitely has a lot to improve from a user experience perspective. The platform is huge and feature-rich, but is it truly appealing to an end user? Is it a two-click solution? Does it match current market trends in user experience? No, it has a lot of catching up to do. For example, is the screen catchy for an employee to see their details or access essential information? No. The user experience is zero. An employee needs training to apply for leave, something as simple as that. They shouldn't need training materials or user guides to navigate the system. We're moving towards empowering users, especially with end-user-facing systems. People should be self-reliant and not need to rely on manuals. Oracle HCM Cloud is very old-school in this regard. It's still stuck in the "PeopleSoft" mentality instead of focusing on a user-friendly experience for employees and managers. So, the user experience needs a major overhaul. So, to summarize, it needs to be more user-friendly and present key information on the login screen. In future releases, I would like to see employee dashboards. Oracle HCM should come up with ready-made employee dashboards, like very simple ones. Right now, an employee dashboard or a manager dashboard, but these should be readily available. You shouldn't expect a customer to go and design something they need. There are a few basic things any employee or manager in any company would want to see. One of the best things would be a very simple org chart. Now, the org chart is quite poor on Oracle. There are applications that focus only on org charts and look really good, giving a lot of details about a team and its employees. But Oracle's org chart is bad, so to be specific, they should improve it a lot.

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

"The ease of scaling is one of BrassRing's biggest strengths, making it a trusted choice for large companies."

"It is extremely user friendly. It is very flexible in managing recruitment, especially when you have thousands of applicants as we did. We easily had over 20,000 applicants within a year for some of our positions, so it made it very easy to manage a large application pool. It was very easy to customize by recruiter preference. When you open up someone's profile to see their experience, education, or other things, you can customize that for yourself. It was flexible in that, and each recruiter could set up their preferences. It didn't have to be set up so that everyone had to have the same landing platform, which was very helpful. As someone who trained other HR people on how to use the system, it was very easy to pick up and learn."

"The most valuable features are that we can upload documents and download them on demand."

"IBM Kenexa is fairly stable. We don't have any downtime."

"Oracle HCM has a great reporting platform, OTPI, with drag-and-drop functionality. I can design my own reports without relying on the technical team. This empowers HR users to create reports based on their needs, which is a huge advantage."

"This solution is user friendly and can be used on a mobile phone without a computer."

"The solution's most valuable features are all the human resources aspects and access management, as well as the talent review. The solution's talent management is very, very good."

"The most valuable feature is fast reporting."

"We haven't had a single issue with stability, and we've been using it for more than three years."

"The most valuable features of the solution are the core HR, absence, payroll, and recruitment modules."

"It is a configurable, scalable solution."

"The feature I find most valuable in Oracle HCM Cloud is 'Journeys'. This feature is widely used across clients for onboarding, offboarding, and other automated tasks without manual intervention."

More Oracle HCM Cloud pros

Cons

"It needs to update its reporting and analytics tools."

"I would not recommend IBM Kenexa to others."

"The reporting tool is helpful, but it is not the easiest to train on or is not as understandable for other HR pros. Their Workbench site, which is the administrator site that you use to update your website, is not user-friendly. When updates are required, it is not that easy to manage because Workbench is not user friendly. It required more work from the admins. They have Workbench training, which actually was very unhelpful. It took eight hours to complete, and it was not very helpful. Their customer service when it comes specifically to their Workbench site is not helpful."

"I would like to have a better and more user-friendly interface."

"We're not receiving the proper support."

"I rate the technical support of Oracle HCM Cloud an eight out of ten. There is some room for improvement."

"In some geographies, you might not find specific localizations. For example, here in Turkey, we can use all Oracle Cloud modules except for payroll. The Oracle payroll module isn't localized for the Turkish system. So, we need to integrate a separate, localized payroll solution with Oracle HCM."

"Visually, Oracle HCM Cloud needs improvement. For example, the employee portal looks rather old, so it would be awesome if Oracle refreshed its design or if the portal looked more modern. Oracle HCM Cloud works, but visually, it needs improvement."

"The user interface, as well as the interfaces between modules, should definitely be enhanced."

"The data uploading part and backup could be better. They are a bit complex. Oracle is continuously changing it from one functionality to another. It's a bit unstable right now, and it's basically on the backend data upload part. If I have to upload, for example, data for 100 employees, it's a bit of a challenge for an end-user. It can be difficult if you're not a technical person and an end-user like me. I administer the platform, and if I get a request to upload and I'm not a technical person, then I'm just lost. I have to do some research and then complete the task. But it's evolving, and I hope it's more user-friendly in the future. In the next release, I would like a more stable mobile application. The current version isn't very stable. It takes time to open, and although they have come up with new UI pages, a few open areas need to be addressed. I would also like to see more robust and user-friendly data uploading techniques that would be helpful for end users like us. We don't have a technical background, and we just want to upload the data for our day-to-day operations."

"Oracle should have different bundles to provide access to courses. Then, we would be able to increase our knowledge on how to use Oracle applications."

"It would be very nice if we were able to roll back transactions from data that was loaded with the data loader."

More Oracle HCM Cloud cons

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."

"I don't know how much it costs, but I know that everything is included. We don't pay anything extra apart from the licensing fee."

"On average, it's not a cheap solution."

"The solution’s pricing is high."

"The cost of Oracle HCM Cloud is high, it could be reduced. There is an annual subscription and it is user-based."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"According to the Turkish market, the pricing is a little bit expensive."

"The data traffic cost is expensive. The solution can scale up beyond my imagination, but the cost can rise up easily."

"The is a license needed to use the solution. The license can be paid in different increments, such as quarterly."

More Oracle HCM Cloud pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

17%

Comms Service Provider

13%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Educational Organization

53%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM Kenexa?

The ease of scaling is one of BrassRing's biggest strengths, making it a trusted choice for large companies.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Kenexa?

As a large company, we first bought the complete BrassRing package, which had various features. Later on, we paid extra for specific features like customer test management. When we integrated with ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Kenexa?

BrassRing needs improvement in a few areas. First, it should update how it tracks where candidates come from and avoid duplicate entries. Right now, it is not very flexible. Also, its way of making...

See all answers

What are the differences between Oracle HCM Cloud and PeopleSoft?

Although both are solutions to manage HR, their differences make each one suitable for different companies. Oracle Cloud HCM is a platform for connecting all human resource processes in your organ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Oracle HCM Cloud?

The most valuable features of the solution are the core HR, absence, payroll, and recruitment modules.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Oracle HCM Cloud?

Cost-management initiatives were implemented to reduce expenses, such as controlling overtime hours. Licensing costs were also a consideration, particularly regarding contractors.

See all answers

Comparisons

SAP SuccessFactors vs IBM Kenexa

Compared 57% of the time

HR Software Solutions vs IBM Kenexa

Compared 24% of the time

UKG vs IBM Kenexa

Compared 19% of the time

More IBM Kenexa Competitors

SAP SuccessFactors vs Oracle HCM Cloud

Compared 30% of the time

Workday vs Oracle HCM Cloud

Compared 20% of the time

SAP HCM vs Oracle HCM Cloud

Compared 12% of the time

PeopleSoft vs Oracle HCM Cloud

Compared 9% of the time

Oracle E-Business Suite vs Oracle HCM Cloud

Compared 8% of the time

More Oracle HCM Cloud Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM Kenexa

April 2025

Download IBM Kenexa product report

Buyer's Guide

Oracle HCM Cloud

March 2025

Download Oracle HCM Cloud product report

Also Known As

IBM Smarter Workforce, Outstart

Oracle Human Capital Management Cloud

Overview

Kenexa provides business solutions for human resources. We help global organizations multiply business success by identifying the best individuals for every job and fostering optimal work environments for every organization.

IBM

Natively built for the cloud, Oracle Fusion Cloud Human Capital Management is a complete solution that connects every human resource process—and every person—across your enterprise. We help you create a community where people feel valued, heard, and like they belong. With a single user experience and data model and seamless processes and infrastructure, Oracle Cloud HCM can help you redefine what best looks like for your people.

Platform capabilities empower every HR process including: Global HR, Talent Management, Recruiting, Learning, Workforce Rewards, Workforce Management, Work Life Solutions, HR Help Desk, Workforce Health and Safety Incidents, Payroll Management, Benefits Management, Advanced HCM Controls, and Strategic Workforce Planning.

Top 10 Reason Why Customers Choose Oracle Cloud HCM:

Tailored User Experience

Employees expect tailored experiences from their work technology and want to feel supported by their organization regardless of where, when, and how they work. Providing employees with a tailored user experience is now a necessity—one that many HR teams are striving for as they evaluate their technology. That’s why Oracle Cloud HCM offers the only complete employee experience platform that empowers your people to connect, grow, and thrive.

Adaptable and Extensible

HR is at the forefront of navigating change and needs to be able to adapt quickly as new challenges arise. Oracle Cloud HCM delivers an adaptable and flexible solution to meet changing business practices, regulations, and environments.

Complete HCM Cloud Solution

Organizations that want to manage the entire employee lifecycle select Oracle Cloud HCM because it’s the most complete HR cloud solution on the market. Built as a single cloud solution for all HR functionalities, it connects every HR process from hire to retire.

Complete Enterprise Solution

One of the many things that sets Oracle apart from other vendors is that we natively built our software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications on our own cloud platform and infrastructure. With applications and data all on one platform, you can gain unobstructed visibility across your organization and increased data security

Improved Business Value

Oracle customers leverage our HCM cloud application to drive business value through better user engagement and adoption, streamlined processes, improved productivity, and lower total cost of ownership

Dedication to Innovation

Innovation is the biggest benefit of moving your systems to the cloud. Our quarterly updates allow us to continuously deliver new and exciting features. With a team of more than 20,000 engineers, Oracle delivers more than 1,000 innovation updates annually—80% of which are based on customer feedback.

Data Security and Privacy

Oracle has a strong security culture and is trusted by

organizations worldwide with strict security requirements. Stored in state-of-the-art data centers, Oracle Cloud HCM and our infrastructure have advanced multilayered security measures that can help customers meet both local and international regulations

Vibrant HR Community

Oracle Cloud Customer Connect is a vibrant online

community of more than 40,000 HCM users and a great place to crowdsource information, discuss the latest releases, register for in-person or virtual events, and submit product suggestions.

Customer Success

Oracle customers have access to an implementation success manager, on-demand education, and success planning tools. We offer 24/7 customer service in 145 countries worldwide to help you maximize the value of your investment.

Global Capabilities

Most enterprises today operate at both the global and local levels, so our customers appreciate that Oracle Cloud HCM is designed to meet both international and regional needs for more than 200 jurisdictions and 27 languages.

Oracle HCM Cloud is a complete HR application suite which helps organizations become more strategic and agile with a best-in-class workforce experience. It integrates HR best practices and technology to provide an engaging, informative, and adaptive HR experience throughout the entire employee lifecycle. Oracle HCM Cloud allows organizations find, develop and retain the best talent, enable collaboration, deliver deep workforce insights, and increase operational efficiency

Oracle

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

Kovaion Consulting India Pvt. Ltd., eVerge Group, Kalpataru, Logicalis Inc., Macmillan Science and Education, Drivestream Inc., Kamal Osman Jamjoom Group LLC, WAXIE Sanitary Supply

Buyer's Guide

IBM Kenexa vs. Oracle HCM Cloud

April 2025

Free Report: IBM Kenexa vs. Oracle HCM Cloud

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