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IBM Kenexa vs PeopleStrong comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

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 Talent Management
23rd
Ranking in Applicant Tracking and Recruiting Software
17th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.3
Number of Reviews
30
Ranking in other categories
Benefits Administration (14th)
PeopleStrong
Ranking in Talent Management
16th
Ranking in Applicant Tracking and Recruiting Software
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
Cloud HCM (13th), Talent Acquisition (9th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Talent Management category, the mindshare of IBM Kenexa is 0.7%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of PeopleStrong is 1.5%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Talent Management
 

Featured Reviews

Karan Grover - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
Vibha  Mishra - PeerSpot reviewer
Provide performance management and HR operations but lacks AI capabilities
Using PeopleStrong, uploading modules, and downloading reports was very easy. The process was hassle-free and user-friendly. We use PeopleStrong for performance management and HR operations, such as storing data and handling documentation when a new person joins the company. For learning and…

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 are that we can upload documents and download them on demand."
"The ease of scaling is one of BrassRing's biggest strengths, making it a trusted choice for large companies."
"IBM Kenexa is fairly stable. We don't have any downtime."
"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."
"It has the capability of reporting. We, as a business team, found it good. In fact, we migrated to PeopleStrong essentially because of its reporting feature."
"The UI and UX are fantastic."
"It is priced low."
"PeopleStrong Alt is flexible because it allows customization and the user's experience is very good."
"The mobile responsiveness is strong."
"The product has valuable flexibility for customization, user interface, and search capabilities."
"Some of the most valuable features are the onboarding experience of new employees, the employee service portal, and the entire performance management system."
"The hiring process is good. It will create a process-oriented procedure in terms of hiring, promotion, the movement of people, and other related HR tasks."
 

Cons

"I would not recommend IBM Kenexa to others."
"I would like to have a better and more user-friendly interface."
"It needs to update its reporting and analytics tools."
"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."
"The solution's workflow can improve by adding more customization at the organizational level."
"They could include a sort of collaborative platform where employees are able to work together with a chat mechanism like WhatsApp and video chat."
"It would be helpful if you could work offline because sometimes, we have problems with internet connectivity."
"They could improve talent management capabilities."
"Sometimes, we feel that we should have an API-based integration aspect."
"They had challenges getting the performance management system up and integrated with our systems."
"The global scalability and support could improve."
"PeopleStrong could make it AI-friendly."
 

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."
"It's very reasonably priced. It is paid per employee."
"The product has reasonable pricing."
"The pricing is reasonable."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Healthcare Company
8%
 

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.
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 ...
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...
What do you like most about PeopleStrong Alt?
It has the capability of reporting. We, as a business team, found it good. In fact, we migrated to PeopleStrong essentially because of its reporting feature.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PeopleStrong Alt?
It is priced low. I rate the product’s pricing a three out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.
What is your primary use case for PeopleStrong Alt?
Using PeopleStrong, uploading modules, and downloading reports was very easy. The process was hassle-free and user-friendly. We use PeopleStrong for performance management and HR operations, such a...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

IBM Smarter Workforce, Outstart
PeopleStrong Alt
 

Overview

 

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
Hyundai, Amara Raja, Air Asia, Tata Motors, Aviva, Schneider Electric, JLL Business Services, Schindler, Tata AIG, novo nordisk, Cipla
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM Kenexa vs. PeopleStrong and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
845,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.