

SAP HCM and SAP SuccessFactors, both part of SAP's HR software suite, compete in the HR solutions category. SuccessFactors has the upper hand for organizations seeking flexible, cloud-based solutions with a focus on real-time availability and talent management, while SAP HCM is more suitable for larger enterprises requiring robust on-premises capabilities.
Features: SAP HCM offers a well-integrated on-premises payroll and employee data management system, excelling in enterprise-level workflows and integration with finance systems. SuccessFactors, as a cloud-based solution, provides talent management, social integration, and user-friendly interfaces with easy global deployment and real-time availability.
Room for Improvement: SAP HCM faces criticism for its complex, outdated interface with limited integration flexibility, making it less agile, with slower updates due to its on-premises nature. SuccessFactors, despite its innovation, struggles with onboarding processes and compatibility with other HR tools; integration and customization options also need enhancement.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SAP HCM demands significant upfront investment in infrastructure, leading to time-intensive deployment and mixed reviews for technical support. SuccessFactors, being cloud-native, allows for faster deployment and scalability, providing generally timely solutions, although it sometimes lacks understanding of specific organizational needs.
Pricing and ROI: SAP HCM incurs higher costs due to its on-premises setup, complexity, and integration needs, affecting ROI for smaller businesses, yet providing good returns for larger institutions. SuccessFactors, with its subscription-based model, faces critiques for high pricing but offers better scalability returns and promising ROI with continuous updates.
I am totally satisfied with the response time and quality of support.
Not all requests are attended to promptly.
We have our own internal team that supports the deployment process.
Currently, we are upgrading from 4.12 to 4.18, and after migrating the DC, our applications run smoothly without any challenges or slowness.
SAP HCM is quite scalable.
We have implemented it for 25,000 employees, scaling from 7,000 to 25,000 using the same set of rules, and it was not difficult.
I would rate its stability as nine out of ten.
I would rate the stability of SAP HCM as seven out of ten.
I hardly ever encounter any stability issues, as SAP SuccessFactors is very good and stable.
The solution is absolutely stable.
SAP HCM needs to be more customizable to fit unique organizational processes.
We are able to optimize a lot of processes but there is always room for improvement.
We sometimes face issues in the minor version, requiring us to upgrade to the major version.
The change management process during the initial launch was not effectively handled, leading to a poor user experience.
They should implement soft connectors through a marketplace for virtual learning integration with platforms such as Teams, Cisco, and Webex, rather than relying on hard connectors using APIs.
Workforce analytics is still challenging due to customizations. It does not provide flexibility in terms of analytics, and we have to customize extensively.
I would rate pricing for SAP as one because the price is high.
SAP HCM is quite expensive, but considering solutions like Oracle, they are similar.
SAP HCM is costly compared to other ERPs like Microsoft Dynamics or Oracle, and I would rate the cost as one out of ten.
The licensing cost is not expensive now.
The licensing costs are quite high, which is a typical scenario for such solutions.
When we face challenges and raise tickets, Red Hat provides support within an hour, fixes bugs, and allows us to move to production after resolving issues.
The main benefit SAP HCM provides is that we have all the information in one place; it is basically one centralized system with all the information rather than having multiple systems across the organization.
Capturing all the attendances and absences is a huge task that must be completed before running payroll.
SAP SuccessFactors has advantages in providing AI-driven initiatives such as candidate screening and matching features within the recruitment module.
The best features of SAP SuccessFactors are workflows, the storyboard, the workforce analytics, and customization in terms of doing those portlets and MDIs, which are much simpler.
Employees can view their goals, performance, ratings, and employee information, which enhances the employee experience.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| SAP SuccessFactors | 16.5% |
| SAP HCM | 8.3% |
| Other | 75.2% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 19 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 6 |
| Large Enterprise | 39 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 22 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 13 |
| Large Enterprise | 69 |
SAP HCM is a benefits administration solution that has a comprehensive set of tools and features for managing and optimizing all aspects of human resources. SAP HCM covers various HR functions including payroll, time and attendance management, talent management, succession planning, and employee performance evaluation.
The goal of SAP HCM is to help organizations streamline HR processes, improve workforce productivity and efficiency, and support strategic HR decision-making. With SAP HCM, HR departments can manage employee data, track and analyze key HR metrics, and automate various HR processes to save time and resources. It is widely used by large organizations across various industries.
SAP HCM Features
SAP HCM has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:
SAP HCM Benefits
There are many benefits to implementing SAP HCM. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:
Reviews from Real Users
SAP HCM is a solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Some of its major advantages are that it has good payroll and personnel administration, it’s a powerful tool for maintaining company data, and has valuable SuccessFactors talent modules.
According to Dave D., Project Manager at Telecom Namibia, “[SAP HCM] allows us to do all of our HR management processes, including payroll and personnel administration.” He also adds, “Technical support is excellent."
“I think that it's a very powerful tool for maintaining your company data. When you maintain your data in SAP, you can generate any kind of HR report with one click,” says Sameer Y., Team Leader at Fauji Meat Limited.
Another PeerSpot reviewer, Arsala A., SAP HCM / SF Consultant at a computer software company, explains what she likes most about SAP HCM: "Payroll processing is my favorite HCM feature, and I like all the SuccessFactors talent modules also. SAP is making good progress on enhancements to the features in the SF modules."
SAP SuccessFactors is an AI-powered, cloud-based HR suite supporting over 100 countries, providing real-time insights and integrated solutions across core HR, payroll, talent, learning, analytics, and employee experience.
Trusted by over 10,000 organizations, SAP SuccessFactors elevates people processes, decisions, and experiences by empowering employees. It offers AI-driven tools enhancing self-service, learning, performance, and development, unifying people and skills data to align talents with business goals. The platform ensures compliance with legal updates and speeds up results using HR best practices and a robust partner network. Its modular design, seamless integration, and mobile access stand out, supporting global accessibility and talent management. Role-based permissions and automated compliance offer flexibility and security, catering to diverse industries.
What are the most important features of SAP SuccessFactors?Organizations implement SAP SuccessFactors for Performance Management, Talent Acquisition, Learning, and HR core functions, streamlining recruitment, onboarding, records management, goal setting, and performance evaluation. It extends to time management, compensation, and talent development, integrating across geographies for centralized data management, reporting, and analytics, enhancing HR operations and employee engagement.
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