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SAP HCM vs SAP SuccessFactors comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP HCM
Ranking in Talent Management
3rd
Ranking in Cloud HCM
3rd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
56
Ranking in other categories
Benefits Administration (3rd)
SAP SuccessFactors
Ranking in Talent Management
1st
Ranking in Cloud HCM
1st
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
93
Ranking in other categories
Talent Acquisition (1st), Global Payroll (2nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the Cloud HCM category, the mindshare of SAP HCM is 16.1%, up from 16.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SAP SuccessFactors is 23.4%, up from 21.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud HCM
 

Featured Reviews

Kumar-Saurav - PeerSpot reviewer
Allows you to generate reports, easy integration and offers out-of-the-box support
The limitation of HCM compared to new-era human capital management solutions is the cost. While those solutions offer similar features at a lower price, they are not typically used by large enterprises. However, for small and medium enterprises, the HCM licensing and maintenance costs are quite high. There are numerous solutions like Zoho and Odoo that offer subscription models at a much lower cost, even as low as $10. This significantly impacts SAP's market share, especially among smaller businesses. The high cost is the main reason why it's not widely adopted by smaller businesses. Currently, it's largely used by big enterprises, and only a small percentage of SAP users actually utilize HCM, even though they might be using other SAP modules. The small organizations are not keen on using it.
Wael Elsagh - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers many useful modules and integrations, and helps companies adhere to best practices
The main advantage of SuccessFactors is its ability to add many types of integrations within the SAP Cloud platform. Many useful modules can be implemented alongside SuccessFactors as third-party integrations, and this capability to extend the system is a big plus. Another positive for SuccessFactors is how it provides pre-defined best practices for building the solution, with plans that take you from A to Z directly. You don't need to build anything from scratch when you're using their implementation best practices for configuring the system. Within these best practices, you also have a range of options for customization, such as with the Metadata Framework (MDF) and the Business Rules feature where you can create various conditions when it comes to managing customers.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The payroll function in SAP HCM has been most beneficial for managing global workforces. We plan to use goal management and KPI features to link to payroll through the SAP SuccessFactors module."
"Customers can create custom infotypes to store any custom data points."
"All of the core processes are very valuable aspects of the solution. These include personnel, administration, organizational structure, and payroll."
"SAP HCM is a powerful program that can greatly benefit organizations with its comprehensive features and integrations."
"I feel SAP HCM is very competitive and worth the investment given its capability to integrate modules and provide comprehensive value."
"The tool's best feature is SAP SuccessFactors."
"SAP HCM is a competitive and comprehensive tool that covers major programs in the enterprise and supports the global process."
"HCM is a very important module that each organization should want to use. It will help any organization to calculate and control the cost of their human resources."
"SAP SuccessFactors is one of the most robust platforms in the world today. For a unique global company, they need a platform that is compliant, such as GDP compliant in Europe. The solution delivers high quality in their core HR IS system which is called Employee Central. The system is one of the strongest and sturdiest modules that are in existence in the world."
"The cloud security and the correct features for payroll calculations, once issues are resolved, are valuable aspects of this product."
"It is a scalable solution. I would rate it a ten out of ten."
"They have succeeded in sustaining a powerful system supporting their philosophy."
"The initial setup was pretty simple."
"The features of the solution that I found valuable for my business are its ability to create a dashboard, pie charts, and reporting functions, as well as advanced reporting capabilities."
"Considering the flexibility of the system and its ability to accommodate complex business processes, the product is ready to be used in multiple industries."
"HR and managers can use the onboarding tool to help new employees prepare for their first day on the job, which can help them acclimate to the company culture and reduce anxiety."
 

Cons

"When performing reconciliation, manual entry is sometimes required, and barcode scanning isn't always available."
"The organizational management (OM) side needs improvement due to frequent reorganization which makes it tedious to make all the movement changes and combinations."
"The implementation of the solution can be a bit difficult. They should make it easier. If it could be as simple as the SuccessFactors implementation that would be ideal."
"We are able to optimize a lot of processes but there is always room for improvement."
"SAP HCM could improve by having more resources and making it more user-friendly. It is complex."
"It needs a lot of end user training as it is not intuitive at all."
"It would be very helpful for our company if a new version was released with the ability to contain all of the things that we have newly introduced in our company."
"It would be nice if the solution migrated to S/4HANA."
"There is room for improvement in licensing model."
"The solution needs more localization, especially for the Middle East and Russia."
"They should work on a faster way of locating a proper documentation."
"The data management part can be improved in terms of how you can manage data from the HR admin's or HR team's perspective. It has some limitations in the reporting part in terms of how you can update the data and fetch the data. SAP HCM comparatively has a lot of capabilities in terms of backup loads, data management, data changes, etc. You can do these things easily, which is not the case with SAP SuccessFactors. Data management should be simplified in SAP SuccessFactors in terms of accessing the data, reporting, and then manipulating the data."
"SuccessFactors should consider building their best practices around critical industries to help companies become more differentiated in the markets they operate in."
"We encountered challenges with the tool's integration with third-party applications and deployments."
"There have been cases involving a lot of re-implementations and frustrations within clients where they have the workbook sessions, the workbook workshops and things like that. And I think that doesn't really go down well because the workbooks are very technical and, a lot of times, very confusing for the client."
"The Onboarding module must be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The terms on which you buy licenses might change due to the way they license in a particular product."
"I believe HCM is a little expensive, but I don't know the exact price because I'm involved with the sales team. However, I think the price must be reasonable because many organizations are migrating their current ERPs to SAP. It's excellent software, and the price is competitive."
"The pricing depends upon the specific model and number of user accounts included in a bundle."
"The product is expensive."
"SAP is extremely expensive. The integration costs and customization costs are also a lot."
"Licensing fees are paid yearly."
"The pricing is around the middle, at a five out of ten. But it depends on the number of licenses. More licenses mean lower per-user costs. You need to understand how to play the volume game and the growth."
"The solution is cheap."
"The pricing for SuccessFactors is ridiculously high, and there are costs in addition to the license fee for some features."
"Due to the way in which we purchased SuccessFactors as a module along with other SAP modules, we were able to procure it at a slightly better price than usual. I would rate their pricing 5/5 stars."
"We have a yearly license. There are no additional costs."
"I think the pricing is a little better than most solutions out there. There are reasonable prices when it comes to some of the modules such as the Payroll module, and for the remaining modules I believe the pricing is fair in comparison to the rest of the market."
"It is not expensive because it is a complete suite with a module-based cost."
"For SAP, the product is pricey, both CAPEX and the OPEX. It's something that could be improved."
"The product is expensive. The product is worth the money you pay for it."
"I don't want to comment on the license cost, to be honest. It could be about $1,000 approximately per customer. However, it's very flexible in terms of the licensing costs depending on the volume and depending on the deal of installation."
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Answers from the Community

NC
Jan 25, 2024
Jan 25, 2024
When it comes to user experience, SuccessFactors is unquestionably superior, as it provides end users with a new experience and an advanced user interface. Additionally, the entire concept of SF is to simplify the process, giving life back to HR systems so that they can be more modern and flexible, and rely more on the heart of HR – the employee. On the other hand, while SF is technically less ...
See 2 answers
YZ
Sep 6, 2021
When it comes to user experience, SuccessFactors is unquestionably superior, as it provides end users with a new experience and an advanced user interface. Additionally, the entire concept of SF is to simplify the process, giving life back to HR systems so that they can be more modern and flexible, and rely more on the heart of HR – the employee. On the other hand, while SF is technically less complex than SAP HCM, it also has significantly less capability, particularly when it comes to integration with other SAP modules. For example, while SAP's integration between the SAP Project system and the SAP HCM process is robust, SuccessFactors' integration is limited and still in its early stages. In all circumstances, SAP SF represents the future of HR, with a highly promising road map. I believe that if SAP continues to create more features, SF will have greater functionality than SAP HCM in 5 years.
Kseniia Gravis - PeerSpot reviewer
Jan 25, 2024
So are you striving to successfully deploy and utilize SAP systems to centralize data, streamline operations, gain real-time insights and achieve business efficiency? SAP applications are the backbone of every business. We also discuss the best SAP implementation process as an ideal solution for such problems: https://www.cleveroad.com/blog/why-outsource-sap/ 
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Retailer
5%
Educational Organization
50%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
5%
Financial Services Firm
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about SAP HCM?
SAP HCM is the one of the best ERP for an organization with a small to large scale business. It has the most efficient payroll functionality. Regards : SAP HR classes in pune
What do you like most about SAP HCM?
HCM is a very important module that each organization should want to use. It will help any organization to calculate and control the cost of their human resources.
What is better, SAP HCM or SAP SuccessFactors?
When it comes to user experience, SuccessFactors is unquestionably superior, as it provides end users with a new experience and an advanced user interface. Additionally, the entire concept of SF is...
What are the biggest differences between Workday, Oracle Cloud and SAP SuccessFactors?
Differences between Workday, Oracle Cloud,w and SAP SuccessFactors:w Oracle: "simple interface and deep customization to suit the purpose." SAP: Multiple functionalities that increase process effi...
What do you like most about SAP SuccessFactors?
The tool is easy to use for performance management. We haven't experienced any issues with SAP SuccessFactors for performance management, which is great. However, since we're still learning to use ...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for SAP SuccessFactors?
The solution is expensive. However, it increases the company's value, making the cost worthwhile in the long run.
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

SAP Human Capital Management
SuccessFactors
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

City of Cape Town, ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Ltd., TransAlta Corporation, Keolis, PT XL Axiata Tbk, National Football League (NFL), Plan International, Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company, China Talent Group (CTG TMO), Umicore S.A., Butterfield Bank, Skrill Group Ltd.
City of Cape Town, ADAMA Agricultural Solutions Ltd., TransAlta Corporation, Keolis, PT XL Axiata Tbk, National Football League (NFL), Plan International, Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company, China Talent Group (CTG TMO), Umicore S.A., Butterfield Bank, Skril
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP HCM vs. SAP SuccessFactors and other solutions. Updated: November 2024.
824,154 professionals have used our research since 2012.