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SAP HCM vs UKG comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 3, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
1.0
SAP HCM boosts ROI by automating processes, improving decision-making, and supporting talent management with quick results.
Sentiment score
6.2
UKG users enjoy data integrity and efficiency, but many find ROI unclear despite improved processes and cost savings.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.9
SAP HCM support is generally satisfactory but inconsistent, with delayed enhancements and variable response times needing improvement.
Sentiment score
7.2
UKG's customer service is inconsistent, praised for expertise but criticized for delays and inefficiencies, needing service consistency improvements.
My impression of SAP HCM's technical support is great, as we get a lot of help and good feedback from them.
Assistant Manager at Kashiv Biosciences
I am totally satisfied with the response time and quality of support.
sap technical lead at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Not all requests are attended to promptly.
Vice President & Group Head- People & Workplace Management at Alorica
One developer and one functional person can efficiently manage the implementation for a large organization.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.2
SAP HCM offers scalable and adaptable solutions for enterprises and smaller organizations, supporting global compliance and thousands of users.
Sentiment score
7.4
UKG is scalable and adaptable across various organization sizes and industries, effectively meeting growth and flexibility requirements.
Currently, we are upgrading from 4.12 to 4.18, and after migrating the DC, our applications run smoothly without any challenges or slowness.
DevOps Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
SAP HCM is quite scalable.
Vice President & Group Head- People & Workplace Management at Alorica
UKG is scalable, especially for organizations with shift work activities like healthcare, as it can accommodate different shift timings and overlapping schedules efficiently.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
SAP HCM is stable and reliable, with occasional issues, and transitioning to cloud solutions is suggested for future stability.
Sentiment score
7.1
Users find UKG mostly stable with occasional issues, but appreciate quick responses and effective system integration.
I would rate its stability as nine out of ten.
Vice President & Group Head- People & Workplace Management at Alorica
I would rate the stability of SAP HCM as seven out of ten.
Manager IT at a educational organization with 51-200 employees
 

Room For Improvement

SAP HCM struggles with an outdated interface, integration issues, complex payroll, and high costs deterring smaller enterprises.
UKG users seek improved implementation, customer service, system integration, platform flexibility, and enhanced features like time management and training.
SAP HCM needs to be more customizable to fit unique organizational processes.
Manager IT at a educational organization with 51-200 employees
SuccessFactors, a globally recognized and more easy-to-use tool, serves as a great substitute for some SAP HCM needs.
Assistant Manager at Kashiv Biosciences
We sometimes face issues in the minor version, requiring us to upgrade to the major version.
DevOps Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
It is a productive ERP application, but many people in the IT market are not aware of it.
 

Setup Cost

SAP HCM is costly, suited for large businesses, with complex licensing and possibly competitive pricing with bundled modules.
UKG's pricing, influenced by employees and modules, is high yet justified, with negotiation options and discounts available.
SAP HCM is costly compared to other ERPs like Microsoft Dynamics or Oracle, and I would rate the cost as one out of ten.
Manager IT at a educational organization with 51-200 employees
SAP HCM is quite expensive, but considering solutions like Oracle, they are similar.
Vice President & Group Head- People & Workplace Management at Alorica
I would rate pricing for SAP as one because the price is high.
sap technical lead at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Compared to other ERPs like Oracle SCM Cloud or SAP, UKG's pricing is standard and not as expensive.
 

Valuable Features

SAP HCM delivers automation, seamless integration, and robust features for productivity, insights, and scalable data management with user-friendly interfaces.
UKG offers intuitive, customizable HR solutions with seamless integrations, enhancing automation, data management, and employee lifecycle efficiency.
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.
DevOps Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
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.
sap technical lead at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
The T-codes are really helpful to understand which particular option we need when we put the T-code in the search box.
Assistant Manager at Kashiv Biosciences
The application is like an ERP, providing comprehensive features for organizations, simplifying their processes, and reducing the need to use multiple software solutions.
 

Categories and Ranking

SAP HCM
Ranking in Benefits Administration
3rd
Ranking in Talent Management
3rd
Ranking in Cloud HCM
2nd
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
59
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
UKG
Ranking in Benefits Administration
4th
Ranking in Talent Management
6th
Ranking in Cloud HCM
5th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
125
Ranking in other categories
Employee Scheduling Software (1st), Employee Time Tracking Software (1st), HR Analytics Software (2nd), Talent Acquisition (6th), AI-Agents for HR (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Cloud HCM category, the mindshare of SAP HCM is 5.4%, down from 15.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of UKG is 4.9%, up from 4.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Cloud HCM Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
SAP HCM5.4%
UKG4.9%
Other89.7%
Cloud HCM
 

Featured Reviews

SS
Assistant Manager at Kashiv Biosciences
Centralized global HR data has improved expense control and supports secure employee management
The features of SAP HCM are valued by me as it had a clear idea about what was expected from the user point. The person or the application has a lot of features and it had actually all the information needed from our part. That aspect is nice. Apart from that, the T-codes are really helpful to understand which particular option we need when we put the T-code in the search box. The stability and reliability of SAP HCM product are really nice, very helpful, and secured. It has no point of leakage and is mostly reliable, as most companies and organizations prefer SAP over many tools. As for security, it's already secured from the beginning itself, and that is the only reason our organization relies on it. Since it's very useful at a global scale, it is a very useful tool and is very easy to access and handle.
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.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Healthcare Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business19
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise39
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business48
Midsize Enterprise43
Large Enterprise48
 

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 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...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

SAP Human Capital Management
UKG Pro, UKG Dimensons, UKG Ready
 

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.
Tesla, Marriott, Yamaha, Aramark, Feeding America, Samsung, Sony Music, Dave & Buster's, Revlon
Find out what your peers are saying about SAP HCM vs. UKG and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,899 professionals have used our research since 2012.