Namely vs SumTotal
Last Updated:Our analysts compared Namely vs SumTotal based on data from our 400+ point analysis of HR Management Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.
Product Basics
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Product Assistance
Product Insights
- Save Time: Automatically perform common actions, such as approving promotions or pay raises, with workflows. Eliminate the need to assign new users every time an employee leaves or changes positions via role-based approvals assigned to titles rather than individual employees.
- Organize Workflows: Create different workflows for different departments, teams and additional groups at company.
- Keep Everyone Informed: Stay updated on the latest company news with a central news feed that supports uploading images, GIFs and videos.
- Configure Employee Profiles: Choose which fields to include when setting up employee profiles.
- Build Org Charts: Set up org charts that show the relationship of every worker. Supports teams of any size, along with multiple leaders. Automatically updates when new hires join, using the relationships stored in the employee database.
- Track Events: Stay on top of important dates like holidays, legal deadlines and other events, as the calendar feature has critical dates already included. Download it as an ICS file to sync with an online calendar. Also includes monthly resources and tips on HR topics.
- Control Access: Manage access controls for data by assigning user roles and setting permissions so everyone can access the information they need without compromising sensitive data.
- Plug In Apps: Integrate with over 50 partner apps from eSignature and international payroll to office management and HR outsourcing. Includes TSheets, Litmos, OneLogin, G Suite, Adobe, Jobvite and Ameriflex.
- Employee Retention: Provide tools for employee development, management and learning practices that encourage employee retention.
- Enhanced Productivity: Talent managers can continuously onboarding to speed up overall productivity.
- Organizational Stability: Learning-centered employee development builds an agile workforce that is adaptable to changing business environments.
- Learning Ecosystem: Invest in research and development on the latest learning trends, which managers can leverage to enhance employees' learning experience.
- Talent Engagement: Engage top talent while moving through the recruitment process, understand the workforce, identify the best talent and build a seamless experience for candidates as well as hiring teams.
- Enhanced Candidate Experience: Offer smartphone-optimized sites with intelligent and automated interview tools, candidate matching, and an easy-to-use mobile app interface. Keep applicants informed about upcoming interview details via a user dashboard.
- Accelerated Time-to-Performance: Seamless onboarding training helps new hires get up to speed quickly. Provide unique company policies and work culture for them to become familiar with the company.
- Smooth Role Switch: Access onboarding plans for new roles that include defined goals, new teams and KPI’s that ensure a more seamless transition to new responsibilities.
- Robust Manager and Admin Capabilities: Managers and administrators can easily view, schedule, filter, mark up and share reports from a mobile dashboard. Leverage reporting tools, advanced reports and dashboards at a single click.
- Informed Compensation Plans: Create smart, data-driven compensation plans according to preset or custom parameters. Real-time performance insights and budget modeling make compensation informed, fair and cost-effective.
- Payroll: Includes:
- Regulatory compliance, employee access, prebuilt reports, and automatic generation and filing of 1094s and 1095s for ACA.
- Benefits deduction calculations, so payroll numbers are always updated.
- Automatic syncing with all HR data.
- End-of-year reporting like W-2s and 1099s, including tax filing.
- Time and Attendance: Enables:
- Data transfer to the payroll module for accurate processing, with options for online time tracking. Offers physical clocks equipped with punch-in methods such as PIN, fingerprint and ID card.
- Data summary views surrounding hourly workers with the admin dashboard, which shows and uses reports to drill into greater detail on different metrics.
- Scheduling, managing overtime and performing mass editing actions.
- Talent Management: Provides onboarding capabilities, eSignature, custom performance reviews, task tracking, configurable employee surveys, goal management, customizable automated review cycles and more.
- Benefits Administration: Includes health insurance, FSA and HSA options, life and disability insurance, 401(k), wellness programs, and more. Additional insurance coverage for pets and identity theft available as well. Namely Exchange automatically sends employee elections to Cigna.
- HR Analytics: Contains:
- Metrics on diversity using factors like gender and age.
- Pay gap analyses for gender and ethnicity, sorted by job level, department and other criteria.
- Dashboard with KPIs such as trends for headcount, time off and attrition.
- Custom reports to gain deeper insights and compare performance against industry benchmarks.
- Mobile App: Available for iOS and Android, with geo-fencing for time management. Employees can request time off, while managers can receive notifications and view team PTO.
- Open API: Enables Namely to act as a system of record and facilitates single sign-on. Import data from other platforms, such as an applicant tracking system, learning management system or ERP.
- Talent Development: Provides combined functionality of talent onboarding, talent management and learning management solutions to cater to talent development requirements.
- Talent Acquisition: Helps create a streamlined hiring cycle, hire the right talent, engage fresh recruits and drive productivity from day one.
- Learning Management:
- Helps provide a customized, personalized and engaging learning experience tailored to the skill and competency of individuals rather than the whole team.
- Ease of access on all devices, along with an offline mode, ensures seamless and consistent access to content and courses.
- Talent Management: Personalized and intuitive tools help employees pursue career growth and development. Capabilities include performance management, 360-degree feedback, succession planning and compensation management.
- Performance Management: Provides comprehensive feedback and tools that make feedback actionable, constructive and insightful. Measures workforce productivity, progress and priorities in real time.
- Succession Planning: Enables talent managers to identify and assess skill gaps, build agile talent pools, and align employee success with business goals and objectives.
- Compensation Management: Simplifies and streamline compensation plans, and helps build competitive packages to attract and retain top recruits. Workflow automation and compensation management tools aid compliance with complex global policies.
- Workforce Management: Bundled payroll, benefits and expense management minimize time, cost and efforts while maximizing accuracy. Features include automated scheduling, time and attendance, absence management, and compliance.
- Applicant Tracking System: Includes real-time alerts and notifications for offer approvals, a unique dashboard and reports widgets, customizable requisitions, and a consolidated requisition workspace.
- Mobility: Provides access to tools and reporting capabilities at all times and from any location. The dashboard can be operated using a tablet, desktop, mobile app or a phone browser.
- Growth Edition: Caters to the needs of fast-growing small and medium-sized businesses. Includes webinars, instructor-led training, approvals, and additional learning resources that users can access and configure anytime.
- Extended Enterprise: Helps build a brand image, accelerate growth and drive new sources of potential revenue. Facilitates an enriched and optimized learning experience for distributors, partners and customers.
- Gamified and Collaborative Learning: Helps:
- Assess and accelerate learning with gamification capabilities that include leaderboards, points, levels and badges.
- Enhance employee engagement by identifying and rewarding the right learning behaviors.
- Enrich the knowledge of new hires with collaborative learning, up-to-date content, feedback and social ratings.
Product Ranking
#30
among all
HR Management Software
#23
among all
HR Management Software
User Sentiment Summary
1299 reviews
132 reviews
Namely has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 81% when considering 1299 user reviews from 6 recognized software review sites.
SumTotal has a 'fair' User Satisfaction Rating of 69% when considering 132 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.
Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews
Navigating the realm of HR software can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack, but Namely consistently emerges as a top contender, especially for mid-sized businesses. Users frequently highlight its user-friendly interface, affordability, and comprehensive features as standout qualities. Reviews often mention the intuitive design and ease of navigation, making it accessible even for those without extensive HR experience. The platform's affordability, without compromising on essential features, is another recurring theme in user feedback. Namely's wide range of features, encompassing payroll, benefits administration, talent management, and compliance tools, further solidifies its position as a versatile and valuable solution. When compared to competitors like Deluxe, Namely's broader scope of features becomes evident. While Deluxe primarily focuses on payroll processing, Namely offers a more holistic approach to HR management. This distinction is crucial for businesses seeking a comprehensive solution that extends beyond basic payroll functions. Namely's emphasis on employee engagement and its intuitive self-service portal are also differentiating factors that resonate with users. The platform empowers employees to manage their own information, benefits, and time-off requests, fostering a sense of ownership and streamlining HR processes. Considering its strengths and weaknesses, Namely appears to be an ideal fit for mid-sized businesses with 25 to 1,000 employees. Its scalability, comprehensive features, and focus on employee experience cater specifically to the needs of growing companies. Namely's ability to streamline HR processes, improve efficiency, and enhance employee engagement makes it a valuable asset for businesses looking to optimize their HR operations and cultivate a positive work environment.
SumTotal users paint a mixed picture, praising its robust functionality and mobile accessibility while critiquing its clunky interface and steep learning curve. Many laud its comprehensive suite, encompassing everything from onboarding to performance management, finding it a one-stop shop for HR needs. One user gushes, "It's like having a whole HR department in the cloud!" However, ease of use seems to be a major sticking point. Comments like "The interface feels outdated and unintuitive" and "Learning curve is a mountain, not a hill" pop up frequently. This is often contrasted with praise for competitors like Workday, lauded for its sleek design and user-friendliness. One user sums it up: "SumTotal has the depth, Workday has the polish." Mobile accessibility shines as a bright spot, with users appreciating the ability to manage tasks on the go. This stands out compared to some competitors, making SumTotal a good fit for companies with a mobile workforce. Ultimately, SumTotal seems to be a powerful tool for organizations willing to invest the time and effort in mastering its complexities. As one user puts it, "It's not perfect, but it's incredibly versatile. If you can handle the initial climb, the view from the top is pretty good."
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