BambooHR vs PDS Vista

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Our analysts compared BambooHR vs PDS Vista 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

BambooHR is an HRMS designed for small and medium-sized businesses, and provides solutions for organizations in all industries. Based in the cloud, it streamlines data collection throughout the employee lifecycle, warehousing relevant information in a centralized database to make it easily accessible for managers and individual employees.

It facilitates hiring, onboarding, compensation administration, performance management, provides employee self-service capabilities and everything in-between. It allows organizations to make customizations, set multiple administrators and maintain inactive employees.
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PDS Vista is an integrated human capital management (HCM) system for streamlining HR functions, including hiring, onboarding, human resources, benefits, payroll and time and attendance tracking. It automates core processes, empowering organizations to minimize the time allocated to routine HCM and payroll tasks.

Highly customizable, it lets users tailor it to their needs. It also records crucial business strategy and decision-making data, giving employees and managers self-service access to payroll and workforce management features. Companies can opt for on-site or cloud deployment, ensuring flexibility during implementation.
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Small 
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Small 
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Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Windows
Mac
Linux
Android
Chromebook
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile
Cloud
On-Premise
Mobile

Product Assistance

Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Documentation
In Person
Live Online
Videos
Webinars
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
Email
Phone
Chat
FAQ
Forum
Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Apps Marketplace: Find official partner integrations and solutions in a unified location to choose add-ons that make BambooHR a more robust solution. 
  • Employee Self-Service: Employees can log in to view personal information, including time off balances, benefits information and the employee directory. Administrators can set reminders to notify employees when they have documents ready to e-sign or other tasks to complete. 
  • Ensure Privacy: Administrators can set permissions to allow employees to view and edit their personal information while restricting access to other sensitive data. Ensures that all individual employee information is kept private and protects important company information from employees who don’t need to see it. 
  • Live Support: Access live chat and phone support Monday through Friday, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. 
  • Progress Tracking: Gain visibility into the progress of individual projects and activities to oversee workflows and approvals, as well as which individuals have completed them. 
  • Security and Peace of Mind: Guarantees enterprise-level data security for any data that is housed within the system, ensuring compliance for organizations with security needs. 
  • Self Onboarding: Enable employees to e-sign and complete documents as well as enter their own information to streamline the onboarding process and free up managers to focus on other important tasks. Employees and new hires can also send introduction emails to meet team members before the newest employee starts their first shift. 
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  • Track KPIs: Drill into data and export it to a spreadsheet with a single click. Access over 100 pre-built tools, visualize data via comprehensive analytics and review insights through various charts and graphs, like scatter, line, column and pie charts.
  • Comply With ACA Regulations: Handle responsibilities related to ACA seamlessly. Use a comprehensive tracking tool to monitor the 30-hour mandate, ensure compliance with ACA requirements for health care plans, determine employee eligibility with automated tools and generate critical documents like 1095-Cs. 
  • Develop Reports: Simplify requesting business-centric data with the intuitive EasyAsk query tool, enabling users to select questions from a drop-down list. Enhance data generation with public or private lists of predefined questions. Choose which fields to include with a tool that supports synonyms (e.g., department or division) via a well-articulated dictionary. Access reports in multiple formats such as Excel, HTML and Word.
  • Reduce Manual Work: Automate approval processes with a workflow engine, streamline employee transactions like time-off requests, define conditions for multi-step operations and enable data filtering while maintaining transaction histories for auditing.. 
  • Go Mobile: Enhance workplace flexibility by providing remote access and editing capabilities to employees anywhere through the HRMS mobile app. Employees can view paycheck details, request time off and update data from their mobile devices. Equip managers to find employee contact info and approve job openings, vacation requests and raises.
  • Meet Compliance Regulations: Stay compliant with U.S. and Canadian laws via various reports and analytics, including OSHA, EEO, HIPAA, FMLA, IRCA, ADA, Vets-4212, AERS and ROE.
  • Support a Connected Business: Integrate with other systems for better business functioning. Configure data extracts using SQL (Structured Query Language) and effectively interface with any system. Retain absolute control over data, using various tools to process information automatically.
  • Maintain a Secure Environment: Control the information workforces see via robust security templates based on designated authorization and roles. 
  • Get Help When Needed: Product users consistently commend the support. Users can access support staff and educational resources like product videos and demos. Online tracking, technical assistance, user group membership and emergency support also ensure clients receive the assistance they need when they need it. 
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  • Applicant Tracking System (ATS): Allows recruiters to post jobs to popular job sharing sites and social media. Sends alerts to notify recruiters as candidates move through the application process and offers in-app messaging features to answer candidate questions directly. 
  • Overtime Compliance: Checks overtime regulations in all 50 states and territories, ensuring compliance. 
  • Benefits Administration: Provides an option to set a variable rate health plan or enable users to sync with Maxwell Health, a third-party benefits administration outsourcer. 
  • Calendars: Generate a “Who’s Out” calendar to track which employees are out on sick leave or PTO. Integrates with popular third-party calendar apps such as Google Calendar, iCalendar and Outlook Calendar, enabling employees to synchronize their devices so they can easily view who will be available and when. 
  • Custom Workflows: Build data entry workflows that allow different individuals to be assigned to tasks and enter information. Up to five different individuals can make changes and approve workflows. 
  • Employee Reviews: Measure employee satisfaction and see how to boost employee engagement via anonymous scorecards that allow employees to evaluate the workplace. Combines eNPS and intelligent feedback analysis to gauge all aspects of the employee experience. 
  • Inbox Notifications: Alerts managers when an employee submits a time off request and reminds managers when they need to take action, such as approving or denying these requests. 
  • Mobile Capability: Provides desktop benefits from anywhere. Android and iOS-compatible apps allow employees to view time off balances, request time off, view company directories, contact employees via direct message and more. 
  • Offboarding Alerts: Send reminders to system administrators and managers to ensure that all aspects of the offboarding process are completed before an employee leaves their position and it’s too late. 
  • Performance Management Add-On: Allows employees to leave peer reviews through an objective feedback questionnaire to provide more robust evaluations. Aids managers in evaluating and comparing employee performance on an individual and departmental level, as well as across the entire company. 
  • Streamlined Reporting: Quickly generate a variety of reports including EEO-1 via the library of built-in reports. Set custom permissions to keep confidential information safe and then share reports with an unlimited number of individuals for review. 
  • Time Off Calculator: Employees can check their current PTO balances, see any upcoming time off that they have scheduled and make PTO calculations with the in-app calculator to determine how much PTO they will accrue in the future. 
  • Time Tracking: Allows employees to clock-in and clock-out for shifts as well as view their timesheets. Alerts remind employees and managers to keep their timesheets up to date with accurate hours and approve timecards when necessary. 
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  • Human Resources: Boost employee management with onboarding, learning, safety and performance tools. Develop engagement, career planning and risk management programs. Create a historical data snapshot at any given point with the Point-in-Time builder tool.
  • Recruiting: Provide a wide range of recruiting functionalities by leveraging hiring tools. Track and capture recruitment data to maintain crucial applicant information. Enable HR teams to quickly analyze costs, manage applications, foster relationships with candidates and handle less paperwork overall.
  • Onboarding: Streamline onboarding by digitizing essential documents and providing access to a digital to-do list, a FAQ section and company content with simple configurations. Fast-track document signing through Adobe Sign or DocuSign enables new hires to electronically sign required HR, benefit and payroll forms before their first day, saving time and paper.
  • Workflow: Oversee staff transaction approvals with approval process automation and digital forms. Track transaction activities, reroute essential activities and information to participants and automate notifications. 
  • Reporting: Combine pre-formatted, parameter-driven HR data into a single report. Automate reports scheduling and create historical and metrics data to give managers an understanding of accepted company procedures. 
  • Analytics: Make smart strategic decisions and evaluate business data leveraging data. Seamlessly turn this data into valuable insights for better decision-making via the Vista Analytics component. 
  • Benefits Administration: Support various procedures and policies surrounding benefits administration. Offer a host of plans and coverage levels to the workforce. Take payroll deductions and premiums into account to automatically determine eligibility with the benefits administration tool. 
  • Payroll Management: Complete all payroll activities with various tools like time collection, tax maintenance service, auto-pay, reporting and a general ledger. Enable advanced functionalities, including retroactive pay, historical tracking and electronic documents and checks. Track and take action on data with an intuitive dashboard. 
  • Time and Attendance: Streamline attendance monitoring capabilities like time entry, reporting, payroll integration and multiple time collection methods. Gain advanced time tracking attributes with the cloud-based Vista Time tool. Offer geofencing and geolocation, a drag-and-drop schedule, message alerts, dashboards for employees and managers and accrued time forecasting. 
  • Self-Service Portal: Support HR activities and tasks with a range of company-wide and individual tools delivered through a comprehensive portal.
    • Provide a company directory, calendar events and company news.
    • Employees and managers can access information required to request, review and approve things like vacation or time entry.
    • Enable employees to manage their career goals and apply for internal job openings.
    • Includes a self-service tool to guide employees through benefits election and enrollment.
    • Effortlessly add links and relevant icons to content and implement manager self-service features in a protected manner, such as time approval, org charts and dashboards. 
  • Career Portal: Create a branded individualized career portal. Include filters, categories for ranking applicants, automation, and employee requisition attributes. Facilitate the entire application process for candidates with the job center tool and allow them to complete applications anytime from any location, leveraging a mobile interface. Supports multiple languages for enhanced self-service.
  • Mobile App: Leverage a mobile app on Android and Apple devices to remotely access MyVista, including the mobile-optimized Vista Onboarding and Vista Recruiting Career Center. 
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Product Ranking

#38

among all
HR Management Software

#65

among all
HR Management Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

59
76
62
69
49
75
21
84
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Vendor Information
Professional Services and Maintenance
Training
Availability and Scalability
Deployment Options
Professional Services and Maintenance
User Support
Document Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

BambooHR
PDS Vista
+ Add Product + Add Product
Applicant Tracking And Recruiting Benefits Management Compensation Management Document Management Employee Engagement Employee Onboarding And Administration Employee Self Service Learning Management Payroll Management Performance Management Platform Capabilities Reporting And Dashboard Succession Management Time And Attendance Management Workforce Management 62 49 21 78 79 80 60 36 49 53 61 62 25 54 31 69 75 84 98 69 84 83 64 91 78 78 93 48 62 45 0 25 50 75 100
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50%
73%
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27%
31%
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69%
68%
5%
27%
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33%
67%
92%
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8%
71%
14%
15%
100%
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80%
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20%
60%
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40%
73%
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27%
73%
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27%
33%
17%
50%
83%
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17%
25%
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75%
36%
7%
57%
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81%
19%
86%
5%
9%
8%
54%
38%
71%
7%
22%
63%
0%
37%
75%
0%
25%
56%
0%
44%
89%
0%
11%
17%
0%
83%
50%
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50%
25%
33%
42%
25%
58%
17%
0%
18%
82%
9%
45%
46%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

BambooHR
PDS Vista
+ Add Product + Add Product
Availability And Scalability Deployment Options Integrations And Extensibility Mobile Platform Security 71 50 71 75 100 100 57 87 0 25 50 75 100
75%
0%
25%
100%
0%
0%
0%
0%
100%
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100%
60%
0%
40%
53%
0%
47%
100%
0%
0%
100%
0%
0%
67%
0%
33%
83%
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17%

Analyst Ratings for Vendor Qualification Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

0%
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100%
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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 4948 reviews
Great User Sentiment 67 reviews
91%
of users recommend this product

BambooHR has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 91% when considering 4948 user reviews from 6 recognized software review sites.

84%
of users recommend this product

PDS Vista has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 84% when considering 67 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (38)
n/a
4.4 (1048)
4.3 (22)
4.58 (1773)
n/a
4.6 (1589)
4.5 (16)
4.6 (272)
n/a
4.3 (228)
4.0 (29)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated BambooHR and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Vendor Information. BambooHR stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award
Vendor Information Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated PDS Vista and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Deployment Options, Professional Services and Maintenance and User Support.

Deployment Options Award
Professional Services and Maintenance Award
User Support Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Ease to Use: BambooHR has an intuitive and user-friendly interface, according to 100% of reviews on the UI.
Leave and Attendance Management: 85% of reviews on leave and ATS indicated that it’s quick and efficient for recording and updating these details.
Employee Self-Service: 100% of reviews mentioning self-service observed that it helps easily update personal information, view job history, and generate pay stubs and benefits information.
Onboarding: Automated workflows make the onboarding experience simpler and faster, according to all reviews referring to this aspect.
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Comprehensive Suite: PDS Vista offers a wide range of modules, covering everything from core HR functions like payroll and benefits administration to talent management, recruiting, and learning management. This comprehensive suite eliminates the need for multiple, disparate systems, streamlining HR processes and data management.
Customizable and Scalable: The system's flexibility allows organizations to tailor it to their specific needs and industry regulations. Whether it's adding custom fields, workflows, or reports, PDS Vista adapts to evolving requirements and growth, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes.
User-Friendly Interface: PDS Vista is known for its intuitive interface, which reduces the learning curve for HR professionals and employees alike. The system's ease of use promotes user adoption and engagement, leading to more efficient HR operations.
Reporting and Analytics: Robust reporting tools provide HR teams with valuable insights into workforce data, enabling data-driven decision-making. From standard reports to ad-hoc queries and dashboards, PDS Vista empowers HR to analyze trends, identify areas for improvement, and measure the impact of HR initiatives.
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Lacks Crucial Tools: Lacks functions such as attaching documents for employee benefits, restrictions on editing employee forms once saved and more, according to all reviews on this element.
Custom Report Filters: According to 100% of reviews on reports, it doesn't provide any option to customize report filters.
Payroll Processing and Management: All reviews mentioning this element noted that the software lacks an in-house tool for payroll processing and management.
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Clunky Interface: Navigating PDS Vista can feel cumbersome and outdated, often requiring multiple clicks to accomplish simple tasks. The interface appears visually dated, which may deter users accustomed to modern software design.
Reporting Limitations: Generating custom reports or extracting specific data sets can be challenging due to the system's rigid structure. Users often find themselves exporting data to external programs for further analysis, creating an extra step in the workflow.
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BambooHR provides hiring, onboarding, compensation administration, performance management and employee self-service capabilities to companies of all sizes and industries. Reviews suggest that it has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. Employee self-service and a simplified onboarding experience are some noteworthy capabilities. The most repeated drawbacks include the absence of crucial functionality and the inability to customize report filters. Moreover, in-house payroll processing and management isn’t included. It can be a solid choice for companies willing to integrate with a third-party payroll provider.

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PDS Vista appears to be most suitable for mid-sized to large companies with complex organizational structures and a high volume of employees. The software's ability to handle intricate HR processes, such as onboarding, benefits administration, and payroll, makes it a valuable tool for organizations with diverse needs. Additionally, PDS Vista's scalability ensures that it can grow alongside a company, accommodating increasing demands as the workforce expands. Smaller businesses with simpler HR requirements might find the software's extensive features to be overwhelming and may prefer a more streamlined solution. One of the key strengths of PDS Vista is its comprehensive suite of features. Users appreciate the software's ability to manage various HR functions, from recruitment and onboarding to performance management and employee development. This all-in-one approach eliminates the need for multiple HR systems, streamlining processes and reducing administrative burdens. For instance, the performance management module allows managers to set goals, track progress, and provide feedback, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. However, some users have noted that the extensive features can lead to a steeper learning curve, requiring dedicated training and support to fully utilize the software's capabilities. When compared to competitors like Workday and SAP SuccessFactors, PDS Vista stands out for its robust reporting and analytics capabilities. Users can generate custom reports to gain insights into workforce trends, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions. The software's ability to track key HR metrics, such as employee turnover and engagement levels, enables organizations to proactively address potential issues and optimize their HR strategies. While Workday and SAP SuccessFactors also offer reporting features, PDS Vista's user-friendly interface and customizable dashboards make it easier for HR professionals to access and interpret data.

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Screenshots

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