Payroll by Wave vs. Sage HRMS

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Payroll by Wave
Score 10.0 out of 10
N/A
Wave Accounting headquartered in Toronto now offers Payroll by Wave, a payroll app for small businesses.N/A
Sage HRMS
Score 9.8 out of 10
N/A
Sage HRMS is an HR management solution that integrates payroll, benefits, recruiting, employee self-service, and analytics capabilities.N/A
Pricing
Payroll by WaveSage HRMS
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Payroll by WaveSage HRMS
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Payroll by WaveSage HRMS
Considered Both Products
Payroll by Wave
Chose Payroll by Wave
All the services we researched were quality options however given our size at the time I settled on Payroll by Wave apps based on cost and how easy it was to run payroll.
Chose Payroll by Wave
First is the cost. Since QuickBooks removed the inhouse solution and moved everything to the cloud, the cost for a small business is prohibited. WAVE is reasonable in cost. Support for QB isn't great they are always trying to upsell and commit. WAVE support in comparison …
Chose Payroll by Wave
Similar features, similar pricing. I selected Wave initially because my accounting is integrated with the other Wave software.
Chose Payroll by Wave
I fell Payroll by Wave is more simplified and makes more sense for me as I already use Wave for bookkeeping.
Chose Payroll by Wave
We moved away from Wave as most of our contractors are time-based, and Wave flat out refuses to provide time tracking features. We tried integrations, but the pricing/complexity goes up and reliability goes down when integrating systems which were not intended to communicate. …
Sage HRMS
Chose Sage HRMS
Ceridian Dayforce, UKG Pro and UKG Dimensions
Chose Sage HRMS
I currently use Paycor. It is a good platform for the organization. Sage HRMS was good software, but didn't support some of the more quirkier states like PA and IN for payroll. Paycor had similar constraints. Neither is a great fit if you are doing business across multiple …
Chose Sage HRMS
Sage HRMS is pretty good, but ICIMS was more of a complete and concrete ATS package. Sage HRMS's customer service was excellent, but ICIMS was robust and user-friendly. I would rate them both close, but ICIMS would be a better applicant tracking system from an HR standpoint.
Chose Sage HRMS
Sage HRMS is popular and it's used in most organizations due to the reputation of Sage in coming up with popular and reliable business softwares. The software is not that expensive and after learning how to use it, everything becomes smooth and perfect. It's ultimate strength …
Chose Sage HRMS
Sage HRMS was very cost effective for a non-profit. It does all that we needed as a company and more. It also allows us to handle payroll ourselves instead of outsourcing [it].
Chose Sage HRMS
I would say that Sage is ranked #3.
Chose Sage HRMS
Our version of Sage does not stand up to the competition, however, the cost is also much lower as well.
Chose Sage HRMS
Prior to implementing Sage HRMS, our organization was much smaller and split into two separate companies. The smaller of the companies used a similar product called "FileBound" that served at the business' human resource management software. It was much like Sage HRMS, but …
Features
Payroll by WaveSage HRMS
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Payroll by Wave
9.4
Ratings
13% above category average
Sage HRMS
4.8
Ratings
50% below category average
Pay calculation10.00 Ratings6.10 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors9.00 Ratings4.00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Benefit plan administration9.00 Ratings2.10 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.50 Ratings3.00 Ratings
Reimbursement management10.00 Ratings3.20 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Payroll by Wave
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
5.5
Ratings
35% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings1.30 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings1.20 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Payroll by Wave
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
1.2
Ratings
148% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings1.20 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings1.20 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Payroll by Wave
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
3.9
Ratings
70% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings4.10 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings4.20 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings1.10 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings4.00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Payroll by Wave
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
7.0
Ratings
14% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Payroll by Wave
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
3.7
Ratings
68% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings2.00 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings1.20 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Payroll by Wave
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
7.0
Ratings
12% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Payroll by Wave
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
7.3
Ratings
8% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Payroll by Wave
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
7.8
Ratings
0% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Payroll by Wave
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
8.5
Ratings
8% above category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Payroll by Wave
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
7.6
Ratings
2% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Payroll by WaveSage HRMS
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Payroll by WaveSage HRMS
Likelihood to Recommend
10.0
(0 ratings)
1.2
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Payroll by WaveSage HRMS
Likelihood to Recommend
Great for small business payroll needs. Reports and taxes are taken care of, everything is automated and once you're set up it's literally just a matter of minutes to run payroll each time. You also get email reminders which is helpful. There are premium features available for companies with larger/more robust needs, and I would definitely recommend looking into this software if you are searching for a user friendly payroll solution
Read full review
Sage HRMS might be great for a smaller company under 1,000 employees. I would not recommend it for larger companies. It becomes too burdensome because many processes still have to be manual and reports take forever to process if you have too many records in your system
Read full review
Pros
  • Payroll by Wave processes quickly and deposits to employee accounts automatically
  • Simple process to review time sheets, bonuses, commissions, etc...
  • Provides detailed reports
Read full review
  • Reporting - there are three levels of reporting - 1. Standard Reports 2. Query Tool - users can create very simple list with some filtering functionality 3. Crystal Reports - user can create very simple to complex report pulling data from multiple table, calculated fields, etc.
  • Benefit Tracking - benefit plans are setup utilizing rate tables therefore rate changes are updated globally
  • Payroll - everyday payroll processing and tax filing that is very user friendly
Read full review
Cons
  • Payroll is a paid feature at $10 + $4/employee per month. I suppose this is a normal expense, but other payroll systems I've used, such as ones built into online banking, have cost me a fraction of this.
Read full review
  • It is sometimes hard to identify parts of competency/compensation history. We built tables to store this data but it is not laid out well on the screen.
  • Sometimes, even when you tell the system to "Add to History" it doesn't update so there is history missing. This impacts someone that relies on history for troubleshooting and reports.
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Likelihood to Renew
No answers on this topic
I do not work with this software anymore, and I am not involved with the renewal of it. However, if I were, I would still suggest using it unless something better was introduced
Read full review
Usability
Very simple & straightforward system to learn and when time is always of the essence the efficiency is much appreciated
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Quick response times, personalized service. They offer in-depth videos and guides for helping to get set up. Any time I have a question about taxes or reporting, they answer quickly and give comprehensive answers. Members of the team with whom I've interacted have been courteous, friendly, and helpful. Overall, great support.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
We moved away from Wave as most of our contractors are time-based, and Wave flat out refuses to provide time tracking features. We tried integrations, but the pricing/complexity goes up and reliability goes down when integrating systems which were not intended to communicate. We since moved to Avaza and sacrificed Payroll for more robust time tracking, project management, and a very open feature development process
Read full review
Sage HRMS is popular and it's used in most organizations due to the reputation of Sage in coming up with popular and reliable business softwares. The software is not that expensive and after learning how to use it, everything becomes smooth and perfect. It's ultimate strength lies in payroll management and helping in applicant tracking capabilities
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • Peace of mind that all the payroll tax-related stuff is taken care of accurately and on time.
  • Easy to use interface saves time and helps ensure I am paid on time.
Read full review
  • Sage HRMS allowed us to manage payroll in house.
  • It was disappointing that we had to use an outside vendor to file and pay our withholding tax.
  • Ultimately, the decision was made to outsource payroll after using HRMS for 3 years.
Read full review
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