Here is a full list of performance management systems and a summary of what each company claims to offer. This alphabetical list also includes our best picks.
ADP Workforce – ADP's performance management module includes an ongoing, 360 multi-rater review process, goal management and tracking, and career development plans. ADP also includes a pay-for-performance module that helps managers to reward top performers with raises and bonuses. https://www.adp.com/
APS Online – APS's cloud-based performance management software helps automate the review process from the appraisal through future skills development. APS's system also flags potential gaps in performance or talent within your organization. https://www.apspayroll.com/unified-solution/core-hr/online-performance-reviews/
BambooHR – BambooHR, our best pick for standalone performance management systems, is a versatile performance management module that features an open API. Bamboo handles major functions like performance appraisals, goal management and tracking, and career development plans. Read our full review here or visit http://hr.bamboohr.com/bamboohr-performance-management-software/
BetterWorks – BetterWorks sees performance management as aligned with goal management and compensation. With 360-degree and peer feedback, BetterWorks reports are colored by information from numerous sources within the organization. https://www.betterworks.com/continuous-performance-management/
BizMerlin – BizMerlin's performance management software is part of its larger human capital management (HCM) software suite. In addition to the key features like 360 degree feedback and goal management, BizMerlin also features a real time social feed. http://www.bizmerlin.com/
Clear Company – Clear Company offers a talent management suite from recruiting, hiring, onboarding, reviewing, and engaging employees. The performance review software is particularly customizable, lending users a greater degree of control over content of the reviews. http://info.clearcompany.com/performance-management
Cornerstone OnDemand – Cornerstone's performance management software and the associated goal management system are effective tools that live on an easy-to-use platform. As one of the larger players in the performance management space, Cornerstone caters to mid-sized and enterprise businesses. https://www.cornerstoneondemand.com/performance
Deep Talent – With automated employee notifications, managers will be delivered self-evaluations from individuals and teams automatically. Deep Talent offers 360-degree feedback, a business intelligence tool, and customizable review forms, to name a few features. https://deeptalent.com/
empXtrack – This cloud-based SaaS performance management system offers continuous feedback and engagement with employees. empXtrack also brings a focus on talent retention to the performance management and succession planning modules. https://empxtrack.com/performance-management/
Engagedly – Engagedly is a user-friendly system focused on ongoing performance reviews and real-time multi-rater feedback. Engagedly also includes a social learning tool to help employees develop their skills in accordance with organizational needs or their own aspirations. http://engagedly.com/
Epicor – Epicor's performance management solution is geared more toward large, enterprise businesses. Placing priority on analytics and business intelligence tools, Epicor aims to help large companies make sense of their sprawling troves of data. http://www.epicor.com/solutions/enterprise-performance-management.aspx
Fairsail HRMS – Fairsail's performance management system is blended nicely with skills and competencies, as well as career development planning for employees. The clean user interface helps make Fairsail a cinch to learn. Customizable review methods can make appraisals more or less complex depending on your needs. https://www.fairsail.com/
Financial Force – Financial Force's performance management system brings a flexible, customizable solution that boasts a high degree of automation between employees and managers, keeping the workflow moving. 360-degree ongoing feedback between employees and managers maintains engagement throughout the year, and career development and succession planning helps cultivate existing talent for the future.https://www.financialforce.com/human-capital-management/talent-management/
Halogen Software – Halogen TalentSpace, our best pick for performance management software for small business, features an extremely customizable system that can be tailored specifically to your company. That customization and flexibility was important in our decision-making, because small businesses require a solution that can scale with their company. Read our full review here or visit http://www.halogensoftware.com/products
HRSmart (Deltek) – Deltek's unified talent management system covers all the basics from recruiting and onboarding to performance management and compensation. Each module can be broken out of the larger system and standalone; in the case of performance management, Deltek offers tools to achieve a "motivated, developed, and loyal" workforce. https://www.deltek.com/en/products/hr-and-talent-management/talent-management/modules/performance
HRSoft – HRSoft employs its cloud-based PERFORMview software to automate much of the performance review process. Touting the "one page approach," HRSoft aims to reduce complicated procedures and improve employee engagement and performance review effectiveness. https://hrsoft.com/products/performance-management-software/
Kronos Workforce Ready – Kronos Workforce Ready offers a comprehensive HCM software suite that excels greatly at accommodating different types of workforces, be they salaried, hourly, part time, or full time. Combining performance management with succession planning and compensation management provide a powerful set of solutions that share data seamlessly with one another. https://www.kronos.com/products/workforce-ready-suite
Lumesse – Lumesse is a unified talent management suite that includes the major performance management functions, connecting employees and managers in an ongoing, year-round process. Succession planning and career development go hand-in-hand with Lumesse's performance management solution. http://www.lumesse.com/talent-management-system
Namely – Namely maintains an all-in-one HR solution, from payroll and benefits to performance management. A clean user interface for performance management makes navigation and review quite simple, and Namely includes all the most important features we looked for in a performance management module. http://get.namely.com/top-hr-solution/
Paylocity – Paylocity is a full HCM software suite that includes a talent management suite with an effective and reliable performance management system. Features include 360 multi-rater feedback, career development planning, and goal management. https://www.paylocity.com/product-tour/talent-management/
PeopleFluent – PeopleFluent's performance management module is focused on improving coaching and constant feedback between managers, employees, and teams of people. Performance reviews are completed on an ongoing basis, while goal management and career development benefit as a result as well. http://www.peoplefluent.com/products/performance
PeopleSoft (Oracle) – Designed primarily for enterprise businesses, PeopleSoft is focused on providing performance management services to companies with many employees. Oracle's performance management solution achieves this by helping align budgetary and growth planning to employee performance management. http://www.oracle.com/us/products/applications/peoplesoft-enterprise/enterprise-performance-management/index.html
Ramco HCM – Ramco's performance management system helps make the review process even easier by employing a talent score card, which includes employee information, their current performance status, compensation, etc. This feature nicely supplements the more familiar performance management features, like 360-degree multi-rater feedback and career development planning. http://www.ramco.com/hcm/features-and-benefits/talent-management/
ReviewSnap – ReviewSnap offers a standalone performance management system rather than a full HCM suite. This makes it comparatively easier to implement and flattens out the necessary learning curve for both managers and employees. Custom performance reviews include 360-degree multi-rater feedback, a compensation dashboard, and a career development learning tool. https://www.reviewsnap.com/
SAP SuccessFactors – SAP SuccessFactors does a great job of marrying performance management, goal management, and talent assessments to create an effective talent management suite for mid-sized companies and larger. The system helps managers identify and monitor top talent prospects for internal promotion, as well as looks for skills gaps within the company. https://www.successfactors.com/en_us.html#
SABA – SABA's performance management software makes it easy to help employees understand where they fit into company strategy and what their specific role is. Simple visual tools help users quickly identify employee strengths, weaknesses, goals, and skill sets. https://www.saba.com/us/apps/performance-work/
SilkRoad – Aiming to build a "culture of feedback and conversation," SilkRoad champions peer-to-peer feedback. Also equipped with a "check-in" feature and a strong goal management component, SilkRoad helps to better connect employees to their managers, as well as one another, to better achieve corporate objectives.http://www.silkroad.com/hr-solutions/talent-development/silkroad-performance/
SkillNet Software – SkillNet's cloud-based performance management solution includes most of the major features we looked for, including 360 multi-rater evalutation, peer feedback, goal management, and even succession planning. Reviews can also be conducted in short term periods of 30, 60, or 90 days. http://skillnet.net/performance-management-forms/
TalentGuard - TalentGuard's cloud-based software contains career pathing, development planning and succession planning features, as well as a handful of other offerings. The company's software suite also comes with reliable customer support options. https://talentguard.com/
TrakStar – TrakStar is focused solely on performance management software, which provides the benefit of an affordable, dedicated solution. On the other hand, it means you'll have to be certain it can integrate with the rest of your HR software suite. Still, TrakStar excels at its focus and provides a reliable product that helps alleviate the stress of the performance review. https://www.trakstar.com/
TriNet – TriNet Perform boasts a robust goal management feature that allows employees and managers to annotate various goals for clarification or further direction. TriNet Perform also includes a 360 multi-rater feedback system and customizable review forms, which helps tailor performance to your company's specific trajectory.https://www.trinet.com/hr-insights/blog/2014/trinet-perform-simple-streamlined-performance-management
UltiPro – UltiPro, our best pick for mid-sized and enterprise level businesses, includes a performance management system with comprehensive features ad an easy to learn user interface. UltiPro was a pioneer in the cloud-based HCM space, and now brings years of experience to the table. Read our full review here or visit http://www.ultimatesoftware.com/UltiPro-Solution-Features-Performance-Management?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
WideAngle – WideAngle's performance management software is focused on offering ongoing feedback between employees and managers. Beyond the review process, WideAngle also includes a career development component, additional coaching opportunities for managers, as well as an effective goal management component. https://wideangle.com/
Workday – Workday brings strong reporting features to the performance management process, offering powerful visual aids so users can quickly identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities and then take appropriate actions, whether that means assigning new goals or training, compensating top performers, or moving to ameliorate retention risks. https://www.workday.com/en-us/applications/human-capital-management/talent.html
Ready to choose a performance management system? Here's a breakdown of the rest of our coverage: