# Ascender Payroll and HCM Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra

> With the help of Capterra, learn about Ascender Payroll and HCM Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Recruiting products and more.

Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/77172/PeopleStreme-Performance-Management/pricing

---

# 

 Ascender Payroll and HCM Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons

Last updated on March 13, 2026

Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team.

[Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Integrations](#integrations)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews)

Ascender Payroll and HCM

## What is Ascender Payroll and HCM?

Increase quality of hire, reduce time to effectiveness and increase retention with Ascender's cloud-based eRecruitment platform. Want to source the best talent in a quick and efficient way? Ascender's eRecruitment is an intuitively designed Applicant Tracking System that streamlines the recruitment process and consolidates all the associated administrative tasks, while providing a really simple and engaging experience for applicants, building up your employer brand.

## What is Ascender Payroll and HCM used for?

[Recruiting](https://www.capterra.com/recruiting-software/)[Payroll](https://www.capterra.com/payroll-software/)[Performance Management System](https://www.capterra.com/performance-appraisal-software/)

Overall rating

Based on 42 user reviews

Reviews sentiment

Positive

88%

Neutral

5%

Negative

7%

Starting price

$50

Per Year

Free trial  
available

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## Compare with a popular alternative

Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status.

### Ascender Payroll and HCM

4.1 (42)

VS.

[4.3 (3,033)](https://www.capterra.com/p/133745/Paycor-Perform/reviews/)

Starting Price

$50

Per Year

Starting Price

Contact vendor

Free Trial

Free Version

Pricing Options

Free Trial

Free Version

Ease Of Use

4.1 (42)

Ease Of Use

4.3 (248)

Value For Money

4.2 (41)

Value For Money

4.2 (164)

Customer Service

4.5 (41)

Customer Service

4.2 (177)

## Ascender Payroll and HCM alternatives

Highest Rated

[4.9 (4,600)](https://www.capterra.com/p/172127/Rippling/reviews/)

Starting price

$8.00

Per User, Per Month

[4.5 (1,729)](https://www.capterra.com/p/66908/Workday-HCM/reviews/)

Starting price

Contact vendor for pricing

[4.6 (3,108)](https://www.capterra.com/p/110968/BambooHR/reviews/)

Starting price

$10.00

Per User, Per Month

[4.3 (1,820)](https://www.capterra.com/p/86714/WebPay/reviews/)

Starting price

Contact vendor for pricing

## Features

Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically.

Employee Database

2.0 (4)

25.00% of 4 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Electronic storage of staff/employee contact information and job status in a centralized repository

Employee Profiles

2.3 (3)

33.33% of 3 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Centralized storage for employee data, records, and performance metrics

Payroll Management

3.7 (3)

100.00% of 3 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Manage employee salary processes, data, taxes, and records administration efficiently

Reporting/Analytics

2.3 (3)

33.33% of 3 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

View and track pertinent metrics to find patterns and gain insights from data

Course Management

1.0 (2)

0.00% of 2 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Create, organize, and assign courses to users

Course Tracking

1.0 (2)

0.00% of 2 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important

Track which progress and course materials have been completed by each user

Ascender Payroll and HCM 106 features

Tools for collecting comprehensive feedback on an employee from peers, subordinates, and manager

Software specialized for schools (K-12 & Post-Secondary)

Detailed plan including steps, milestones, assignments, and timeline needed to complete a project, strategy or goal

Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases

Find and manage potential candidates and their applications and resumes through the recruiting life cycle

Creation, administration, and evaluation of assessments or tests

Track the attendance of specific individuals or groups

Researching and validating a person's criminal, educational, job or financial records

Compare key metrics for the business against prominent players in the industry

Record employee's benefit plans and selections throughout career progression

Supports learning paths that combine in-person classes with online/virtual courses

Capability to use a search engine via operators like AND, NOT, and OR

Build, track, and maintain relationships with candidates

Record candidates' information such as role, professional qualifications, experiences, skills or attributes

Record interactions, notes, and developments with candidates

Process of enhancing skills & experiences for continuous professional growth & advancement

Web page to host job postings, show role descriptions or receive applications from potential candidates

Print paychecks issued to confirm payment of wages or salary

Provides a channel for team members to share media files, communicate, and work together

Manages compensation such as salary, bonus, and benefits processes, aligning with policies

Performs calculations and analyzes how salary and equity should be awarded to employees across locations, performance levels

Catalog, manage, and develop employee skill sets

Track and report regulatory data to either internal management or external stakeholders

Create, organize, and assign courses to users

Track which progress and course materials have been completed by each user

Add customized logos and colors to align with company branding

Pre-designed layouts that can be customized to match preferences and requirements

Assembly of graphs and charts for visualizing and tracking statistics/metrics

Digitally deposit correct payroll amounts into individual employee's bank accounts

Store, manage, and track all electronic documents in a centralized location

Digital forms that are shared and accessed online

Digitally sign online documents

Manage, store and organize emails within the system or via third-party apps

Pre-made examples and templates for emails

Electronic storage of staff/employee contact information and job status in a centralized repository

Create and share a new employee handbook with helpful information

Track employee schedules, availability, and performance across projects and tasks

Process of familiarizing new employees with the company, their position, and responsibilities

Online portal where employees can access and track their own information

Centralized storage for employee data, records, and performance metrics

Acknowledge and reward employees for reaching specific goals and/or for exemplary performance

Collecting, analyzing, and utilizing feedback from users or customers to improve a product or service

Allows employees to set and manage work or career related goals

Establish measurable goals and objectives and track their progress over a specific period of time

Track student's scores and grades on course materials

Document completed by employee to assist with career and personal development to reach short term and long term goals

Designed to be used by internal recruiters or HR hiring managers

Create and track interviews with a reminder system

Plan, organize and set up the date, time and location of a candidate's individualized interview

Create, share, and manage the distribution of job descriptions/duties

Post, track, and manage open jobs on multiple channels (e.g. job board, company's career site)

Request a new hire, explain the need, and determine available budget

Students can access materials and communicate with instructors via their online student profile

Facilitate training materials that help employees grow and progress in their positions

Designing course materials to be completed in a sequential order for personalized learning purposes

Manage and track employee attendance

Access software remotely via mobile devices

Access for students to complete learning materials on mobile platforms

Pay employees in multiple countries using correct currencies and correct tax deduction amounts

Pay employees in multiple states with correct tax deduction amounts in each

Identify, track, and respond to negative feedback

Closing out contracts by reviewing contract/project completion, finalizing payments, and ensuring terms and compliance as been achieved

Process of familiarizing new clients, stakeholders or employees with the company, a new location, or a service

Provides real-time feedback and assessments on employee performance, skills, and accomplishments

Manage employee salary processes, data, taxes, and records administration efficiently

Delegate payroll processing to third party vendors

View and track payroll metrics including tax liabilities, pay rates, working hours, deductions and more

Peer/teammate feedback and review on individual's performance

Evaluation process that provides feedback on an employee's job performance

Organize and manage the accomplishments and development of employees or performance of applications or systems

A set of indicators that tracks the performance of networks, applications, systems, teams, etc.

Create, fill out, and send performance reviews to individual employees

Short, frequent surveys designed to quickly gauge the ongoing attitudes or feelings of a specific group

Pre-written repository of questions that can be reused within a course or for assessment or interviews

Designed to be used by external or 3rd party recruiting or staffing firms

Tools to find, assess, and hire suitable candidates for a job within an organization

Process used by hiring managers to get more information about a candidate by contacting previous employers

View and track pertinent metrics to find patterns and gain insights from data

Automates the extraction and analysis of key information from resumes or CVs

Search through the software for stored resumes

Upload and store resumes

Follow the progression of a task associated with performance reviews

Plan availability and assign specific time slots for tasks and resources

An individual's evaluation of his or her own strengths, weaknesses, and skills

Online portal through which end users can access the system, manage tasks, or obtain information

Observe employees over a period of time to gain an understanding of their abilities to perform certain tasks

Process of communicating with an online community and measuring the effectiveness of activity

Integrate with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Planning, tracking and developing internal talent for future key position filling

Gauge satisfaction and receive information for improvement and success

Real-time, interactive learning experiences where participants engage in learning activities simultaneously

Integrate with Talent Managment software to better track learners progress and training sessions

Create, manage and track all task activities and progression

Track tax-related transactions, tax remittance and tax reporting for various groups of employees and contractors

Create tools to measure student retention of learning material and lessons

Set up connections to third-party platforms to improve business processes

Track and manage employee's work hours to improve payroll accuracy

Track and manage employee time-off, vacation, and sick leave requests

Measure and track time including hours worked and paid time off (PTO)

Track employee/learner's progression through training programs

Review data from past periods to reveal recurring tendencies and predict future performance

Request, track, and manage time off requests and vacation time

Automatically subtract garnishments from wages

Assess skills, outcomes and results using preset metrics and averages

Create, design and manage workflows for repetitive tasks

A set of processes to optimize the productivity of its employees

Get Advice

We can help you find the software with the features you need.

Features

3.9 (42)

3.9

Based on 42 reviews

## Pricing

Value for money

4.2 (41)

Free Trial

Basic

$50.00

Per Year

Value for money

4.2 (41)

4.2

Based on 41 reviews

## Integrations

[

Indeed for Employers](https://www.capterra.com/p/161381/Indeed/)[

SAP SuccessFactors HCM](https://www.capterra.com/p/144575/SuccessFactors-Perform-and-Reward/)[

Tanda](https://www.capterra.com/p/143817/Tanda/)[

Humanforce](https://www.capterra.com/p/122077/Humanforce/)[

Broadbean](https://www.capterra.com/p/119714/BroadBeanPosting/)

Connect with a Capterra advisor for a free 15-minute consultation

Get a personalized software list aligned to your business needs with guidance from our expert advisors. Our team has helped 1 million+ businesses like yours find options that fit their needs.

## Support, customer service and training options

Customer Service

4.5 (41)

Support

-   Email/Help Desk
-   FAQs/Forum
-   Knowledge Base
-   Phone Support
-   24/7 (Live rep)
-   Chat

Training

-   In Person
-   Live Online
-   Webinars
-   Documentation
-   Videos

Deployment

-   Web
-   Android
-   iPhone/iPad

Typical users

-   Freelancers
-   Small businesses
-   Mid size businesses
-   Enterprises

Customer Service

4.5 (41)

4.5

Based on 41 reviews

## User reviews

Overall rating

4.1

Based on 42 reviews

Filter by rating

5(15)

4(22)

3(2)

2(1)

1(2)

Mentioned topic

Sorted by most recent

Emre C.

Software Developer

Computer Software

### "You should try"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

4.0

4.0

Customer Service

4.0

4.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

September 4, 2022

Pros

You can choose if you want to improve your skills, it does not take much time to learn thanks to its simple interface, it is easy to use.

Cons

I didn't have a bad experience because customer service is always able to solve problems.

Switched from

[CollegeOne Suite](https://www.capterra.com/p/207309/CollegeOne-Suite/)

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

AB

Adam B.

Director of Corporate Services

Education Management

### "Extremely disappointing product, promised the world and delivered very little."

2.0

Overall Rating

2.0

2.0

Ease of Use

1.0

1.0

Features

1.0

1.0

Customer Service

1.0

1.0

Likelihood to Recommend

0/10

August 11, 2022

Extremely poor. Leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

Pros

We can use the payroll function, but only because we have invested heavily in the rollout. There is little point rolling our the rest of the suite of products we purchased as just after we signed the contract, they were bought out by Ceridian who did not intend to continue their product offering further than 18 months.

Cons

Having to continually correct the mistakes made in payroll outsourcing through Ascender. The fact that as soon as we signed up for the product, the company was sold which meant that the products we were investing in would not be supported and developed after our initial contract term.

Reasons for choosing Ascender Payroll and HCM

it was the next progression from the software we were already using.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

Riva C.

Administrador

Marketing and Advertising

### "Analyze - Ascending Payroll and HCM"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

0.0

0.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

April 26, 2022

I'm in the experimentation phase. But I'm enjoying it too much.

Pros

Easy to use, integrates other tools and intuitive

Cons

I'm in the experimentation phase. But I'm enjoying it too much.

Alternatives considered

[Apple Pay](https://www.capterra.com/p/212840/Apple-Pay/)

[PayPal Point of Sale](https://www.capterra.com/p/171165/PayPal-Here-app/)

Reasons for choosing Ascender Payroll and HCM

Because it is easier to integrate and less bureaucratic

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

ES

Elias S.

Accounting

Transportation/Trucking/Railroad

### "RCJ Transport Logistics"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

March 31, 2022

After having worked manually and also with other slow response programs, this one has been extraordinary, efficient, fast and saves me more time for other commercial activities

Pros

Friendly, versatile and easy to connect with other software

Cons

really so far I have not gotten anything that tells me that I do not like this or that, rather it has been very useful

Reasons for choosing Ascender Payroll and HCM

Simply because it is practical, versatile and friendly in all lines

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

DR

Danielle R.

HRBP

Construction

### "System lacks basic Functionality & Oversold Product"

1.0

Overall Rating

1.0

1.0

Ease of Use

1.0

1.0

Features

1.0

1.0

Customer Service

1.0

1.0

Likelihood to Recommend

0/10

December 17, 2020

Overall, my recommendation is to avoid this product, it is not worth the increased administrative burden that the modules come with. The product is expensive for the lack of functionality and the presentation of the modules.

Pros

Performance Management Module is only Module I would recommend purchasing.

Cons

Customer Service: -Disconnect from the sales team and product delivery team -Sales team over sale PeopleSteme Modules that doesn't save time but increases administrative tasks -Product team provides workarounds to compensate for the lack of the system functionality once you have purchased the modules - PeopleStreme can't commit to timeframes for the companies 'road map' on new features System: -There is minimal automation provided by the purchased modules -System is extremely slow -Inability to bulk upload all historical data (e.g. Job Ads, Position Descriptions, Resumes) -Purchased modules don’t communicate to one another, requiring a increased workload for the HR team -There is no Employee Landing page that displays basic employee data (hire date, department, job title), which is collected from the Onboarding process. Sales team now tells us that this is only available to them because of their access permissions and not part of the package sold -Onboarding Module does not allow for cross-boarding to be captured in PeopleStreme

Alternatives considered

[ELMO Software](https://www.capterra.com/p/161821/ELMO-Software/)

Reasons for choosing Ascender Payroll and HCM

PeopleStreme has a good Performance Management system. The company sales a false product of the Ascender Payroll as an all-in-one HR system, but the modules (eRecruitment, OnBoarding, Performance Management, Talent Management module) do not communicate to one another and require the user to enter the information more than once.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

BB

Barry B.

Managing Director

Civil Engineering

### "Do yourself a favour and go elsewhere"

1.0

Overall Rating

1.0

1.0

Ease of Use

1.0

1.0

Features

1.0

1.0

Customer Service

1.0

1.0

Likelihood to Recommend

0/10

December 17, 2020

We were sold a puppy when we purchased this software. The salesman promised the world and the reality of what has been delivered is quite underwhelming compared to the previous software we used. We have escalated on three occassions and each time have been given a different senior executive to talk to, each promising to fix the issues, but nothing being done. They seem to worry more about their restructure, than they do solving client issues. Do yourself a favour and look elsewhere.

Pros

Nothing that is worth writing about.

Cons

It's slow, not interconnected, limited in capability

Alternatives considered

[ELMO Software](https://www.capterra.com/p/161821/ELMO-Software/)

Reasons for choosing Ascender Payroll and HCM

big mistake I know

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

SC

Steve C.

Senior Advisor

Higher Education

### "HES Review"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

3.0

3.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

October 6, 2020

Excellent working relationship wirh many people inside of Ascender at all levels.

Pros

Very suited to a university environment and has been for many decades. HES has had a relationship with Ascender and it's predecesor companies since 1997. We continue to strengthen the relationship through collaborative software development and broader services to the universities we serve.

Cons

It is (understandably) difficut to configure since it is a complex payroll.

Reasons for choosing Ascender Payroll and HCM

HES on behalf of the member universities has not needed to go to the market since the relationship began in 1997.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

SS

Sheralyn S.

Senior Consultant

Higher Education

### "Ascender Payroll - sound and proven payroll for complex configuration and requirements"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

8/10

September 16, 2020

Pros

Our current Account Executive is great, always ready to help and is easily at hand whenever we have any queries or issues. She is very professional and provides a level of assurance over working with Ascender. We have used Ascender Pay for around 30 years since it was first released and find it suits our complex enterprise agreement requirements. There is an abundance of new functionality being released for review and implementation. Ascender is a big part of my life and I am very attached since my connection goes back some 23 years. I almost feel part of their family working with some of the long-term staff for such a time – they are just wonderful people.

Cons

With all the new functionality being released it is hard to keep up.

Review source

Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

MN

Michelle N.

Recruitment Manager

Non-Profit Organization Management

### "Peoplestreme Review"

5.0

Overall Rating

5.0

5.0

Ease of Use

5.0

5.0

Features

5.0

5.0

Customer Service

5.0

5.0

Likelihood to Recommend

10/10

July 15, 2019

Staff are friendly. If I have had an issue or question it has been resolved quickly.

Pros

Ability for the software to grow and able to easily add and change templates and processes

Cons

Not always smooth and step by step. Alot of going in and out of stages

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

PJ

Petar J.

HR Project Officer

Hospital & Health Care

### "Great software and support"

4.0

Overall Rating

4.0

4.0

Ease of Use

4.0

4.0

Features

3.0

3.0

Customer Service

4.0

4.0

Likelihood to Recommend

6/10

June 26, 2019

Pros

Easy to use and navigate, behind the scenes support.

Cons

Somewhat rigid, occasional errors that seem to appear at the most inconvenient times. Having said that, the support team are always prompt to action and assist.

Review source

Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication.

[View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/77172/PeopleStreme-Performance-Management/reviews/)

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