When it comes to HR software for large and enterprise businesses, Oracle and SAP are two of the top vendors you’ll see recommended. Oracle’s HR solution, branded as Oracle Cloud HCM, incorporates a cluster of HR cloud software tools for payroll and talent management.

SAP SuccessFactors started out as performance management software and has grown over time to become a comprehensive and sophisticated cloud-based HR solution. The SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management (HXM) Suite includes tools for HR analytics and employee experience management.

In this guide, we will compare these two platforms to discover the differences between Oracle and SAP’s HR solutions.

SEE: The best human resources payroll software of 2023.

SAP vs. Oracle: Comparison table

SAP vs. Oracle: Pricing

SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite

SAP products in its SuccessFactors HXM Suite are customized and requires companies to contact SAP for a more comprehensive pricing quote. Furthermore, SAP does not offer a free trial.

Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM

Similarly, Oracle does not publicly disclose pricing on its website for its human capital management cloud service software. Interested parties must contact the Oracle sales team for a custom quote, and Oracle does not offer a free trial.

SEE: Protect those pennies and cents with the best free HR software of 2023.

SAP vs. Oracle: Feature comparison

Core HR features

SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite covers all core HR features, including global benefits administration, payroll, time management, document management and HR service delivery. SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central is SAP’s main HRIS software, while other solutions such as payroll and time tracking are offered through separate — but thoroughly integrated — products.

Oracle Human Resources software forms the center of the HCM application. Functions include centralized employee records management, document management, high-level workforce insights and self-service portals. Oracle also offers other HR tools, such as payroll and benefits administration, as separate solutions.

Employee experience

Both Oracle and SAP offer employee experience platforms within their HCM solutions.

SAP’s Employee Experience Management solution includes many advanced tools, and HR teams can increase employee engagement with SAP Qualtrics Employee Engagement, gather feedback with SAP Qualtrics 360 Development, improve the digital experience with SAP Qualtrics Employee Technology Experience and manage employees from onboarding to offboarding with SAP Qualtrics Employee Lifecycle.

Oracle’s employee experience platform, Oracle ME, is part of Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM and has a native employee listening tool built into the platform. Other features include a flexible audience builder, visual editor, automated engagement and insights.

People analytics

SAP also offers an analytics solution in the form of Workforce Planning and People Analytics, which you may also see referred to as extended planning and analysis. SAP’s extended planning and analysis tools combine HR, financial and operational data to give your business the information it needs to make evidence-based decisions. The tool incorporates machine learning technology to identify insights that users may have missed on their own.

Oracle Fusion HCM Analytics is a prebuilt, cloud-native solution for Oracle Cloud HCM. It provides a comprehensive overview of the entire workforce and allows users to dig deeper into analytics for talent acquisition, diversity and inclusion, career mobility, and retention and turnover. Choose from more than 600 prebuilt talent KPIs or add non-Oracle data with outside sources.

SEE: We’ve rounded up the best HRIS tools for small businesses.

SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite pros and cons

SAP pros

• Comprehensive HR feature set.
• Excellent performance management module.
• Solid payroll system.
• Accurate reports are easy to generate.

SEE: Look at Oracle and Workday in this comparison of HR software.

SAP cons

• Pricing is not transparent.
• User interface is not as updated as some competitors.
• Data loading and refreshing can lag.
• Workflow configurations could be improved.

Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM pros and cons

Oracle pros

• Detailed talent management features.
• Employee self-service portal is available to users.
• Easy expense management.
• Oracle Transactional Business Intelligence integration for reporting.

Oracle cons

• Complicated to use and difficult to navigate.
• Old-fashioned user interface.
• Mobile app is not that useful.
• System can be slow to load or fail to load.

Review methodology

To compare these two HR software suites, we examined product documentation, viewed demos and videos, and consulted user reviews. We considered factors such as the user interface and experience, core HR features, advanced tools, customer support and security.

Should your organization use Oracle or SAP?

These two brands are pretty comparable in services and offerings, so it can be tough to decide between the two. We’ve put together brief recommendations for each to help you choose:

Choose Oracle Cloud HCM if . . .

• You’re an enterprise business with thousands of employees.
• You already use or plan to use other products in the Oracle software stack.
• You prefer to pick and choose modules within each single product.

Choose SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite if . . .

• You’re a medium to large business with hundreds or less employees.
• You’re planning to grow in the near future.
• You already use or plan to use other SAP products.
• You prefer to combine various products within the suite.

Still not sure which HR solution to choose after comparing SAP and Oracle? There are plenty of other high-performance HR software platforms besides Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM and SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite. Check out our roundup of the best HR software to see what else is out there.