Best compensation management software 

Looking to streamline your compensation reviews, ensure pay equity across your organization, and give managers the data they need to make informed salary decisions? The right compensation management software can help you move beyond spreadsheets, create structured workflows for compensation planning, and manage everything from base pay to bonuses and equity in one centralized platform.

This article covers the leading platforms to show you which ones excel at compensation planning, global currency support, and performance bonus management. 

Best compensation management software: Quick overview 

We reviewed over 20 platforms based on product features, integration capabilities, and real user feedback to identify the best compensation software for different business needs. Each tool listed excels in areas like salary planning, pay equity, or global compensation management depending on company size and structure.

• Bob: Best for mid-market to enterprise tech-forward teams that want compensation planning fully integrated into their HR platform
• ADP: Suited for organizations needing robust HCM with compensation, especially those already relying on payroll and talent modules
• Aeqium: Best for medium-sized HR teams to customize compensation processes without technical support
• BambooHR: A strong choice for small to mid-sized businesses seeking easy-to-use compensation and benchmarking tools
• Barley: Perfect for companies wanting automated compensation reviews, global market data, and built-in pay equity guardrails
• CaptivateIQ: Designed for sales-driven organizations with complex variable pay and commission structures
• Compease: Tailored for credit unions, financial services, and SMBs that want bundled market data and consulting support
• CompUp: Suits companies that value compensation simulations and scientific budgeting in moderate-sized firms
• Deel: Works for globally distributed teams wanting multi-currency compensation management 
• HRSoft: Built for enterprise organizations needing full lifecycle compensation support and dedicated implementation assistance
• Leaptree: Works well for Salesforce-based sales teams that want incentive management inside their CRM ecosystem
• Omnipresent: Strong for global businesses needing localized compensation planning
• Pave: Built for rapidly scaling startups and tech companies looking for market benchmarking and equity planning
• Paycom: Great for businesses seeking payroll-aligned compensation workflows and forecasting tools
• Paylocity: Suited to mid-market companies wanting compensation cycles paired with benchmarking and analytics
• Payscale: Perfect for standardising pay across roles and locations using extensive market data
• Personio: Good for European SMBs seeking native HR and secure compensation workflows
• Rippling: Suited for firms wanting compensation, HR, IT, and payroll in a single automated platform
• TriNet: Designed for smaller businesses needing HR services, benchmarking, and payroll support in one bundled offering
• UKG Pro: Suits large organizations needing structured pay cycles along with strong audit needs
• Workday: Built for large enterprise-level businesses seeking comprehensive HCM and compensation modeling
• Xactly Incent: Excellent for sales and revenue teams needing advanced commission planning and forecasting

What is compensation management software?

Compensation management software centralizes pay data, employee performance, and compensation history to inform fair and consistent pay decisions. These platforms connect to your HR software to pull current team member data so you can make informed decisions on salary adjustments, bonus allocations, and equity grants.

These tools automate salary review processes that typically involve weeks of data gathering and stakeholder coordination. Instead of manually collecting pay data from different systems, managing performance reviews in spreadsheets, and waiting on approvals via email, these platforms provide guided workflows where managers, HR, and finance can collaborate in real-time to make consistent compensation decisions across your organization.

Top compensation management software platforms

We’ve evaluated these platforms based on their core compensation features and real user feedback from organizations similar to yours. Now, let’s look at the best options available today.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect HiBob’s views.  Prospective users are encouraged to conduct their own research to make the best decision for their organization.

HiBob

HR teams use HiBob’s compensation management features to run structured, fair, and transparent pay cycles—inside the same platform where they manage performance, headcount, and org planning. With HiBob, you can create salary bands, assign compensation budgets, and guide managers through reviews using clear workflows and built-in guardrails.

The compensation planning module makes it easy to tie pay decisions to performance data, track cycle progress, and avoid manual errors. HR leaders can stay in control of budgets, enforce internal guidelines, and ensure consistency across departments as your business grows.  The platform tracks compensation history automatically, so you can see how pay decisions evolve over time.

HiBob also supports total rewards transparency by letting your team members view personalized compensation summaries, including salary, bonuses, and equity. 

Features:

• Compensation: Manage salary reviews, bonuses, and equity plans with structured workflows, built-in approvals, and total rewards visibility
• Payroll Hub: Sync payroll data with external systems to speed up payroll runs and reduce manual errors
• UK Payroll: Automate UK payroll tasks, including taxes and reporting, with full compliance built in
• People Analytics: Track trends in headcount, turnover, and absences, and create executive-level dashboards to share with leadership
• Workforce Planning: Build current and future org structures, plan headcount needs, and model different hiring or restructuring scenarios using live data
• Time and Attendance: Let your people clock in and out from their phones, complete timesheets, and stay on top of daily schedules with reminders
• Hiring: Manage applicants, improve recruiting workflows, and build talent pipelines with a human-first approach
• Core HR: Keep all records, documents, and HR workflows in one centralized, easy-to-access system
• Time Off: Track paid time off, sick leave, and other absences with clear policies and approval flows

Pros:

• “The clarity and management of pay bands provides valuable tools for fair and transparent employee compensation, which is important for us.” – user review
• “It will help you and your HR colleagues a lot with onboarding new colleagues, keeping track of everyone’s time off, performance reviews, compensation bands and so on.” – user review

Cons:

• “The new comp letter module does not allow for letters to be sent out without assigning a signature element.” – user review
• “I would like it to have more data that related to my work compensation” – user review

Pricing: Contact the HiBob team for custom pricing

ADP

ADP’s human capital management (HCM) platform includes compensation management as part of its talent suite. It offers historical pay data, budget guidelines, and interactive tools to support planning and approvals, with multi-geography support for global consistency. Users value its ability to centralize reviews and pay changes but note challenges with usability and limited historical reporting. These trade-offs are common in enterprise HCM systems, which deliver scale and integration but may lack the flexibility and simplicity HR teams now expect.

Features:

• Worksheets and tools: Access formula-driven guidelines with salary ranges, market rates, peer ratios, historical team member data, and budget allocations
• Automated approval workflows: Route compensation transactions through pre-defined approval channels with built-in controls that flag non-compliant recommendations
• Real-time reporting and analytics: Generate compensation reports with full audit trails, performance distribution tracking, and budget adherence monitoring
• Pay-for-performance capabilities: Establish clear links between pay and business objectives
• Multi-geography support: Standardize processes and enforce guidelines across all regions

Pros:

• “Managers are able to perform their reviews, assign goals, and compensation changes.” – user review
• “You are able to easily view your compensation for each day and week worked” – user review

Cons:

• “One thing I do not like about ADP Workforce Now is the Compensation Management Module.” – user review
• “I wish there was a way to quickly run historical pay statement data in one report.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the ADP website as of the publication date.)

Aeqium

Aeqium is a compensation planning platform designed for flexibility and ease of use. Its no-code tools let HR teams customize data sources, review chains, and budget distribution without external consultants or IT support. Features like compensation band management and equity tracking promote transparent pay practices, while collaborative workflows help HR, finance, and managers align during planning cycles. Custom reporting and analytics provide visibility into trends across teams and locations.

User feedback highlights the platform’s value for daily compensation tasks and access to historical data, though some mention challenges with configuring complex calculations and its limited scope beyond compensation. This reflects a common trade-off for specialized platforms: deep functionality in one area versus the need for integration with broader HR processes.

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Features:

• Customizable compensation cycles: Configure data sources, review chains, custom calculations, and budget distribution methods with no-code logic and filters
• Compensation bands management: Create and manage salary ranges, equity bands, and bonus structures with pay equity tracking
• Collaboration workflows: Allow managers, HR, and finance teams to work within guided workflows with approval chains
• Reporting and analytics: Build custom reports on compensation metrics and analyze trends across locations and departments

Pros:

• “Aeqium is a great tool that I use pretty much every day for maintaining/looking up compensation bands.” – user review
• “Presence of historical data for review helps make decisions easy.” – user review

Cons:

• “At times the calculations of specific fields for comp planning can be hard to figure out.” – user review
• “Not a full performance cycle platform, which can get wonky at times.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Aeqium website as of the publication date.)

BambooHR

BambooHR is an HR software aimed at small to medium-sized businesses, offering compensation management tools alongside its core HRIS capabilities. It supports benchmarking through Mercer data, career path and salary band management, and compensation planning with budgeting, permissions, and approvals. Total rewards statements further help organizations communicate the full value of their compensation packages.

Users praise its ease of use and accessibility for both HR teams and employees. However, feedback also points to limited analytics capabilities and gaps in advanced compensation features like compa-ratios and robust job leveling. This highlights BambooHR’s focus on simplicity and usability over depth, which aligns with the needs of smaller organizations but may require additional tools as companies scale or seek more sophisticated planning capabilities.

Features:

• Mercer benchmarking: Access Mercer data including Comtryx for tech-industry benchmarks and job title benchmarks for North America and Canada
• Levels and bands management: Define and track career paths and salary ranges with built-in tools
• Compensation planning: Manage cycle creation, budgeting, permissions, worksheets, currency conversion, and approvals
• Total rewards statements: Generate compensation statements from HRIS data showing salary, benefits, equity, and other perks

Pros:

• “Anyone with minimum help can easily start using BambooHR for updating New hire, Exit, Compensation details, and other Employment-related details.” – user review
• “It’s easy to use and allows employees to access their compensation and benefit info quickly.” – user review

Cons:

• “The main downside at the moment is the analytics capability is weak so you need to extract data and do a lot of the analysis yourself.” – user review
• “The only suggestion I would have for BambooHR would be to add features relating to job levels, compensation ranges and compa-ratios.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the BambooHR website as of the publication date.)

<<Compare Bob vs. BambooHR to see which fits your business best>>

Barley

Barley is an all-in-one compensation management tool designed to help organizations structure, analyze, and manage pay decisions with automation and built-in guardrails. It combines global market data from Mercer with tools for automated merit cycles, pay band management, budget tracking, and pay equity analytics. Total rewards communication features also support transparency with team members.

Users highlight Barley’s intuitive, data-driven approach and accessible interface, even for non-compensation experts. However, feedback points to gaps in features like equity grant management and limited flexibility for structural reporting changes. These trade-offs reflect Barley’s positioning as a modern, focused compensation tool—prioritizing usability and automation while still expanding its capabilities to meet more complex enterprise needs.

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Features:

• Automated compensation reviews: Streamline merit cycles and promotion workflows with guided manager interfaces and approval chains
• Pay band visualization: Build and manage salary ranges with configuration options that support different compensation approaches
• Budget control and simulation: Set budget allocations for teams with real-time tracking and spend projections based on pay guidelines
• Pay equity analytics: Analyze compensation data to identify potential disparities and maintain equitable pay practices across teams

Pros:

• “Barley has completely transformed how we manage compensation by making it intuitive, data-driven, and incredibly efficient.” – user review
• “Barley’s user-friendly interface makes it accessible even for non-compensation experts.” – user review

Cons:

• “Some features such as equity grants, comp review changes after launch, etc. are not currently available.” – user review
• “It would be ideal to have the ability to make structural reporting changes directly in the system vs a new file upload.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Barley website as of the publication date.)

CaptivateIQ

CaptivateIQ is a platform designed for managing sales commissions and incentive compensation in organizations with complex variable pay structures. Its proprietary SmartGrid calculation engine processes commission data at enterprise scale, while a spreadsheet-like interface and no-code plan builder make it accessible for HR and sales operations teams. AI-powered assistance supports formula debugging and routine tasks, and real-time tracking gives sales representatives visibility into their earnings and performance.

The platform’s strength is in supporting niche, high-volume compensation workflows. However, customer reviews underscore the coordination required between systems and teams for accurate, real-time insights.

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Features:

• SmartGrid calculation engine: Process commission calculations with proprietary technology 
• No-code plan builder: Design and implement commission structures 
• AI-powered assistance: Access CaptivateIQ Assist for formula debugging, plan explanations, and automated routine commission management tasks
• Real-time commission tracking: Provide sales representatives with immediate visibility into earnings, attainment, and commission projections

Pros:

• “The platform offers a detailed breakdown of commission structure.” – user review
• “CaptivateIQ makes the often frustrating process of commission tracking clear, fast, and empowering.” – user review

Cons:

• “There might be a slight learning curve if your plans are very complex.” – user review
• “The HR team must update how our compensation is reflected on the dashboard for CaptivateIQ to accurately reflect it.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the CaptivateIQ website as of the publication date.)

Compease

Compease is a total compensation solution aimed at small to medium-sized organizations, especially in sectors like credit unions and financial services. It combines merit planning tools, market salary data, pay equity analysis, and access to certified compensation consultants to support structured salary administration. Annual salary data updates and expert guidance are central to its offering, helping organizations align internal pay practices with external market trends.

Compease focuses on comprehensive, consultant-backed support for organizations seeking structure and compliance, but it may feel less agile compared to modern self-service platforms.

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Features:

• Merit increase planning: Model various merit scenarios based on performance ratings and compa-ratios to project budget impact
• Market salary data: Access current industry-specific salary information customized by geographic location, organization size, and sector
• Expert compensation consulting: Receive guidance from certified compensation specialists for salary data analysis and plan development
• Pay equity analysis: Identify potential wage compression and equal pay issues through automated evaluation tools

Pros:

• “It’s a strong tool for HR teams working on pay structure and equity.” – user review
• “This allows businesses to evaluate structured organization’s pay using internal salary parity along with external labor market parity automatically.” – user review

Cons:

• “It wasn’t decentralized, so if there is a breach, my data can easily be tampered and stolen.” – user review
• “Also not the most intuitive if you’re brand new to comp planning.” – user review

Pricing: Not publicly available

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Compease website as of the publication date.)

CompUp

CompUp is a configurable compensation management platform designed to support the full cycle of compensation planning and execution. It emphasizes simulation capabilities, enabling organizations to model different budget scenarios and pay strategies before implementation. The platform also offers tools for budget distribution, centralized pay band management, and pay equity analysis, all supported by role-based access controls for secure collaboration.

User feedback indicates the platform offers valuable flexibility, but they also critique its backend dependencies and limited access to compensation benchmarks. This reflects CompUp’s positioning as a highly configurable tool for organizations seeking a scientific approach to compensation, though it may require additional integrations or data sources to deliver a fully comprehensive planning experience.

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Features:

• Compensation simulation: Model different budget scenarios and compensation strategies with visualization tools before implementation
• Budget distribution: Allocate compensation budgets to managers along with people data and guidelines for decision-making
• Pay bands management: Create centralized compensation ranges that support various organizational structures and pay philosophies
• Pay equity analysis: Identify and address compensation disparities across different team member groups and demographics

Pros:

• “They helped us roll out a custom bonus structure.” – user review
• “One of the very unique features about CompUp is their ability to simulate the appraisal processes and budgets.” – user review

Cons:

• “One area where they could improve is reducing backend dependencies.” – user review
• “One thing that can be improved is the ability to access compensation benchmarks.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the CompUp website as of the publication date.)

Deel

Deel, a global HR and payroll platform, expanded into compensation management with its acquisition of Assemble. This integration enables organizations to manage salary bands, pay equity, and compensation reviews across more than 150 countries, supported by multi-currency functionality and local market data. Total rewards communication tools and collaborative workspaces also help HR, finance, and managers align on pay decisions, while direct payroll integration connects planning to execution.

Deel’s strength is in addressing complex international pay challenges. However, customer reviews signal that there is room for improvement as it evolves into a more comprehensive compensation management solution.

Features:

• Global compensation planning: Manage salary bands, pay equity, and compensation reviews across international teams with multi-currency support and local market data
• Total rewards communication: Provide team members with compensation profiles that include salary, benefits, equity, and other compensation elements
• Stakeholder sharing: Enable HR, finance, and management teams to view and communicate compensation decisions through collaborative workspaces
• Payroll integration: Connect compensation decisions directly to Deel’s global payroll processing

Pros:

• “From setting up contracts to tracking payments, everything is straightforward and well-organized.” – user review
• “The platform has helped reduce our compensation cycle administration time.” – user review

Cons:

• “The software can be a bit buggy at times.” – user review
• “I would also love to see historical compensation band data in Assemble as well.” – user review

Pricing: 

• Deel Engage: $20/mo per user
• Deel Workforce Planning: $18/mo per user

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Deel website as of the publication date.)

HRSoft

HRSoft develops compensation management software tailored for enterprise organizations, pairing its platform with dedicated engagement managers who guide implementation and ongoing support. The system supports merit, bonus, and equity awards, complex plan configurations, scenario modeling, and the delivery of personalized total compensation statements.

User reviews highlight HRSoft’s strength in providing high-touch, enterprise-grade support while raising concerns about flexibility for internal HR teams seeking greater autonomy.

Features:

• Compensation lifecycle management: Handle merit, bonus, and equity awards
• Complex plan configuration: Design and manage multiple compensation plans with different rules, budgets, and approval hierarchies
• Automated modeling and scenario planning: Create “what-if” scenarios to assess the impact of different compensation structures before implementation
• Online compensation statements: Generate and publish personalized total compensation statements for team members through a secure online portal

Pros:

• “HRSoft has helped our organization streamline and simplify our compensation processes for bonuses and market adjustments.” – user review
• “We have found that the system can be nuanced and doesn’t align with our organizational structure” – user review

Cons:

• “The hierarchy feature was something we had to get used to.” – user review
• “I wish there was more admin access for my internal team so that we could do more on our end vs relying on the HRSoft team during the cycle.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the HRSoft website as of the publication date.)

Leaptree

Leaptree offers a sales commission and incentive compensation solution built natively in Salesforce, targeting organizations that want to manage commissions without leaving their CRM environment. It enables revenue teams to design and automate incentive plans, provide real-time dashboards for sales teams, and streamline payment processing. Gamification features like leaderboards and badges further help drive engagement.

Leaptree’s strength is in tightly integrating compensation workflows within Salesforce, but user reviews reveal the trade-offs between deep CRM integration and the flexibility required for intricate incentive structures.

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Features:

• Commission plan builder: Create and configure sales incentive plans directly in Salesforce 
• Real-time commission tracking: Provide sales teams with personalized dashboards showing current earnings, quota progress, and incentive calculations
• Automated payment processing: Generate payment files automatically once commission plans are approved
• Gamification and performance tools: Implement leaderboards, badges, and game mechanics 

Pros:

• “It allows simple automation to your commissions payouts.” – user review
• “The product is incredibly efficient and accurate in calculating commissions for our complex commission plans.” – user review

Cons:

• “Can be complex to implement especially if you have a complex commission plan.” – user review
• “It took a little longer to implement than I would’ve expected” – user review

Pricing: Starts at $12,500 per annum

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Leaptree website as of the publication date.)

Omnipresent

Omnipresent offers global compensation planning tools for organizations managing salary structures, pay equity, and location-based adjustments. The platform helps align compensation strategies with local market rates, legal requirements, and internal equity goals while supporting variable pay, equity, and allowances in total compensation packages. Localized compliance guidance further enables organizations to adapt plans to country-specific regulations.

The platform focuses on providing foundational support for global compensation and compliance. However, users note limited features and opportunities to expand automation features as global HR needs grow more complex.

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Features:

• Salary band creation: Define and manage pay ranges by geography, job role, or level
• Bonus and equity planning: Include variable pay, equity, and allowances in global compensation packages
• Internal equity alignment: Balance pay fairness across countries, roles, and departments
• Localized compliance guidance: Adapt compensation plans to meet regional laws and expectations

Pros:

• “Omnipresent simplifies global hiring by handling payroll, taxes, and compliance.” – user review
• “Easy to manage the Expenses, Time off and Timesheets.” – user review

Cons:

• “Right now, it doesn’t have a lot of extra features.” – user review
• “Having a global payroll implies some missing automations on some of the contract steps, probably due to the local changes in laws and the ability to adapt.” – user review

Pricing: Starts at £499/mo

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Omnipresent website as of the publication date.)

Pave

Pave offers a compensation management platform that combines real-time market benchmarking with tools for salary band creation, merit cycles, and equity adjustments. It helps organizations set competitive pay, guide managers through structured raise and promotion planning, and provide team members with clear total rewards visibility, including salary, equity, and benefits.

Users appreciate Pave’s intuitive visuals and its ability to streamline benchmarking and pay reviews, making it a strong fit for fast-growing teams seeking to align pay with market rates. However, some note the platform’s higher price point and a lack of embedded analytics for deeper insights. This reflects Pave’s positioning as a modern, data-driven tool for compensation management, with room to grow into a more comprehensive analytics solution.

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Features:

• Market benchmarking: Use salary data from thousands of companies to set competitive pay for each role
• Salary band builder: Create and manage pay ranges by level, department, or region, and track where people fall within the range
• Raise and promotion planning: Set up structured merit cycles that guide managers through compensation decisions with live budget updates
• Equity and bonus adjustments: Make stock and bonus changes alongside salary decisions

Pros:

• “Visual management is on point and makes managing comp during merit and otherwise a breeze.” – user review
• “Pave elevates compensation benchmarking & merit cycles.” – user review

Cons:

• “It certainly isn’t the cheapest tool on the market.” – user review
• “They do not currently have data analytics tools embedded, which I think could really make the tool more useful.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Pave website as of the publication date.)

Paycom

Paycom’s compensation planning tools integrate directly with payroll and performance data, enabling organizations to build structured pay plans based on ratings, compa-ratios, and job levels. Approved raises flow seamlessly into payroll, while forecasting and reporting features help managers evaluate budget impact and track pay trends.

The platform’s strength lies in unifying compensation and payroll workflows, but it offers some difficulties in managing diverse workforce structures with full-time employees and contractors.

Features:

• Compensation budgeting: Build custom merit matrices that factor in ratings, compa-ratios, and budgets to guide manager decisions
• Job and pay grade management: Assign salary ranges to roles based on job level, department, or required skills for consistency and structure
• Forecasting tools: Model different compensation scenarios to see how changes will affect your total payroll spend
• Compensation reporting: Generate reports that highlight pay distribution, historical changes, and areas that may need adjustment

Pros:

• “Paycom has made our payroll and benefits processing so much easier and allowed the team members to take control of and accountability for their compensation and benefits.” – user review
• “Paycom implementation was enabled by a team of experts in the areas of compensation, federal and state taxes, data integration” – user review

Cons:

• “Deferred overtime compensation calculator is slow.” – user review
• “The system needs some extra care when dealing with employees and contractors simultaneously” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Paycom website as of the publication date.)

Paylocity

Paylocity offers compensation planning tools that enable HR, finance, and IT teams to collaborate on raise and bonus cycles. Managers can make data-driven decisions using performance metrics and built-in market benchmarks, while HR monitors cycle progress and promotes pay consistency. Personalized compensation summaries help team members see the full value of their packages, and visual dashboards highlight pay equity and trend insights.

Paylocity’s platform simplifies compensation processes within its broader HR suite, but reviews highlight that the platform has gaps in pay data visibility and real-time data alignment.

Features:

• Compensation cycle management: Set up automated workflows for raises and bonuses with custom eligibility rules and approval steps
• Built-in benchmarking: View market pay data for each role so managers can make informed offers
• Budget tracking: Assign budgets at the team or department level and monitor usage as compensation cycles progress
• Pay analytics dashboard: Use visual dashboards to spot pay equity issues and analyze compensation trends over time

Pros:

• “Compensation module is easy to use and works seamlessly when administering all company merit increases.” – user review
• “So convenient to be able to access team member information from payroll and then go back into payroll without exiting the payroll process.” – user review

Cons:

• “The compensation increase in that system does not communicate to payroll.” – user review
• “The current pay data isn’t populated in the compensation section.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Paylocity website as of the publication date.)

Payscale

Payscale helps HR teams design fair and transparent salary structures using extensive market data and tools for building pay bands, managing merit cycles, and guiding managers through compensation workflows. Features like live budget tracking, scenario modeling, and personalized compensation letters support both strategic planning and team communication.

Payscale is a data-rich solution for informed compensation decisions, but users highlight the need for user-friendly design to support adoption in busy HR teams.

[Source]

Features:

• Market benchmarking: Access up-to-date salary data by role, location, and level
• Merit cycle planning: Run structured pay review cycles with manager workflows, budget tracking, and approval flows
• Scenario modeling: Test different raise and promotion scenarios and see how they impact your total comp budget
• Compensation letters: Generate and share personalized comp summaries directly with team members

Pros:

• “The platform has greatly streamlined our compensation analysis and survey management.” – user review
• “The numerous reporting tools and informative training webinars help break down the site.” – user review

Cons:

• “It’s overwhelming at first given all of the information the site provides!” – user review
• “Reporting can be a bit of a challenge.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Payscale website as of the publication date.)

Personio

Personio’s compensation module supports organized and fair salary review cycles by aligning salary bands, performance data, and approval workflows within its broader HR platform. This integration helps teams make consistent salary decisions, streamline approvals, and secure sensitive pay data in one centralized system.

Users value Personio’s ability to simplify compensation management alongside other HR functions, but some note gaps in integrated performance features and limitations in mobile usability. This reflects Personio’s strength as an all-in-one HR solution for smaller organizations, with opportunities to enhance functionality and accessibility as teams grow more complex.

Features:

• Salary band support: Set and adjust pay ranges tied to company strategy and roles 
• Performance-linked reviews: Combine data from performance evaluations to guide salary decisions
• Approval workflows: Ensure salary changes follow set paths with built-in checks and security 
• Data security: Handle all compensation data securely in one centralized system

Pros:

• “Managing employee compensation, benefits and time & attendance data with Personio is much easier.” – user review
• “Almost all important information regarding employees could be found here.” – user review

Cons:

• “At least in our implementation of Personio, we do not have features regarding employee performance and feedback which requires us to use another tool for this purpose.” – user review
• “Using personio from mobile is very painful, always have to switch to laptop for best experience.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Personio website as of the publication date.)

Rippling

Rippling’s all-in-one HR platform integrates compensation planning with HR, IT, and finance tools, enabling organizations to set pay bands, align budgets with headcount plans, and link raises directly to performance. Approved changes sync seamlessly into payroll, while dashboards and equity alerts help monitor pay trends and identify potential imbalances.

Users highlight Rippling’s breadth of capabilities for headcount and compensation planning, though some note a learning curve in navigating robust reporting features and challenges finding total compensation details. This underscores Rippling’s strength as a deeply integrated platform for growing companies, while pointing to the trade-off between comprehensive functionality and user simplicity.

Features:

• Pay band planning: Create and enforce market-based compensation bands with budget controls 
• Headcount and budget management: Align hiring plans with compensation budgets and track spend live 
• Performance-based raises: Link review cycles to goals and performance ratings, then auto-sync approved raises to payroll 
• Analytics and equity alerts: Use dashboards to catch pay imbalances and out-of-band compensation

Pros:

• “Lots of capabilities to build headcount planning, compensation banding, teams and job-cost reporting with custom dimensions.” – user review
• “Rippling also shows valuable employee information such as compensation and job title.” – user review

Cons:

• “The reporting capabilities are very robust.” – user review
• “It always takes me a while to find my total compensation.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Rippling website as of the publication date.)

<<Compare Bob vs. Rippling to see which fits your business best. >>

Trinet

TriNet’s compensation management module, part of its broader HR platform, helps organizations customize pay packages, forecast budgets, and refine strategies using analytics and benchmarking data powered by Salary.com. HR teams can build competitive, equitable pay structures while leveraging dashboards to identify gaps and adjust over time.

TriNet positions itself as a comprehensive HR solution for smaller organizations, balancing breadth of services with potential trade-offs in flexibility and cost transparency.

Features:

• Benchmarking reports: Pull salary data by job title, skills, region, and industry to inform pay decisions 
• Custom analytics: Filter reports using factors like experience level, certifications, and competencies
• Budget forecasting: Project total compensation spend and adjust offers before they’re finalized 
• Data intelligence dashboard: Use HR insights to adjust comp strategy over time

Pros:

• “The platform is user-friendly, offering a wide range of HR services, from payroll processing to benefits administration.” – user review
• “TriNet is a one-stop-shop solution that enables employers to onboard and manage their employee details related to Payroll, Benefits, Time keeping and other features.” – user review

Cons:

• “I was surprised to learn that I couldn’t back pay a new hire without submitting a Special Payroll Request, which now comes with an extra charge.” – user review
• “There were some initial problems when hiring employees that were on hourly instead of salary.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the TriNet website as of the publication date.)

UKG Pro

UKG Pro combines HR, payroll, and workforce management with compensation tools that support guided pay planning. Its features include structured approval workflows, manager worksheets for proposing pay changes, and real-time budget tracking to promote transparency and compliance while safeguarding sensitive salary data.

UKG Pro offers a robust enterprise solution with powerful workflows, but its complexity requires a steeper learning curve and potential administrative overhead for HR teams managing compensation cycles.

Features:

• Program and guideline setup: Define compensation plans with eligibility, performance ratings, and budgets 
• Manager worksheets: Provide managers with templates to review and propose pay changes
• Budget control: Track spend in real time to stay within allocated funds
• Approval workflows: Route proposals for review to enforce compliance and structure 

Pros:

• “Prorated Pay simplifies compensation for partial pay periods due to new hires, terminations, or salary changes.” – user review
• “Easy to keep track of my work compensation and manage direct deposits/time off.” – user review

Cons:

• “Compensation management could be improved, it is extremely clunky for our organization.” – user review
• “It works well for managers but is a nightmare for administrators to set up.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the UKG Pro website as of the publication date.)

Workday

Workday offers a comprehensive HCM solution with robust compensation management tools for handling base pay, merit increases, bonuses, equity, and salary surveys. Organizations can design tailored pay packages, model compensation scenarios by segment, and monitor pay equity, while configurable pay ranges and compensation statements support transparency and structure.

The platform’s strength is in providing an enterprise-grade solution, but its broad functionality comes with a steep learning curve for HR teams looking for agility and simplicity.

Features:

• Comprehensive compensation: Includes base salary, merit increases, bonuses, stock awards, and surveys 
• Configurable pay ranges: Groups people into customizable segments and apply step progression rules 
• Compensation statements: Generates tailored pay summaries for people to clarify total rewards 
• Plan modeling tools: Forecasts compensation spend by simulating merit cycles and budget scenarios

Pros:

• “What stands out most is its real-time reporting and analytics capabilities, which allow for data-driven decision-making across the employee lifecycle.” – user review
• “User friendly and provides well clarity on compensation and time-off tracking.” – user review

Cons:

• “Report customization and configuration can be complex.” – user review
• “The compensation tab is quite confusing where the break up is not clear and confusing” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Workday website as of the publication date.)

<<Compare Bob vs. Workday to see which fits your business best. >>

Xactly

Xactly Incent is a specialized platform for managing incentive and sales compensation, supporting the administration of commissions, bonuses, and variable pay. Its features include plan configuration tools, commission transparency dashboards for sales reps, and forecasting capabilities for finance teams, all designed to align compensation with business objectives. Robust analytics and CRM integrations make it suitable for global, high-volume environments.

Users value Incent’s flexibility in handling diverse commission structures and its ability to consolidate reporting, but some point to challenges with analytics usability and slower processing during certain workflows. This underscores Xactly’s strength as a purpose-built solution for complex incentive programs, balanced by a need for smoother user experiences in analytics and operational speed.

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Features:

• Plan configurator: Build incentive plans using rules, quotas, and rate tables 
• Commission transparency: Provide reps with clear breakdowns of how payouts are calculated 
• Forecast accuracy: Offer reps and finance teams commission forecasts and on-time payouts 
• Analytics and scaling: Handle large data volumes across global teams and integrate with CRMs like Salesforce and ERP systems

Pros:

• “I really like how it accommodates different commission structures, whether its tiered, flat rate or custom plans” – user review
• It brings all reporting platforms together in one tab.” – user review

Cons:

• “The only real challenge with Xactly Incent for us has been Ease of Use in Analytics.” – user review
• “One downside of the Delta process is that it still takes too much time.” – user review

Pricing: Custom pricing

(This article includes platform features and pricing platforms that reflect the information available on the Xactly website as of the publication date.)

Features to look for in a compensation management software platform

Look for these core capabilities that separate useful compensation tools from basic salary tracking systems:

• Data-driven insights: Great compensation software provides clear visibility into compensation history, performance data, and pay equity across your organization. Organized worksheets can show each team member’s compensation background along with guidelines and recommendations. This helps managers make informed decisions based on actual data, not assumptions.
• Employee retention: Look for platforms that flag flight risks and high performers, so you can make strategic retention decisions before people consider leaving. This kind of visibility lets HR teams act early, whether it’s offering a raise, planning a promotion, or personally checking in.
• Salary planning: Structured salary planning workflows can guide managers through decisions step by step. These should present relevant information like performance ratings and budget guidelines while enabling real-time collaboration between managers, HR, and finance teams throughout the planning process.
• Incentive management: As your compensation gets more complex, you’ll likely need tools that can handle variable pay like bonuses and equity grants. Effective platforms let you set budgets, define allocation rules based on performance or company-wide criteria, and distribute bonuses directly within the system.
• Market benchmarking integration: Find a platform that provides access to external salary benchmarks for your roles and locations. While some platforms include this data directly, others integrate with third-party providers to give you current market rates that help inform competitive compensation decisions and adjustments.
• Pay equity analysis: This feature helps managers identify gender pay gaps or other pay disparities and make equitable compensation decisions across teams. The platform should provide visibility into compensation patterns and help ensure fair treatment while maintaining compliance with evolving pay transparency regulations.

Find the right compensation management software for your team

Now that you’ve seen what the best compensation management software can do, you’re ready to bring structure and competitiveness to every pay decision. The right tool helps you plan raises and bonuses, improve pay transparency, and ensure you implement a compensation plan that supports retention and equity across the organization.

If you’re looking for a platform that brings all of this together, consider Bob. Bob’s compensation management tools let you set salary bands, run merit cycles, and track compensation changes across your workforce. Managers get the context they need to make fair decisions, while HR stays in control with flexible workflows and real-time budget visibility.

With Bob, you can align compensation with performance, improve pay equity, and reduce the admin burden of comp planning, all without juggling spreadsheets or disconnected systems.

Learn more about Bob’s compensation management capabilities