Ascender vs. Cornerstone SumTotal Comparison


Ascender Ascender HCM	Cornerstone SumTotal Cornerstone OnDemand	+	+
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		Related Products Paylocity Paylocity delivers the most innovative technology bringing HR, payroll, and IT together in one modern, easy-to-use platform to empower teams, simplify processes, and deliver real results. The platform enables businesses to manage payroll, benefits, employee engagement, and other core HR functions while also managing non-payroll spend, including expenses, account payable, corporate cards, procurement, and headcount planning. Paylocity's integrated platform includes mobile access, workflow automation, seamless third-party integrations, and real-time insights that help businesses manage employees and business operations more effectively. Paylocity also provides dedicated customer support, implementation services, and scalable solutions designed to meet the needs of growing businesses and enterprise organizations. 8,082 Ratings Visit Website Folks Folks is a Canadian-owned HR platform built for SMBs, combining three seamlessly integrated products to help you hire, manage, and pay your team — all in one place. Trusted by 1,200+ Canadian organizations managing over 125,000 employee records. With Folks HRIS, centralize employee records, onboarding, time tracking, absence management, and compliance — configured for Canadian employment standards across all provinces. Folks ATS streamlines recruitment with AI-powered candidate matching, job board integrations (Indeed, LinkedIn, Jobillico, Talent.com), and applicant tracking — built on the Glow Talents acquisition (2024). Folks Payroll handles CRA remittances, T4/RL-1 generation, ROE filing, CPP/QPP/CPP2, EI, multi-province tax calculations, WSIB/WCB, and direct deposit — no third-party payroll provider needed. SOC 2 Type 2 certified. All data hosted in Canada. Fully bilingual (English/French). Plans start at $6/employee/month. 177 Ratings Visit Website Rippling Streamline your business with Rippling’s all-in-one platform for HR, IT, payroll, and spend management. Effortlessly manage the entire employee lifecycle, from hiring to benefits administration. Automate HR tasks, ensure compliance, and streamline approvals. Simplify IT with device management, software access, and compliance monitoring, all from one dashboard. Enjoy timely payroll, real-time financial visibility, and dynamic spend policies. Rippling empowers your business to save time, reduce costs, and enhance efficiency, allowing you to focus on growth. Experience the power of unified management with Rippling today. 20,776 Ratings Visit Website OrangeHRM Advanced Unlock your team's full potential with OrangeHRM, a premier HRMS experience built for the "HR Hero." Our HR software gives you the tools to automate complex processes and master the entire employee lifecycle with confidence. Trusted by thousands of organizations globally, OrangeHRM is the partner you need to make your HR department shine. Whether you are scaling a fast-growing startup or leading a multinational enterprise, our software adapts to your needs with powerful, comprehensive features: -HR Administration -Employee Management -Reporting & Analytics -Mobile App -Recruitment -Onboarding -Request Desk -Leave Management -Time and Attendance -Roster -Performance Management -Career Development -Training -Surveys -Employee Voice -Discipline Offering both cloud-based and on-premise hosting, we ensure that automating your HR operations is always simple, secure, and incredibly efficient. Ready to see these features in action? Try out our free trial today! 333 Ratings Visit Website Breathe Breathe (also known as Breathe HR/BreatheHR) is a UK HR platform, founded in 2012, for small and medium-sized businesses. It brings people records, leave, documents, performance, reporting and compliance into one place, replacing scattered spreadsheets and disconnected tools. What's included Core HR: secure central employee records and documents, holiday and leave requests, sickness and absence tracking, self-service, e-signatures, performance management (goals, feedback, one-to-ones, reviews), reporting and analytics. Optional modules: - e-Learning: training management, UK-specific courses, completion tracking - Health and Safety: risk assessments, incident reports, certifications, compliance evidence - Recruitment: hiring workflows, job ads, candidate tracking - Expenses: claims, receipts, manager approval, spend tracking - Rota, Time and Attendance: shifts, availability, hours, attendance In development: an AI Assistant answering HR and policy questions from company information. Payroll planned for late 2026. Problems solved - Scattered data → one accurate central record - Chasing approvals → self-service, e-signatures, shared workflows - Lean HR teams → start with Core HR, add modules as needs grow Result: less duplicate entry and chasing, clearer visibility, more manager and employee involvement. Who it's for Best fit: UK SMEs with up to 200 employees moving HR off spreadsheets, e.g. start-ups, charities, healthcare, retail, education and professional services, especially with lean or shared HR roles. Evaluate carefully: 200+ employees, or needs for multinational payroll, complex global compliance, extensive custom workflows or enterprise workforce planning. Not a global enterprise HCM suite. Why Breathe - 17,000+ businesses; 1,000+ UK HR consultancies - From £24/month per organisation, no long-term contracts or hidden fees - Free 14-day trial, no obligation - UK-based support from setup onwards - ISO 27001 and ISO 42001 accredited; GDPR-conscious; UK data centres, encryption, access controls Bottom line: a flexible, self-service way for UK SMEs to organise HR and cut admin, with room to grow into recruitment, learning, safety, expenses, rotas and payroll (late 2026). 657 Ratings Visit Website RemotePeople RemotePeople is a global Employer of Record (EOR) and workforce management platform. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in New York, it helps companies recruit, hire, pay and manage employees in 150+ countries without setting up local entities. RemotePeople serves 3,000+ companies with dedicated account managers and in-country HR support. EMPLOYER OF RECORD RemotePeople manages employment contracts, onboarding, payroll, tax administration, statutory benefits and local employment compliance. Clients direct employees' daily work. EOR Flex starts at $199 per employee/month. EOR Plus starts at $399 per employee/month, billed annually for teams of 5+. EOR Switch supports provider transitions. Salaries, statutory employer contributions and other employment costs are additional; country-specific terms apply. RECRUITMENT In-house recruiters source and assess international talent. Services include Global Recruitment, Executive Search, recruitment process outsourcing, embedded recruiters, temporary staffing and talent mapping. Recruitment + EOR combines candidate sourcing with local employment. Its recruitment fee is 2% of the candidate's annual salary each month, plus the EOR fee. PAYROLL, CONTRACTORS AND US PEO Global Payroll and US Payroll support employees hired through clients' own entities. Contractor Management covers onboarding, agreements, invoices and payments. Contractor of Record adds classification support and contractual protections. US PEO provides co-employment, payroll, benefits and HR support. BENEFITS, MOBILITY AND EXPANSION Services include Global Benefits, Global Equity, visas and immigration, company incorporation, entity management and EOR-to-entity transfers. Employment and workplace add-ons include custom contracts, legal assistance, compliance audits, background checks, IT equipment, offices and fleet, stipends, expenses, severance and offboarding. AI COMMAND CENTER AI Command Center supports onboarding, payroll, leave, expenses and contract changes through natural-language requests, with expert review of high-impact changes and action records. The web platform includes employee self-service, documents, payroll reporting and approval workflows. RemotePeople supports startups, growing businesses and enterprises building international teams. Service availability and employing arrangements are confirmed by country. Request a demo or country-specific quote. 493 Ratings Visit Website Bridge Bridge is an all-in-one LMS, skills, and talent and performance management system. The platform seamlessly integrates with existing HR tools, cutting hours of manual admin. Bridge empowers organizations to move beyond basic compliance checkboxes to create lasting and continuous upskilling that helps them stay ahead of the curve. Unlike traditional standalone LMSs, Bridge consolidates learning management, AI-powered skills mapping, and continuous performance reviews into a single ecosystem. By embedding structured 1on1 agendas, goal tracking, and career pathing into daily workflows, Bridge turns managers into coaches and drives employee-led growth. Bridge operates on a secure, scalable AWS cloud, comes with a top-rated mobile app for frontline workers, and is easy for admins and learners alike to use. 542 Ratings Visit Website TriNet TriNet has been a trusted leader in providing comprehensive HR solutions tailored specifically for small and midsize businesses for over 30 years. This longevity in the market reflects deep expertise and a proven track record of helping companies streamline their human resources functions, mitigate risks, and enhance employee satisfaction. TriNet helps simplify complex HR challenges by offering a unified platform that integrates payroll processing, benefits administration, risk mitigation, and compliance support. This consolidates the need for multiple vendors, reducing administrative burden and allows business leaders to focus on growth and strategic priorities. TriNet’s dedicated service model combines personalized support from assigned HR professionals and relationship managers with access to specialized HR experts via multiple communication channels. This helps deliver timely, expert best practices guidance tailored to each client’s unique needs. 1,994 Ratings Visit Website Paycom Paycom helps businesses simplify HR and payroll by automating many time-consuming, routine tasks. Its built-in decisioning logic and full-solution automation help reduce administrative work for HR, managers and employees while creating a more consistent experience across the organization. Because all HR and payroll information is stored in a single database, businesses seamlessly work from more accurate data without the challenges of disconnected systems. As a result, teams spend less time on paperwork and manual processes, and more time focusing on employees, productivity and business goals. Founded in 1998, Paycom serves businesses across the U.S. and internationally. 8,504 Ratings Visit Website Workable Workable is an all-in-one HR platform that helps businesses find great candidates, hire faster, and manage their teams more effectively. With a world-class Applicant Tracking System and a flexible HRIS, it’s your system of record for everything HR. With Workable, you can: 1. Source talent: Post to 200+ job boards and access 400M+ candidate profiles 2. Simplify hiring: Use AI-powered screening, self-scheduled interviews, and automated offer management 3. Manage employees: Automate onboarding, store HR data, and handle performance reviews 4. Track time & attendance: Manage time off, monitor work hours, and generate payroll reports 5. Leverage AI: Source candidates,write personalized emails, and create interview kits effortlessly Workable is designed to be easy to use, with a mobile app for on-the-go management and outstanding customer support. Our software is trusted by over 30,000 companies in more than 100 countries, helping them build high-performance teams. 1,459 Ratings Visit Website
About At Ascender HCM (a Ceridian company), we view technology as an enabler, giving you more time and resources to focus on putting your people first. Along with our leading-edge technology solutions, we provide various delivery models so you can choose the service that best suits your business and needs. Our technology platforms have been created to reduce the complexity and time required to manage your organization’s payroll services. Whether your business is large or small, in one country or more, or has a complex payroll environment, Ascender has you covered. Our varied payroll services complement our platforms to ensure your organization’s people and regulatory responsibilities are covered. Human Capital Management is all about getting the most out of your people. Moving beyond payroll services, Ascender is pleased to offer you access to a powerful suite of HCM technology solutions – powered by our acquisition of PeopleStreme – which covers every stage of the employee’s journey.	About Your partner in delivering a curated and compliant journey of learning and talent development. As the world continues to change rapidly you must build talent agility across your workforce, driving bottom line success and adaptability for future success. Retention is critical to business sustainability. Developing your workforce improves employee retention. With continuous onboarding, you can drive speed to productivity that delivers real results, faster. Employees who believe they have a path to growth are more engaged and likely to stay with your organization longer. All the tools your organization needs to drive compliance, employee skilling and upskilling, and career development and planning. Provide your employees with a powerful, engaging and personalized learning experience for development and growth. Identify, attract and select the right talent for your organization. Improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your recruiting team.
Platforms Supported Windows Not Supported Mac Not Supported Linux Not Supported Cloud Supported On-Premises Not Supported iPhone Not Supported iPad Not Supported Android Not Supported Chromebook Not Supported	Platforms Supported Windows Not Supported Mac Not Supported Linux Not Supported Cloud Supported On-Premises Not Supported iPhone Not Supported iPad Not Supported Android Not Supported Chromebook Not Supported
Audience Global businesses that need a powerful HCM platform	Audience Companies of all sizes
Support Phone Support Supported 24/7 Live Support Not Supported Online Supported	Support Phone Support Supported 24/7 Live Support Supported Online Supported
API Offers API Not Supported	API Offers API Not Supported
Screenshots and Videos View more images or videos	Screenshots and Videos View more images or videos
Pricing No information available. Free Version Not Supported Free Trial Not Supported	Pricing $10000.00/one-time Free Version Not Supported Free Trial Not Supported
Reviews/Ratings Overall 0.0 / 5 ease 0.0 / 5 features 0.0 / 5 design 0.0 / 5 support 0.0 / 5 This software hasn't been reviewed yet. Be the first to provide a review: Review this Software	Reviews/Ratings Overall 0.0 / 5 ease 0.0 / 5 features 0.0 / 5 design 0.0 / 5 support 0.0 / 5 This software hasn't been reviewed yet. Be the first to provide a review: Review this Software

Training Documentation Supported Webinars Not Supported Live Online Supported In Person Not Supported	Training Documentation Supported Webinars Supported Live Online Supported In Person Supported
Company Information Ascender HCM Founded: 2003 Australia www.ascenderhcm.com	Company Information Cornerstone OnDemand Founded: 1999 United States www.sumtotalsystems.com
Alternatives UKG Pro UKG	Alternatives Paycor
Paylocity	UKG Pro UKG
Paycor	Lanteria HR Lanteria
Darwinbox	WorkforceHub Swipeclock
BambooHR BambooHR® View All	SutiHR SutiSoft View All
Categories 360 Degree Feedback Supported Employee Engagement Supported Employee Recognition Supported Global Payroll Supported HCM Supported Healthcare HR Supported HR Analytics Supported Human Resources Supported Learning Management Systems (LMS) Supported Onboarding Supported Payroll Supported Performance Management Supported Recruiting Supported Talent Management Supported	Categories 360 Degree Feedback Supported Absence Management Supported Applicant Tracking Supported Attendance Tracking Supported Compensation Management Supported Compliance Training Supported Employee Scheduling Supported Healthcare HR Supported Human Resources Supported Learning Management Systems (LMS) Supported Leave Management Supported Onboarding Supported Payroll Supported Performance Management Supported Recruiting Supported Succession Planning Supported Talent Management Supported Workforce Management Supported
	360 Degree Feedback Features Dashboard Not Supported Feedback / Surveys Not Supported Progress Tracking Supported Question Library Supported Rater Selection Supported Self Service Portal Supported Supports External Reviewers Supported Performance Management Features 360 Degree Feedback Supported Compensation Management Supported Custom Rating Scales Supported Customizable Templates Supported Individual Development Plans Supported On-going Performance Tracking Supported Peer Appraisals Not Supported Review Cycle Tracking Not Supported Self Service Portal Not Supported Self-Appraisals Supported Skills Assessments Supported Weighted Performance Measures Not Supported Recruiting Features Assessments Supported Background Screening Supported CRM Supported Interaction Tracking Supported Internal HR Not Supported Interview Management Supported Job Board Posting Supported Job Requisition Supported Onboarding Supported Recruiting Firms Not Supported Reference Checking Not Supported Resume Parsing Supported Self Service Portal Supported Talent Management Features Career Development Planning Supported Compensation Management Supported Competency Management Supported Employee Lifecycle Management Not Supported Goal Setting / Tracking Supported Job Description Management Not Supported Onboarding Supported Performance Appraisal Supported Recruiting Management Supported Succession Planning Supported Training Management Supported Show More Features Applicant Tracking Features Assessments Supported Background Screening Supported Candidate Management Supported Collaboration Tools Not Supported Internal HR Supported Interview Management Supported Interview Scheduling Supported Job Board Posting Supported Job Requisition Supported Onboarding Supported Recruiting Firms Supported Reference Checking Not Supported Resume Parsing Supported Resume Search Supported Self Service Portal Not Supported Workflow Management Supported
Integrations Adobe Connect Not Supported Chasma Not Supported Cisco Webex Training Not Supported Dropbox Sign Not Supported Edstruments Supported HelloWorks Not Supported Humanforce Supported Inspired eLearning HR & Compliance Not Supported KPOINT Not Supported LinkedIn Not Supported LinkedIn Learning Not Supported Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM Supported SAP SuccessFactors Supported Speexx Not Supported Tanda Supported VIPRE Security Awareness Not Supported Zoom Not Supported Zoom Webinars Not Supported intelliHR Supported Show More Integrations View All 11 Integrations	Integrations Adobe Connect Supported Chasma Supported Cisco Webex Training Supported Dropbox Sign Supported Edstruments Not Supported HelloWorks Supported Humanforce Not Supported Inspired eLearning HR & Compliance Supported KPOINT Supported LinkedIn Supported LinkedIn Learning Supported Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM Not Supported SAP SuccessFactors Not Supported Speexx Supported Tanda Not Supported VIPRE Security Awareness Supported Zoom Supported Zoom Webinars Supported intelliHR Not Supported Show More Integrations View All 23 Integrations
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