PDS Vista vs. UKG Pro

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
PDS Vista
Score 1.3 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Vista® is a human resource, benefits, payroll, recruiting, and self-service software. Functional elements include recruitment, staffing, position and training management, compliance, and performance and compensation.N/A
UKG Pro
Score 7.4 out of 10
N/A
UKG delivers cloud-based HCM solutions including UKG Pro that help businesses simplify payroll computations, accelerate talent acquisition, manage time and attendance, and support proactive, strategic talent management on a global level.N/A
Pricing
PDS VistaUKG Pro
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PDS VistaUKG Pro
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsLicense pricing is based on the number of full and part-time active employees within bands (e.g. 751-1,000). SaaS pricing is based on PEPM.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
PDS VistaUKG Pro
Considered Both Products
PDS Vista
Chose PDS Vista
Vista was by far the most flexible solution we evaulated.
UKG Pro

No answer on this topic

Features
PDS VistaUKG Pro
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
1.9
19 Ratings
122% below category average
UKG Pro
8.3
820 Ratings
5% above category average
Employee demographic data1.018 Ratings8.6746 Ratings
Employment history1.019 Ratings8.5777 Ratings
Job profiles and administration1.015 Ratings7.3748 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.1.013 Ratings8.9735 Ratings
Organizational charting3.014 Ratings7.5658 Ratings
Organization and location management3.017 Ratings8.5670 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)3.012 Ratings8.5530 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
3.2
19 Ratings
85% below category average
UKG Pro
8.9
761 Ratings
11% above category average
Pay calculation3.017 Ratings9.4723 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors1.010 Ratings9.0347 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment4.01 Ratings8.9245 Ratings
Benefit plan administration1.017 Ratings8.6656 Ratings
Direct deposit files4.018 Ratings9.4715 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management1.014 Ratings8.6585 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.25 Ratings8.057 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
1.0
14 Ratings
156% below category average
UKG Pro
7.3
577 Ratings
9% below category average
Approval workflow1.08 Ratings7.7517 Ratings
Balance details1.014 Ratings7.2540 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment1.013 Ratings7.0443 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
2.0
18 Ratings
121% below category average
UKG Pro
9.0
813 Ratings
11% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information4.017 Ratings9.0784 Ratings
Update personal information1.015 Ratings9.0790 Ratings
View company policy documentation3.09 Ratings9.0576 Ratings
Employee recognition1.06 Ratings9.2296 Ratings
View job history1.05 Ratings8.8774 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
7.3
7 Ratings
10% below category average
UKG Pro
8.2
196 Ratings
2% above category average
Tracking of all physical assets7.37 Ratings8.2196 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
2.0
17 Ratings
116% below category average
UKG Pro
7.8
751 Ratings
4% above category average
Report builder2.015 Ratings8.0730 Ratings
Pre-built reports2.017 Ratings7.8741 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data2.014 Ratings7.6509 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
1.0
2 Ratings
155% below category average
UKG Pro
8.7
571 Ratings
10% above category average
New hire portal1.02 Ratings8.4568 Ratings
Manager tracking tools1.01 Ratings9.1454 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
2.8
3 Ratings
96% below category average
UKG Pro
8.5
387 Ratings
7% above category average
Corporate goal setting1.03 Ratings8.9300 Ratings
Individual goal setting1.03 Ratings8.7368 Ratings
Performance tracking6.42 Ratings7.6342 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings8.9259 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
1.0
5 Ratings
155% below category average
UKG Pro
8.1
476 Ratings
3% above category average
Performance plans1.03 Ratings8.5424 Ratings
Performance improvement plans1.02 Ratings8.5334 Ratings
Review status tracking1.03 Ratings8.2445 Ratings
Review reminders1.04 Ratings6.3408 Ratings
Multiple review frequency1.03 Ratings9.1343 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
2.3
2 Ratings
109% below category average
UKG Pro
9.4
193 Ratings
18% above category average
Create succession plans/pools3.61 Ratings9.4159 Ratings
Candidate ranking1.02 Ratings9.4169 Ratings
Candidate search1.02 Ratings9.2168 Ratings
Candidate development3.61 Ratings9.4157 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
PDS Vista
1.4
4 Ratings
139% below category average
UKG Pro
7.5
470 Ratings
3% below category average
Job Requisition Management1.04 Ratings7.7446 Ratings
Company Website Posting1.04 Ratings8.3434 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention1.92 Ratings6.4334 Ratings
Applicant Tracking1.04 Ratings7.4433 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts2.02 Ratings7.5401 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.2344 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings8.2402 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PDS VistaUKG Pro
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PDS VistaUKG Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
1.0
(24 ratings)
7.8
(947 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(7 ratings)
8.5
(196 ratings)
Usability
2.0
(3 ratings)
8.8
(189 ratings)
Availability
9.5
(2 ratings)
10.0
(75 ratings)
Performance
10.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(332 ratings)
Support Rating
8.2
(3 ratings)
5.8
(495 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.9
(87 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(2 ratings)
8.1
(204 ratings)
Implementation Rating
7.3
(1 ratings)
9.5
(86 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(76 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(66 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(94 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(56 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(49 ratings)
User Testimonials
PDS VistaUKG Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
As Vista HRMS is fully customizable to suit your needs, a company should determine if they have a current employee who can do the work themselves otherwise they will need to consider the additional cost of asking PDS to do the customizations for them. There are additional modules that we aren't currently making use of, but each company should learn about the functionality of each of them as some may be more beneficial than others. When gathering your questions, ask all potential users of the system what they would want to see in an HRMS. We did so before selecting Vista HRMS and we got pages and pages of questions and comments and made sure that each item was addressed beforehand and was something that we would be able to incorporate into the system. You have the option of taking the system in house or being a hosted client. Make sure you figure out what resources your IT department has available. If you have a dedicated administrator who will do all the upgrades and enhancements great, otherwise you may need PDS to help out and having PDS host may be a better option
Read full review
UKG
I would say, well, I don't want to focus on less appropriate. I want to be well suited. I really feel like if the transparency with our count rep and then just diving in onto how to problem solve and how to troubleshoot, I think that's most important with that.
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Pros
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Vista HRMS is very flexible, it does everything we need for HR, benefits and payroll. It’s user-friendly and intuitive to use, when we roll out new self-service items our employees have no problems and require minimal training or documentation.
  • PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are usually addressed within a few days. We were upgrading our production servers to Windows 2012 over a weekend and a key person in our organization was on leave. When we checked with PDS to see what cost would be involved if we needed their help, they said it was included in our regular maintenance, no extra cost.
  • The PDS User’s Conference is an excellent learning opportunity for training on everything Vista does, including using Crystal Reports for custom reporting. You also get to meet and talk to the executive and development staff and have direct input into the future product development.
Read full review
UKG
  • UKG has an amazing support team to reach out to if assistance is needed
  • All add-ons of UKG Pro integrate seamlessly making it a powerful software program
  • UKG Pro is very configurable to meet the specific needs of companies
  • It is easy to use and navigate
  • The mobile app is loved by all employees and provides on-demand access
  • The Ultimate Community is amazing!! On-demand information on all products and how they are used. Connect with other companies that use UKG Pro and learn from each other.
  • The Learning Centre is also amazing!! Learning right at your fingertips anytime, anywhere.
Read full review
Cons
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Typical of any system built for the unknown requirements of hundreds or thousands of customers with varying needs, PDS sometimes doesn't fit our processes precisely out of the box. However, this con is far outweighed by the ability to configure and customize the system.
  • The most significant pet peeve of our users is the necessity for so many clicks to navigate between different areas or the system or to review applicants. These items are being addressed based on feedback from the user community in an upcoming release.
Read full review
UKG
  • Onboarding and recruiting need an environment that is more stable and dependable.
  • Core Benefits could be enhanced to allow OE and LE events via the mobile app.
  • Service and support need to be increased; days and weeks now, when we first went live, it was minutes and hours.
  • Adapting all version of time management into one or two versions, at no cost to the customer would allow the resources from UTA, UTM and WFM Classic to be directed to future enhancements and would allow support services to be increased for the 2 remaining platforms.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
I feel so invested in Vista HRMS that I don't really want to try other options. I know we as an organization are not using this product to it's full potential and that is just due to us lacking the resources to be able to invest the time into breaking it apart and making it work to the best ability for us. The system works great as is, but there are a lot of implementations we can put into place to help us out even more. For example, we would love to start using Workflow to create more efficiencies. I personally have a very good relationship with our hosted vendor who supports Vista HRMS and can help me with any issues and concerns, this is a big part of the reason that I would renew with this product and continue to be an advocate for Vista HRMS.
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UKG
We have been a customer since 2015, we have gone to market and find that UKG Pro product is both user friendly for administrators as well as the employee. The qualify of support and service of UKG team is valued and we trust the product.
Read full review
Usability
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
In my line of work, PDS Vista doesn't fit. I recruit and manager talent pipelines, as well as all onboarding aspects of 11 companies. I spend more hours getting data configured and searching for information within this software than I spend with my candidates. Theres an abundance duplication, and there isn't a single stream of information shared across screens. I have to input the SAME details into several screens for them to match up. Nothing is intuitive, and its certainly not end user friendly
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UKG
It gets the job done, but not with a few deep sighs. Once you know where stuff lives, it's manageable, but the first learning curve is steep, some menus feel buried. However, it's consistent, reliable and doesn't crash on me, which counts for a lot. With a little UI glow up it could push into a 9 zone.
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Reliability and Availability
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
No answers on this topic
UKG
For the most part UltiPro has been reliable, but it could definitely be better. There have been several notable server issues where we were unable to access the product or unable to utilize some of the features. Customer support is usually quick to respond to questions about these issues, but they do not proactively reach out to customers whose environments have been effected by outages
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Performance
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
No answers on this topic
UKG
Normally UKG Pro loads quickly. We had been having major issues with reports running in a timely manner but recently they broke out our virtual server to another instance where is wasn't sharing resources and that seems to have helped reporting run more efficiently.
Read full review
Support Rating
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the
majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we
call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are
usually addressed within a few days
Read full review
UKG
The quality of UKG Support is related directly to the UKG rep. who handles the issue. In some cases you get someone who really is good at supporting the product and others may not have as much experience and it shows
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In-Person Training
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
No answers on this topic
UKG
I've been to a few in-person (hands on) training sessions and it is very similar to the online classes. You have the same reference material to look back on after the training. So regardless of in person training or online you really get the same thing.
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Online Training
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
The resources and online tools that PDS provide are extremely thorough and helpful in our training and learning.
Read full review
UKG
Most of the online training was very generic (to be expected) but we had specific requirements for configuration that could have been better addressed with more individual sessions earlier on from our project team. However, we did finally begin booking training sessions with our implementation team which were recorded, and so provided additional information for how to correctly configure and test the system.
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Implementation Rating
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
Ask lots of questions, ensure you fully understand the functionality (particularly history records) and train, train, train the users for correct and complete utilization of the system.
Read full review
UKG
Make sure you have all of your tax account information with all the states you are registered in available and that you are knowledgeable about the filing status, frequency, etc. We had some unique challenges with our state unemployment tax set up that I was not aware of and needed to be addressed prior to going live. Working with the state unemployment office can be a challenge.
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Alternatives Considered
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
I've used Peoplesoft HCM in the past. The products have some similarities, but they are marketed to different sized companies, so it's a bit of apples to oranges. Peoplesoft was very complex and challenging to manage and support. Vista HRMS should require fewer technical resources and still provide robust features for HR and Payroll. We selected Vista HRMS because it met the majority of our requirements and was priced to enable us to purchase and implement it within our budget. Also, it's an integrated system (although not truly one system when you count Vista Time) which is an improvement over our current state.
Read full review
UKG
We used ADP WFN prior to switching to UKG. We interviewed three different payroll companies to see what our options were. UKG stood out and aligned with our company values. The sales team was very helpful and asked questions about what we were currently doing and how they could assist with simplifying things. I personally had a side meeting with them to see if there were options for a process that we manually process and if UKG could actually eliminate the process. We came to the conclusion that we weren't able to get it 100%, but we could pull 80% of what we needed from UKG, and then we would only need to manipulate 20% of the information. It was also determined from that meeting that we wouldn't need to pay extra to have a special report built. The customer service is what we were sold on. The other companies that we looked at didn't give us the confidence that their customer service would be any better than what we previously had.
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Scalability
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
No answers on this topic
UKG
Read full review
Return on Investment
Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Positive impact would definitely be self-service for both employees and managers to view and update selected data.
  • Through some analytics our managers are able to track turnover for their site/department by many criteria (length of service, reason, etc) and can view a number of other analytical reports such as headcount and demographics which help them to make informed decisions about their department.
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UKG
  • Personally as a veteran user of UKG Pro, in past employers I have seen many amazing increases in employee engagement and ROI.
  • With QuVa, we are still very new to the UKG Pro platform and are just now beginning to get out of the implementation phase where we can start measuring the change. I will be looking for changes in Overtime spending to reduce as a result of more informative and actionable dashboards for managers to monitor overtime and timeclock abuses in real time. I am also expecting employees to engage more with new features being pushed out to the mobile app.
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ScreenShots

PDS Vista Screenshots

Screenshot of employee data, which is the heart of a corporate knowledge base. Within Vista, an organized database of employees, applicants, jobs, and positions can be created and maintained. The product’s flexibility allows users to structure corporate data as simply or as complicated as business needs require.Screenshot of Vista Payroll, which is designed to strike the perfect balance between power and simplicity. It is designed to process large volumes of data within tight time constraints, whether U.S., Canadian, or Caribbean.

Vista Payroll is focused on its main tasks of calculating pay, creating paychecks, producing payroll registers, and federal, state, local, and provincial tax reports.Screenshot of the included Vista Benefits features, which can include unlimited plans and coverage levels, automated benefits eligibility, auto-housekeeping of valuations and premiums.Screenshot of Vista Recruiting, which presents critical applicant information in an efficient manner for both human resources professionals and hiring managers, alike.

Vista Recruiting gives HR departments command over the entire hiring process for each department in every location while more easily tracking and controlling costs, improving applicant management, strengthening relationships with applicants, and reducing paperwork for the HR team.

UKG Pro Screenshots

Screenshot of included workforce analytics.Screenshot of the payroll gateway.