Human capital management (HCM) software supports organizations in managing every stage of the employee lifecycle—from recruitment and onboarding to payroll and workforce planning. These platforms are crucial for streamlining HR operations, ensuring compliance, and enhancing employee engagement. Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM and PeopleSoft HCM both deliver robust human capital management solutions, but they cater to different organizational priorities and needs. 

Oracle HCM excels in delivering a unified, AI-powered platform that integrates global HR functions with advanced analytics. In contrast, PeopleSoft stands out for performance management capabilities, making it especially valuable for businesses with unique operational requirements. 

This comparison examines how each solution addresses key areas, including HR, payroll, reporting, and performance management, to help you determine which one best suits your organization’s needs. 

Oracle HCM Vs PeopleSoft: At A Glance

Feature 

Oracle HCM 

PeopleSoft 

Human Resources 

Offers onboarding, hiring, and compliance across more than 200 countries 

Employee records, self-service tools, compliance across multiple languages 

Benefits Administration 

Personalized benefits programs, eligibility rules 

Manually enroll employees, special taxation, configurable rate types 

Payroll 

Multi-country payroll with built-in compliance 

PeopleSoft Payroll for North America 

Performance Management 

Traditional annual reviews, frequent check-ins 

Goal setting, continuous feedback, coaching, and development planning 

Analytics And Reporting 

Real-time dashboards and predictive insights 

Basic reporting tools 

Pricing 

Starts at $4/employee/month 

Starts at $85/user/month 

What Is Oracle HCM?

Oracle HCM, also referred to as Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM, is a cloud-based, all-in-one solution designed to streamline and enhance human resources operations across an organization. It brings together a wide range of HR functions on a single platform, improving operational efficiency, ensuring compliance, and elevating the employee experience.  

Additionally, the software caters to the needs of various industries and sectors, including financial services, healthcare, hospitality, retail, travel, and manufacturing. This enables these businesses to streamline their HR operations through automation and integrated processes. 

Standout Features 

  • Oracle ME: This ‘My Experience’ feature personalizes communication, workflows, and support, fostering engagement and productivity. Key features include connections, touchpoints, and a digital assistant 
  • AI-Embedded Infrastructure: Embedded AI capabilities automate routine tasks, offer intelligent recommendations, and enhance decision-making processes 
  • HR Help Desk: Provides a unified HR service delivery solution with embedded analytics, enabling personalized support and proactive issue resolution without the need for third-party integrations 
  • Oracle Celebrate: Promotes a culture of recognition by enabling peer-to-peer acknowledgments and celebrating employee achievements, thereby enhancing engagement 

Pros And Cons 

Pros 

  • Highly configurable to meet customer requirements 
  • Includes useful add-ons for organizational support  
  • Good reporting capabilities for better insights 

Cons 

  • User interface lacks modern design standards 
  • Controls and workflows are not intuitive 

What Is PeopleSoft?

PeopleSoft, developed by Oracle, is an enterprise software platform designed to help large organizations manage essential functions, including human resources and finance. Its features include advanced analytics, detailed reporting, and a full range of HR functionalities. It's particularly well-suited for industries such as education, government, and healthcare, where operations are complex, heavily regulated, and data intensive. 

Standout Features 

  • Campus Solutions: This module supports the management of key student administration tasks, including admissions, enrollment, academic records, and financial aid 
  • Talent Management: Enables managers to collaborate in setting and tracking performance goals, ensuring they align with the organization's overall objectives. It supports ongoing performance reviews and appraisals, offering a structured platform for continuous feedback   
  • PeopleCode Programming Language: Utilizes PeopleCode, an object-oriented programming language developed specifically for customizing and extending PeopleSoft applications. It enables the implementation of advanced business logic and processes  
  • Self-Service: The self-service functionality empowers employees to update personal details, view pay stubs, and request leave. Additionally, it enables managers to efficiently oversee team performance, approve time-off requests, and manage employee records 

Pros And Cons 

Pros 

  • Excel integration for easy journal syncing 
  • Step-by-step guidance for benefit enrollment 
  • Effective for expense and equity reporting 

Cons 

  • Navigation can be overwhelming with an inconsistent interface 
  • Lacks built-in email functionality for records 

Oracle HCM Vs PeopleSoft: Key Feature Comparison

1. Human Resources

Oracle HCM is a comprehensive, cloud-native solution built to streamline and manage global HR processes within a unified platform. It enhances operational efficiency, ensures compliance, and elevates employee experience. Key features include Core Human Resources, which handles onboarding, hiring, and compliance across more than 200 countries and jurisdictions. Additionally, its ‘Oracle ME’ feature delivers personalized communication, workflows, and support to boost engagement and productivity.

PeopleSoft ‘Human Resources’ is designed for organizations that need powerful HR management tools. It offers a comprehensive suite of applications to manage the entire employee lifecycle, including employee records, organizational structures, and compliance across multiple languages and regulations.

Employees can use self-service tools to update personal details, enroll in benefits, and access HR policies. In contrast, HR professionals benefit from analytics and dashboards that provide actionable insights into workforce metrics.

Winner: Oracle HCM emerges as a more advanced and comprehensive solution, particularly for organizations seeking a cloud-based platform with integrated AI capabilities and a focus on employee experience.

2. Benefits Administration

Oracle HCM ‘Benefits’ module is a comprehensive, rules-based benefits management solution that is part of Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM. It is designed to help organizations create, manage, and deliver personalized benefits programs that meet diverse business needs and support talent attraction and retention. It offers businesses eligibility rules that can be set at multiple levels (program, plan, option) based on criteria such as compensation, job grade, hours worked, age, and work location.

PeopleSoft benefits solution is designed to help organizations administer, automate, and optimize their employee benefits programs. It supports both basic and advanced benefits functions, empowering HR teams and employees alike with comprehensive tools and self-service capabilities. HR can manually enroll employees and their dependents. Additionally, it defines benefit plans, providers, and rates, including special taxation and configurable rate types.

Winner: This section ends with a draw as both software offer advanced benefit administration capabilities.

3. Payroll

Oracle HCM payroll is a robust, cloud-native solution built to streamline and modernize payroll operations for global enterprises. The platform supports multi-country payroll, featuring built-in compliance and localization tools to meet diverse tax and labor regulations. Additionally, employees can access pay slips, tax forms, and payroll details at any time via an intuitive self-service portal, easing administrative burdens and improving transparency.

PeopleSoft Time and Labor is an on-premises solution that provides a flexible, integrated approach to managing time-related data—an essential component of payroll processing. Integrated with PeopleSoft Payroll for North America, it ensures that payable time accurately reflects current absence information and correct cost allocations, contributing to precise payroll calculations.

Winner: Oracle HCM takes the lead with its advanced payroll management capabilities.

4. Performance Management

Oracle HCM’s ‘Performance Management’ module is a flexible and configurable solution that accommodates a variety of performance approaches, from traditional annual reviews to frequent check-ins. It helps align individual goals with broader business objectives, promoting a culture of continuous feedback and employee growth.

PeopleSoft offers an ePerformance module that provides a flexible, end-to-end solution for managing the entire performance cycle. It supports goal setting, continuous feedback, coaching, and development planning. Built-in analytics offer real-time insights into performance data, enabling more informed and strategic decision-making. Additionally, its collaborative and interactive performance cycle allows managers and employees to align individual goals with organizational objectives.

Winner: This section ends in a tie, as both software offer robust performance management capabilities, allowing businesses to implement an employee-centric performance management strategy.

5. Analytics And Reporting

Oracle HCM delivers advanced analytics capabilities through Oracle Transactional Business Intelligence (OTBI) and Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC). These tools provide real-time dashboards and predictive insights, enabling organizations to make informed, strategic decisions based on current data.

PeopleSoft offers a versatile suite of reporting and analytics tools designed to meet a wide range of organizational needs, from ad hoc queries to detailed, comprehensive reports. Its powerful reporting and decision support features enable you to turn enterprise data into meaningful, actionable insights.

Winner: Oracle HCM wins this section due to its superior analytics and real-time reporting capabilities.

Pricing Difference Between Oracle HCM And PeopleSoft

Oracle HCM offers businesses three pricing plans. These are: 

  • Help Desk: $4/employee/month 
  • Talent Management: $10/employee/month 
  • Global HR: $15/employee/month 

PeopleSoft offers four pricing plans. Here’s the breakdown of its pricing: 

  • Benefits: $85/user/month 
  • Pension Administration: $85/user/month 
  • Human Resources: $185/user/month 
  • Payroll: $225/user/month 

Disclaimer: The pricing has been sourced from third-party websites and is subject to change. 

Aligning Your Business Needs With The Right HR Solution

In conclusion, both Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM and PeopleSoft HCM offer robust human capital management solutions, but they serve distinct operational strategies. Oracle HCM stands out due to its robust analytics and reporting capabilities, as well as its comprehensive payroll and HR features. PeopleSoft, on the other hand, is ideal for organizations that require on-premises control and extensive customization, especially in industries with complex regulatory requirements. 

For a comprehensive evaluation of modern HCM platforms, consider comparing Oracle Fusion Cloud HCM with other leading solutions, such as Dayforce or TalentReef, to identify the best fit for your organization’s long-term HR goals.