Namely vs VIVA HR

Namely and VIVA HR approach people management from completely different directions. Namely is an all-in-one HRIS focused on compliance and complex managed services. VIVA HR focuses squarely on affordable, user-friendly hiring and team collaboration. You must decide if you need a full HR suite or a powerful Applicant Tracking System (ATS).

Namely
Namely

Comprehensive HR features, critical support gaps.

Ciroapp review
2.6
#8 in Human Resources Management System

We see that Namely offers a comprehensive, unified HR platform starting at an accessible price point for core services. However, the limited external feedback available highlights potentially critical failures in follow-up support, especially concerning urgent tax and compliance matters. Overall, organizations must weigh the promised robustness of the platform against the risk of inadequate ticket resolution times and potential compliance issues.

Pros

  • Entry-level pricing starts transparently at $9/employee/month for the Namely Now tier.
  • Offers robust managed services specifically for payroll and benefits administration.
  • Provides a unified platform integrating time tracking, performance, and core HR management.
  • Employees are empowered through self-service enrollment for benefits administration.

Cons

  • Critical support failures reported regarding the timely resolution of urgent tax issues.
  • Users report extremely long ticket wait times, often requiring multiple user follow-ups.
  • Pricing for the three higher service tiers (Plus, Plus People, Complete) is not transparently listed.
  • Potential risk of tax authority issues resulting from unresolved compliance support cases.
Pricing
$9/mo
Free trial
Money-back
Best for
Organizations moving off PEOs seeking unified HRIS, payroll, and benefits, Mid-to-large companies requiring 360° performance management, Businesses needing managed compliance services and shared liability protection
VIVA HR
VIVA HR

Affordable ATS with Powerful Collaboration Tools.

Ciroapp review
4.1
#5 in Human Resources Management System

We recognize VIVA HR provides exceptional value and strong features, particularly for small businesses needing an accessible ATS. The platform excels at automated actions and team collaboration, which simplifies complex recruiting pipelines. Overall, we see VIVA HR as a powerful and affordable system, but potential users must also be aware of concerning reports related to unauthorized billing and platform-associated spam issues.

Pros

  • Excellent value proposition, especially for small business ATS needs.
  • Recruitment process is routinely described as smooth and stress-free.
  • Automated actions significantly simplify complex HR workflows.
  • Highly praised and responsive customer support team is readily available.

Cons

  • Repeated association with candidate spamming and dubious emails on the platform.
  • Reports cite difficulty canceling service and unauthorized recurring charges.
  • Some high-value candidates are deterred by mandatory application questionnaires.
  • Initial difficulty reported with posting jobs or receiving applicants during the trial stage.
Pricing
$83/mo
Free trialYes
Money-back
Best for
Small businesses (SMBs) needing an affordable Applicant Tracking System (ATS), HR teams bottlenecked by inefficient candidate collaboration and communication, Teams needing a highly-rated, easy-to-use dedicated hiring pipeline tool
Quick verdict
Choose Namely if you are a larger organization needing managed payroll, benefits administration, and shared legal compliance liability.
Choose VIVA HR if you are a small to mid-sized team whose main pain point is streamlining candidate tracking and recruitment collaboration efficiently and affordably.

AboutNamely

Namely is a comprehensive solution designed to streamline key human resources processes. It helps you handle everything from attracting top talent to managing internal performance reviews. You gain control over workforce details like scheduling and time keeping. Simply put, it makes HR efficient, allowing your team to focus on growth, not paperwork. 💡

AboutVIVA HR

VIVA HR is a robust platform designed to help organizations manage their talent acquisition and team engagement efforts. It appears built for internal users responsible for sourcing, hiring, and analyzing workforce metrics. The system provides practical communication tools, including Email and Text capabilities. It effectively helps you manage the full journey, from candidate Sourcing to issuing Offer Letters. VIVA HR aims to improve overall communication and workflow efficiency within your company. ✅

Highlights

Quick winners by category at a glance.
Ease of Use
VIVA HR users praise its user-friendly interface and easy adoption for small HR teams. Namely’s comprehensive scope suggests a steeper learning curve and complexity.
Feature Set
Namely offers a far greater breadth of features, including payroll, benefits, time, and performance reviews. VIVA HR is highly specialized on recruitment functionality.
Value for Money
VIVA HR starts at just $1/month and delivers excellent recruiting value for SMBs. Namely’s necessary advanced features are priced opaquely, limiting upfront value assessment.
Customer Support
VIVA HR users report responsive and helpful support engagements. Namely receives alarming negative feedback regarding unresolved, critical tax issues lingering for months.
Integration Options
Both Namely and VIVA HR state they integrate with third-party HRIS and business systems. Specifics regarding depth or breadth of these ecosystems are not defined.
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Scalability
Namely is designed for complex, growing enterprises, offering large group benefits and shared compliance liability. VIVA HR scales primarily within recruitment capacity.

Feature Comparison

Compare key features side by side
Core HR Management (HRIS)
Namely:Unified Platform (Payroll, HR, Benefits)
VIVA HR:ATS Focus Only
Tie
Core Payroll Functionality
Namely:True (Starting $9/employee/month)
VIVA HR:False
Namely
Managed Payroll Service
Namely:Available (Higher tiers only)
VIVA HR:False
Namely
Benefits Administration
Namely:True (Self-service enrollment)
VIVA HR:False
Namely
Applicant Tracking System (ATS)
Namely:True (Integrated)
VIVA HR:True (Primary Feature)
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Performance Management
Namely:True (360° Feedback)
VIVA HR:False
Namely
Time Tracking / Scheduling
Namely:True (Dedicated Time module)
VIVA HR:False
Namely
Compliance Tools Included
Namely:True (Risk reduction & liability)
VIVA HR:False
Namely
Lowest Entry Price
Namely:$9/employee/month
VIVA HR:$1/month
Namely
Free Trial Available
Namely:False
VIVA HR:True
VIVA HR
Pricing Transparency
Namely:Opaque for high-value services
VIVA HR:Generally transparent starter plans
Tie
Base Plan Posting Limit
Namely:N/A (Full HRIS)
VIVA HR:5 active postings
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Base Plan User Limit
Namely:N/A (Per employee pricing)
VIVA HR:1 user
Tie
Data Migration Support
Namely:Included at no additional cost
VIVA HR:Guided onboarding available
VIVA HR
Contract Flexibility
Namely:Yes (Month-to-month to 3 years)
VIVA HR:No (Standard monthly/annual)
Namely
User-Reported Support Reliability
Namely:Poor (Critical tax issues unresolved)
VIVA HR:Good (Responsive support cited)
Tie
Feature Comparison Summary
8
Namely
6
Ties
2
VIVA HR

Features Overview

We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.

Core HR Scope

Namely is a unified HRIS suite; VIVA HR is strictly focused on hiring.

Namely

Namely integrates full HR functions including payroll, benefits, and performance management. This comprehensive platform starts with core payroll at $9 per employee per month. Namely aims to simplify crucial administrative and compliance tasks. VIVA HR is specialized software, functioning primarily as an Applicant Tracking System. Its strength lies in streamlining hiring pipelines and team collaboration for recruitment. VIVA HR does not handle employee payroll, benefits administration, or time tracking. Namely offers depth across the full human resources lifecycle in one dashboard. VIVA HR offers specialized efficiency only in talent acquisition processes. Choose Namely if you need one system to handle an employee from hire to retirement and everything in between.

Managed Services

Namely provides outsourced managed services that VIVA HR does not offer.

Namely

Only Namely offers Managed Payroll Service and full benefits administration as optional upgrades. The top-tier Namely Complete plan provides complex features like shared liability compliance. This helps organizations significantly reduce operational risk. VIVA HR is a purely self-service software tool specializing in recruitment workflows. It does not provide any expert HR managed services like tax filing or compliance assistance. VIVA HR requires the user to handle all external HR obligations. Namely allows businesses to offload critical, high-stakes tasks like payroll execution and benefits enrollment. VIVA HR only helps you hire the person for the job, not manage the compliance after the hire. If you need a vendor to actively manage your complex tax and benefits liability, Namely is the necessary choice.

Pricing & Value

VIVA HR is much more affordable and transparent for small teams.

VIVA HR

Namely's base plan starts at $9 per employee per month for core HR access. However, getting essential managed services requires custom, non-transparent pricing. This lack of clear pricing can present budgeting challenges. VIVA HR is extremely affordable, with plans starting as low as $1 per month. Its entry-level plan clearly specifies limits: 5 active postings and 1 user. This is excellent value for small, budget-conscious businesses. VIVA HR provides low-cost access to its primary feature, efficient candidate tracking and collaboration. Namely requires a much higher ongoing investment, especially for full functionality. Small start-ups prioritizing cost control combined with powerful hiring mechanisms should overwhelmingly favor VIVA HR.

Support Reliability

VIVA HR offers reliable support, while Namely has critical user-reported failures.

VIVA HR

Namely users report deeply concerning issues regarding support ticket resolution times. Specifically, urgent tickets related to critical tax and compliance matters remained unresolved for months. This presents a serious regulatory risk to Namely clients. In contrast, VIVA HR users frequently commend their responsive customer support team. They feel well-assisted, especially during critical onboarding and setup processes. VIVA HR appears reliable, even at its low price point. Namely seems to over-promise on managed services but under-deliver on the necessary support execution. VIVA HR delivers competent support for its simpler recruitment focus. Reliability is non-negotiable for critical HR functions; VIVA HR wins on dependable service experience.

Recruitment Focus

VIVA HR offers a superior, dedicated hiring experience compared to Namely's module.

VIVA HR

Namely includes functional Applicant Tracking and good Onboarding seamlessly integrated into the HRIS. New hire details transition easily into the centralized employee profile. This unified approach works well for existing users. VIVA HR specializes in creating clean, effective hiring pipelines used by over 5,000 customers. It excels at team collaboration tools and fast candidate communication via email and text. VIVA HR's focus is solely on talent acquisition efficiency. VIVA HR is clearly built to solve the modern recruiting pipeline bottleneck quickly and easily. Namely treats this functionality as one necessary part of a much larger system. If your primary business goal right now is filling seats quickly and smoothly, VIVA HR provides the sharper tool.

Contract Flexibility

Namely uniquely allows month-to-month contracts where VIVA HR uses standard terms.

Namely

Namely offers highly flexible contract terms to suit various organizational needs. You can choose from month-to-month agreements up to multi-year contracts if desired. This flexibility is unusual for a comprehensive HRIS system. VIVA HR utilizes standard monthly or annual billing cycles common to most SaaS tools. They offer significant savings (up to 42%) if you commit to paying annually. There is no mention of specialized month-to-month contract options. Namely gives businesses financial agility if needs or circumstances change rapidly. VIVA HR keeps billing cycles standard to maintain its accessible, low price point. If project-based or short-term planning dictates your software purchasing decisions, Namely's contract flexibility is very compelling.

Our Verdict

Objective guidance based on features, pricing, and user fit.

Choosing between Namely and VIVA HR boils down entirely to your immediate need: managed complexity or reliable recruiting. Namely is the full-featured HRIS suite, whereas VIVA HR is a specialist. For most teams seeking efficient hiring, VIVA HR is the clearer, less risky choice. Namely's superpower is its unified management of the entire employee lifecycle. Namely bundles vital services like payroll, benefits, and advanced compliance into one system. If you absolutely require shared liability coverage and large-group benefits, Namely provides that robust framework. VIVA HR's strength is its affordable, user-friendly Applicant Tracking System (ATS) focused on results. It starts at just $1 per month and makes team collaboration on hiring easy. VIVA HR streamlines pipelines and communication better than Namely, making recruitment faster. The critical deciding factor is support reliability, which Namely seemingly sacrifices for feature breadth. Users report Namely failing to resolve urgent tax tickets for months, creating huge business risk. VIVA HR is praised for its responsive support, delivering better peace of mind. If you are a small team focused on hiring velocity, choose VIVA HR for its cost and reliability. If you operate a large, complex organization requiring managed payroll, Namely offers the depth, but approach its critical support services with extreme caution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for core HR functions: Namely or VIVA HR?

Namely is significantly better for core HR, offering unified payroll, benefits, and performance management. VIVA HR strictly specializes in recruitment and candidate tracking. VIVA HR does not include features like payroll or time tracking.

Which platform is more affordable: Namely or VIVA HR?

VIVA HR is much more affordable, with plans starting at $1 per month. Namely's foundational plan starts at $9 per employee per month. Entry-level Namely quickly becomes expensive when you add necessary managed services.

Does Namely offer better hiring tools than VIVA HR?

Namely offers functional hiring and onboarding modules integrated into the HRIS. However, VIVA HR provides a superior, dedicated Applicant Tracking System experience. VIVA HR wins if your current bottleneck is candidate collaboration and speed.

Can VIVA HR handle payroll management like Namely?

No, VIVA HR does not include payroll functionality or managed services. Namely provides integrated core payroll and optional managed payroll services. Organizations needing integrated payroll must choose Namely.

Why are Namely's user reviews lower than VIVA HR's?

Namely has a lower overall rating (2.6) due to critical reports about support failures regarding urgent tax matters. VIVA HR has a better rating (3.4), receiving commendations for user-friendliness and responsive customer support.

Which company offers more flexible contract terms?

Namely offers greater contract flexibility, including month-to-month agreement options. VIVA HR uses standard monthly or annual billing cycles. Namely's flexibility is uncommon for a comprehensive HRIS.

Ready to Choose?

Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.