Namely vs VIVA HR
Features, use cases, pros and cons, and pricing side by side — and which one to pick.
Quick verdict: Pick Namely if you're a midsized company unifying HR, payroll, and compliance; pick VIVA HR if you're a small business that mainly needs faster, smarter hiring.
Best for: Midsized companies that want HR, payroll, and time in one platform, Teams juggling compliance across multiple states
Read the full Namely reviewBest for: Small business owners who hire without an HR department, Dental practices and medical offices hiring clinical staff
Read the full VIVA HR reviewCommission may apply at no extra cost
Namely vs VIVA HR: features compared
Compare key features side by side
Feature Comparison Summary
Which should you choose?
Choose Namely if
- You're midsized and want HR, payroll, and time in one system.
- You want managed payroll, benefits, or a dedicated HR partner.
- You need state-by-state compliance tracking without manual research.
Choose VIVA HR if
- You're a small business hiring without an HR department.
- You want jobs on 100+ boards with AI-scored candidates.
- You want a 7-day free trial and no contracts.
Namely vs VIVA HR: pros and cons
Namely pulls HR, payroll, and time into one platform, with managed services and compliance support for lean midsized teams. Entry pricing starts at $9 per employee, and setup can go live in three weeks. Still, three of four tiers are quote-only and there's no trial. Overall, it's a solid pick for midsized teams ready for a sales call.
Pros
- HR, payroll, and time tracking live in one integrated system, which customers say speeds up payroll processing, reduces errors, and makes reporting and decision-making faster
- Implementation includes free data migration assistance with real human support, one-to-one live training on your own instance, and can go live in as little as three weeks on the Namely Now plan
- The Comply module tracks state-by-state compliance laws automatically — one reviewer reported it saved 8 hours per week of manual research
Cons
- There is no free trial or sandbox — the only way to evaluate the product before buying is a guided demo, and no money-back guarantee is mentioned
- Pricing for the three higher tiers (Namely Plus, Plus People, and Complete) is custom-quoted only, so you can't budget or compare plans without a sales conversation
- The exact feature split between the four plans isn't published, making it hard to know which capabilities require upgrading
VIVA HR posts your job to 100+ boards in one click and scores every applicant with plain-English reasons. Pricing is per company with a 7-day trial, though speed claims come from the vendor and Max pricing needs a sales call. Overall, it's a solid pick for small teams hiring without an HR department.
Pros
- One-click syndication to 100+ job boards including Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn, with postings live in about 60 seconds — AvaHR is an Indeed Platinum Partner, which the vendor says drives 5x more completed applications on Sponsored Jobs
- Every applicant is scored automatically on arrival and ranked into a shortlist with plain-English explanations of why each candidate fits, plus suggested interview questions — so owners review ranked candidates instead of digging through raw resumes
- Ava, the built-in AI assistant, drafts complete job posts from a single sentence (by voice, chat, or SMS) and coaches you before publishing, flagging below-market pay, overly strict requirements, and postings losing momentum
Cons
- Performance claims like the 11-day average time-to-hire, 40% faster hiring, and 5x application lift are the vendor's own figures and are not backed by independent review data — no G2, Capterra, or Trustpilot reviews were available to verify user sentiment
- Entry-level Lite plan is tightly capped at 3 live job postings, 1 seat, and 1 location, which limits its usefulness even for very small teams with concurrent openings
- Ava's AI scoring drives the candidate shortlist, so teams skeptical of automated screening will need to sanity-check rankings rather than trust them blindly
Namely and VIVA HR in detail
Namely
Namely is an all-in-one HCM platform aimed at midsized companies. The core system covers HR, payroll, and time tracking, with add-on modules for benefits, scheduling, talent, and compliance. If you'd rather hand off the work, Namely also offers managed payroll, benefits, and HR services, including a dedicated HR Business Partner. It's built to grow with your team and changing needs.
Standout features
- One connected system for HR, payroll, and time
- Employee self-service on any device, 24/7
- Enhanced Modules that extend as you grow
- Managed services that take work off your plate
- Reporting that turns data into decisions
Use cases
- HR Department of One
- Payroll Day, Without the Panic
- Welcoming New Hires
- Growing Without Switching Systems
VIVA HR
AvaHR is hiring software — an applicant tracking system with a built-in AI assistant named Ava. It's aimed at small and growing businesses without a dedicated HR team: dental practices, home services, law firms, med spas, construction, and general small business. Ava drafts job posts, coaches you on pay and requirements, scores applicants, and writes interview summaries. The company says 5,000+ businesses use it.
Standout features
- Meet Ava, your AI hiring assistant
- Get coached before you post
- Open the app to a shortlist, not an inbox
- Automation that keeps candidates moving
- Hire as a team, without the logins
Use cases
- Post a job in minutes
- Skip the resume pile
- Keep trade roles moving
- Hire discreetly, together
Pricing compared
List prices from each vendor's pricing page, before taxes and add-ons. Costs are per month.
| Pricing compared | Namely | VIVA HR |
|---|---|---|
| From (cheapest paid plan) | $9/mo Namely Now · per user | $119/mo Lite |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | Not stated | 7 days |
| Money-back guarantee | Not stated | Not stated |
| Annual billing savings | — | Up to 17% |
| Pricing model | Per user | Flat price |
| Cost for 1 user | $9/moCheaper Namely Now plan, billed monthly | $119/mo Lite plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 5 users | $45/moCheaper Namely Now plan, billed monthly | $199/mo Plus plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 10 users | $90/moCheaper Namely Now plan, billed monthly | $399/mo Premium plan, billed monthly |
| Cost for 25 users | $225/moCheaper Namely Now plan, billed monthly | $399/mo Premium plan, billed monthly |
| Plans | 4 | 4 |
| Prices checked | Checked Oct 13, 2026 | Vendor page checked Sep 30, 2026 |
| Price history | Tracking prices since Oct 9, 2026. No price change detected yet. | Tracking prices since Sep 8, 2026. No price change detected yet. |
- Cheapest plan that fits each team size. Per-user plans are multiplied by the number of users (respecting stated minimums and seat packs). Plans that include some users cost their base price plus the extra-user price for each user beyond those included. Flat-priced plans with no stated user limit are counted as one licence per user.
Cheaper for your team size
For 5 users (billed monthly), Namely costs $45/mo vs VIVA HR at $199/mo.
- Namely is cheaper at every team size we checked (1 to 25 users).
- For 1 user (billed monthly), Namely costs $9/mo vs VIVA HR at $119/mo.
- For 10 users (billed monthly), Namely costs $90/mo vs VIVA HR at $399/mo.
- For 25 users (billed monthly), Namely costs $225/mo vs VIVA HR at $399/mo.
Computed from published list prices on the dates shown. Excludes taxes, add-ons and promotions.
More comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Namely and VIVA HR do the same job?
No. Namely is a full HCM covering HR, payroll, and benefits. VIVA HR is hiring software — an applicant tracker with AI scoring. They complement each other rather than compete directly.
Can I try either tool before buying?
VIVA HR offers a 7-day free trial on every plan. Namely has no free trial or sandbox — you'll need a guided demo instead. Confirm trial terms before you commit.