Namely Review: Is It the Right HR Software for Your Business?
Charlette has over 10 years of experience in accounting and finance and 2 years of partnering with HR leaders on freelance projects. She uses this extensive experience to answer your questions about payroll.
Juvy has over 10 years of content writing experience and was a licensed teacher. She has evaluated and written about dozens of payroll and HR software solutions for small business to provide the best answers to your software questions.
This article is part of a larger series on Payroll Services.
Namely is a cloud-based HR software that’s optimal for businesses with 50 to 1,000 employees. It integrates a suite of HR tools and compliance solutions into one platform, enabling users to efficiently handle employee-related processes. It also offers managed services designed to reduce administrative tasks in processing employee payroll and administering benefit plans.
Namely
What We Like
- Easy to use
- Wide range of HR tools in one solution
- Cloud-based and customizable platform
- Managed payroll and benefits administration services*
What's Missing
- Pricing isn’t transparent
- Not ideal for businesses with fewer than 50 employees
- Lacks international payroll capabilities
- System setup and implementation take a long time (average of six to eight weeks)
Deciding Factors
- Pricing: Custom; provide business email to request a call with a representative
- Standout Features:
- Customization: include only the features that your business needs
- Highly praised paid time-off and time tracking tools
- Ease of Use:
- User friendly
- Employee self-service
- In-app help button
- Integrations:
- Uses open application programming interface (API) to connect to common HR software
- Mobile compatibility:
- Mobile app for managers and employees (Android and iOS)
- Customer Support:
- Phone, email, community forum, chat
*Managed payroll: Outsource your daily payroll administration; Managed benefits: Employee benefits consulting and brokerage services
What We Recommend Namely For
With Namely, you get a wide range of HR solutions—from recruitment and onboarding and benefits to payroll and talent management. This helps businesses efficiently manage all facets of the employee lifecycle while streamlining processes.
Similar to popular HR software, Namely has a customizable platform to which you can add other modules like time tracking, HR compliance, and benefits administration. It also lets you store staff data, onboard new hires, track paid-time-off (PTO) requests, and engage employees using a social media-like company news feed. In addition, it offers managed services that allow you to outsource day-to-day payroll and benefits administration tasks.
In short, Namely is best for:
- Growing businesses with at least 50 employees: Namely’s customizable platform and suite of HR, benefits, and payroll tools enable companies to easily manage employee-related processes and establish the foundation of their company culture. They can also easily add services or add-ons on each platform separately as the need arises and more employees are brought onboard.
- Companies with a small or one-person HR team: Namely’s managed services help HR professionals handle payroll and benefits administration more efficiently, serving as a resource so that they’re not doing it alone. Its compliance product comes with access to live HR experts with whom you can discuss your challenges.
When Namely Would Not Be a Good Fit
- Small businesses with fewer than 50 employees that primarily need payroll: Namely’s functionalities may be too complex for small businesses that require only basic payroll and time tracking tools. It also has a minimum contract amount of $15,000 for the year if you opt for all of its services, and $10,000 if you only need the core HR plan, so it’s not the most affordable. For better options, check out our top-recommended payroll software and leading online payroll services.
- Employers looking for an HR platform that’s quick to set up: Namely requires an average of six to eight weeks before its platform can be ready to use. Other HR software, such as Zenefits, come with easy system configurations and fast implementation timelines. Explore our list of the best HR software for more options.
Looking for something different? Read our guide to the top-ranking HRIS/HRMS software for small businesses to find a solution that’s right for you.
Namely Pricing
Namely doesn’t publish its pricing details on its website. You have to contact the provider to request a demo and a custom quote; a third-party site claims that its monthly per-employee fees start at $12.
Note that Namely charges new clients a one-time implementation fee and requires a minimum contract amount of:
- $10,000 if you opt for the core HR plan
- $13,000 if you sign up for HR and payroll (no benefits)
- $15,000 if you purchase all of its services
In addition, it doesn’t have tiered pricing, unlike similar HR system providers. What it offers is an HR Fundamentals package, which has a people operations system as its core solution. You can even add other paid tools—such as payroll, benefits administration, HR compliance, time and attendance, and recruiting. It also has an Enhanced Services package that allows you to subscribe to its managed payroll and benefits services.
Namely Features
Namely’s cloud-based solutions are designed to help you recruit, onboard, pay, and manage employees. It also offers mobile apps (for iOS and Android devices) and a self-service tool that enables employees to request PTO and view pay slips online.
Since Our Last Update:
In August 2021, Namely launched its anonymous employee reporting solution, Tell Us, which allows workers to safely report any form of workplace harassment. This portal is included in its HR compliance module.
Employee Data Management
Aside from storing employee information online, you can use Namely to track important staff movements and milestones like hiring, name and address changes, terminations/separations, and rehiring. With its streamlined integrations, employee information flows seamlessly between Namely’s modules and its partner systems.
Namely’s employee profiles contain each staff’s data, such as personal information, skills, banking details, and compensation history.
Recruiting & Onboarding
Finding and hiring top talents will be much easier tasks with Namely’s recruiting and onboarding solutions. Its features include custom job workflows, offer letters, a resume parser, and a searchable database.
Its integration with E-Verify and Adobe allows you to easily conduct background checks and have electronic documents signed online, respectively. Namely also has a calendar sync feature that lets you keep track of recruiting-related deadlines on Gmail and Outlook calendars.
In addition, you are granted access to onboarding templates that you can modify to fit your business’ new employee orientation requirements. Namely even helps to eliminate the need to maintain manual forms since all new hire documents are securely stored within its platform.
Employee Time & Attendance
Namely can help you monitor PTO requests and track employee clock-ins and outs. It comes with a real-time scheduling tool that allows eligible users to create and manage employee schedules.
With Namely’s mass editing feature, you can change employee schedules and/or approve PTO requests in just one click.
Payroll Processing
Given Namely’s integrated platform, all employee data (such as personal details, time and attendance, and benefits information) flow seamlessly into its payroll module. This makes it easy for you to process employee pay without having to manually extract data from various systems and upload it into Namely.
This module also has the capability to process payroll for multiple pay groups—from biweekly to monthly paid employees. You can even change employee pay cycles as many times as you need.
Apart from pay processing, Namely offers simple tax filing of federal, state, and local payroll taxes. The provider can also handle your year-end reporting such as Forms W-2 and 1099.
Benefits Administration
Its benefits administration solution features plan management, online employee benefits enrollments, carrier feeds, and embedded help tools. It comes with Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting in which Namely files 1094 and 1095 forms on your behalf.
After your employees have selected their plan options in Namely, they can be automatically enrolled with benefits carriers using EDI feeds.
Talent Management
With its talent management solution, you can assess employee performance and automate review cycles. It comes with configurable templates, intuitive forms, goals management, and unlimited performance reviews. You can even use it to define and add competencies, allowing your employees to pull these directly into their performance review forms.
Namely can help you track the progress of annual performance review cycles.
HR Compliance
With its HR Compliance module, you are granted unlimited access to certified HR advisers who can help you mitigate employee-related compliance risks. It comes with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) logs for recording workplace injuries, an updatable “living handbook” that contains your company’s policies, and a learning management solution to educate employees about business-related regulations.
The module also includes a dedicated portal named Tell Us, where employees can submit anonymized reports at any time. They can choose their preferred confidentiality level and indicate if they are reporting on behalf of another person or themselves, add details of the people involved and their roles in the incident, and upload relevant documents or materials.
An employer can then address and resolve the complaint through a masked, two-way communication with the person who reported the incident. The portal works to track reports from start to finish, and ensures proper documentation from an anonymous portal.
This feature supports consistent compliance programs that align with regulatory standards to avoid costly litigation and reduce reputation damages.
Company News Feed
One way to keep your workforce engaged is to recognize their good work. With Namely’s company news feed, you can praise your employees while keeping them informed of important company updates. What I like about the tool is that it has a social media platform feel to it, enabling employees to “like” posts and add comments.
Namely’s company news feed shows the employees who were recently hired and are celebrating important milestones such as birthdays and work anniversaries.
Integration With Open API
Namely’s open application programming interface (API) allows users to connect it to other business apps such as applicant tracking systems (ATSes), learning solutions, benefits account and Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) administration providers, and international payroll tools. Here are some of its partner systems.
- ATSes: Greenhouse, JazzHR, Breezy, Jobvite, ApplicantStack, Recruiterbox
- Benefits and COBRA administration providers: Discover Benefits and Ameriflex
- Identity management and single sign-on tools: Okta, BetterCloud, and Google Workspace
- International payroll solutions: Blue Marble Payroll, iiPay, and Vistra
- Employee recognition systems: Bonusly, Kazoo, and Fond
- Learning platforms: Absorb, Litmos, Travitor, and Lessonly
- Employee feedback software: Culture Amp, 15Five, Lattice, and Small Improvements
- Compensation management tools: SimplyMerit, CompensationCloud, and Payfactors
- Time and attendance solutions: TSheets, Boomr, and Replicon
- Other business systems: Workato, Pingboard, OrgChart Now, and Zapier
Reporting Tools & Analytics
Namely has a comprehensive reporting tool, wherein you can either run pre-made reports or create a custom one that meets your needs. It also comes with point-in-time reporting, allowing you to compare key HR metrics based on specific dates.
You also get dashboards that contain visual analytics on various HR metrics.
Mobile App
Namely’s mobile app is available for Android and iOS devices, which allows users to view their pay stubs, send time-off requests, and view company newsfeed and benefits info. The app, however, has limited features for managers compared to the full software. Managers can create or edit schedules on the app, view who’s clocked in and out, and manage time-off requests. However, managers cannot run and process payroll with the mobile app.
Features in Namely’s mobile app for employees include a company directory, time-off requests, benefits, and pay stubs.
(Source: Namely)
Namely Ease of Use
- User-friendly interface
- Onboarding tools
- Implementation specialists
- Employee self-service and mobile apps
- In-app help button
- How-to guides and a community forum
Customizability and having a user-friendly interface are some of the factors you need to consider when looking for an HR software. With Namely, you get platform configurability and a comprehensive solution suite designed to help you efficiently manage all aspects of the employee’s entire lifecycle. Plus, it has an interface that’s easy to learn and use.
Similar to popular HR platforms, Namely offers self-service tools that let your employees manage basic HR tasks themselves like requesting and tracking PTOs, accessing payslips, and viewing benefits information online. This enables you to focus more on business building strategies and spend less time handling day-to-day HR processes.
In case you need help or have questions about its functionalities, Namely offers live phone support. The provider also has an online chat and an in-app help tool, or you can even connect with other Namely clients through a community forum.
What Users Think About Namely
Many users who left Namely reviews online said that its ease of use, customization options, and onboarding tools are its standout features. They also like that it has a wide range of HR solutions, enabling them to efficiently manage employees, staff information, and payroll.
On the other hand, there are mixed reviews about its customer service. Some users said that the support team isn’t always responsive, while others commented that they received good service. There are also those who complained about occasional data sync issues, open benefits enrollment errors, and “clunky” workflows.
At the time of publication, Namely reviews earned the following scores on popular user review sites:
- Capterra: 4.2 out of 5 based on 400+ reviews
- G2: 3.9 out of 5 based on 240+ reviews
I noticed these trends when reading through Namely reviews:
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Easy to use; has a modern interface with many customizations | Not all of its features are intuitive; you sometimes have to click several tabs instead of just one |
| Efficient onboarding tools | Some of its HR tools are “clunky” to use (such as workflows and benefits enrollments) |
| The community forum is a helpful resource | Inconsistent customer support |
Namely Alternatives
 |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
Best for | Small businesses wanting an all-in-one payroll and HR software | Small employers needing an integrated HR platform | Small startups (with up to five employees) that want free to use HR tools |
Monthly fees start at | $99 per employee | $10 per employee | Free (up to five employees); $1 per employee thereafter |
Bottom Line
Namely is an ideal option for businesses (with 50 to 1,000 employees) needing a customizable HR platform with employee management, payroll, and benefits administration tools. System setup may not be as quick as other HR software, but you are granted access to a team of specialists to guide you through the implementation process. If you need assistance processing payroll and benefits, you can subscribe to its managed services. Sign up for a free Namely demo today.
