Ciphr vs SAP SuccessFactors (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Ciphr and SAP SuccessFactors share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Ciphr
UK HR and payroll suite for organisations of 200 to 2,000 staff
From £5/mo
Which one is for you
Pick Ciphr if
- Fits if you are a UK organisation of 200 or more that wants HR and payroll together
- Works for HR teams that also want learning and benefits in the same suite
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you have a small team, as it is built for 200 or more
- Tight if you can't commit: the £5 figure assumes a three-year minimum term
- Skip it if you are outside the UK, as it is built for UK compliance
- Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed
Pick SAP SuccessFactors if
- Fits if you run HR for a large company and want one suite from SAP
- Works for organisations already on other SAP products
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a price before a sales call, as none is published
- Too light for a price comparison, since the package contents on its pricing page could not be read
- Skip it if you are a small team, because it is built for enterprise HR
- Watch out: SAP's site refused automated page views of the pricing page
How we grade them
| 1.8GPACiphrWeak | 1.8GPASAP SuccessFactorsWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFrom £5 per employee a month, about $6.50, but only for 125 employees on a three-year minimum term. No plan prices are published. | CNo price is published, only a quote, so value cannot be graded against the category and sits in the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is on record in the listing or on its pricing page. | FNo free plan and no trial on record in the listing, and a money-back guarantee would not count as one. |
| Features | BCentral HR, UK payroll, recruitment, learning, benefits and analytics. The listing names no gap in the core HR work. | BCore HR and payroll, recruiting, learning, talent management, an AI assistant and mobile apps. Nothing in the listing shows a gap in the core work, though what each package contains was not readable. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. A suite this size is bought by quote and set up with implementation scoped inside it. | CNo store rating on record. An enterprise suite is built and configured with partners, so it is not something you start using on day one. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with no integrations list or apps on record. | CThe listing records web only. Its features mention mobile apps, but no integrations or platforms are named. |
| Best for | UK organisations of 200 or more staff | enterprise HR suites, quote only |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Ciphr and SAP SuccessFactors. How we grade
Where they differ
- Ciphr also covers reports and time off.
In commonWebAI featuresPayrollApplicant trackingEmployee records
At a glance
| Ciphr | SAP SuccessFactors | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | £5 per employee / month and up (125 employees, three-year term) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Ciphr | SAP SE |
| Price read from | ciphr.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Ciphr
- No plan prices are published; the vendor quotes by modules, headcount and support level.
- The 'from £5' figure assumes 125 employees on a three-year minimum term.
- It is built for UK compliance and for organisations of 200 or more staff, so small teams are outside its stated range.
- Implementation is scoped inside the quote, so setup is not a separate published price.
SAP SuccessFactors
- No prices are published; SAP asks buyers to request a quote, so this listing has no price.
- SAP's pricing page lists Base and Premium HCM packages, but the pages read did not show their contents or costs.
- SAP's site refused automated page views of the pricing page, so package details could not be read in full.
Key features
Ciphr
- Central HR
- Cloud HR with absence, performance, documents, employee self-service and reporting, plus an AI assistant.
- UK payroll
- Payroll built around HMRC rules, including RTI and auto-enrolment, with UK-based expert support.
- Recruitment
- Hiring from vacancy to offer, connected to Ciphr HR so a new hire flows into onboarding without re-keying.
- Learning management
- An LMS and eLearning courses, off the shelf or bespoke, that update the learner's record on completion.
- Benefits platform
- An employee benefits platform that shows take-home pay impact and connects to payroll.
- HR analytics
- Dashboards and reports across HR, payroll, learning and recruitment data.
SAP SuccessFactors
- Core HR and payroll
- Employee records and payroll processing, listed on SAP's product pages as the foundation of the suite.
- Recruiting and applicant tracking
- SmartRecruiters for SAP SuccessFactors is described as SAP's AI-powered recruiting and applicant tracking system.
- Learning
- A learning module, with SAP's learning site offering material for human capital management products.
- Talent management
- Talent management modules sit alongside core HR in the suite's product navigation.
- Joule AI assistant
- SAP says Joule Base is included with HCM Base or Premium plans at no additional cost.
- Mobile apps
- SAP lists mobile apps for the suite on its product pages.
Plans
Ciphr
Quote-based suite£5
per employee / month and up, three-year term
Standard HR software for 125 employees on a three-year minimum term. Final price depends on modules, headcount and support.
SAP SuccessFactors
Pricing could not be confirmed. See sap.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Ciphr or SAP SuccessFactors?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Ciphr starts at £5 per employee / month and up (125 employees, three-year term), and SAP SuccessFactors has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Ciphr or SAP SuccessFactors?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Ciphr nor SAP SuccessFactors has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.