A capability-by-capability comparison of Softra against spreadsheets, standalone payroll software and separate HR, time and hiring tools.
| Capability | Softra | Standalone payroll | Spreadsheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single employee record | One record used by HR, pay, time and hiring | Re-keyed between systems | Duplicated per workbook |
| Monthly inputs to pay run | Inputs flow straight into the register | Manual import each cycle | Copy and paste, no audit trail |
| Statutory calculations | Versioned rules applied automatically | Depends on vendor update cadence | Hand-maintained formulas |
| Attendance to payroll | Devices and timesheets prorate pay | Separate exports to reconcile | Not connected |
| Approvals and audit trail | Role-based approvals recorded per run | Partial, tool by tool | None |
| Reporting | Live dashboards across people and cost | Exports stitched together | Rebuilt every month |
| Payslip delivery | Self-service portal and email | Manual distribution | Manual distribution |
A spreadsheet holds no history of who changed a value or when. Softra keeps the month-by-month working model and records every input, override and approval against the period it belongs to.
A payroll-only system still requires HR records, timesheets and new hires from elsewhere. In Softra the register is built from data managers already maintain, with no export step between systems.
Separate HR, payroll and hiring tools each hold their own version of the employee record. Softra keeps one record and one reporting model, so headcount, cost and pipeline figures agree.