Avanti Software Inc. Review: Unlock Seamless Canadian HR & Payroll in 2025

Payroll headaches slowing you down again?

If you’re researching payroll and HR software, you’re probably frustrated with manual calculations, compliance worries, and never-ending data entry across multiple tools.

Here’s the reality: errors keep creeping into your payroll runs, costing wasted time and leaving you stuck with frustrated employees and late remittances.

Avanti tackles this issue head-on by giving you true in-house payroll control, robust HR management, and automated workflows designed specifically for mid-sized Canadian organizations. Its integrated platform brings payroll, HRIS, time tracking, recruiting, and analytics together—backed by 40 years of local expertise.

In this review, I’ll break down how Avanti empowers you to finally take ownership of your payroll and HR processes while eliminating the bottlenecks draining your energy.

You’ll see in this Avanti review exactly how features, pricing, strengths, and weaknesses stack up as I compare the product to leading HCM alternatives—helping you make a confident choice.

You’ll get the features you need to finally trust your payroll and HR data.

Let’s get started.

Avanti Overview

Avanti is a homegrown Canadian company based in Calgary. For over four decades, they’ve specialized in HR and payroll technology with a clear mission: to be a supportive partner for Canadian businesses.

What I find is they aren’t trying to be a global player. Instead, they double down on serving mid-sized Canadian companies, offering a comprehensive human capital management solution built specifically for your unique market and challenging compliance needs.

Their recent updates continually sharpen this specialization. Through this Avanti review, you’ll see this focus isn’t just marketing; it’s baked right into their platform’s design and expert support structure.

Unlike global competitors like ADP or Dayforce, Avanti’s key advantage is its singular focus on Canadian payroll. You get the sense it was built by people who actually understand our complex regulations, from provincial taxes to intricate union rules.

They work with organizations that have clearly outgrown basic payroll providers, especially those managing complex, multi-location, or unionized workforces across diverse Canadian industries like insurance and manufacturing.

From my perspective, their entire strategy revolves around giving your team direct control while reducing administrative friction. They believe empowering employees with robust, intuitive self-service tools is the best path to building a better workplace.

Now let’s examine their core capabilities.

Avanti Features

Still stuck with fragmented HR and payroll systems?

Avanti features provide an integrated suite of Human Capital Management (HCM) solutions for Canadian businesses. These are the five core Avanti features that address your biggest HR and payroll challenges.

1. Payroll Management

Does complex payroll eat up all your time?

Manual payroll processing and constant adjustments often lead to errors and compliance headaches. This can consume valuable hours from your team every pay period.

Avanti’s in-house payroll feature gives you full control, allowing unlimited runs without extra charges. From my testing, the automatic handling of CRA and pension remittances is incredibly robust, saving you serious time. It even accounts for multi-union rules and specific earning codes.

This means you can achieve highly accurate, compliant payroll every time, freeing up your team for more strategic tasks.

2. Time & Attendance Management

Are manual time sheets slowing down your payroll?

Inaccurate time tracking and manual data entry create errors and inflate your payroll costs. You’re likely spending too much time double-checking.

This Avanti feature simplifies tracking employee hours with remote and onsite clock punches that sync instantly. What I love about this is how managers can monitor overtime and breaks easily, cutting down on manual verification. It also helps manage shifts and time-off requests.

The result is your team gets precise time data, which drastically reduces payroll processing time and enhances accuracy.

3. People Management (HRIS)

Struggling to centralize all employee information?

Scattered HR data and manual approval processes lead to inefficiency and compliance risks. This makes staying organized a real challenge.

Avanti’s People Management provides a central hub for all employee data, digitizing critical HR tasks. This is where Avanti shines, offering automated approval workflows and secure document management with e-signatures. It covers everything from onboarding to performance tracking.

This means you can drive significant operational efficiencies, gain a clear overview of your workforce, and streamline all HR processes.

4. Talent Acquisition

Is your hiring process a disorganized mess?

Managing recruitment across different platforms and locations can be overwhelming. You might be losing good candidates to slow processes.

Avanti’s Talent Acquisition feature streamlines hiring with automated recruiting tools and centralized applicant data. What I found impressive is the ease of posting jobs and tracking candidates all in one place. It also speeds up remote onboarding with automated tools.

So, you can efficiently manage your entire hiring pipeline, attract top talent faster, and onboard new hires securely.

5. Avanti Self-Service Portal & Avanti GO

Tired of endless HR administrative requests?

Employees constantly asking for pay stubs or benefit info creates a huge administrative burden. This detracts from your HR team’s core duties.

The Avanti Self-Service Portal and Avanti GO mobile app empower employees to access their own data. From my experience, giving employees direct access to pay stubs, T4s, and schedules significantly reduces HR inquiries. Managers can also approve requests directly.

This means your HR team saves valuable time, and employees gain convenient, on-demand access to their information.

You’ll appreciate how these Avanti features work together to create a truly cohesive HCM experience that simplifies complex people management for your business.

Avanti Pricing

Sticker shock from enterprise software pricing?

Avanti pricing operates on a custom quote model, meaning you’ll need to contact sales directly to get a personalized cost structure for your specific business needs.

1. Pricing Model & Cost Factors

Understanding their cost structure.

Avanti’s pricing is modular and scales with your organization’s growth. What I found regarding pricing is that it’s built on per-month, per-employee rates, with no extra charges for off-cycle payrolls or custom reports. Your total cost will depend on which HCM modules you select, such as Payroll, HRIS, or Time & Attendance.

From my cost analysis, this means your monthly costs stay aligned with your specific operational needs without unnecessary add-ons.

2. Value Assessment & ROI

Is Avanti a good investment?

From my cost analysis, Avanti positions itself as a cost-effective solution, with one client noting their cost per employee was almost half a previous system. What makes their pricing different is the inclusion of “free” custom reports and off-cycle payrolls, features often charged extra by competitors, enhancing overall value.

This helps you avoid unexpected expenses and provides greater budget predictability compared to systems with hidden fees.

3. Budget Planning & Implementation

Planning for the total investment.

While specific implementation costs aren’t published, Avanti’s custom quote approach implies these will be factored into your personalized proposal. What I found important is that Avanti aims for no expensive add-ons, suggesting a more transparent total cost of ownership compared to vendors with extensive hidden charges.

So for your business, expect a comprehensive quote that details all anticipated costs upfront, allowing for better budget planning.

My Take: Avanti’s custom pricing model is designed for mid-sized Canadian businesses seeking a scalable, transparent HCM solution without the hidden fees often associated with other providers.

The overall Avanti pricing reflects a tailored approach focused on clear value for Canadian businesses.

Avanti Reviews

What do customers truly think?

Avanti reviews show a strong pattern of positive user experiences, although a few consistent points of feedback emerged during my analysis of customer satisfaction.

1. Overall User Satisfaction

Users express high levels of satisfaction.

From my review analysis, Avanti maintains an impressive 4.7/5.0 rating on FeaturedCustomers based on 874 references. What impressed me most is how users often highlight the overall time savings and efficiency gained, indicating strong positive sentiment.

This suggests you can expect a highly positive experience focused on streamlining your operations.

2. Common Praise Points

Ease of use and strong support shine.

Users consistently praise Avanti for its straightforward interface, extensive customization options, and the exceptional responsiveness of its Canadian support team. From the reviews I analyzed, the in-house, payroll-certified support significantly enhances user confidence and problem-solving.

This means you’ll likely find the software intuitive and receive timely, expert assistance when needed.

3. Frequent Complaints

Implementation time is a common theme.

While highly valued post-go-live, several Avanti reviews mention the extensive nature of the initial implementation process. What stands out in customer feedback is how the customization requires significant internal resources, often taking around six months for full module setup.

These challenges are typically front-loaded and seen as worthwhile for the tailored end product.

Overall, Avanti reviews reflect strong user satisfaction with upfront implementation effort for long-term gains.

Best Avanti Alternatives

Too many HCM choices for Canadian businesses?

The best Avanti alternatives include several strong options, each better suited for different business situations, geographic needs, and specific feature priorities.

1. Ceridian Dayforce

Operating a global workforce beyond Canada?

Dayforce is a strong alternative if your organization has a significant international presence and requires a single native payroll platform across numerous countries. What I found comparing options is that Dayforce offers broader global payroll reach than Avanti’s Canadian focus, though it often targets larger enterprises with greater complexity.

Choose Dayforce when your primary need is extensive international native payroll capabilities beyond Canadian borders.

2. ADP Workforce Now

Need a unified solution for both Canada and the US?

ADP Workforce Now becomes a compelling alternative if your business operates significantly in both Canada and the US and requires a single, unified solution. From my competitive analysis, ADP provides robust cross-border payroll expertise for North America, which Avanti’s Canadian-centric approach doesn’t emphasize.

Consider this alternative when your operations demand seamless HR and payroll integration across Canadian and US entities.

3. UKG Ready

Prioritizing advanced AI and a larger global vendor?

UKG Ready is a strong alternative if your organization prioritizes advanced AI capabilities within its HCM suite and prefers a solution from a larger global vendor. From my analysis, UKG Ready integrates AI for enhanced efficiency across HR, payroll, and time, offering a scalable option from a widely recognized provider.

Choose UKG Ready when your priority is cutting-edge AI features and a comprehensive suite from a global HCM leader.

4. BambooHR

Seeking highly intuitive HRIS for employee management?

BambooHR makes sense if your primary need is a highly intuitive, user-friendly HRIS focused on core employee data, recruitment, and onboarding. What I found comparing options is that BambooHR excels in HR data management and user experience, though its payroll features, unlike Avanti’s, are not as robustly Canadian-focused or integrated.

For your specific needs, choose BambooHR when simple, powerful HR management is key, and Canadian payroll is less complex.

The best Avanti alternatives depend on your specific business size, geographic footprint, and feature priorities.

Avanti Setup

How complex is Avanti’s setup and deployment?

Implementing Avanti requires careful planning and resources, so understanding the scope is crucial. This Avanti review section offers realistic deployment guidance, setting proper expectations.

1. Setup Complexity & Timeline

Expect a significant, customized undertaking.

Avanti implementation typically takes around 6 months for all modules, though this can vary based on your organization’s complexity and resource availability. From my implementation analysis, don’t expect a quick three-month turnaround for a comprehensive solution, as it compromises quality and functionality.

You’ll need a dedicated project manager and internal team members to collaborate closely with Avanti’s project manager.

2. Technical Requirements & Integration

Prepare for essential IT involvement.

Your technical team will address installation, Single Sign-On (SSO) setup, and Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) configurations for data exchange. What I found about deployment is that Avanti supports both on-premise and managed cloud options, offering flexibility in your technical infrastructure choices.

Plan for IT readiness to integrate Avanti with your existing platforms, ensuring data accuracy and streamlined workflows.

3. Training & Change Management

User adoption is critical for long-term success.

Avanti provides curated learning streams for admin users and data managers, while employees focus on self-service portals and managers on departmental reports. From my analysis, effective change management prevents user resistance, making sure your team embraces new processes and system functionalities.

Invest in thorough training and communication plans to empower your staff and maximize the benefits of the new system.

4. Support & Success Factors

Avanti emphasizes robust client care.

Avanti assigns a dedicated Project Manager during implementation, backed by their in-house Canadian Client Care team for ongoing support. What I found about deployment is that their 95% CSAT score reflects consistent satisfaction with responsive, knowledgeable assistance from certified payroll specialists.

Plan for continuous engagement with their support team for configuration changes, report creation, and general troubleshooting.

Overall, a successful Avanti setup requires committed resources and careful planning to achieve long-term efficiency and employee empowerment.

Bottom Line

Should Avanti be your next HCM solution?

My Avanti review shows a robust, integrated HCM platform perfectly suited for mid-sized Canadian businesses needing comprehensive payroll and HR management.

1. Who This Works Best For

Mid-sized Canadian companies with complex needs.

Avanti is ideal for Canadian businesses needing an integrated HCM solution for payroll, HR, time, and talent, especially those with intricate payroll rules or unionized workforces. From my user analysis, organizations prioritizing in-house Canadian expertise and support will find Avanti an exceptional fit for their unique requirements.

You’ll see significant efficiency gains if you’re currently struggling with manual HR processes and disconnected systems.

2. Overall Strengths

Unmatched Canadian payroll and support expertise.

The software truly excels with its in-house Canadian payroll, offering unlimited pay runs, free custom reporting, and a dedicated, responsive Canadian support team. From my comprehensive analysis, its highly configurable nature adapts to diverse business requirements, from complex union rules to specific reporting needs without extra fees.

These strengths translate directly into compliant, efficient operations and reduced administrative burden for your HR and payroll teams.

3. Key Limitations

Implementation requires significant internal resources.

While highly beneficial long-term, the comprehensive implementation process can take around six months and demands a dedicated internal project manager. Based on this review, the extensive setup ensures a tailored system but requires your team to commit substantial time and effort during the initial phase.

I find these limitations are a necessary investment for a deeply customized system, rather than deal-breakers for the right fit.

4. Final Recommendation

Avanti earns a strong, confident recommendation.

You should choose Avanti if your mid-sized Canadian company seeks a highly integrated, configurable, and supported HCM solution for complex payroll and HR. From my analysis, this solution thrives when local expertise is a priority and you require a robust system for long-term people management needs.

My confidence is high for businesses prioritizing comprehensive, localized support and a tailored system over rapid, out-of-the-box deployment.

This Avanti review demonstrates strong value for mid-sized Canadian businesses, especially those valuing deep customization and local expertise for their HCM needs.