Calamari vs Sterling (First Advantage)
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and integrations.
Quick Verdict
Calamari offers more features (135 vs 25) and more integrations (15 vs 2). Starting price: Calamari at $2/mo vs Sterling (First Advantage) at Contact Sales. Calamari has 135 unique features while Sterling (First Advantage) has 25 unique features, with 0 features in common.
| Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | HR & Payroll | HR & Payroll |
| Total Features | 135 | 25 |
| AI-Powered Features | 2 | 0 |
| Starting Price | $2/mo | Contact Sales |
| Pricing Tiers | 7 | 0 |
| Integrations | 15 | 2 |
| Shared Features | 0 | |
| Shared Integrations | 0 | |
| Data Quality | 95% | 40% |
Feature Comparison by Category
Authentication (10 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Centralized User Management | ||
| Enhanced Security with SSO | ||
| Faster Login Process | ||
| Google SSO | ||
| Microsoft 365 SSO | ||
| SAML Integration | ||
| SSO - Google | ||
| SSO - Microsoft | ||
| SSO - Slack | ||
| Slack SSO |
Automation (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Abnormality Detection |
Compliance (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Compliance Tools |
Compliance & Risk (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Sanctions, Risk & Compliance |
Core HR (8 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Coworker Information Access | ||
| Custom Fields | ||
| Employee Data Editing | ||
| Employee Profile Management | ||
| People Data Management | ||
| Predefined Answers | ||
| Profile Questions | ||
| Work With Me Profile |
Data Management (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| CSV Import |
Document Management (6 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Directory Access Restrictions | ||
| Document Action History | ||
| Document Storage | ||
| Document Upload with Statuses | ||
| Employee Document Access | ||
| HR Documents Repository |
Global Services (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Global Screening |
Identity Verification (0 vs 2)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Identity | ||
| Social Security Number Trace |
Infrastructure (2 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| AWS Infrastructure | ||
| High Availability |
Integration (21 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| API Integration | ||
| Google Calendar Synchronization | ||
| Google Workspace Employee Import | ||
| HR Bot | ||
| MS Teams Absences Checking | ||
| MS Teams Breaks Management | ||
| MS Teams Clock In/Out | ||
| MS Teams Entitlement Balances | ||
| MS Teams Integration | ||
| MS Teams Work Time Visibility | ||
| Microsoft 365 Dashboard | ||
| Microsoft 365 Employee Import | ||
| Outlook Calendar Synchronization | ||
| Outlook Web Integration | ||
| Slack Clock In/Out Commands |
Integration & API (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Sterling API |
Internationalization (3 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| International Time Zone Support | ||
| Multi-Country Policies | ||
| Multilingual Support |
Leave Management (10 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Absences Overview Calendar | ||
| Automatic Balance Calculations | ||
| Automatic Carry-Over | ||
| Leave Duration Units | ||
| Leave Entitlement Control | ||
| Multi-Country Absence Policies | ||
| Public Holiday Calendars | ||
| Requesting Restrictions | ||
| Time-off Request Management | ||
| Unlimited Absence Types |
Mobile (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile Applications |
Multi-tenancy (1 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple Google Domains |
Notifications (19 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Birthday Notifications | ||
| Clock In/Out Reminders | ||
| Custom Date Field Reminders | ||
| Cyclic Absence Notifications | ||
| Email Notifications | ||
| Late Arrival Notifications | ||
| MS Teams Real-Time Notifications | ||
| MS Teams Recurring Notifications | ||
| Mobile Notifications | ||
| Outlook Notifications | ||
| Pending Request Reminders | ||
| Remote Work Notifications | ||
| Slack Channel Notifications | ||
| Slack Notifications | ||
| Slack Real-Time Shift Notifications |
Performance Management (7 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| AI Support in Performance Reviews | ||
| Administrator Panel | ||
| Flexible Survey Configuration | ||
| Manager Summaries | ||
| Performance Reviews | ||
| Reviewer Assignment | ||
| Self-Assessment and Peer Review |
Post-Hire Compliance (0 vs 2)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| E-Verify | ||
| Form I-9 |
Post-Hire Monitoring (0 vs 3)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal Monitoring | ||
| Medical License Monitoring | ||
| Risk Monitoring |
Pre-Hire Screening (0 vs 9)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Court Records | ||
| Credit + Liens + Judgments | ||
| Criminal Record Checks | ||
| Drug & Occupational Health Verification | ||
| Due Diligence | ||
| Executive Investigations | ||
| Financial & Business Credit Checks | ||
| Fingerprinting | ||
| Motor Vehicle Records |
Reporting (14 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Absence Request Report | ||
| Attendance Report | ||
| Employee Data Report | ||
| Employee Profiles Report | ||
| Entitlement Report | ||
| Excel Export | ||
| Historical Timesheet Data | ||
| PDF Export | ||
| Payroll Report | ||
| Presence List Report | ||
| Project Time Report | ||
| Reports for Payroll | ||
| Timesheet Details Report | ||
| Timesheet Report |
Reporting & Analytics (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Reports & Analytics |
Reputational & Risk (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Social Media Screening |
Security (6 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Auth Logs | ||
| Continuous Security Monitoring | ||
| Data Encryption at Rest | ||
| Data Encryption in Transit | ||
| Data Separation | ||
| Regular Backups |
Staffing Solutions (0 vs 1)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Contingent Workforce |
Support (7 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Chat Support | ||
| Data Import Assistance | ||
| Email Support | ||
| Interactive Tutorials | ||
| Onboarding Support | ||
| Online Documentation | ||
| Shared Screen Demo |
Time Tracking (9 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Attendance Management | ||
| Auto-Close Unfinished Shifts | ||
| Project Time Tracking | ||
| Remote Work Marking | ||
| Seven Time Tracking Methods | ||
| Shift Management | ||
| Time Clock | ||
| Timesheet Management | ||
| Work History Access |
User Experience (0 vs 2)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate Experience | ||
| Client Experience |
Workflow Automation (9 vs 0)
| Feature | Calamari | Sterling (First Advantage) |
|---|---|---|
| Approval History | ||
| Approval Processes | ||
| Auto-Approval Option | ||
| Backup Approver | ||
| Cancellation Approval Flows | ||
| Document Approval Process | ||
| Manager Selection in Approval | ||
| Multi-Step Approval Flows | ||
| Timesheet Approval Flows |
Unique Features
Only in Calamari (135)
Centralized User Management
Enhanced Security with SSO
Faster Login Process
Google SSO
Microsoft 365 SSO
SAML Integration
Slack SSO
SSO - Google
SSO - Microsoft
SSO - Slack
Abnormality Detection
Coworker Information Access
Custom Fields
Employee Data Editing
Employee Profile Management
People Data Management
Predefined Answers
Profile Questions
Work With Me Profile
CSV Import
+ 115 more unique features
Only in Sterling (First Advantage) (25)
Compliance Tools
Sanctions, Risk & Compliance
Global Screening
Digital Identity
Social Security Number Trace
Sterling API
E-Verify
Form I-9
Criminal Monitoring
Medical License Monitoring
Risk Monitoring
Civil Court Records
Credit + Liens + Judgments
Criminal Record Checks
Drug & Occupational Health Verification
Due Diligence
Executive Investigations
Financial & Business Credit Checks
Fingerprinting
Motor Vehicle Records
+ 5 more unique features
View Calamari details View Sterling (First Advantage) details Calamari alternatives Sterling (First Advantage) alternatives
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