NurseTide Enterprise and UKG: what to compare
UKG is a broad workforce management suite many hospitals use for timekeeping, payroll and scheduling. NurseTide is narrower: the daily work of a nursing unit on every nurse's phone. Many hospitals will want both, so the real question is how they fit together.
Who each one fits
UKG may fit when
- You want one enterprise system of record for time, attendance, pay and labor analytics
- Your HR and payroll teams already run on it and want every department in one place
NurseTide fits when
- Open shifts still go out by group text and phone calls, and agency fills the rest
- You want nurses to swap, pick up and read updates on their own phones, with manager approval
- You want one unit live this week, without an integration project
Side by side: what to check
What NurseTide does today, and the question to put to UKG.
Criterion
NurseTide Enterprise
Ask the vendor
- Scheduling
- NurseTideAssign shifts, reuse rotations as templates, or open self-scheduling within each nurse's minimum and maximum. Import an existing schedule from a CSV export (UKG, QGenda or a spreadsheet) with a preview first.
- Ask the vendorAsk which scheduling module and nurse-facing app are included in your contract.
- Filling open shifts
- NurseTidePost a shift, with an optional bonus; the nurses who can work it are notified and ask for it, and a manager approves in one tap. Award order: first come, seniority, fairness or manager's choice. It reaches the unit first, then float, per diem and alumni, and can go to sister facilities or the NurseTide nurse network.
- Ask the vendorAsk how an open shift reaches nurses' phones, who sees it first, and how long approval takes.
- Hours and fatigue rules
- NurseTideDouble-booking is blocked, and overtime or short rest between shifts is flagged before anything is saved, against limits each hospital sets.
- Ask the vendorAsk whether limits are checked when a nurse picks up or swaps, not only at payroll.
- Nurses' phones
- NurseTideRuns in the browser on any phone and installs to the home screen with notifications. Nurse screens are in English and Spanish. Swaps, time off with balances and a calendar feed are on the phone too.
- Ask the vendorAsk what nurses can do on the phone themselves: pick up, swap, request time off.
- Unit communication
- NurseTideUnit chat and calls, announcements with read receipts, and a policy library with sign-offs, in the same app as the schedule. Chats follow the roster, so people who leave lose access.
- Ask the vendorAsk whether unit chat, announcements and policies are included or a separate product.
- Credentials and attendance
- NurseTideLicenses and certifications tracked with reminders; staff missing a required credential can't claim open shifts or take swaps. Clock-in with a geofence or a shared kiosk.
- Ask the vendorAsk whether a credential gap stops a pickup or only shows on a report.
- Payroll and HR
- NurseTideHours export as CSV, including an ADP Workforce Now layout, plus an HR roster import. NurseTide doesn't replace your time-and-pay system of record.
- Ask the vendorThis is UKG's core: keep it as the system of record and compare how hours flow back.
- IT and integrations
- NurseTideSAML single sign-on (Entra ID, Okta, Ping), SCIM 2.0 provisioning, two-factor rules by role, an audit log, API keys and signed webhooks, and a Microsoft Teams tab.
- Ask the vendorAsk about SSO, provisioning and what connecting a unit-level tool takes.
- Time to start
- NurseTideOne unit can start the same day: add the unit, share one invite link, import the schedule. A 30-day free trial with every tool, or a 90-day unit pilot with agreed measures.
- Ask the vendorAsk the typical timeline and services cost to add a module or a unit.
- Pricing model
- NurseTidePer active person per month, with no per-shift fees: free for one unit of up to 15 people, Unit $5, Facility $9, or a health-system contract. 15% off yearly; paid plans bill at least 20 people.
- Ask the vendorAsk what is priced per employee, per module and as implementation services.
What to evaluate first
- 1How fast a manager can fill tonight's open shift from a phone
- 2Whether nurses can pick up and trade shifts themselves, with approval
- 3Unit chat, announcements with read confirmations and a policy library in the same app
- 4How schedules move between systems (NurseTide imports from UKG and exports CSV; API and webhooks)
- 5Cost per active person and time to roll out on one unit
Using them together
Keep UKG as your system of record for time and pay, import the schedule into NurseTide, and use NurseTide for open shifts, swaps and unit communication. Hours go back to payroll as a CSV export.
How a unit switches
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Step 1
Export your roster
A CSV of names, emails, roles and units from HR or your current tool. SCIM can keep it in sync later.
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Step 2
Import it and the schedule
The roster import adds people to their units; the schedule import previews every row before saving.
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Step 3
Run one unit in parallel
Keep your current tool for a few weeks while that unit posts open shifts and swaps in NurseTide.
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Step 4
Measure, then decide
Compare fill rate, agency shifts and manager time. The 90-day pilot agrees those measures up front and reports on them at the end.
The 90-day unit pilot · Estimate your savings · Pricing · Book a demo
Questions
- Does NurseTide replace UKG?
- Usually not. Most hospitals keep UKG for time and pay and use NurseTide on the unit for open shifts, swaps and communication.
- Can we bring our UKG schedule in?
- Yes. Export the schedule as a CSV and import it; every row is previewed before anything is saved.
- How do hours get back to payroll?
- As a CSV export of hours per person and period, including an ADP Workforce Now layout. The API and signed webhooks cover custom flows.
- Do nurses need another login?
- Not with single sign-on: staff sign in with your identity provider, and SCIM can add and remove them automatically.
- What does it cost?
- Per active person per month, with no per-shift fees. Unit is $5 and Facility $9, with 15% off yearly; one small unit can stay free.
Related
The best test is your own unit: run NurseTide next to UKG for a month and compare how fast open shifts fill. Product names belong to their owners; this page describes NurseTide and what to look for, not another company's product in detail. Check current features and prices with each vendor.