RUN Powered by ADP® vs. PDS Vista

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
RUN Powered by ADP®
Score 8.5 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
RUN powered by ADP is a benefits administration and payroll platform for small businesses with light additional HR features. It runs on a cloud-based platform with mobile accessibility.N/A
PDS Vista
Score 5.0 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Vista® is a human resource, benefits, payroll, recruiting, and self-service software. Functional elements include recruitment, staffing, position and training management, compliance, and performance and compensation.N/A
Pricing
RUN Powered by ADP®PDS Vista
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
RUN Powered by ADP®PDS Vista
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsLicense pricing is based on the number of full and part-time active employees within bands (e.g. 751-1,000). SaaS pricing is based on PEPM.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
RUN Powered by ADP®PDS Vista
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
RUN Powered by ADP®PDS Vista
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
8.3
206 Ratings
3% above category average
PDS Vista
8.0
18 Ratings
0% below category average
Pay calculation9.4199 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.960 Ratings7.39 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.8129 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.185 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.5192 Ratings8.217 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.3148 Ratings8.213 Ratings
Reimbursement management5.138 Ratings8.25 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.7
18 Ratings
2% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings9.017 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings9.018 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings9.014 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.012 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings7.013 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings7.016 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.011 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
8.2
13 Ratings
2% above category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings8.27 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings8.213 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.212 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.1
17 Ratings
13% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings7.314 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.38 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings7.25 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings5.84 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.3
7 Ratings
6% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.37 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
8.0
16 Ratings
5% above category average
Report builder00 Ratings8.014 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings8.016 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings8.013 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.3
1 Ratings
9% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
5.8
2 Ratings
34% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings5.52 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings5.52 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings6.42 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
7.3
4 Ratings
8% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.31 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings7.23 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.32 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
3.6
1 Ratings
75% below category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings3.61 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
PDS Vista
2.5
3 Ratings
102% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings3.13 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings3.13 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings1.92 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings2.33 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings2.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
RUN Powered by ADP®PDS Vista
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
RUN Powered by ADP®PDS Vista
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(272 ratings)
8.0
(23 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.8
(19 ratings)
9.1
(7 ratings)
Usability
9.8
(12 ratings)
8.2
(2 ratings)
Availability
9.2
(6 ratings)
9.5
(2 ratings)
Performance
8.3
(6 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
8.4
(22 ratings)
8.2
(3 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.6
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.6
(2 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.3
(9 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Configurability
8.2
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.4
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
RUN Powered by ADP®PDS Vista
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
When we hire remote workers, living in other states, RUN Powered by ADP has been supportive and an excellent resource. We know we can contact them with questions and they will set us in the right direction. From how to get set up in other states (with specific contact information) to general questions, they've been great.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
As Vista HRMS is fully customizable to suit your needs, a company should determine if they have a current employee who can do the work themselves otherwise they will need to consider the additional cost of asking PDS to do the customizations for them. There are additional modules that we aren't currently making use of, but each company should learn about the functionality of each of them as some may be more beneficial than others. When gathering your questions, ask all potential users of the system what they would want to see in an HRMS. We did so before selecting Vista HRMS and we got pages and pages of questions and comments and made sure that each item was addressed beforehand and was something that we would be able to incorporate into the system. You have the option of taking the system in house or being a hosted client. Make sure you figure out what resources your IT department has available. If you have a dedicated administrator who will do all the upgrades and enhancements great, otherwise you may need PDS to help out and having PDS host may be a better option
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Pros
ADP
  • Once set up RUN is simple enough for non-accountants to feel comfortable navigating
  • RUN provides ample notifications to ensure payroll is processed in time for employees to receive their pay checks on schedule.
  • RUN does a great job of making sure all state and federal reporting is taken care of
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Vista HRMS is very flexible, it does everything we need for HR, benefits and payroll. It’s user-friendly and intuitive to use, when we roll out new self-service items our employees have no problems and require minimal training or documentation.
  • PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are usually addressed within a few days. We were upgrading our production servers to Windows 2012 over a weekend and a key person in our organization was on leave. When we checked with PDS to see what cost would be involved if we needed their help, they said it was included in our regular maintenance, no extra cost.
  • The PDS User’s Conference is an excellent learning opportunity for training on everything Vista does, including using Crystal Reports for custom reporting. You also get to meet and talk to the executive and development staff and have direct input into the future product development.
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Cons
ADP
  • Being a small company and as a designated owner, the employee who processes payroll is the only person that gets the notification that payroll is submitted. As the "Owner," it would be best if the "owner" could also get a copy of the processing of payroll. I have to log in to review what was actually submitted...so if incorrect and I miss checking immediately, an employee could be paid incorrectly.
  • The PTO / vacation accrual product does not have the ability to provide a "liability" report of what the accrual balances owed are. I started using the product only to find out that a liability report was not available, nor could it be created.
  • Employee change form is only available after payroll is submitted. It would be more helpful to have the change form available before submission so any potential incorrect changes could be identified before running a final payroll.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Typical of any system built for the unknown requirements of hundreds or thousands of customers with varying needs, PDS sometimes doesn't fit our processes precisely out of the box. However, this con is far outweighed by the ability to configure and customize the system.
  • The most significant pet peeve of our users is the necessity for so many clicks to navigate between different areas or the system or to review applicants. These items are being addressed based on feedback from the user community in an upcoming release.
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Likelihood to Renew
ADP
It is much better than the payroll system I used previously. The integrations that RUN has for on-boarding new hires are very convenient when they work properly. It saves a tremendous amount of time being able to email a link to new employees that allows them to enter much of their own demographic information. Payroll feature alerts me when someone's pay is significantly less or more than usual.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
I feel so invested in Vista HRMS that I don't really want to try other options. I know we as an organization are not using this product to it's full potential and that is just due to us lacking the resources to be able to invest the time into breaking it apart and making it work to the best ability for us. The system works great as is, but there are a lot of implementations we can put into place to help us out even more. For example, we would love to start using Workflow to create more efficiencies. I personally have a very good relationship with our hosted vendor who supports Vista HRMS and can help me with any issues and concerns, this is a big part of the reason that I would renew with this product and continue to be an advocate for Vista HRMS.
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Usability
ADP
I have been using this system for years and they have actually made it easier and easier. The system is always making great upgrades that don't necessarily require any additional information or training. I love when I log in and see a new feature or button that I get to use to make my life easier!
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
The interface is intuitive, even if it does require some extra clicks to get to where you are going. The screens are consistently designed and formatted. There is a logical flow and organization to the application layout and menuing systems.
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Reliability and Availability
ADP
I have never had an instance of an outage. It is always available as I have added data while travelling, on weekends, and in after work hours. Retrieving pdf's is also available at any time for employees and benefit participants.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
No answers on this topic
Performance
ADP
ADP Run loads a bit slowly at times, once I put in my credentials. However, that said, I think my perception of the time it takes is impacted by our "instant gratification" expectation of being able to get into everything quickly.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
ADP
At times it takes a few minutes to reach someone and sometimes the ADP automated voice prompt does not recognize my name when I say it. Also, sometimes I am forwarded to different departments and I have to explain my issue 2 or 3 times. It is hard to know whether it is an ADP Run/payroll processing issue versus an ADP Time and Attendance issue. Over the last year or so that I have called ADP, sometimes I am left on hold for a very long time.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
PDS has excellent customer service and support. We get answers to the
majority of our questions and problems quickly, within the day that we
call. More complex issues that may require PDS’ technical support are
usually addressed within a few days
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In-Person Training
ADP
they helped up with the 1st payroll after that we were fine - it is very user friendly- they wanted to be sure everything had imported correctly.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
No answers on this topic
Online Training
ADP
very easy to learn i think it took maybe one payroll to have it down and we were up and running
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
The resources and online tools that PDS provide are extremely thorough and helpful in our training and learning.
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Implementation Rating
ADP
Make sure there's plenty of time between payrolls for the implementation and be sure to test all the manually inputted fields.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
Ask lots of questions, ensure you fully understand the functionality (particularly history records) and train, train, train the users for correct and complete utilization of the system.
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Alternatives Considered
ADP
While Paychex Flex was a decent payroll processing product, the customer service support was terrible. We were unable to reach our assigned payroll support team member constantly. If we had issues that were not pressing, we would send a quick email to get insight or to be addressed and it would go unanswered for WEEKS. This was extremely frustration as while it may not have been pressing at the time, but due to the length of time, it can grow into a snowballing effect.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
I've used Peoplesoft HCM in the past. The products have some similarities, but they are marketed to different sized companies, so it's a bit of apples to oranges. Peoplesoft was very complex and challenging to manage and support. Vista HRMS should require fewer technical resources and still provide robust features for HR and Payroll. We selected Vista HRMS because it met the majority of our requirements and was priced to enable us to purchase and implement it within our budget. Also, it's an integrated system (although not truly one system when you count Vista Time) which is an improvement over our current state.
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Scalability
ADP
Every summer, we hire three new college interns who have to be entered into the system. They can enter their information themselves, which takes a load off me. The onboarding is quite straightforward, and today's college kids are techy enough to be able to understand it.
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
ADP
  • Our client list tripled in less than two years because current clients spoke positively of ADP
  • Since our client list tripled, so did our revenue which was a tremendous increase
  • ADP is one of the best in the market so when we're selling the payroll package to potential clients, they usually know who ADP is and they already have positive ideas about it
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Personnel Data Systems (PDS)
  • Positive impact would definitely be self-service for both employees and managers to view and update selected data.
  • Through some analytics our managers are able to track turnover for their site/department by many criteria (length of service, reason, etc) and can view a number of other analytical reports such as headcount and demographics which help them to make informed decisions about their department.
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ScreenShots

RUN Powered by ADP® Screenshots

Screenshot of the RUN Dashboard with the business' key info front-and-centerScreenshot of the payroll interfaceScreenshot of access to payroll reports and liability amountsScreenshot of the RUN Powered by ADP mobile app, used to process payroll on the goScreenshot of the ADP mobile app, where employees can access their historical payroll statements and year-end tax documents