ADP SmartCompliance vs. Dayforce

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP SmartCompliance
Score 8.7 out of 10
N/A
ADP SmartCompliance is a tax and regulatory compliance platform for midsize or larger companies using an ERP or non-ADP platform for HR and HRMS services.N/A
Dayforce
Score 8.1 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Dayforce is a people platform that simplifies HR operations. As a unified HCMS, it delivers HR, payroll, benefits, workforce management, talent, and analytics—helping organizations boost productivity, stay compliant, and make smarter decisions with embedded intelligence and personalized experiences.N/A
Pricing
ADP SmartComplianceDayforce
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP SmartComplianceDayforce
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredOptional
Additional DetailsPricing varies based upon modules deployed and features enabled.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP SmartComplianceDayforce
Considered Both Products
ADP SmartCompliance
Chose ADP SmartCompliance
SmartCompliance is much more robust and inclusive than the previous tax vendor
Chose ADP SmartCompliance
I have used ADP for 30+ years. Nothing in my book stacks against ADP.
Chose ADP SmartCompliance
ADP offers much better training and management support, throughout implementation and during legislation updates and at any time.
Chose ADP SmartCompliance
ADP is a much better product, especially if you use all their products together to create a seamless payroll system that works much better when all the products work together.
Dayforce
Chose Dayforce
Every module within Ceridian Dayforce talks to each other. The real time live data is beneficial to the team when trying to troubleshoot. And the ability to ease integrations
Chose Dayforce
My experience with the other companies I have used is very similar. ADP also had a single platform with modules like Ceridian Dayforce has and it worked better with the tax integration. However, Ceridian Dayforce does have a very easy-to-use and simple payroll processing …
Chose Dayforce
There is no need to pull hours from another platform and upload them into the system, like with ADP TimeSaver.
Chose Dayforce
It's great having everything in one place, but we do have to have excellent coordination to avoid stepping on each other's toes. For example, backdating changes on the HR side has real-time consequences on the payroll side. It's wonderful - just be careful that all users are …
Features
ADP SmartComplianceDayforce
Type of tax
Comparison of Type of tax features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
7.5
23 Ratings
4% below category average
Dayforce
-
Ratings
Sales and Use Taxes7.315 Ratings00 Ratings
Cross-border Taxes7.515 Ratings00 Ratings
VAT / GST Taxes7.84 Ratings00 Ratings
Energy and Fuel Taxes7.44 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Reporting & Compliance
Comparison of Tax Reporting & Compliance features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
7.6
81 Ratings
3% below category average
Dayforce
-
Ratings
Geolocation for Tax Assessment6.627 Ratings00 Ratings
3rd-Party Software Integrations7.449 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Data Reporting8.178 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance Administration Management7.768 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Exemption Processing8.034 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Document Management7.770 Ratings00 Ratings
Complex Tax Scenario Management7.451 Ratings00 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.1
602 Ratings
0% above category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.6525 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings8.9559 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings8.9549 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings8.8553 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings7.0502 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings7.0548 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings7.5370 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.5
602 Ratings
4% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings9.0588 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings7.3295 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings8.9154 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings8.2475 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings9.0574 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.3456 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings8.8309 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.7
547 Ratings
7% above category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings9.0515 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings8.7529 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.4434 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.2
615 Ratings
0% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.6586 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.4599 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.7419 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings8.7219 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.7492 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.1
103 Ratings
2% above category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings8.1103 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
6.4
601 Ratings
16% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings6.7592 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings6.7592 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings6.0416 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.5
394 Ratings
6% above category average
New hire portal00 Ratings8.8384 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings8.2338 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.2
257 Ratings
2% above category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings7.6215 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings8.7236 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings8.1201 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings8.4241 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.0
283 Ratings
1% above category average
Performance plans00 Ratings8.5262 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings8.2225 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.6265 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings8.2260 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.8234 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.0
131 Ratings
3% above category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings8.9104 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings7.5113 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings7.5118 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings7.9106 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.8
302 Ratings
14% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings9.2284 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings9.2277 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings8.5233 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings9.2265 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings7.5229 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings9.2276 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings9.1272 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP SmartComplianceDayforce
Small Businesses
TaxJar
TaxJar
Score 8.1 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
LOVAT
LOVAT
Score 9.0 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Vertex
Vertex
Score 8.2 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ADP SmartComplianceDayforce
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(165 ratings)
8.4
(640 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.2
(39 ratings)
8.8
(89 ratings)
Usability
7.2
(45 ratings)
4.3
(60 ratings)
Availability
7.0
(16 ratings)
10.0
(12 ratings)
Performance
6.8
(16 ratings)
5.0
(13 ratings)
Support Rating
6.6
(44 ratings)
8.8
(66 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.5
(6 ratings)
7.0
(11 ratings)
Online Training
7.8
(11 ratings)
7.3
(18 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.4
(31 ratings)
8.8
(44 ratings)
Configurability
7.3
(14 ratings)
9.0
(13 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.6
(12 ratings)
7.3
(9 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.0
(15 ratings)
9.9
(14 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
7.5
(12 ratings)
8.9
(18 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.2
(10 ratings)
9.9
(12 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP SmartComplianceDayforce
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
If you are not a tax client, I am not sure this would be the appropriate solution for you. If you didn't utilize their credit services I could also see that this product might not be the best for you. If you utilize their tax filing then this is a great way to see it all, or if you operate in multiple jurisdictions.
Read full review
Dayforce
I think Dayforce is a great option for a large and/or Global organization. I do not think it would be the best fit for a very small company or business. It really shines for enterprise organizations with multi-locations. While a small business could use it, I would say it has too many bells and whistles that might feel overwhelming to a smaller organization.
Read full review
Pros
ADP
  • Unemployment Tax Notices - It's easy to upload the notices in ADP SmartComplianceand ADP investigate the issues and responds to agencies. Rarely do they have me reach out directly. They make notes in ADP SmartCompliance to keep us updated too.
  • New Garnishment Processing - You can bulk upload garnishments received into ADP SmartCompliance which makes it more efficient for setup and responses.
  • Payment Solutions - Whenever we receive a call from an employee that they lost their check or that it was sent to the wrong account, ADP SmartCompliance makes it easy to stop the payments.
Read full review
Dayforce
  • Payroll - it shows everything in real time and it runs quickly.
  • People - Having all employee details from the offer letter to W2 information in the same spot.
  • Dayforce Wallet: The on-demand feature is fully integrated with Timesheets and Payroll. What shows in one will be in the other.
Read full review
Cons
ADP
  • Notices for the customer to contact the tax agency. It would be beneficial before that is being asked of the client for ADP to provide some context what steps they have already taken proactively to try to resolve. Seems like a lot gets put on the paying customer instead of ADP trying to resolve on the customer's behalf.
  • Help articles could be more user-friendly.
  • Compliance for state specific laws and regulations could be better communicated. Such as new OT, FMLA, Required Taxes by state.
Read full review
Dayforce
  • There have been a few instances of users being locked out of Ceridian due to recent upgrades. Not ideal when an employee wants to see their paystub and is suddenly have login issues.
  • Not the best for when an employee is transferred to another country as their employee number is locked to their SIN or SSN. And, we are required to create a new user record with a new employee number for the new country.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
ADP
ADP displays value continuously by automating compliance processes, reducing risk, and saving time. It ensures that tax filings are accurate, efficient notice management, and seamless integration with payroll systems, which minimizes penalties and manual work. The platforms reliability and strong support make it essential for maintaining compliance within our company and department
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Dayforce
We are highly invested in Ceridian's Dayforce product. It give us the flexibility and scaling that our growing company needs. Its potential reaches beyond the basic HR functions to the decision making that our Management Team needs. Ceridian is always innovating the employee and employee experiences to offer cutting edge options.
Read full review
Usability
ADP
For the most part, one can get in and learn how to navigate the system by just clicking on one of the suject areas. If you have a good clientrepresentative, they will inform you of new features/functionality and give you a quick demo. This is helpful for one to go back in and navigate to learn how it works and usefulness.
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Dayforce
I think it's very usable for the employee. I don't think it is as easy for the HR/PR admins - especially if there is an issue. There are so many setup screens that need to be looked at to try to figure out why payroll isn't calculating properly, hours aren't feeding over correctly, or benefits are not calculating properly. For the most part, they can't do their own troubleshooting. The same is true for the managers. Our managers find it cumbersome to go into make any schedule changes after the schedules have been generated.
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Reliability and Availability
ADP
Availability is good, with only one or two instances of not being able to access the system at all which were quickly fixed. Some features do not work correctly from time to time, such as the "Help" function or the "Sync" function.
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Dayforce
Dayforce's high availability ensures that our HR processes are supported around the clock, which is critical for a global organization like ours. The platform is cloud-based, offering reliable access from any location at any time, allowing our employees, managers, and HR teams to stay connected regardless of time zones or geographic locations. This level of availability ensures that payroll processing, employee self-service, and real-time data access continue uninterrupted, even during peak periods or unforeseen disruptions. The system’s robust infrastructure minimizes downtime, which is vital for operations that span multiple regions. Additionally, having a centralized platform that’s always available helps keep our teams aligned, ensures compliance, and facilitates timely decision-making across all our locations.
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Performance
ADP
If ADP is having issues, they communicate the problem within the solution once you log in. They also communicate that the issue will be fixed promptly. Reports run efficiently and in a reasonable amount of time. Also, the reports allow for various reporting types to be produced like a PDF or a Microsoft Excel file.
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Dayforce
We haven't noticed any slow-down due to the integration of Dayforce WFM with our Ceridian HPL products (HRIS and Payroll). The new HTML view of the timesheets don't load as quickly as the old Silverlight view - however, we have gotten used to the change.
Read full review
Support Rating
ADP
As mentioned in the last comment, everyone and everything has been great. However sometimes you get one person that I feel can bring a score down and the current dedicated tax representative I have I do not feel is very supportive.
Read full review
Dayforce
Most of the time the support is great; it's not always super efficient but I always get the help I need. Occasionally it takes a lot longer than we had hoped or get conflicting responses. We had one ticket recently where we were told we would have to pay the service team to support us on the project and then another person called the next day with the solution to our query and was able to find a solution easily. Generally, though, the response is great and they either walk me though how to do something via a Zoom Meeting or they email step-by-step instructions on how to do it and say if I have questions we can set up a meeting to discuss further.
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In-Person Training
ADP
Exceptional Training Services Received during and after our Build . The teams of ADP Professionals assisted on a daily basis with tight deadlines and testing, each day , each Qtr. and annual processes including setting up local and State agencies for the 50 State we are reporting since our Workday go live 4/1/23. The process was seamless.
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Dayforce
Because the training we reviewed at Insights has changed how we use the system everyday. This is a key factor in our training.
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Online Training
ADP
Online training give us more flexible on timing. We always have a pack schedule and not able to attend training in person. Online training with recording is a good source for us especially we can review it again and again. The down side is we are unable ask question in person
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Dayforce
The courses are very interactive and informative. There are classes for every topic, which allows you to make the most of the system. There are also some "go at your own pace" course which is a great option for a busy schedule.
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Implementation Rating
ADP
I wasn't too hands on with integration portion of this product so I can't completely give an honest answer to that. I have been told that the training improves alot for each individual as they go through the process and it improves success. These individuals are able to do alot more than me in regards to implementation.
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Dayforce
Have a strong internal team. Communicate with your implementation team - they are there to make it work for you. Take the time to really think about how you want the system to work for you - in some cases, you may need to rethink your own business practices to see if you are working harder when the system could do it for you
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Alternatives Considered
ADP
We reviewed MasterTax and Ceridian before selecting ADP's Employment Tax four years ago. ADP SmartCompliance was selected because it was thought that this solution would save us time and resources. We have since revisited MasterTax and have looked at Asure as well. These companies offer more control and require more manual intervention before returns are filed and payments made as a tradeoff.
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Dayforce
I can't speak much to how it would be if we had all of these features separately since I started with Dayforce all being integrated and have no other experience, but having it all in one place has made the completion of all of these HR tasks seamless. We can direct all of our energies into the same system, and it makes it easier to field employee inquiries and to troubleshoot when we need to
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Scalability
ADP
ADP has the ability to scale across departments. This was found to be true when we rolled out the wage payment solution. ADP users are able to view their pay stubs on their phones and/or computers. This wage payment portal offers W2 storage and paystub storage for access at any time by an employee.
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Dayforce
Overall, we are extremely happy with the Dayforce WFM module. Our biggest pain point is concerning the twice annual software upgrades - which is the only reason I haven't rated them as a '10'. Because every customer is configured differently, the upgrades can sometimes have adverse effects on our current configured policies/rules. And although they roll-out the upgraded version in a test environment several weeks before go-live, not all testing is accurate in that environment. Some issues do not present themselves until you are working with live punches.
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Return on Investment
ADP
  • we were able to outsource our garnishments, so that the bulk task it handled by someone else.
  • we have been able to process tickets quicker for missing deposits can we can see if the payment was sent back from the bank.
  • we are able to fund our final pay payments more efficiently and quicker
Read full review
Dayforce
  • Performance Reviews/Comp used to be handled via paper and tracking/reporting was a nightmare - having all of that in the system is so much more efficient and provides huge ROI
  • Our organization used to have big problems with hiring managers going rogue and hiring positions that aren't approved by Finance - we built an approval workflow in the system that triggers before any req is approved which has completely solved this problem
  • Dayforce Wallet has been a huge perk for our employees - it's heavily used and our crew love it
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ScreenShots

ADP SmartCompliance Screenshots

Screenshot of

Dayforce Screenshots

Screenshot of Dayforce HubScreenshot of Human Resources (Position Management)Screenshot of Dayforce Reporting & AnalyticsScreenshot of People AnalyticsScreenshot of Dayforce HR Service DeliveryScreenshot of Dayforce Flex Work