ADP SmartCompliance vs. Dayforce

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP SmartCompliance
Score 8.5 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 7.9 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Dayforce HCM is a cloud-based platform encompassing HR, payroll, benefits, and talent and workforce management. It provides companies with a scalable framework and real-time data, such as continual pay calculations, to enable efficient decision-making.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 …
Top Pros

No answers on this topic

Top Cons

No answers on this topic

Features
ADP SmartComplianceDayforce
Type of tax
Comparison of Type of tax features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
8.7
11 Ratings
9% above category average
Dayforce
-
Ratings
Sales and Use Taxes8.55 Ratings00 Ratings
Cross-border Taxes8.27 Ratings00 Ratings
VAT / GST Taxes9.11 Ratings00 Ratings
Energy and Fuel Taxes9.11 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Reporting & Compliance
Comparison of Tax Reporting & Compliance features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
7.4
52 Ratings
5% below category average
Dayforce
-
Ratings
Geolocation for Tax Assessment6.813 Ratings00 Ratings
3rd-Party Software Integrations7.731 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Data Reporting7.151 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance Administration Management7.042 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Exemption Processing7.620 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Document Management6.443 Ratings00 Ratings
Complex Tax Scenario Management9.031 Ratings00 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.0
600 Ratings
2% above category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.1523 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings8.5558 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings8.1547 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.8551 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings7.6501 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings7.8546 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings7.8369 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.5
600 Ratings
6% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings9.0586 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings7.5294 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings8.9152 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings8.0475 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.9572 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.5454 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings8.4308 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.2
545 Ratings
2% above category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings8.4513 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings8.1527 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.2432 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.2
613 Ratings
1% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.6584 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.7597 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings8.0417 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings7.7219 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.9491 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.0
103 Ratings
0% above category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings8.0103 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
7.2
599 Ratings
4% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.7590 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.7590 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings6.3415 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.1
392 Ratings
2% above category average
New hire portal00 Ratings8.1382 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings8.2336 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.0
256 Ratings
1% above category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings7.5214 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings8.4235 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings7.8200 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings8.2240 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
8.1
281 Ratings
3% above category average
Performance plans00 Ratings7.9260 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.9224 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings8.2264 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings8.0259 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings8.3233 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
7.6
130 Ratings
3% below category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings8.3103 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings7.4112 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings7.1118 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings7.6105 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Dayforce
7.8
301 Ratings
0% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings8.2283 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings8.1276 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.9233 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings8.0264 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings7.0228 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings7.9275 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings7.7271 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP SmartComplianceDayforce
Small Businesses
TaxJar
TaxJar
Score 8.2 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.3 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
LOVAT
LOVAT
Score 10.0 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Vertex
Vertex
Score 8.1 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ADP SmartComplianceDayforce
Likelihood to Recommend
8.6
(148 ratings)
8.0
(641 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.6
(34 ratings)
8.6
(89 ratings)
Usability
7.2
(43 ratings)
5.2
(60 ratings)
Availability
7.4
(15 ratings)
10.0
(12 ratings)
Performance
7.1
(15 ratings)
5.0
(13 ratings)
Support Rating
6.4
(42 ratings)
8.2
(66 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.7
(6 ratings)
7.0
(11 ratings)
Online Training
7.3
(10 ratings)
7.3
(18 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.0
(28 ratings)
7.5
(44 ratings)
Configurability
6.7
(13 ratings)
9.0
(13 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.5
(12 ratings)
7.3
(9 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.1
(14 ratings)
9.9
(14 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
6.0
(11 ratings)
8.9
(18 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
6.9
(10 ratings)
9.9
(12 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP SmartComplianceDayforce
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
We love our account manager Joanne Renova who goes above and beyond to make sure that we are well prepared for quarter and year end. She is the reason we are enjoying our experience with ADP thus far. SmartCompliance itself is fairly easy to navigate and has a lot of resources/links available to help & further knowledge.
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
  • It helps us identify our employees who entered their account information incorrectly and get the payment reissued to them as quickly as possible.
  • It helps us quickly and securely issue payment to employees who terminate.
  • We efficiently get our garnishments processed to remain compliant.
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
  • ADP should have their SC employees better trained to give consistent answers about how to handle certain tax issues relating to the states. I seem to get a different answer multiple times.
  • It's difficult to distinguish between which cases/letters goes through ADP Workforce Now Service Connect and which cases go through SmartCompliance. I have been told differently on many occasions and will find a case in both places.
  • While many of the agency notices of tax rate changes, etc. are a very quick process and ADP "resolves" the case, I find other notices get lost in the shuffle when it doesn't fit exactly into the rate change bucket or the past due bill that says "Just Pay It". Some letters aren't that straightforward.
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
There is no other option on the table for us at the moment to go with a different vendor. We also have had very little issues processing with ADP that would make us want to look for a new vendor.
Read full review
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.
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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
Exceptional Services Received during 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
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
ADP also provide in person training which can fit into our schedule. The are flexible on timing. We always have a pack schedule and not able to attend training in person if not available. Not sure the in person training with recording that can share with us especially we can review it again and again
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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
They have annual training for Smart Compliance, which is very helpful. We learn the most up to laws for various subject matters, like garnishments, payroll law, child support, state unemployment laws by states. We also earn credit toward certifications. The training is user friendly, and highly recommended. It can be done live or listened to at your own convenience.
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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
Exceptional Services Received during 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.
Read full review
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
ADP SmartCompliance was easily integrated with WFN and all of our employee data was in one place. We saw this as an advantage instead of having to log into multiple platforms, everything was quickly accessible to respond to a VOE or claim.
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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
Read full review
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
  • The customer service phone service for the ADP Wisely service is very bad. No understanding or a language barrier is a very difficult service to deal with. Also working with them to correct a situation was impossible. It is basically non existent.
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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
Read full review
ScreenShots

ADP SmartCompliance Screenshots

Screenshot of

Dayforce Screenshots

Screenshot of Dayforce Home ScreenScreenshot of Scheduling DashboardScreenshot of Compensation DashboardScreenshot of Succession Planning - Talent MatrixScreenshot of Payroll DashboardScreenshot of Dayforce Mobile - Recruiting