ADP SmartCompliance vs. Namely

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP SmartCompliance
Score 8.2 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
Namely
Score 7.3 out of 10
N/A
Namely offers a cloud-based HR platform for integrated core and specialized HR services, including time and employee performance management and onboarding processes.
$9
per month
Pricing
ADP SmartComplianceNamely
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Namely Now
$9
per month per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP SmartComplianceNamely
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredRequired
Additional DetailsPricing varies based upon modules deployed and features enabled.Namely Now offers small-businesses an HCM including payroll and HR at a budget conscious price. For growing companies we have Namely Plus which includes payroll and HR, talent, time, and other tools to engage and enrich their employees. For companies looking to free up more time internally for strategy, Namely offers Namely Plus People, including managed Payroll and Benefits. And for the business who wants to expand while minimizing risk and liability, our white-glove comprehensive PEO solution is Namely Complete.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP SmartComplianceNamely
Considered Both Products
ADP SmartCompliance

No answer on this topic

Namely
Chose Namely
ADP is really limiting, and not appealing to look at.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
ADP SmartComplianceNamely
Type of tax
Comparison of Type of tax features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
8.9
9 Ratings
5% above category average
Namely
-
Ratings
Sales and Use Taxes9.53 Ratings00 Ratings
Cross-border Taxes8.07 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
7.7
40 Ratings
8% below category average
Namely
-
Ratings
Geolocation for Tax Assessment7.111 Ratings00 Ratings
3rd-Party Software Integrations8.121 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Data Reporting7.939 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance Administration Management7.232 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Exemption Processing8.015 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Document Management7.332 Ratings00 Ratings
Complex Tax Scenario Management8.124 Ratings00 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Namely
6.3
143 Ratings
22% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings6.6132 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings7.1138 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings7.030 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.0132 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings4.7134 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings5.7129 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.282 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Namely
7.2
127 Ratings
11% below category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.9111 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings6.953 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings7.057 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings6.9109 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.3113 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings5.2100 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.057 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Namely
7.7
124 Ratings
5% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings7.2121 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings7.5116 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.395 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Namely
7.6
141 Ratings
7% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings7.9129 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.2140 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.0127 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings7.3116 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.3134 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Namely
5.7
53 Ratings
31% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings5.753 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Namely
7.0
121 Ratings
8% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.4117 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.7112 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings5.874 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Namely
6.5
116 Ratings
21% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.4110 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings5.685 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Namely
4.9
96 Ratings
50% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings6.086 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings4.594 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings4.172 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings5.089 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Namely
5.4
107 Ratings
38% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings5.296 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings3.568 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings6.595 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings6.398 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings5.485 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Namely
5.6
21 Ratings
34% below category average
Candidate search00 Ratings5.621 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Namely
7.9
6 Ratings
1% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.65 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.65 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings8.25 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings7.85 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.15 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.26 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP SmartComplianceNamely
Small Businesses
Canopy
Canopy
Score 9.5 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
LOVAT
LOVAT
Score 10.0 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Vertex
Vertex
Score 8.3 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ADP SmartComplianceNamely
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(134 ratings)
7.4
(145 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.8
(29 ratings)
9.1
(9 ratings)
Usability
7.8
(37 ratings)
7.2
(71 ratings)
Availability
8.9
(12 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
8.5
(12 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
5.6
(37 ratings)
8.0
(27 ratings)
In-Person Training
4.6
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.2
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
4.8
(22 ratings)
4.9
(85 ratings)
Configurability
7.9
(10 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.9
(9 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.7
(11 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.4
(9 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
6.4
(8 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP SmartComplianceNamely
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
There has been much end user improvement on this site over the 3 years that I have been using it. I really appreciate the focus and attention ADP has place on making this a user friendly site so that their customers can better navigate their payroll tax issues. I look forward to the additional features that will be added in another three years time. I really am able to be quite efficient within my role because of the ease of use of this site.
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Namely
Namely is aesthetically very pleasing and navigates like other social media platforms which can be appealing to potentially a remote workforce who interacts more online than in person. Unfortunately, it did not serve our population well as we are primarily manufacturing where people are not as interested in utilizing the HRIS for interactions when they would rather connect in person.
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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.
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Namely
  • Namely has helped with our COVID sick leave response. It has made a major difference both with the weekly payroll and the 941 tax filing
  • Keeping track of our multiple PTO plans. Thank goodness for Namely, I have shredded my old PTO spreadsheets.
  • Employees like the convenience of the cell phone app. As a payroll administrator, I like the Geo Tracking tool where I can see where some are when the clock is in or out.
  • The flexibility inside of the payroll system both as you are finalizing an employee profile and when you are processing payroll is a major advantage.
  • The reports I get out of Namely in Excel format work well for me.
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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.
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Namely
  • Limits to custom reporting
  • No direct feed for Ohio Workers Comp (now a manual process on our end)
  • No option to place an employee on Leave of Absence and exclude them from payroll while they are "inactive"
  • No option to suppress certain deductions for certain pay types (i.e. allow 401K for commissions but block remaining deductions - also now a manual process to uncheck the suppress box for 401K for each commission check)
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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.
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Namely
Administrators and employees love Namely. It is very easy to use and streamlined. Employees stay engaged with news feed updates and enjoy all the self service options. The time cards are very easy to access and clocking in and out for non-exempt employees is a breeze. Namely is part of our family.
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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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Namely
It is very simple to use for myself, the HR team, and our employees. I find the payroll process very user-friendly. Reporting is simple to navigate and produce the required information requested. I know our employees enjoy the self-service feature and use it on a regular basis, which saves me time.
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Reliability and Availability
ADP
We have never experienced unavailability with ADP. They communicate promptly when there is a holiday or if the system is down for maintenance. The maintenance schedule is during times when it is least used
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Namely
No answers on this topic
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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Namely
No answers on this topic
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.
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Namely
Unfortunately, in more recent years we've had a lot of difficulty with Namely as they've undergone a lot of internal changes. It took 4 returned emails saying the person no longer worked at Namely to find someone to help me (I finally called payroll) and it took a while to get connected with a direct source of help. Namely now has set up their "pod" feature of communication which works well for the most part, but is different. I felt spoiled when we first started with Namely, but now it feels very much like working with most large companies' help centers. There is a system to go through and you do have the option to click "urgent". In general the help is efficient, but it still takes a few days and it's hard to speak with someone directly. It is all done via online communications and is difficult to actually speak to someone on the phone. This works well for most cases, but I do feel frustrated more often than I'd like to with this type of communication. (2019/2020)
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In-Person Training
ADP
I haven't participated in in-person training yet.
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Namely
No answers on this topic
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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Namely
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
ADP
Currently all electronic copies of our returns have to be downloaded one at a time. There should be a way to download all returns for a quarter in a zip file or single download.
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Namely
Implementation was a bit complicated and our company had to carry most of the weight. It often felt like our implementation manager was giving us extra work that she did not want to do herself. It also took much longer than expected - I believe almost 2 months. I believe our company carried a bit too much of the weight.
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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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Namely
Namely has a robust suite of offerings, and fallows for a la carte selection of add-ons (rather than a single bundled option). This has allowed our company to save money by not purchasing options / functionalities that we dont need, but may drive up the cost for other companies who need more a la carte selections. In all, the size of the company, the size & capabilities of the internal HR team, and considerations like managed payroll and benefits should be key drivers in selection.
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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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Namely
No answers on this topic
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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Namely
  • When we were over 100, it provided a huge benefit to us due to the accuracy of payroll, benefits integration and management, and org chart and performance tracking. Having all of that in one place was a huge improvement from the former disjointed user experience.
  • When we dropped below 100 due to covid, our insurance rates went up 93% to offer comparable plans, and we had to move over to a PEO for benefits which meant we also had to move payroll. It was hugely disruptive, and now our employees have a bad experience when trying to manage their HR lives in multiple places. It is confusing and, again, disjointed.
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ScreenShots

ADP SmartCompliance Screenshots

Screenshot of

Namely Screenshots

Screenshot of Namely News Feed: The home base to make announcements, express appreciation, and to celebrate important milestones.Screenshot of HR Analytics: data to drive confidence in an active people strategy and to encourage pride in provable resultsScreenshot of Talent & Performance Management: connects, engages, and develops the workforce in a platform designed so that employees actually want to use itScreenshot of Benefits Administration: modern, integrated benefits technology makes it easy for employees to enroll and easier to manageScreenshot of Payroll Administration: integrated with HR data and coupled with full payroll tax servicesScreenshot of Namely Mobile App: request time off and access paystubs and benefits information from anywhere