ADP SmartCompliance vs. Paylocity

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
Paylocity
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Paylocity provides 24/7 access to your online payroll and human resource data management. Paylocity offers highly customizable payroll functionality, as well as HR, benefits administration, and time and talent management programs.N/A
Pricing
ADP SmartCompliancePaylocity
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP SmartCompliancePaylocity
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPricing varies based upon modules deployed and features enabled.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP SmartCompliancePaylocity
Considered Both Products
ADP SmartCompliance
Chose ADP SmartCompliance
Several others I would choose before ADP SmartCompliance
Paylocity
Chose Paylocity
Better than Paycor in almost every way. Paylocity Reporting is stellar in comparison to Paycor. ADP SmartCompliance far outshines Paylocity in every way. ADP Workforce Now is much more robust than Paylocity, offers more features, puts more control in the hands of the …
Chose Paylocity
Everything is included with Paylocity. I am not paying for each service. I make a call and understand the person I am speaking with. Paylocity's system is truly user-friendly. Reporting gives you precisely what you are looking for without having to customize for hours to get …
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is easier to use than ADP.
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity software is MUCH better than ADP's. Customer service is generally better as well - as I mentioned, it helps to have a direct rep that knows his way around the site.
Chose Paylocity
I do not think the ADP I selected is the right one, but we used ADP and Paylocity does not stack up to them.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
ADP SmartCompliancePaylocity
Type of tax
Comparison of Type of tax features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
8.9
9 Ratings
12% above category average
Paylocity
-
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
3% below category average
Paylocity
-
Ratings
Geolocation for Tax Assessment7.111 Ratings00 Ratings
3rd-Party Software Integrations8.121 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Data Reporting7.939 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance Administration Management7.132 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
Paylocity
7.8
861 Ratings
1% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.5812 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings8.2792 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings7.8728 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.6741 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings7.1679 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings7.8661 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings7.5567 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Paylocity
8.1
849 Ratings
1% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.6825 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings7.3392 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings8.5595 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.2566 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.9824 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.2652 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings7.9405 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Paylocity
7.6
712 Ratings
6% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings7.9633 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings7.4680 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings7.4530 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Paylocity
8.3
861 Ratings
2% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.5838 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.6852 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings8.0678 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings8.3594 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings8.3716 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Paylocity
7.5
241 Ratings
3% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.5241 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Paylocity
7.0
787 Ratings
8% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.0753 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.4766 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings6.5461 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Paylocity
8.2
732 Ratings
2% above category average
New hire portal00 Ratings8.3728 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings8.0569 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Paylocity
7.4
383 Ratings
10% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings7.4290 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings7.4354 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings7.3252 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings7.4356 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Paylocity
7.4
492 Ratings
7% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings7.2441 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.2366 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.4453 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings7.5455 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.6372 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Paylocity
7.1
227 Ratings
11% below category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings6.7149 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings7.1184 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings7.4207 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings7.4166 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
Paylocity
7.7
463 Ratings
1% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings7.8380 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings8.1405 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.7312 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings7.7380 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings7.0318 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.0425 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings7.9423 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP SmartCompliancePaylocity
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 SmartCompliancePaylocity
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(134 ratings)
7.7
(896 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.8
(29 ratings)
8.9
(86 ratings)
Usability
7.8
(37 ratings)
8.5
(60 ratings)
Availability
8.9
(12 ratings)
8.8
(9 ratings)
Performance
8.5
(12 ratings)
9.4
(9 ratings)
Support Rating
5.6
(37 ratings)
7.2
(81 ratings)
In-Person Training
4.6
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.2
(9 ratings)
8.3
(10 ratings)
Implementation Rating
4.8
(22 ratings)
8.2
(35 ratings)
Configurability
7.9
(10 ratings)
8.3
(7 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(4 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.9
(9 ratings)
6.6
(7 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.7
(11 ratings)
8.8
(8 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(4 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.4
(9 ratings)
7.3
(7 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
6.3
(8 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP SmartCompliancePaylocity
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.
Read full review
Paylocity
Paylocity works well for our organization. Ease of use for our managers and employees is very important. Makes it easier for us in HR to manage. Time and attendance works very well. Efficient and effective. Payroll runs very smoothly. We appreciate the performance and compensation module for tracking employees performance, journals and getting feedback and annual compensation.
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
Paylocity
  • Customer Service is always helpful with little wait time.
  • Always improving; for example, the recent change to processing payroll. So much easier.
  • Onboarding makes it simple and the fact that the company can personalize the messaging to new hires allows us to make it more personalized.
  • Having an assigned account manager regardless of company size is definitely a plus.
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
Paylocity
  • Recruiting piece/ATS could be improved.
  • A candidate being able to save progress on their application is really a must as they can't leave and come back to their application without having to restart, i.e. if they need to get a phone number for a reference for example.
  • Could use more room in entering the job for internal notes.
  • Quirky when doing cut and paste of job details that leaves spaces that aren't in the document being pasted.
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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.
Read full review
Paylocity
We have had many issues with the way our platform was set up at implementation that still continue to plague us. In addition, our benefits, in particular our FSA, have been mis-managed causing a balance due from an employee (and also a lot of work for our accounting and HR team, as well as stress for the employee). Our service rep continues to answer incorrectly on many fronts (original response is usually check out this paylocity article, vs. helping) and recently our COBRA management was mishandled (not adding Dental to a person on Cobra who had requested it). So- all in all...we are not particularly happy w/ Paylocity
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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.
Read full review
Paylocity
Overall, in my experience, Paylocity has been easy to use for both staff and administrators. First, the staff has an application and inputting Paid Time Off is easy to do. I then get an alert on my app and I am able to approve it on the spot from my app that gives me access as an employee and an administrator without having to use multiple apps or logins. As an administrator I think the portal is easy to use, Paylocity did a great job showing me tools and rolling out training classes before rollout.
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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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Paylocity
Paylocity support is always available and I never have to wait endlessly on hold. If our dedicated account manage is not available, there is an entire team assigned to our account. Every one of them is knowledgeable about our organization and Paylocity's process.
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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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Paylocity
pages load in an acceptable amount of time, reports come back quickly, but integration is very complicated and hasn't been possible
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
Paylocity
Everyone wants immediate assistance. Awaiting a response from an email only to ask 2-3 more questions is time consuming. Within the first six months of setup, I would rather respond back to the instructors who provided me the training in each category of my contract.
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In-Person Training
ADP
I haven't participated in in-person training yet.
Read full review
Paylocity
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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Paylocity
The training was live online, but was with a group of other companies. We did not receive any personalized training with our team. Whenever we would ask for training, we would be sent a peak article link or a video. It felt like the reps we dealt with didn't know the answer to the questions.
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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.
Read full review
Paylocity
I had gone through an implementation process of another HR platform (Paycom) in my previous job and was traumatized, it was painful. I was surprised how easy and fast it was with Paylocity, the team was very helpful and set us up for success
Read full review
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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Paylocity
We honestly had a program that only kept track of our Demographics, salaries, etc. then all of our Payroll was done on paper with paper leave slips etc. When I saw Paylocity, I was very excited about how easy it is/would be to use. [...] Our Paylocity rep that I spoke to was super GREAT in the explanation of Paylocity and I didn't even shop around much.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paylocity
I wasn't involved in the sales process. I joined the organization after Paylocity was implemented.
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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Paylocity
You have an account manager assigned to you on a daily basis but that person is barely available to you
Read full review
Professional Services
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paylocity
Support is quick and proffessional
Read full review
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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Paylocity
  • Definitely more consistent processes. Everything is very user friendly and it reduces the amount of time it has taken us in the past before we started using Paylocity. Everything flows super smoothly.
  • We have an improved retention since we have used Paylocity. Before hand, many employees thought it was difficult to find anything like tax forms, pay stubs, benefit elections, etc. when we used other platforms before we implemented our data into Paylocity.
  • Costs have been reduced and the decision-making process has improved and got quicker. Before Paylocity, it would take at least a week to get a salary increase approved, or a job title change approved. Now, it take less than a day and is super easy.
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ScreenShots

ADP SmartCompliance Screenshots

Screenshot of