ADP Workforce Now vs. BambooHR

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP Workforce Now
Score 7.9 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
ADP Workforce Now is a cloud-based HR platform for mid-sized businesses. It features customizable modules of various HR services that businesses can tailor to their specific needs, as well as regulatory monitoring and alerts to help businesses remain compliant.N/A
BambooHR
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
BambooHR is an on-line human resources solution that provides onboarding, payroll, and benefits management. It also offers automated time-off management and employee self-service.
$250
per month
Pricing
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR
Editions & Modules
Essential
Contact sales team
Enhanced
Contact sales team
Complete
Contact sales team
HR Pro
Contact sales team
Payroll Essentials
Contact sales team
HR Plus
Contact sales team
Hiring Advantage
Contact sales team
Performance Plus
Contact sales team
Core
$250
per month
Pro
$250
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredOptional
Additional DetailsPlease contact ADP for a product demo and ask about a hands-on "test drive" of Workforce Now.No matter what HR looks like at your company, we have the perfect plan for you!
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR
Considered Both Products
ADP Workforce Now
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now is quite robust on the payroll side, but my overall favourite is BamooHR.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We went with ADP because our thousands of per diem nurses were already in the system so we got an extremely substantial discount to utilize ADP as our HRIS for our corporate employees.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Between the different HRISs and ATSs I have had experience with, ADP is probably the most robust. It is pretty difficult to find a system that incorporates all the essential HR functions (people data, time and attendance, PM, ATS, etc) and does it all seamlessly for large …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
The ease of use for ADP Workforce Now (i.e. setup, integration with benefits offerings, etc.) is second to none. I came into the role as the organization's Executive Director with very little HR and Payroll experience and had minimal difficulty "keeping the trains running on …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I think e-recruit is a little more difficult than ADP. ADP Workforce Now is more user friendly and has an easier way to find information.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
They are fairly comparable. Bamboo has less features and data is spread across multiple pages instead of a simple employee snapshot like ADP.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now was cheaper and a lot more user-friendly.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
BambooHR is extremely user-friendly and is significantly cheaper than the add-ons available with ADP. The HR functions like getting employees to sign policies and fill out forms are really easy to navigate and track. I also really liked their verbiage in that software--not …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Namely is a terrible system and they have awful customer service. I would never recommend them. We left them after a few months.
I've evaluated BambooHR because I've heard great things about it as an HRIS, but it doesn't have payroll and I prefer all-in-one systems when it comes …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We previously used Paychex for payroll only and Bamboo HR for certain employees. We used manual spreadsheets to track vacation and pay. We selected ADP because it was the best tool to fit all of our needs. We were able to consolidate into one system. We no longer use a …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP is so much easier. I don't have to modify my process to work with the system. The system works with my company and when you are subject to multiple compliance checks (banking/finance industry) that is key. The interface is intuitive, streamlined and easy to use.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We are currently looking at Pressgold as a possible new payroll provider. Comparing price and product.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now is much easier to use than BambooHR. I remember BambooHR was underutilized in the organization I was at previously, and it was difficult to navigate. ADP is much more robust and easy to use in comparison. It is customizable by the administrators to be able to …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
My company chose ADP, probably because they are the leading payroll solution. To re-iterate, if there was another alternative that was as prevalent and established, I'm sure they could make a better end product as far as features and especially usability goes. They need some …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We used BambooHR and really liked it. Selected ADP because we did not want to find integrations for benefits and payroll - we wanted it to be "all in one," which is what ADP Workforce Now could provide. This was the same with Zenefits.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now falls well short when compared to the other similar players in the cloud HCM space (Bamboo, Ultimate, Dayforce, etc.,), as well as the big three (Workday, Success Factors, Oracle Fusion).
BambooHR
Chose BambooHR
We started implementation with ADP Workforce Now and it was a 6 month nightmare of complicated protocols and our company having to bend our processes to fit their platform. It was hard to get assistance and answers from their support team were very vague. We ultimately …
Chose BambooHR
BambooHR is easier to use and has a more pleasant experience as a user. The dashboards are also easier to comprehend.
Chose BambooHR
BambooHR is much more user friendly. What it lacks in technical/complexities it is working to improve.
Chose BambooHR
BambooHR was much more user-friendly.
Chose BambooHR
BambooHR pricing leaves it a bit harder of a sell than some of the competitors we have used in the past. If it was fully featured rich with an overflow of integrations that might be different, but as it stands, without a pricing change, I think that bridge is a harder sell for …
Chose BambooHR
I used to use that software but couldn't meet up my demand. But in BambooHR workforce management platform features are really amazing than that. Platforms, content and overall everything of BambooHR is work-worthy.
Chose BambooHR
Other tools with a more unified platform (including a more mature payroll solution) have been much more robust in terms of their data and reporting capabilities. BambooHR, however, has the edge on having a flashier look that may be more appealing to some up-and-coming …
Chose BambooHR
Feels more intuitive and easier to use. ADP is working to catch up to the digital transformation while BambooHR was born digital.
Chose BambooHR
Again, BambooHR is a great choice for companies with contracted or hourly employees to track but there are other, more user friendly tools like ADP.
Chose BambooHR
I haven't used many products similar to BambooHR. One that is kind of close is SecureDocs, but it doesn't nearly match the depth of BambooHR. They are about the same when it comes to storing documents, but BambooHR is great in that it does so much more! That's where it really …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.6
1022 Ratings
3% below category average
BambooHR
8.1
133 Ratings
3% above category average
Employee demographic data8.1902 Ratings7.7112 Ratings
Employment history8.2938 Ratings8.7120 Ratings
Job profiles and administration7.9890 Ratings8.4118 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.4917 Ratings8.2105 Ratings
Organizational charting6.7642 Ratings7.3117 Ratings
Organization and location management7.5703 Ratings8.1107 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.4649 Ratings8.663 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.9
1034 Ratings
2% below category average
BambooHR
8.0
85 Ratings
0% below category average
Pay calculation8.6995 Ratings8.258 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.2389 Ratings8.248 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.8294 Ratings8.035 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.9797 Ratings8.864 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.6983 Ratings8.463 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.7769 Ratings8.067 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.4468 Ratings6.734 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
844 Ratings
5% below category average
BambooHR
8.9
114 Ratings
10% above category average
Approval workflow7.8766 Ratings9.2112 Ratings
Balance details7.6799 Ratings8.9104 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.6647 Ratings8.493 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.9
1014 Ratings
3% below category average
BambooHR
8.6
127 Ratings
6% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.2977 Ratings8.279 Ratings
Update personal information8.5968 Ratings9.0126 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.1782 Ratings8.7105 Ratings
Employee recognition7.0365 Ratings8.383 Ratings
View job history7.732 Ratings8.7118 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
12 Ratings
26% below category average
BambooHR
7.7
50 Ratings
1% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets6.012 Ratings7.750 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.0
944 Ratings
8% below category average
BambooHR
7.7
102 Ratings
1% above category average
Report builder7.3927 Ratings8.197 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.5923 Ratings7.796 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.1550 Ratings7.469 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.0
116 Ratings
14% below category average
BambooHR
8.6
105 Ratings
7% above category average
New hire portal7.4112 Ratings8.7100 Ratings
Manager tracking tools6.692 Ratings8.692 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.8
310 Ratings
5% below category average
BambooHR
8.2
64 Ratings
0% above category average
Corporate goal setting7.9239 Ratings8.248 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.9290 Ratings8.262 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.5237 Ratings8.247 Ratings
Performance tracking7.8283 Ratings8.158 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.3
401 Ratings
9% below category average
BambooHR
7.8
70 Ratings
2% below category average
Performance plans7.3360 Ratings7.563 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.2308 Ratings7.856 Ratings
Review status tracking7.5365 Ratings7.964 Ratings
Review reminders7.2377 Ratings8.165 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.2312 Ratings7.861 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
7 Ratings
28% below category average
BambooHR
7.1
52 Ratings
11% below category average
Create succession plans/pools5.86 Ratings5.834 Ratings
Candidate ranking5.86 Ratings7.742 Ratings
Candidate search6.37 Ratings7.145 Ratings
Candidate development6.26 Ratings7.939 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.8
420 Ratings
14% below category average
BambooHR
8.1
86 Ratings
4% above category average
Job Requisition Management7.5365 Ratings8.062 Ratings
Company Website Posting8.1357 Ratings8.368 Ratings
Publish to Social Media7.0286 Ratings8.260 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting7.2320 Ratings8.264 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention2.38 Ratings7.458 Ratings
Applicant Tracking7.1361 Ratings8.276 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.2382 Ratings8.679 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.1 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.6 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.2 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR
Likelihood to Recommend
8.1
(1089 ratings)
8.8
(137 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.3
(82 ratings)
9.2
(11 ratings)
Usability
5.3
(79 ratings)
8.6
(64 ratings)
Availability
7.3
(14 ratings)
9.3
(5 ratings)
Performance
6.4
(13 ratings)
8.7
(5 ratings)
Support Rating
7.0
(463 ratings)
8.5
(58 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.2
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
5.8
(17 ratings)
9.2
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.6
(34 ratings)
9.2
(4 ratings)
Configurability
6.4
(10 ratings)
8.6
(4 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.1
(8 ratings)
9.6
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.4
(751 ratings)
8.9
(5 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(2 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.2
(8 ratings)
8.9
(4 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
6.1
(8 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP Workforce NowBambooHR
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
If you are looking to automate processes and have the system handle administrative, boring tasks this is the system for you. They are continuing to evolve and are coming out with improvements constantly. Have a suggestion on an improvement they will listen and consider implementing.
Read full review
BambooHR
If someone is looking for a basic HRIS that will serve a small employee population, BambooHR is a great starting point. This works well enough for what a small business needs. It starts to fall apart in larger organizations or as the needs exceed what BambooHR is capable of. There is a severe lack of customization, and it feels like they are afraid of the users breaking the system, so they put in many guardrails. I'm good with having those, but it dampens the experience for more advanced users. Overall, it is a decent starting point, but not a system any company would want to use long-term as they grow.
Read full review
Pros
ADP
  • HRIS that is personalized for the employee and addresses DE&I needs.
  • Payroll, of course! The system addresses all needs, such as deductions, additional pay, premium OT, and shift differentials.
  • Onboarding is an excellent way to stay in compliance and have all documents completed.
  • Tax and Banking and resolution to any issues.
Read full review
BambooHR
  • The Applicant Tracking System is pretty good. Has a couple flaws but over all it's a really great module.
  • The HR management system works really well and we love how much we can customize things we need.
  • The Reporting feature is one of my favorite things about BambooHR. I can create any report I want and I love that.
Read full review
Cons
ADP
  • I would like it if better communication was sent out about new product updates. Sometimes, I go into a screen and things are different and I have to relearn it on the fly.
  • Editing the mobile app - I would like it if what is shown on the desktop version was automatically on the app. WAY more of my employees use the app, but I put the most important information on the desktop version because it is easier to update.
Read full review
BambooHR
  • The performance feature is a little clunky and not adjustable, so I would love to have more customizable options.
  • When a candidate signs an offer letter, it would be great if it could show up under the documents tab. Right now, it gets a little buried.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
ADP
Due to the lack of support from the sales and service center we are looking at other options outside of ADP. Again it is a good system, it just lacks the support it deserves from the company employees. It is just unimaginable that you will need to reach out to a service provider several times for the same issue and not get it resolved.
Read full review
BambooHR
There's nothing wrong with this platform. I would recommend it to any business starting with more than 10 employees. I will continue to use the program for as long as I need to, hoping they continue being tremendous and finding other ways to incorporate more technology.
Read full review
Usability
ADP
I would give it a 10 however I do not like when ADP does facelifts in Workforce Now which does not add any value other than having to relearn navigation. I am also not a big fan of being forced to refer to the Bridge. We have Google which gives the same results. If I understood the answer I would not contact our Account Rep.
Read full review
BambooHR
It is a very easy page to manage for people that are not used to computers or technology in general. That is one of the main reasons Hermosillo chose this service. It has a very friendly UI for every employee to understand, and that is really important because, in the end, we want our employees to feel comfortable looking at their information.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
ADP
ADP outages are very rare
Read full review
BambooHR
Yes, there is a huge team in the back of the online platform or it looks like it because I have never been left without an answer when I have a question or waiting from a response on my chat .... There must be a huge team, this is so great and I always seem to have someone that is very knowledgeable too. So many times in the past I had to leave with customer service that would connect you with someone else because of the expertise, here everyone seems to be some kind of an expert in the HR function.
Read full review
Performance
ADP
Overall, I think the functionality of the program works pretty well. Sometimes, certain browsers do not work well for the policy function of ADP, but that is the only issue thus far
Read full review
BambooHR
I love BambooHR. Reports are easy to run and download and it usually covers any types of requests I get from the management team. You get excel or .csv downloads/reports and it is fast and simple, not too crowded so it is easy to read through. We don't integrate the tool yet but again, soon we will. we just did not had the time to utilize it yet but that's the plan.
Read full review
Support Rating
ADP
I have contacted support multiple times and have always been happy with the results. ADP's support staff is always helpful and makes easy work of solving problems. I love my Payroll Account Manager, as well as my Enhanced Time Account Manager.
Read full review
BambooHR
The support is good, they can respond, however the chat sometimes has line to wait, and sometimes you miss your window because you have to keep working. However, they do respond to inquiries and help you to navigate and solve your problems in a timely manner. So, I don't have complaints on that.
Read full review
In-Person Training
ADP
In-person training was pretty good - I think this significantly depends on the trainer. Our trainer was really good and showed what ADP can do - but I know that all trainers are not the same - and this truly makes such as difference. Overall, our training went pretty well.
Read full review
BambooHR
I didn't have in-person training besides teaching my managers how to use the program. However, I couldn't omit this question (maybe a system glitch).
Read full review
Online Training
ADP
At the time training was not as expansive as it is now. If it could go wrong it did for me so the process was difficult and lengthy. I needed to have more in person walkthroughs of things to ensure the transition was done correctly. Not sure what else I can say, we were part of the initial move to Workforce Now when it was introduced.
Read full review
BambooHR
As far as I can recall, everything went well with doing it online and got questions answered. Was thankful to work with a dummy file to get used to some practices prior to getting our own domain within bamboo to then place our personnel information in the system, this helped a lot!
Read full review
Implementation Rating
ADP
Either assign more than one specialist to the implementation process, or assign less clients to the implementation specialist. The process requires attention to detail and the ability to test and re-test as well as verify the information. It also requires a lot of back and forth between the client ant the implementation specialist, so they need to be readily available during the whole implementation process.
Read full review
BambooHR
BambooHR's initial implementation team was amazing. We loved having a dedicated person we could call, email or speak to during the entire process. I feel that's so important when you are new to a software. Our process was time consuming, but well worth the final product.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
ADP
Although this SAS takes longer to perform the everyday functions related to payroll and HR data input, the difference in this software and our previous software is like night and day. We were on a very old server platform and had too many issues with continuous need for backup.
Read full review
BambooHR
BambooHR was already in place when I started. BambooHR has much better intuitive navigation than any of the other systems but not as much customizability as something like Workday
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
ADP
No answers on this topic
BambooHR
Since my organization has dropped with employees, I always find ways to reduce costs. I thought there would be a cheaper option, but I was glad that my package included a lot for the price, and downgrading would cost more. The rep could have let me downgraded and taken me to a higher package. I am thankful that didn't happen.
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Scalability
ADP
We have been able to grow with ADP from just a few hundred employees to over 10,000 so it's actually very scalable for payroll usage. We do not use the benefits and onboarding offerings for most of our employees but they are built to scale easily enough for when our corporate team has over 1,000 FTE.
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BambooHR
There is so much you can do with this platform, it is incredible and so welcoming. We don't utilize it 100% yet just because we are growing and the HR team has not been able to concentrate on other areas offered to us but but we will soon. Which is also why we got the product, specifically because what BambooHR can do to help us meet our growing business needs.
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Professional Services
ADP
No answers on this topic
BambooHR
VERY professional!
Read full review
Return on Investment
ADP
  • ADP WorkforceNow has provided a positive ROI for our company. It has saved me countless hours in the time I used to spend preparing reports, managing benefits, and annual enrollment, recruitment tracking, and much more.
  • The integration with Payscale has allowed our company to take every position in our organization and benchmark it to industries and job titles. This has allowed us to be more competitive on recruitment and retention.
  • We have used the new DE&I dashboard to provide valuable information on the landscape of our workforce, as well as areas of our organization that may not be as diverse.
Read full review
BambooHR
  • Self Service is great to free up time for Admin.
  • Self-Service/ Tracked PTO and sick days are easy to use and track very well. This frees up Admin time and is transparent for all employees.
  • Easy to use Job postings with very trackable sourcing reports.
  • Easy to use. Easy to onboard and user friendly interface. Requires minimal training.
Read full review
ScreenShots

ADP Workforce Now Screenshots

Screenshot of ADP Workforce Now: a simple and complete human capital management solutionScreenshot of Benchmarking by ADP DataCloud: an application with an extensive data set ... available to ADP Workforce Now clientsScreenshot of ADP Workforce Now clients can equip their employees with the ADP Mobile self-service app

BambooHR Screenshots

Screenshot of BambooHR's Reporting