ADP Workforce Now vs. QuickBooks Desktop for Mac

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP Workforce Now
Score 8.0 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
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Score 7.5 out of 10
N/A
Quickbooks Desktop for Mac is an accounting software designed for Mac users. It is designed to integrate with Apple iCloud. It provides core accounting features in line with the rest of the Quickbooks Desktop product line.N/A
Pricing
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Desktop for Mac
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
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPlease contact ADP for a product demo and ask about a hands-on "test drive" of Workforce Now.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
1022 Ratings
2% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data8.1903 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history8.2939 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.0890 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.5917 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting6.7643 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management7.5704 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.6648 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
8.0
1034 Ratings
0% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
10.0
11 Ratings
29% above category average
Pay calculation8.7995 Ratings10.09 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.5389 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.9294 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.9798 Ratings10.06 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.7983 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.9769 Ratings10.05 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.7468 Ratings10.07 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
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
-
Ratings
Approval workflow8.0766 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details7.6800 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.6648 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
8.0
1014 Ratings
1% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information8.3977 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information8.6968 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.2782 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition7.0366 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history7.732 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
12 Ratings
25% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets6.012 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.1
944 Ratings
7% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
-
Ratings
Report builder7.4927 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.6923 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.4550 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.2
116 Ratings
11% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
-
Ratings
New hire portal7.6112 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools6.892 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.8
311 Ratings
4% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting7.9240 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.9291 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.5238 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking7.9284 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.3
402 Ratings
8% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
-
Ratings
Performance plans7.3361 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.2309 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking7.5366 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders7.3378 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.2313 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
7 Ratings
27% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools5.86 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking5.86 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search6.37 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development6.26 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.8
421 Ratings
13% below category average
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management7.6366 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting8.1358 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media7.1287 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting7.3321 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention2.38 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking7.1362 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.3383 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
6.0
11 Ratings
16% below category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings6.07 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings6.010 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
10.0
20 Ratings
22% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings10.020 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings10.017 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
10.0
22 Ratings
27% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings10.019 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings10.022 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings10.022 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
5.8
24 Ratings
24% below category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings8.124 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.123 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings6.218 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings8.824 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings6.220 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings6.212 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings6.214 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings1.010 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings6.211 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings6.210 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings8.115 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings6.213 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings1.07 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings6.213 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings6.214 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings1.06 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings6.217 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings6.25 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings6.29 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings6.29 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings6.213 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
7.7
15 Ratings
9% above category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.214 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings7.810 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings7.09 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings10.08 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop for Mac
8.3
18 Ratings
12% above category average
Pricing00 Ratings10.017 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings10.016 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings10.017 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings10.016 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings5.76 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings6.77 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings5.66 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed
QuickBooks Self-Employed
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.1 out of 10
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User Ratings
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Desktop for Mac
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(1089 ratings)
8.8
(32 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.3
(82 ratings)
8.0
(9 ratings)
Usability
6.2
(78 ratings)
5.4
(6 ratings)
Availability
7.3
(14 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
6.4
(13 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.1
(463 ratings)
6.9
(4 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.1
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
5.8
(17 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.8
(34 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
6.4
(10 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.1
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.5
(751 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.2
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
6.1
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Desktop for Mac
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
Intuit
If you're a freelancer or running a very small business where you do your own bookkeeping I think this is a great option, especially if you're familiar with accounting and bookkeeping in general. If you're not so familiar with bookkeeping, I would say that the learning curve is too steep and you might want to look elsewhere for a more intuitive solution
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
Intuit
  • The program is very easy to learn, the interface is incredibly user-friendly and there are tons of free resources and tutorials available
  • It makes managing payroll really easy for the employee and accountant on staff. No more lost time sheets or late paychecks!
  • Managing bills and paying them has become streamlined and it's great having everything in one place so we don't lose track of things.
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
Intuit
  • The #1 complaint is that setting it up right is a challenge. People waste time trying to figure it out only to realize that they don't know accounting so of course they don't know how an accounting program should be set up. Like any time you are in over your head, reach out to your network and find someone who can log onto your computer and walk you through it.
  • If you need to track the cost of wages to jobs you can't do it with the online payroll, but check for yourself because it's a function that landscaping companies and construction businesses usually need, so maybe they have added it by now. That would really help!
  • It's premise-based software and that means you take on the role of hardware admin, and it's a lot of work for what is increasingly becoming a smaller gap in the functionality between QuickBooks for Mac and QuickBooks Online.
  • QuickBooks for Mac 2015 has been updated consistently over the last 3 years and continues to provide for the bookkeeping needs of small companies using Macs in their offices. However, it has limited job costing functionality. It is similar in functionality to the 2010 version of QuickBooksPro which runs on Windows.
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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.
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Intuit
I haven't spent that much time with the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac, but I think I'm seeing it make the much-needed improvements. For example, something as simple as undoing the previous reconciliation was a terrible chore, and I'm glad that feature has been included in the newer versions of QuickBooks for Mac
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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.
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Intuit
The Mac version is OK overall. I find the Windows versions to be much more robust but Mac is quite good for Mac users. Though I think die hard Mac users should consider QuickBooks Online instead as there is a new QB for Mac app that makes using QBO much better!
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Reliability and Availability
ADP
ADP outages are very rare
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Intuit
I've been using the QuickBooks online version for a little over 6 months now (upgraded from Mac desktop) and I haven't had any access issues. There have been times when it was down for service/upgrade however there is always plenty of notification time given by the Quick Books Online Support team. These upgrade maintenance time frames are always over night hours and on the weekends so everything can be worked around very easily.
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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
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
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.
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Intuit
Fortunately, I haven't had to reach out much for support.
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
Intuit
No answers on this topic
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.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
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.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
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.
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Intuit
I love using Quickbooks compared to other software we've tried. QuickBooks Online and TSheets interface. Customer service and problem resolution are generally excellent, with well-trained and proficient agents taking calls or on chat. Ease of use and accessibility via the mobile app. Great courses were available to help with learning the basics and some advanced accounting background. I love learning! Online accessibility - it can work anywhere with an internet connection. Linking to bank and credit card accounts is handy.
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Scalability
ADP
It handles very well with very sensitive data of a company especially of employees. Even provides HR services regarding recruitment services like recruitment, providing notification, even handles increment cycle of employee, any awards achieved by employees. All of this services are handled by them in very efficient way.
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Intuit
No answers on this topic
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.
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Intuit
  • The ROI was good for when we were a smaller company because it is a lot cheaper than other more sophisticated programs.
  • The negative impact is that it caused a lot of extra manual entering and data entry that too often resulted in mistakes.
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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