ADP Workforce Now vs. QuickBooks Online

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP Workforce Now
Score 7.7 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 Online
Score 8.2 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks Online is a SaaS version of the QuickBooks product. It contains all of the features found in the local version. Higher-priced plans include greater automation, payment management, inventory and time tracking, and analytics features.
$20
per month
Pricing
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Online
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
Solopreneur
$20
per month
Simple Start
$35
per month
Plus
$99
per month
Advanced
$235
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Online
Free Trial
NoYes
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 Online
Considered Both Products
ADP Workforce Now
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I have exited 3 PEOs now and brought my business to ADP in house. My experience is with TriNet's PEO, Paychex's PEO and ADP Workforce Now. ADP beats both TriNet PEO and Paychex PEO as I couldn't wait to exit from TriNet and Paychex. Workforce Now will eventually be in a …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Each system had its ups and downs.
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 selected ADP over Paychex with the hope that customer support would be more responsive to my needs. I was wrong.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I have only worked with ADP products including ADP Run, and older versions of WFN.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP [Workforce Now] is much more user-friendly when it comes to processing payroll and keep[ing] accurate accounting.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
There was one other payroll system I have used, but I can't recall what it was at this time. ADP [Workforce Now] has been the main one, so I prefer it above others at this time.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
All-in-one solution for employee time tracking & time off. Real-time reporting. Hassle-free to use
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Kronos has a HUGE learning curve. Basically I had to BUILD out the workflows before I could implement. ADP already has the shell built so it is much easier to just customize your work flow instead of building it from scratch. I appreciate the ease of ADP. I felt like I needed …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
The Archdiocese chose it, so it wasn't my decision. I do like the way it integrates with payroll, which Bamboo didn't.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP has a lot of benefits that the other companies do not necessarily have, mainly where HR is concerned. In previous workplaces, all HR issues were handled in person and employees did not have access to something like ADP. Having access to it at an entry level has saved me …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
The import feature of ADP is superior. The reporting feature in ADP is probably much more robust, but very difficult to understand and create. If I could import pay data into QuickBooks, I would go back to it.
QuickBooks Online
Chose QuickBooks Online
Customer support and the product are overall better and easier to work with than ADP. I have worked with both programs for the same amount of years and I find that QuickBooks is easier to work with than ADP. Easier to understand and not time-consuming to learn as ADP.
Features
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Online
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
1042 Ratings
2% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data8.0920 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history8.0957 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.0907 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.7935 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting7.4654 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management7.9717 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.9661 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
1054 Ratings
4% below category average
QuickBooks Online
8.3
95 Ratings
11% above category average
Pay calculation8.41015 Ratings8.286 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors6.8397 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.4306 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.7805 Ratings7.942 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.31002 Ratings8.980 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.5784 Ratings8.855 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.6478 Ratings7.959 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.6
860 Ratings
6% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Approval workflow7.7782 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details7.4813 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.8660 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.6
1034 Ratings
6% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information8.0997 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information7.9986 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.8796 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition6.8373 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
28% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
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
6.7
958 Ratings
11% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Report builder7.4941 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.1937 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data5.6558 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.0
129 Ratings
13% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
New hire portal7.4125 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools6.7101 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
319 Ratings
3% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting7.6247 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.8298 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.7244 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking7.6292 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.5
413 Ratings
19% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Performance plans6.8370 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans6.4318 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking6.0374 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders6.9389 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency6.5323 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
7 Ratings
26% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
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
6.6
427 Ratings
15% below category average
QuickBooks Online
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management7.5372 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting7.7363 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media6.8292 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting6.9325 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention2.38 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking7.0367 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.3388 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
7.5
90 Ratings
2% below category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings7.474 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings7.674 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
8.8
146 Ratings
8% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.9113 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.8136 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
8.5
173 Ratings
9% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings8.5161 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings8.8168 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings8.1152 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 Online
8.1
187 Ratings
7% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings9.0158 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.9173 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings8.5158 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.0178 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings8.7163 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings6.570 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings8.171 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings6.733 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings7.958 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings7.855 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings8.388 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings7.993 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings7.025 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings7.951 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings8.647 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings8.135 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.7104 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings7.840 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings8.360 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.741 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.573 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
6.9
67 Ratings
7% below category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.763 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings7.233 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings7.136 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings6.624 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
7.8
114 Ratings
3% above category average
Pricing00 Ratings7.872 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings7.669 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings8.484 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.086 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings7.332 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings8.133 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings7.229 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Online
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management
Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management
Score 8.8 out of 10
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User Ratings
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Online
Likelihood to Recommend
7.8
(1109 ratings)
8.5
(205 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.2
(83 ratings)
6.2
(25 ratings)
Usability
3.9
(80 ratings)
8.7
(120 ratings)
Availability
7.3
(14 ratings)
2.0
(5 ratings)
Performance
6.4
(13 ratings)
1.0
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
7.0
(480 ratings)
1.2
(68 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.2
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
5.8
(17 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
1.9
(34 ratings)
3.0
(6 ratings)
Configurability
6.4
(10 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.1
(8 ratings)
1.3
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.3
(770 ratings)
1.0
(2 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.2
(8 ratings)
1.0
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
6.1
(8 ratings)
1.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Online
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
It is well suited for companies that have over 50 employees working in multiple departments and should be allocated in specific ways. It can help get all their information from the beginning point of interviews to the end in which a check is produced, allowing the employee to update their information and add their direct deposit.
Read full review
Intuit
Since we run outside payroll for a couple of the companies, it is quite difficult to be as accurate as I would like when it comes to categorizing those payroll transactions, since they have to be imported via journal entries. Between that and the lack of a complex inventory management, are really my only complaints of the software. I do like the accessibility for myself, my employees, and my clients of the online version, something you don't get with desktop versions.
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
  • Workflows for accounts payable invoice review are terrific.
  • Bill payment allows you to pay vendors online via ACH or check without having to write a physical check, which reduces admin time.
  • The cloud based login lends well to a remote or hybrid work environment for staff.
  • QuickBooks Online allows you to pre-configure vendors' general ledger expense accounts. This helps with general ledger coding accuracy and consistency.
  • QuickBooks Online integrates with Rippling HRIS, Coast, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, etc., which lends well to an efficient month-end closing and reduced administrative time.
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
  • Purchase Orders cannot be linked to multiple bill payments which makes tracking purchase orders in QuickBooks Online obsolete. Without the function we have to track this within a different more manual spreadsheet.
  • Would be helpful if you could "split" bank transactions directly from the "review" downloads from the bank. Currently, to split transactions to multiple accounts we need to first categorize, then review after assigning to 1 account.
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
Intuit
It like the product 'right out of the box' and I trust Intuit will continually improve it over the years based on my experience with their desktop products. The large providers of Apps makes customizing the entire package relatively easy and seamless for a wide variety of business types.
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
Intuit
I had very little trouble setting up the program and migrating from our old accounting system. The daily usage is also very intuitive and easy. Anytime we run into minor trouble with the program, there are always tons of help available on YouTube, so we don't even look up the online manual anymore.
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Reliability and Availability
ADP
ADP outages are very rare
Read full review
Intuit
We have rarely had outages in the last 10 years. I can only recall 2 times in the last 10 years where we were not able to access our client files.
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
Intuit
There are tab issues. When I tab the field doesn't highlight and I have to backspace or delete what is in the field. Happens on the memo field and sometimes other fields. Very time consuming.
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
Intuit
In my experience, most representatives keep me on the phone for hours, literally, for a single issue and then usually cannot resolve it satisfactorily. I have 10 open cases that need resolution and, in my experience, there has been NO follow-up communication on any of them.
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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.
Read full review
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
The person in charge of QB needs to be very accurate with record keeping and is recommended to stay on top of tasks. The biggest issue we have is reconciliation, and those issues occur only when too much time has occurred between reconciliations
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
Intuit
My employer was already using Quickbooks when I got here. As the Executive Director, I do all the day-to-day accounting. This program is easy to learn and use. I was able to add budgets by class so I can run P&Ls for each of the different programs as well as an organizational budget.
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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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Intuit
As we have grown along our professional path, we have also expanded our use of QB. The scalability is easy and features seem to be waiting for you until you need them. We have increased profits by over 10x from our first year in business to the current and have yet to find a reason to look elsewhere
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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
  • QuickBooks has given us a useful portal by which to get an overview of our financials.
  • QuickBooks has given us a relatively easy way to send out invoices quickly and efficiently.
  • Due to the customization limitations on QuickBooks, we've had to get creative in third-party implementations to better represent our brand and to track financials.
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