ADP Workforce Now vs. QuickBooks Desktop Pro

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 Pro
Score 8.0 out of 10
N/A
Quickbooks Desktop Pro is accounting software from Intuit, Inc. It includes core accounting features, plus analytics and exportable reports. It is offered in on-premise and SaaS forms.N/A
Pricing
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Desktop Pro
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 Pro
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 Pro
Considered Both Products
ADP Workforce Now
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Paychex is expensive and makes many, many errors. QuickBooks Pro is excellent software for a very small company. A growing company such as ours needs an affordable pay software system that gets the job done. Workforce Now is such a system. Although we would like it to be even …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP is well developed and customer service is by far the best that I have experienced. ADP also provides CPE for CPAs.
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
I did not select ADP, it was here when I got here. I would prefer to use another payroll company.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
The other 3 are far more simplistic in the long run with fewer processes. However, they do offer fewer services. I believe they are more valuable resources for small businesses.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP beats SAP for ease of use without a question. When it comes to Ultimate I prefer their ability to actually look at an employee's check and make corrections to ADP's batch setup, but ADP's reports are easier to utilize than Ultimate's. PeopleSoft is on a whole other …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Since QuickBooks is accounting software first and HR second we were never able to do too much in the system, plus our accounting department would have requirements on our reporting and information we could see. ADP is a true HR platform that is easy to use and can be used just …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP includes comprehensive services like paying taxes on your behalf that makes it easier to use. HR module allows all employee-related records in one place. ACA and Benefits allow us to better understand current legislation and demands and stay in compliance. Overall, ADP …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Prior software was in-house processing for payroll and agency reporting - ADP eliminated the need for this and provides excellent service when needed.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
All the solutions we reviewed were fairly similar to ADP WFN in terms of the capabilities/products we were using. Pricing was also pretty similar across the board, with the exception of iSolved, which is the provider we chose to go with after +10 years with ADP.
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.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Our company used ADP PC for Windows before and we were transferred to ADP Workforce Now by the payroll company; we didn't choose it. In some aspects we liked more the ADP PC program, it was easier to implement changes and introduce payroll data. But we like the real time …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We used Run by ADP before Workforce Now and found it to be a much more user friendly and easy to use payroll system but it doesn't have the time and attendance functionality required under the Affordable Care Act. Workforce Now has many more features than Run but lost a lot of …
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro
QuickBooks Pro compares fairly well with the products mentioned above, but ultimately we mainly use QuickBooks Pro because it is easily adapted to most industries, and also because the majority of our clients use QuickBooks Pro, so it is easier for us to mainly use the same …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Desktop Pro
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 Pro
-
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 Pro
9.3
65 Ratings
22% above category average
Pay calculation8.7995 Ratings9.961 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.5389 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.9294 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.9798 Ratings9.835 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.7983 Ratings9.853 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.9769 Ratings9.949 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.7468 Ratings7.350 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 Pro
-
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 Pro
-
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 Pro
-
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 Pro
-
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 Pro
-
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 Pro
-
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 Pro
-
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 Pro
-
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 Pro
-
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 Pro
7.9
39 Ratings
11% above category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings8.032 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings7.836 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.5
93 Ratings
6% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.975 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.188 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
8.4
108 Ratings
10% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings9.693 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings7.5108 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings8.2106 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 Pro
8.0
112 Ratings
8% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings9.7107 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings7.5109 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings2.397 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.7108 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings8.899 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings8.747 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings5.964 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.927 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings5.652 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings7.239 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings8.050 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings9.738 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings7.015 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.837 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings7.438 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings8.517 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings9.665 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings9.733 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings8.141 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.824 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings9.748 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
6.7
56 Ratings
5% below category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.553 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings6.132 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings6.229 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings8.216 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Desktop Pro
7.3
70 Ratings
1% below category average
Pricing00 Ratings6.650 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings7.449 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings7.148 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings9.058 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings9.018 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings9.021 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings3.216 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Desktop Pro
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
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ADP Workforce NowQuickBooks Desktop Pro
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(1089 ratings)
5.6
(124 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.3
(82 ratings)
10.0
(18 ratings)
Usability
6.2
(78 ratings)
8.2
(31 ratings)
Availability
7.3
(14 ratings)
8.3
(2 ratings)
Performance
6.4
(13 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
7.1
(463 ratings)
2.3
(29 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.1
(9 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Online Training
5.8
(17 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.8
(34 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
Configurability
6.4
(10 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.1
(8 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.5
(751 ratings)
8.0
(1 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 Pro
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
I am only going to recommend it because it is currently ubiquitous, and most accountants prefer it at the moment. I do not stand by the company, and will not use the product any longer than I have to. [I believe] the support is lousy, the product is overpriced, but it does the basics of what we need. I'm very happy for all those outside Intuit who make their living supporting QuickBooks Desktop Pro; third-party support is desperately needed. They also doubled their prices for software upgrades this year, and require those who don't pay double what the last upgrade cost, to subscribe every year for $200. If one does not subscribe beyond the first year, one will not be able to use the software beyond the first year. They are moving to a rental model even for those who refuse to use the LOUSY QuickBooks online. They were good company once. Now they just turn out bloatware that everyone uses, so the rest of us have to. I look forward to the day that an honest, better-priced competitor wipes the floor with Intuit.
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
  • It is easy to manage and adjust inventory on hand.
  • It is easy to make reports and customize them to your needs.
  • We also use it to pay our employees directly.
  • It is easy to make year-to-year comparisons to see where we can make improvements and the current financial situation.
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
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro has been around for a few years and after an update[,] they force you to look at the changes/updates before you can use [them] after updating.
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro does not have 2FA.
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro should offer a way to store backups to a personal cloud without having to map a local network drive.
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
We've used the program for more than 20 years in our firm both with clients and as our software. For the cost and value of the program it works well for our firms needs and desires for an accounting software program. At this point to switch would not make sense.
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
It is a great software that does everything a small business needs it to do, but there are just a few bugs and quirks that make additional software necessary. The slowness of the software occasionally might eventually be overshadowed by the quickness of cloud-based software though.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
ADP
ADP outages are very rare
Read full review
Intuit
I haven't experienced a time when QuickBooks Pro was unavailable when I needed it in the entire 20 years of using the software
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
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
The support team is not always easy to use or able to understand the problems. There are some difficulties understanding [...] the issues the purchaser has and the solutions are sometimes hard to implement. A lot can be avoided if the users have adequate training and security is set up correctly at implementation.
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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
Best thing I ever did was to attend a two day training seminar on QuickBooks, I learned an immense amount in a short time with hands on training by experts. I strongly recommend such training for anyone using any part of the software. It will pay for itself in the first month.
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.
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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
We implemented the software ourselves. The training we received on the software was done by taking a community course teaching us how to use QuickBooks. It allowed me to get started with some basics of how to use the program and have not needed much assistance since completing the course work.
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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
Zoho had great end-user support and it was almost as simple to learn and was as easy to use. But its reports were not as [customizable] as QuickBooks Desktop Pro, and its job cost and department accounting [were] more cumbersome than QuickBooks Desktop Pro was. In addition, while I like an underdog (Zoho) the fact is that it is easier to find staff that [is] comfortable with QuickBooks Desktop Pro than anything else on the market.
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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.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Intuit
  • QuickBooks Desktop Pro is a no hassle accounting solution that ticks a lot of boxes. It almost never disappoints and organizations will usually keep using it for many years. If anything, the only time I've seen an organization migrate away from it is if they have specific accounting needs, or if the organization has grown to the point that they need a more robust accounting solution. Even then, QuickBooks can usually be maintained within another accounting software system for specific functions, like A/R & A/P for example.
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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