ADP Workforce Now vs. TriNet

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP Workforce Now
Score 7.5 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
TriNet
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
TriNet provides small and medium size businesses (SMBs) with full-service HR and payroll solutions tailored by industry. TriNet also offers specialized services through client access to HR representatives for advice and notifications on impactful regulatory changes.N/A
Pricing
ADP Workforce NowTriNet
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 NowTriNet
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
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 NowTriNet
Considered Both Products
ADP Workforce Now
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We have received quotes from Paychex and TriNet. Their competitors seem to have a more streamlined process. The only problem is they want to bundle their services with human resource management and our company already has in-house HR administration.
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
The clarity of reporting was why I chose ADP - as well as the robustness of the employee portal & the mobile app. The payroll function is relatively standard, but we chose it for the level of control and flexibility it afforded, especially after coming out of a PEO solution …
TriNet
Chose TriNet
We use Justworks quite a bit, but the difference is the designated support specialist. They only offer a general # to call into or a chat box. Also, they don't offer an audit prior to payroll processing, which I find helpful to keep accuracy and detect any errors. The JW …
Chose TriNet
better technology and consistency, more streamlined and the ADP product was not PEO
Chose TriNet
We switched from ADP to TriNet for better pricing, more user friendly interfaces for the HR and the employee side, and more pricing transparency.
Chose TriNet
Response time is much better with TriNet. All parts of their site are well-designed for a smooth user experience. Administration costs are reasonable (some others are offensively high and remind you that you could just hire another FT employee to do this work).
Chose TriNet
HR Support and Time tracking for Meal Penalty.
Chose TriNet
TriNet outperforms ADP, Paycom, and paychex is support and compliance for sure. The only other system I've tried that has anything on TriNet's capabilites and interface is BambooHR... If I could mash the 2 systems together, I would!
Chose TriNet
ADP allowed for customization and access to change everything on their portal on behalf of employees.
Chose TriNet
TriNet provides lots of very personalized client service unlike ADP.
Chose TriNet
We prefer TriNet because of the ease of use, and because several of us are familiar with TriNet from previous companies. Many employees also preferred TriNet for the same reasons. Employees appreciate having access to all their paystubs, W-2 forms etc. even long after they …
Chose TriNet
BambooHR is what we use Company-wide. We absolutely love it for its simplicity and user-friendliness, on that it really beats TriNet. That being said, we don't use BambooHR for payroll where TriNet seems to cover it really well and with the TriNet HR support team, we can always …
Chose TriNet
We evaluated a few products for payroll and for benefits and at the time TriNet was the only one we found which offered a wide range of health care plans. We are considering evaluating other options again to see if there are cost savings or if down the line a product emerges …
Chose TriNet
It is difficult to compare companies and services, but I really appreciate the personal attention and care my clients get from TriNet.
Chose TriNet
ADP is not nearly as easy to communicate with or too helpful when assistance is needed. Nor do they assist with benefits administration.
Chose TriNet
TriNet's system is similar in many respects to the HRIS and payroll systems offered by the other providers; what sets TriNet apart is the one stop shop for HR; everything is available under one provider with linked system functionality. In addition, most providers give you a …
Features
ADP Workforce NowTriNet
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
1058 Ratings
5% below category average
TriNet
7.4
708 Ratings
9% below category average
Employee demographic data8.3935 Ratings7.9502 Ratings
Employment history8.1974 Ratings7.3535 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.1924 Ratings7.5507 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.6951 Ratings7.5597 Ratings
Organizational charting7.4666 Ratings6.8417 Ratings
Organization and location management7.7731 Ratings7.1445 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.9673 Ratings7.8562 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.9
1069 Ratings
3% below category average
TriNet
8.1
764 Ratings
0% below category average
Pay calculation8.71030 Ratings8.2739 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.5408 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.9321 Ratings7.8257 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.5817 Ratings8.3748 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.71017 Ratings8.4697 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.3800 Ratings8.1617 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.5488 Ratings7.5380 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.9
875 Ratings
3% below category average
TriNet
7.0
498 Ratings
16% below category average
Approval workflow7.7797 Ratings7.5414 Ratings
Balance details7.9829 Ratings6.7477 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.1673 Ratings6.8388 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
1050 Ratings
6% below category average
TriNet
7.5
746 Ratings
9% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.21013 Ratings8.4723 Ratings
Update personal information8.21003 Ratings8.1738 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.9811 Ratings7.3631 Ratings
Employee recognition6.5382 Ratings6.0228 Ratings
View job history7.732 Ratings7.5558 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
TriNet
1.0
1 Ratings
155% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets6.012 Ratings1.01 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.8
974 Ratings
11% below category average
TriNet
7.1
628 Ratings
6% below category average
Report builder7.6957 Ratings7.0541 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.1952 Ratings7.5595 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data5.6569 Ratings6.7305 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.2
142 Ratings
10% below category average
TriNet
7.4
614 Ratings
8% below category average
New hire portal7.5138 Ratings7.5613 Ratings
Manager tracking tools6.8112 Ratings7.3383 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.1
329 Ratings
12% below category average
TriNet
6.8
112 Ratings
17% below category average
Corporate goal setting7.1255 Ratings6.898 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.0307 Ratings6.8108 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.1252 Ratings6.796 Ratings
Performance tracking7.2302 Ratings6.9107 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.4
426 Ratings
21% below category average
TriNet
6.9
190 Ratings
14% below category average
Performance plans6.6383 Ratings6.8166 Ratings
Performance improvement plans6.3328 Ratings6.8156 Ratings
Review status tracking6.0386 Ratings6.7153 Ratings
Review reminders6.9402 Ratings6.9162 Ratings
Multiple review frequency6.4335 Ratings7.23 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
TriNet
6.9
88 Ratings
12% below category average
Create succession plans/pools5.86 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking5.86 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Candidate search6.37 Ratings6.383 Ratings
Candidate development6.26 Ratings6.377 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
438 Ratings
24% below category average
TriNet
7.0
125 Ratings
9% below category average
Job Requisition Management7.2383 Ratings6.794 Ratings
Company Website Posting6.9374 Ratings5.51 Ratings
Publish to Social Media5.3300 Ratings6.678 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting6.1336 Ratings7.096 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention2.38 Ratings9.11 Ratings
Applicant Tracking6.8378 Ratings7.2103 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts7.3399 Ratings7.0111 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP Workforce NowTriNet
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ADP Workforce NowTriNet
Likelihood to Recommend
7.9
(1123 ratings)
7.5
(778 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.4
(83 ratings)
8.3
(52 ratings)
Usability
2.7
(80 ratings)
7.6
(675 ratings)
Availability
7.3
(14 ratings)
8.0
(19 ratings)
Performance
6.4
(13 ratings)
7.1
(19 ratings)
Support Rating
6.6
(494 ratings)
7.3
(759 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.2
(9 ratings)
9.3
(6 ratings)
Online Training
5.8
(17 ratings)
9.0
(8 ratings)
Implementation Rating
1.6
(34 ratings)
8.2
(28 ratings)
Configurability
6.4
(10 ratings)
4.9
(12 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
4.8
(4 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.1
(8 ratings)
3.9
(8 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.6
(785 ratings)
8.7
(18 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
8.6
(5 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.2
(8 ratings)
8.3
(16 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
6.1
(8 ratings)
7.6
(16 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP Workforce NowTriNet
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
During COVID, ADP Workforce Now was great about keeping up with changing laws and regulations. They built reports that helped us apply for PPP loans and then later apply for forgiveness. Webinars and other training avenues were well constructed, accurate, and informative. We were all at a loss together and having a partner who ensured the legal side was met was one less worry. They can easily do the day-to-day compliance and regulatory things. COVID highlighted how quickly it could be done.
Read full review
TriNet
TriNet is extremely knowledgeable and able to meet a wide variety of needs, such as handling K-1 employees and employees in Hawaii. It's challenging in the sense that pulling reports can result in blocks/barriers based on the number of employees one has.
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
TriNet
  • Responds quickly and effectively to inquiries through both the chat or phone options.
  • Customizes the payroll approval process to meet our needs.
  • Offers a forum that allows us to connect with other small businesses in the TriNet network to crowdsource recommendations for a range of business issues.
Read full review
Cons
ADP
  • Customized pre-process payroll reports (Limited on pre-process payroll reports)
  • Labor Allocation (Allocations make payroll reporting very hard to review and find any errors )
  • Recruiting (ATS is very basic)
  • Geofencing (should be able to change shape rather than a circle)
  • Pay Classes (should be able to change at Practitioner level rather than reach out to support)
  • Cookies and Cache have to be cleared on a regular basis
  • Only able to see employee documents/acknowledgements one at a time in the employee file
  • Timecards can only be managed/viewed by 1 person
  • Timeoff emails do not have a link
  • Cost per payroll - not just monthly fee so cost with off cycle payrolls
  • Separate I9 step not needed - during onboarding - 2nd Everify step
  • ADP Workforce Now does not pull in allowances for Houly employees into payroll ONLY Salaried employees
Read full review
TriNet
  • Time Clock More User Friendly
  • On Staff Admin ability to assist employees is slightly less than I'd like. I don't like being told to have the employee contact for platform issues. I'd like to advocate more for my employees.
  • Expense Reimbursement better integrated with the payroll functionality.
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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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TriNet
This is one stop shopping perse. They provide tools for Benefits and 401k. There reports are easy to read and the support given from Trinet support is awesome. Having everything in one place is best then having multiple places for things. Why change if things are working well? All the information is all there when needed.
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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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TriNet
The platform is highly intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy to navigate for both admins and employees when handling everyday tasks like payroll processing, benefits enrollment, and HR reporting. The flexibility in HR and payroll features does not require a need for extensive training. The mobile app stands out as amazing, with a great interface that enables quick access to employee related items
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Reliability and Availability
ADP
ADP outages are very rare
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TriNet
We had an issue with application errors - took TriNet 5 months to fix it, mean while we had someone manually tracking and keeping up with many requests and questions about the application error which affected time off. When we were all registering for Benefits during open enrollment there were lots of bugs that caused issues with registering for benefits or being able to see what benefits were available
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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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TriNet
For the most part pages load quickly. Working for a software company we understand performance is everything, even a few seconds delay can feel like a lifetime, that being said, we ran into a few times where pages didn't load, information didn't load correctly, and an influx in users (like open enrollment) cause things to slow down
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Support Rating
ADP
this is my only down side of ADP, they dont transfer you around a lot (Good) and try to tackle the issue right there, but the english barrier is sometimes a huge brick that stands in the way, and can result in the wrong outcome. There has been times I have asked for someone else as I thought it was getting done wrong, and was still able to get the assistance I needed, just took me explaining it twice
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TriNet
The support overall is very good. There seems to be a good number of customer support staff and they are knowledgeable and pleasant to deal with and it almost all cases are able to resolve the question or issue very quickly. My only complaint would be having to wait in some cases as I'm based in the UK and the correct department may not be open 24 hours.
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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.
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TriNet
it's been awhile, but I recall them being helpful. I got through a lot of it and when I needed help, they can walk me through it over the phone. It's also pretty user friendly in general at a platform. I don't really know what else to type, but they came and helped me in person and also when there was something new, they came and talked to me. They have not done that since with the new model that I hate
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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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TriNet
Since this was already implemented. I have another employee briefly train me. Then Trinet rep gave me some training as needed for things that came up. For one payroll preview report I figured it could be done, but I had asked the rep to be sure. One important training was when there was an employee leaving the company.
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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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TriNet
not applicable as I implementation was done 5 years ago and have no recollection of the details of the process. Above it says to skip question if not involved in the process but it will not allow me to skip it as it states explanation requitred thus making this process extremely frustrating.
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Alternatives Considered
ADP
They pale compared to ADP because they each have broken systems that do not flow from beginning to end. Another system is required to support all of the functions needed to process payroll. That puts too much on me, the person, instead of the system. We should work smarter, not harder.
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TriNet
I liked Rippling's software better than TriNet. However, the pricing on employee benefits was through the roof, and they don't offer many selections/options. If it was a software only decision, I would go with Rippling (the 2.0 version of Zenefits which TriNet offers). However, the software isn't a major need, compared to smooth payroll and benefits that I get from TriNet (and great service). I'm happy at TriNet long term as long as the health insurance rates aren't exhorbinant.
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
ADP
No answers on this topic
TriNet
I was not part of the process
Read full review
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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TriNet
We are a small company, do we use it across departments and sites? Yes, we are all remote working, so there are as many sites as there are people. We also have our entire staff using TriNet, so every department from Accounting, Admin, HR, Development, QA, and Management are all using this. Can't say for sure how great the scalability is as we are only about 30 employees
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Professional Services
ADP
No answers on this topic
TriNet
Not sure it was used or not as the implementation was completed before I started working for the company
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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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TriNet
  • We have saved money on benefits and been able to broaden benefit options
  • It has improved our expense tracking processes
  • It has made tracking time off so much easier for both employees and management
  • It has kept us in compliance
  • It has made employee reimbursement much easier
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