APS vs. Paychex

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
APS
Score 5.8 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
APS is a national workforce management and cloud-based HR solution provider. The platform includes core HR, payroll, time and attendance (including manager and employee self-service), compliance tools, and onboarding.N/A
Paychex
Score 6.8 out of 10
N/A
Paychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.N/A
Pricing
APSPaychex
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Paychex Flex Pro
Custom Pricing
per month/+$4 per employee
HR Pro
Custom Pricing
HR PEO
Custom Pricing
Paychex Flex Select
Custom Pricing
Paychex Flex Enterprise
Custom Pricing
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
APSPaychex
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalRequired
Additional DetailsThe Payroll solution is offered as a standalone service, but additional solutions must be used in conjunction with the Payroll solution.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
APSPaychex
Considered Both Products
APS
Chose APS
We used Intuit Payroll when we used Quickbooks, then Paychex when we left Quickbooks, and APS Payroll has been the best of them as far as price, the ease of use, and the ability to do what we need.
Chose APS
Paychex was probably the best system, but the constant shifting of support teams caused a loss of institutional knowledge every time.
ADP was impersonal and support phone calls almost always went overseas. The lack of knowledge of the support service was disturbing.
It was hoped …
Chose APS
I have used ADP for many years and always found the system to be restrictive in ADP's resistance to building rules that matched the organization's needs rather than asking the organization to modify its policies to match 'canned' rules already built within ADP. Bamboo and …
Chose APS
I believe APS is better than Paychex as mid-tier provider. I believe Paycor is not as good due to the cost and functioning drastically different. ADP is terrible in comparison to anything due to it lacking customizability and support for smaller and mid-tier clients. APS is …
Chose APS
They both have their good points and negative points, overall I think ADP is a better with recruitment platforms and onboarding. But APS had some good features as well.
Chose APS
We are a work College and our students have to work a minimum of 10 hours per week at an on-campus job. APS allowed us to be able to track a student's time as well as a professional's time but in different ways. A very versatile system that meets all our needs.
Chose APS
All the other payroll systems were very complicated and had a lot of capabilities that were nto needed for an organization of our size. This made it difficult to use and confusing. APS covers all our needs and does so with ease of use and great support.
Chose APS
I selected APS because of the way they responded when I initially reached out to them. I honestly don't remember all of the payroll companies that I contacted. APS was quick to answer my question with straight forward answers. They were very pleasant and always seemed to …
Chose APS
ADP and Paychex - Noah built them after he built the ark :) Clunky, expensive, and error prone. Stratus TIme - great time and attendance program, now purchased by Paychex.
Chose APS
Cost and local. APS seems small enough to be friendly and accommodating but large enough to have access to the latest trends in Human Resources.
Chose APS
APS Online is a much simpler system to use for end users and administrators, processing is quicker (immediate), and integration between the various modules is seamless. In the past, HRB talked to Payroll module, Payroll module talked to Etime, however HRB didn't talk to Etime …
Chose APS
We were previously with ADP and while the functionality improved when we moved to the Workforce Now version, we still wanted an improved and more economical solution for integrating payroll and HR with benefits management. APS Online offers that.
Chose APS
The boutique feeling and the great customer service are worth its weight in gold! APS OnLine is also financially a great decision. All around, a perfect way for our size of company to go. We haven't looked back since!
Chose APS
APS OnLine is a cost-effective solution compared to the other big name timekeeping/payroll software options on the market today. A quick demo will show the benefits of this simple, easy-to-use yet powerful solution. They are also quick to address issues and to work with the …
Chose APS
This is the only payroll service I have used. It has been a good experience and learning opportunity.
Chose APS
We have used ADP. I have also worked with IBS Payroll solutions at another company. APS OnLine is less bureaucratic than ADP. APS is less user friendly or customer service oriented than IBS Payroll.
Chose APS
I have not used or looked at any similar products. APS sold itself to us and we are not interested in changing to another company.
Paychex
Chose Paychex
Paychex is much more user friendly than ADP Run or ADP Total Source. However, I do like that ADP has an option to upload documents related to payroll such as notices from the state (DOR, UI, etc) and creates a case where notes from their rep are added and a case # is provided. …
Chose Paychex
NA - Am not using other Paychex services
Chose Paychex
I used Bangor Payroll prior to Paychex and they were better than Paychex. I didn't select Paychex, it was already at the organization when I joined it.
Chose Paychex
I think the Paychex reporting menus are easier to use and navigate than ADP.
Chose Paychex
They were alright, some of the same issues. Lots of turnover with payroll consultants.
Chose Paychex
Both ADP and Paychex are very good at informing businesses of the latest changes regarding payroll. Not sure which one is better, but very much get the most out of each. Both are informative and always looking at additional topics in a world that is constantly changing. …
Chose Paychex
Paychex has been around for a long time and have used it at other organizations. The payroll functionality is the best out of the other systems I have used. They all are great with handling the HR needs of our organization but Paychex is the most streamlined.
Chose Paychex
We use BambooHR in tandem with Paychex. BambooHR is our timesheet service, and Paychex issues the checks/payments to our employees. Ideally we would use one service instead of two to achieve our payment and timesheet needs.
Chose Paychex
More accessible and cost effective for our small business.
Chose Paychex
I far prefer Rippling to Paychex Flex, with its easy to navigate interface and user friendly model. I also appreciate the payday emails from Rippling and the paystub breakdown. It is also very easy and simple to request and view PTO in Rippling. I really dread having to use …
Chose Paychex
Paychex Flex has some room for improvement, I would choose ADP out of the different HRIS's I have used in the past
Chose Paychex
More user friendly works better for self service
Chose Paychex
I'm unable to give you a comparison because Paychex is the only payroll service I've used since I started my business over ten years ago. I've had no reason to explore other payroll services or make a change. I trust it will remain that way for as long as I'm in business.
Chose Paychex
In addition to the ones listed above, we also used BenePay, a local payroll company. We found Paychex Flex priced in the middle, with ADP the most expensive and too complicated, with many features that were unnecessary for us. We found that Paychex Flex's features and reporting …
Chose Paychex
I did not select Paychex. It was at 2 companies I started with and ended up having them switch out
Chose Paychex
Looking to switch over to ADP.
I think they are much less expensive
Chose Paychex
Based on what I've noticed, Paychex is comparable to DayForce, which has similar timekeeping functions. I think DayForce has a few easier-to-navigate tools from an Employee Self Service standpoint. iSolved is much better all around from my personal usage. If my company had more …
Chose Paychex
Gusto is more intuitive than Paychex and easier for smaller companies. Paychex has better customer support than Paylocity. Paychex is easier to navigate than Paycom.
Chose Paychex
Paychex offers much more than just tracking employee attendance and managing employee records. It offers Payroll services, Human Resource Services, Retirement Services, On-Boarding Services, Employee-Self Services, Employee Benefits Management, Employee Handbook Services, …
Chose Paychex
The could not match the price we pay for the same service.
Chose Paychex
I have not used any flex pay options only for payroll and tax situations.
Features
APSPaychex
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
APS
9.1
Ratings
10% above category average
Paychex
7.4
Ratings
9% below category average
Pay calculation10.00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment10.00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Direct deposit files10.00 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.90 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.90 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
APS
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.0
Ratings
15% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.10 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
APS
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.2
Ratings
12% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
APS
-
Ratings
Paychex
6.1
Ratings
29% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
APS
-
Ratings
Paychex
4.8
Ratings
51% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings4.80 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
APS
-
Ratings
Paychex
5.7
Ratings
27% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings6.20 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings4.50 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
APS
-
Ratings
Paychex
6.6
Ratings
19% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings6.80 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
APS
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.0
Ratings
11% below category average
Candidate search00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
APS
-
Ratings
Paychex
5.3
Ratings
39% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings5.10 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings5.20 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings5.60 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings5.90 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings4.60 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings4.70 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings6.10 Ratings
Best Alternatives
APSPaychex
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.1 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
APSPaychex
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(0 ratings)
6.5
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.7
(0 ratings)
7.1
(0 ratings)
Usability
10.0
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(0 ratings)
5.3
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.8
(0 ratings)
6.2
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
4.5
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.7
(0 ratings)
5.2
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(0 ratings)
5.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(0 ratings)
5.6
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
5.6
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
6.1
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
APSPaychex
Likelihood to Recommend
APS Payroll is an easy to use payroll system, and integrates well with some things such as the APS Hire feature, which handles onboarding, and the eSelfServe timeclock feature. It exports well to Quickbooks, but is only ok with NetSuite. (It works but is a completely manual process and takes a lot of setup.) Our tax registration and filing has been fine and we're always apprised of any tax discrepancies such as small Unemployment overages/underages when filed compared to what was withheld.
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Overall we have had a good experience. The unfortunate part of being with them for over 10 years is the change-over in support specialists and sometimes the lack of transparency when that occurs or the lack of personalized communication. However, the ease of use and streamlined services for reporting and recording payroll and onboarding employees is definitely a benefit to the service. Being able to pull reports and review past employees information can be invaluable at times. Knowing I have peace of mind when it comes to tax documentation because someone else is ensuring it is handled and handled correctly is very important
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Pros
  • It's fast and intuitive. Our previous contractors were ADP and Paychex and neither were intuitive. Our payroll runs have less errors now than with previous vendors. Payroll prep time is down from 5 hours with ADP to 2 hours with APS for the HR Manager.
  • The limiters are great. I'm always afraid of that error that no one caught. Let's assume that you add a $200 limiter to overtime. Any time that a staff member is about to receive more than $200 in overtime for that pay period, a red flag goes up for the HR manager to double check.
  • We have 3 programs in public schools that block certain ports. APS has a 2nd feature using GPS so that staff can only check in for their shift while they are in the designated GPS range. Great for someone who has to report to a remote location. Just add the GPS coordinates and they can't check until they get to the project.
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  • It provides a well account of Retirement Plan Account Information.
  • Alerts are sent to email when there is new information to access.
  • Employee access both online and thru app.
  • Paperless options.
  • Easy and quick access to paystubs and tax forms.
  • Easy employee retirement management.
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Cons
  • More robust HR reporting options and better customized report building.
  • Be able to have multiple recruiting pipelines that are tracked.
  • Less glitches in APS Hire. Especially with sending onboarding emails and applicants not being able to open them.
  • Better file feed communications and auto-updating to save time and add efficiency to processes.
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  • When it comes to audit reports, Paychex Flex could improve on helping clients locate the correct reports for audit purposes more easily
  • When a client receives a discount, it would be helpful if the discount were automatically provided each year, or if the Paychex rep proactively reached out to the client first, versus the client having to call and request that the discount continue.
  • It would be helpful if the invoice was emailed to the client versus the client logging in to access invoices.
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Likelihood to Renew
I have been using the system for over a year now and feel more comfortable with the functionality of it. I have just recently implemented the benefit administration portion.
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there are a lot of competitors on the market such as BambooHR and Insperity. Paychex need to make significant improvement on their offline customer service in order to compete with the other guys. Everything is online now and timely response to customer's questions is vital. Customers won't enjoy being put on hold for 45 mins every time they have a question regarding their HSA problems
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Usability
The APS Payroll software is very easy to use, and it is easy to train new employees on it. The APS Payroll support team is very helpful and response time is quick. It is easy to enter/change employee information, adjust salaries and benefits, etc. New features have also been added that makes it even better, such as being able to set up your own income/deduction items.
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Employee usability is very good and user-friendly. For the most part, the employer usability is good, but for complicated rules and policies, it requires technical assistance, which in our case, was clunky and slow in implementation. Once is place, everything works as it should
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Reliability and Availability
I haven't had any outages
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We have not experienced any difficulties with unplanned outages. Notifications are always made for outages, and they do not effect normal business operations.
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Performance
Very quick
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Unless there is lag time within the internet, the Paychex Flex website loads exceptional fast, pages load quickly and reports that I need to print or download load quickly. If I need to create a specialized report, once I complete it I receive an e-mail telling me my report is ready to be downloaded. Changing between web pages is fast as well.
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Support Rating
I had to learn APS on my own, and the support team held my hand. They are still there when I have an occasional question. Anytime I need support, I can call my rep or send an email and help is on the way, without failure. The support team is awesome
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Chat has been helpful but the person I chat with isn't always able to help me with my questions. Phone support is ok, depending on your payroll specialist. We have a great one currently, but the few before that were never available and did not return calls.
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In-Person Training
Even if it wasn't in-person on location, we felt like we had our trainer in the room with us.
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We did online training only
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Online Training
We had great webinars.
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It was easy to understand and follow along. I do like the informational videos that we can utilize before we opt to call in for customer service support. It has made a difference since sometimes that resolves the issue I may have had and saved myself a phone call to Paychex support.
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Implementation Rating
It would have been helpful to understand the phases of the implementation up front so I could have prepared differently for enrollments, billing, and transfer of information to payroll. At the end of the day, I'm happy with the selection and the system and anticipate I will like it better as we go along. We have done a number of other system implementations in the past few years, and this has been pretty painless, however, I've had a few surprises.
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Implementation was very smooth. The most cumbersome task was entering the current employees into the system during initial set up, but Paychex staff handled most of that and verified against prior system reports as well as internal reports provided to ensure 100% accuracy.
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Alternatives Considered
We had used ADP for years and had always struggled with their customer service. With over 20 locations (20+ W2s, quarterly filings, etc) we had a lot of questions. We would have to call and sit on hold for long periods of time to talk to someone who couldn't always answer our questions. Then we would get different answers from different people or have to re-explain our issue. It was a major time suck for my employees and they dreaded having to call all of the time. For us - the final straws for us to switch providers were: +Numerous year end filings with incorrect names and addresses (they couldn't keep our 20+ locations separate even though our paperwork was completed correctly) +Incorrect SUI rates for several locations that resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in overpayments which was a lot of money for small hotels. We had sent in numerous requests for them to fix this but it never happened +Lack of care - even though we were having all of these issues, nobody would work with us to get them all resolved and make sure to remedy the situation. We had to seek out a manager to get them resolved but even after this, we still had more issues. Overall - DON'T stick with ADP or even think about switching to them. They might be able to slash prices but their poor customer service and lack of care will cost you in the end. It's not worth it. APS does everything ADP had the capability of but we don't have the errors or headaches we did before. I am really looking forward to this year end!
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Paychex is much more user friendly than ADP Run or ADP Total Source. However, I do like that ADP has an option to upload documents related to payroll such as notices from the state (DOR, UI, etc) and creates a case where notes from their rep are added and a case # is provided. This helps create a good way to track a notice and be sure it is resolved. I have sent requests to close different states when a company no longer has an employee there or have been told an item has been filed/completed, only to receive a notice later from Paychex notification or the the state claiming the issue is unresolved. When you have as many clients as we do, this can feel messy.
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Scalability
I've never had a problem with the system nor in finding the right information.
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Employees can log in at home and get up to date information on their FSA balance and any medical bill reimbursements they may have uploaded. At renewal time they have the ability to make changes to their FSA or for new employees star the enrollment.
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Return on Investment
  • We were able to transition quickly and continue to successfully hire and onboard new hires for several Clubs that opened within weeks of moving to APS.
  • We do struggle a bit with the ease of reporting simply because our locations are all under separate EIN and that can make it difficult to easily combine data queried under custom reports, so the volume of reporting that I might wish to be able to push through weekly in order to help address 'real time' trends is not always available.
  • The lack of effective dating for position and wage changes does mean that HR and available APS data is not 'real time' accurate and that HR does need to return to the system to update changes well after-the-fact, which is not ideal.
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  • This software has provided visibility to shift managers and department leads that they never had before in managing their subordinates. They now have an easy-to-use go-to source for seeing who has PTO, how much they have available, and what the work calendar looks like, allowing them to make better-informed decisions.
  • With this software to manage open enrollment, we can now get through that process with a tool we use regularly, rather than jumping into enrollment management software only once a year and having to relearn it each year.
  • Literally thousands of steps are saved each week by not needing to traverse the entire shop floor or track people down to clear up questions with time cards. With everything digital, so much can be observed and addressed in real-time through the app.
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ScreenShots

APS Screenshots

Screenshot of workforce planningScreenshot of expense management

Paychex Screenshots

Screenshot of Paychex Payroll DashboardScreenshot of Employee Background ChecksScreenshot of Paychex HR DashboardScreenshot of Paychex Flex Perks