APS Payroll vs. syncHR

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
APS Payroll
Score 6.9 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
syncHR
Score 6.0 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
SyncHR headquartered in Oakland, California offers their eponymous platform for HR management, benefits and payroll.N/A
Pricing
APS PayrollsyncHR
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
syncHR v5.9
Varies
Per User per Month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
APS PayrollsyncHR
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredRequired
Additional DetailsOur Payroll solution is offered as a standalone service, but additional solutions must be used in conjunction with our Payroll solution. This ensures the best possible user experience for our customers.SyncHR charges a one-time implementation fee plus a PEPM fee. All charges are based on employer size and complexity.
More Pricing Information
Features
APS PayrollsyncHR
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
7.3
32 Ratings
7% below category average
syncHR
9.4
1 Ratings
18% above category average
Employee demographic data8.329 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Employment history7.427 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Job profiles and administration6.420 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.8.326 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Organizational charting4.013 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Organization and location management8.619 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)8.020 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
8.8
32 Ratings
9% above category average
syncHR
9.4
1 Ratings
16% above category average
Pay calculation9.231 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.013 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.23 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.822 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.931 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.723 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.913 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
7.6
25 Ratings
6% below category average
syncHR
9.0
1 Ratings
11% above category average
Approval workflow8.225 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Balance details7.024 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.618 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
7.7
33 Ratings
5% below category average
syncHR
9.2
1 Ratings
13% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information9.432 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Update personal information9.230 Ratings10.01 Ratings
View company policy documentation6.823 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Employee recognition5.014 Ratings8.01 Ratings
View job history8.023 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
5.8
12 Ratings
29% below category average
syncHR
10.0
1 Ratings
25% above category average
Tracking of all physical assets5.812 Ratings10.01 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
7.2
32 Ratings
5% below category average
syncHR
10.0
1 Ratings
27% above category average
Report builder7.932 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.231 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.617 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
9.7
19 Ratings
19% above category average
syncHR
10.0
1 Ratings
22% above category average
New hire portal9.519 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Manager tracking tools9.815 Ratings10.01 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
7.4
11 Ratings
10% below category average
syncHR
9.0
1 Ratings
10% above category average
Corporate goal setting8.12 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.89 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility5.18 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance tracking8.611 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
6.8
13 Ratings
16% below category average
syncHR
8.4
1 Ratings
6% above category average
Performance plans7.612 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance improvement plans6.010 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Review status tracking7.611 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Review reminders7.212 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Multiple review frequency5.611 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
5.0
1 Ratings
45% below category average
syncHR
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
8.1
8 Ratings
4% above category average
syncHR
8.9
1 Ratings
14% above category average
Job Requisition Management9.56 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Company Website Posting9.57 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Publish to Social Media6.16 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting8.86 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention6.57 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Applicant Tracking9.16 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts6.98 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
APS PayrollsyncHR
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
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User Ratings
APS PayrollsyncHR
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(35 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.7
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(4 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.8
(5 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.7
(4 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
APS PayrollsyncHR
Likelihood to Recommend
APS Payroll
I think that APS Online is scalable to any organization. It's a wonderful product and I have had so many managers that work with me that feel the same way. We haven't been with them quite a year yet but since we've started it has made a world of difference for us. Things to ask about- 1- Do they specialize in or can they accommodate states that you are working in and their various rules? 2- What type of customer service? Do they have a call center or do they have a designated person like APS? 3- How long do your reports stay in the system? (ADP "archived" theirs after a year so we couldn't reach them)
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SyncHR
syncHR is designed for mid to large size companies, typically 200-2000 employees. Any organization that has a strong reporting need and/or a complicated payroll process could benefit from the unique features built into the platform
Read full review
Pros
APS Payroll
  • 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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SyncHR
  • Automated retroactive change processing and mid-period rate changes – completely automated with no manual intervention needed - If you ever need to give someone a merit increase and make it retroactive or if an employee is entitled to enroll in health benefits on their first day employment but has 30 days to enroll, syncHR will automatically handles these retro changes.
  • A single application designed from the ground up that gives equal weight to HR, payroll, and benefit functions - syncHR is designed as a true unified solution with no back-end mainframes or separate front-ends vs backends. Everything is processed real-time in the cloud which has eliminated all discrepancies.
  • Customer Service - syncHR provides a designated account manager as your single point of contact. Since the The StaffWell Group is a 24/7 business, I needed a company that was available when I needed them. syncHR delivered with 24/7 emergency support.
  • Event-driven employee self service - Other systems we have used rely on employees to make the correct choices as to what is required when completing an employee initiated transaction. With syncHR, the system always directs the employee to the next step reducing both errors and calls to our support staff. I believe this is also the reason why we had a 40% increase in the adoption of ESS.
  • Dynamic Security & Workflows - syncHR has no static pages which allows security and workflows to be updated automatically whenever a change is made. This has virtually eliminated the time and effort required from HR to manually update workflows to the correct personnel.
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Cons
APS Payroll
  • Reporting - We have six different business units and the reporting is separate for all three. Most reporting I do requires information from all business units so am running six reports and then copying and pasting to get the report I need.
  • Multi-state taxes - We have a number of employees who live in New York and work in New Jersey. APS OnLine is designed to accommodate one state withholding so ability to have "worked in" state and "lived in" state taxes withheld went away. This was a shortfall.
  • The Carrier connection setup took much longer than expected. After a year, we are still having some issues with some items transferring over to the GL.
  • The CA overtime calculation does not calculate after 8 hours per day, only on the 40 per week so we override each week.
  • Reporting - when running Benefit reports, it recognizes employees who formerly carried the plan but may have dropped it. To get around this, we have to delete off the employee's record so the history is not readily available.
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SyncHR
  • Learning Management System- syncHR currently does not offer an LMS system. They only track and report training dates, licenses and certifications.
  • Although syncHR is a global solution it is somewhat limited to tracking employee headcount, HR documents, paperless on boarding and benefit information. There is no international payroll option like the one they provide for domestic employees. Although the system can handle multiple languages and currencies, I would like to see a global payroll option.
  • Succession Planning - syncHR provides little functionality for succession planning. The system can track budgets vs actuals, goals and ratings but does not offer a true succession planning module
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Likelihood to Renew
APS Payroll
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.
Read full review
SyncHR
No answers on this topic
Usability
APS Payroll
In general, it's a great system to use. We were looking for simplicity and ease of use and have received raves from our employees in their ability to access and make use of the system. There is still so much more that we have yet to gain as we continue working through each of the modules.
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SyncHR
Overall the system is very easy to navigate but more importantly my employees find it so easy to use. The percentage of employees who now use ESS went up by 40%
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
APS Payroll
I haven't had any outages
Read full review
SyncHR
No answers on this topic
Performance
APS Payroll
Very quick
Read full review
SyncHR
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
APS Payroll
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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SyncHR
Whenever we need support our designated account manager is there to provide answers for us. If she doesn't have or know the answer, additional support is provided via a service matter expert in that field. Support hours are 24/7
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In-Person Training
APS Payroll
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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SyncHR
No answers on this topic
Online Training
APS Payroll
We had great webinars.
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SyncHR
Training was very well done and thorough
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Implementation Rating
APS Payroll
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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SyncHR
During the first few weeks of implementation it is important to have all key members participate in meetings. Finance, HR, Payroll and Benefits should be involved from the early stages to ensure that the solution is designed to meet your specific requirements. Since syncHR personalizes their solution for each company a few wrong steps early on regarding the design we wanted caused us to spend extra time later. The more info you provide syncHR upfront the better they can take all of your rules and needs into account from day one. In our case, finance did not get involved right away and therefore some of the items that we needed for our GL needed to be re-done. SyncHR was very accommodating though as they spent extra time with us to update some of the allocations so that finance got what they needed
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Alternatives Considered
APS Payroll
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 several other newer systems really cannot support the many separate EINs under the corporate umbrella. And, finally, the other products are simply too costly for this organization.
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SyncHR
As I mentioned I have used UltiPro, ADP, Ceridian as well as several others and none of them seem to offer half of the functionality and service that syncHR provides. Although we had some problems from time to time, I hold companies in high regard by how they resolve these problems. It's a comfort knowing that my HCM provider truly cares about me and my business so if for no other reason than this, I feel syncHR is far and away the best system I have used. The system works as advertised which is all I could ask for
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Scalability
APS Payroll
I've never had a problem with the system nor in finding the right information.
Read full review
SyncHR
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
APS Payroll
  • APS OnLine has helped us streamline the payroll process by freeing up our time of not having to personally cut and sign weekly paychecks. We don't have to rely on check signers to be present which has helped our timeliness as well.
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SyncHR
  • Due to complexity of our payroll, it would typically take us almost 3 full days to verify hours and perform retro changes before actually running payroll. With so many retroactive changes and manual calculations it was a time consuming and error prone process. With syncHR, the accuracy of payroll has increased tremendously and the amount of time we now spend preparing to process payroll decreased to less than 4 hours per week. All approved time seamlessly moves from the T&A module into payroll and all retro transactions are automatically processed.
  • When I initially selected syncHR I was a little hesitant because I never heard of them before and was concerned about their viability as a company and customer service. Several years later I'm happy to say that syncHR has provided better support than any of the better know competitors ever did.
  • Although no system is ever perfect, overall syncHR has exceeded most of my expectations. The sales and implementation process was wonderful, the salesperson was responsive and did not oversell what the system could do.
  • Training & Implementation - syncHR spent a considerable amount of time learning my business rules in order to build the system to meet my requirements. Training was provided on all aspects of the system until my team felt comfortable enough to handle things on their own. I never felt as though we had a set number of hours of training or that our questions, no matter how redundant or simple were a bother to them.
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ScreenShots

APS Payroll Screenshots

Screenshot of Benefits Administration Dashboard

syncHR Screenshots

Screenshot of Org ChartScreenshot of ESS PortalScreenshot of Ad-Hoc Report WriterScreenshot of Time & Attendance