APS Payroll vs. Namely

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
Namely
Score 7.3 out of 10
N/A
Namely offers a cloud-based HR platform for integrated core and specialized HR services, including time and employee performance management and onboarding processes.
$9
per month
Pricing
APS PayrollNamely
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Namely Now
$9
per month per user
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
APS PayrollNamely
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.Namely Now offers small-businesses an HCM including payroll and HR at a budget conscious price. For growing companies we have Namely Plus which includes payroll and HR, talent, time, and other tools to engage and enrich their employees. For companies looking to free up more time internally for strategy, Namely offers Namely Plus People, including managed Payroll and Benefits. And for the business who wants to expand while minimizing risk and liability, our white-glove comprehensive PEO solution is Namely Complete.
More Pricing Information
Features
APS PayrollNamely
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
Namely
6.3
143 Ratings
22% below category average
Employee demographic data8.329 Ratings6.6132 Ratings
Employment history7.427 Ratings7.1138 Ratings
Job profiles and administration6.420 Ratings7.030 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.8.326 Ratings7.0132 Ratings
Organizational charting4.013 Ratings4.7134 Ratings
Organization and location management8.619 Ratings5.7129 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)8.020 Ratings6.282 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
8.8
32 Ratings
9% above category average
Namely
7.2
127 Ratings
11% below category average
Pay calculation9.231 Ratings8.8111 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.013 Ratings6.953 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.23 Ratings7.157 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.822 Ratings6.9109 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.931 Ratings8.3113 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.723 Ratings5.3100 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.913 Ratings7.057 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
Namely
7.7
124 Ratings
5% below category average
Approval workflow8.225 Ratings7.3121 Ratings
Balance details7.024 Ratings7.5116 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.618 Ratings8.395 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
Namely
7.5
141 Ratings
8% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information9.432 Ratings7.9129 Ratings
Update personal information9.230 Ratings8.2140 Ratings
View company policy documentation6.823 Ratings7.0127 Ratings
Employee recognition5.014 Ratings7.3116 Ratings
View job history8.023 Ratings7.3134 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
5.8
12 Ratings
29% below category average
Namely
5.7
53 Ratings
30% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets5.812 Ratings5.753 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
7.2
32 Ratings
5% below category average
Namely
6.9
121 Ratings
10% below category average
Report builder7.932 Ratings7.4117 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.231 Ratings7.7112 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.617 Ratings5.874 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
9.7
19 Ratings
19% above category average
Namely
6.5
116 Ratings
21% below category average
New hire portal9.519 Ratings7.4110 Ratings
Manager tracking tools9.815 Ratings5.685 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
Namely
5.0
96 Ratings
48% below category average
Corporate goal setting8.12 Ratings6.086 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.89 Ratings4.694 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility5.18 Ratings4.272 Ratings
Performance tracking8.611 Ratings5.189 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
6.8
13 Ratings
15% below category average
Namely
5.4
107 Ratings
38% below category average
Performance plans7.612 Ratings5.296 Ratings
Performance improvement plans6.010 Ratings3.668 Ratings
Review status tracking7.611 Ratings6.595 Ratings
Review reminders7.212 Ratings6.398 Ratings
Multiple review frequency5.611 Ratings5.485 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
5.0
1 Ratings
45% below category average
Namely
5.6
21 Ratings
34% below category average
Create succession plans/pools5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings5.621 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
APS Payroll
8.1
8 Ratings
4% above category average
Namely
7.8
6 Ratings
1% above category average
Job Requisition Management9.56 Ratings7.95 Ratings
Company Website Posting9.57 Ratings7.55 Ratings
Publish to Social Media6.16 Ratings7.55 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting8.86 Ratings8.25 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention6.57 Ratings7.75 Ratings
Applicant Tracking9.16 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts6.98 Ratings8.26 Ratings
Best Alternatives
APS PayrollNamely
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
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
APS PayrollNamely
Likelihood to Recommend
8.5
(35 ratings)
7.4
(145 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.7
(6 ratings)
9.0
(9 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(4 ratings)
7.1
(71 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
6.8
(5 ratings)
8.0
(27 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.7
(4 ratings)
5.0
(85 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(1 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
APS PayrollNamely
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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Namely
Namely is aesthetically very pleasing and navigates like other social media platforms which can be appealing to potentially a remote workforce who interacts more online than in person. Unfortunately, it did not serve our population well as we are primarily manufacturing where people are not as interested in utilizing the HRIS for interactions when they would rather connect in person.
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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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Namely
  • Namely has helped with our COVID sick leave response. It has made a major difference both with the weekly payroll and the 941 tax filing
  • Keeping track of our multiple PTO plans. Thank goodness for Namely, I have shredded my old PTO spreadsheets.
  • Employees like the convenience of the cell phone app. As a payroll administrator, I like the Geo Tracking tool where I can see where some are when the clock is in or out.
  • The flexibility inside of the payroll system both as you are finalizing an employee profile and when you are processing payroll is a major advantage.
  • The reports I get out of Namely in Excel format work well for me.
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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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Namely
  • Limits to custom reporting
  • No direct feed for Ohio Workers Comp (now a manual process on our end)
  • No option to place an employee on Leave of Absence and exclude them from payroll while they are "inactive"
  • No option to suppress certain deductions for certain pay types (i.e. allow 401K for commissions but block remaining deductions - also now a manual process to uncheck the suppress box for 401K for each commission check)
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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.
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Namely
Administrators and employees love Namely. It is very easy to use and streamlined. Employees stay engaged with news feed updates and enjoy all the self service options. The time cards are very easy to access and clocking in and out for non-exempt employees is a breeze. Namely is part of our family.
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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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Namely
It is very simple to use for myself, the HR team, and our employees. I find the payroll process very user-friendly. Reporting is simple to navigate and produce the required information requested. I know our employees enjoy the self-service feature and use it on a regular basis, which saves me time.
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Reliability and Availability
APS Payroll
I haven't had any outages
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Namely
No answers on this topic
Performance
APS Payroll
Very quick
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Namely
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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Namely
Unfortunately, in more recent years we've had a lot of difficulty with Namely as they've undergone a lot of internal changes. It took 4 returned emails saying the person no longer worked at Namely to find someone to help me (I finally called payroll) and it took a while to get connected with a direct source of help. Namely now has set up their "pod" feature of communication which works well for the most part, but is different. I felt spoiled when we first started with Namely, but now it feels very much like working with most large companies' help centers. There is a system to go through and you do have the option to click "urgent". In general the help is efficient, but it still takes a few days and it's hard to speak with someone directly. It is all done via online communications and is difficult to actually speak to someone on the phone. This works well for most cases, but I do feel frustrated more often than I'd like to with this type of communication. (2019/2020)
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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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Namely
No answers on this topic
Online Training
APS Payroll
We had great webinars.
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Namely
No answers on this topic
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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Namely
Implementation was a bit complicated and our company had to carry most of the weight. It often felt like our implementation manager was giving us extra work that she did not want to do herself. It also took much longer than expected - I believe almost 2 months. I believe our company carried a bit too much of the weight.
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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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Namely
Namely has a robust suite of offerings, and fallows for a la carte selection of add-ons (rather than a single bundled option). This has allowed our company to save money by not purchasing options / functionalities that we dont need, but may drive up the cost for other companies who need more a la carte selections. In all, the size of the company, the size & capabilities of the internal HR team, and considerations like managed payroll and benefits should be key drivers in selection.
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Scalability
APS Payroll
I've never had a problem with the system nor in finding the right information.
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Namely
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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Namely
  • When we were over 100, it provided a huge benefit to us due to the accuracy of payroll, benefits integration and management, and org chart and performance tracking. Having all of that in one place was a huge improvement from the former disjointed user experience.
  • When we dropped below 100 due to covid, our insurance rates went up 93% to offer comparable plans, and we had to move over to a PEO for benefits which meant we also had to move payroll. It was hugely disruptive, and now our employees have a bad experience when trying to manage their HR lives in multiple places. It is confusing and, again, disjointed.
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ScreenShots

APS Payroll Screenshots

Screenshot of Benefits Administration Dashboard

Namely Screenshots

Screenshot of Namely News Feed: The home base to make announcements, express appreciation, and to celebrate important milestones.Screenshot of HR Analytics: data to drive confidence in an active people strategy and to encourage pride in provable resultsScreenshot of Talent & Performance Management: connects, engages, and develops the workforce in a platform designed so that employees actually want to use itScreenshot of Benefits Administration: modern, integrated benefits technology makes it easy for employees to enroll and easier to manageScreenshot of Payroll Administration: integrated with HR data and coupled with full payroll tax servicesScreenshot of Namely Mobile App: request time off and access paystubs and benefits information from anywhere