What users are saying about
8 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 6.1 out of 100
Based on 8 reviews and ratings
11 Ratings
<a href='https://www.trustradius.com/static/about-trustradius-scoring' target='_blank' rel='nofollow noopener'>trScore algorithm: Learn more.</a>Score 8.8 out of 100
Based on 11 reviews and ratings
Feature Set Ratings
- Payroll by Wave ranks higher in 1 feature set: Payroll Management
Payroll Management
4.4
Ceridian Powerpay
44%
9.4
Payroll by Wave
94%
Payroll by Wave ranks higher in 7/7 features
Payroll by Wave ranks higher in 7/7 features
Pay calculation
5.6
56%
3 Ratings
9.9
99%
3 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors
2.0
20%
1 Rating
9.0
90%
2 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment
5.5
55%
2 Ratings
9.0
90%
2 Ratings
Benefit plan administration
1.2
12%
2 Ratings
9.0
90%
1 Rating
Direct deposit files
5.6
56%
3 Ratings
9.9
99%
3 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management
5.6
56%
3 Ratings
8.8
88%
3 Ratings
Reimbursement management
5.6
56%
3 Ratings
10.0
100%
1 Rating
Attribute Ratings
- Payroll by Wave is rated higher in 2 areas: Likelihood to Recommend, Support Rating
Likelihood to Recommend
5.5
Ceridian Powerpay
55%
3 Ratings
9.9
Payroll by Wave
99%
4 Ratings
Support Rating
8.0
Ceridian Powerpay
80%
2 Ratings
8.8
Payroll by Wave
88%
3 Ratings
Likelihood to Recommend
Ceridian Powerpay
In all honestly I don’t know a situation where Ceridian Powerpay would not be appropriate to use. I have used it at a company with 12 employees, and at a company with 100 employees. The system works great regardless of company size and the benefits significantly outweigh any (if any) negatives.
I only have experience with the system in the hospitality industry but it covered all our needs and more that I can only imagine that would apply to other industries as well.

Verified User
Manager in Corporate
Restaurants Company, 11-50 employeesPayroll by Wave
Great for small business payroll needs. Reports and taxes are taken care of, everything is automated and once you're set up it's literally just a matter of minutes to run payroll each time. You also get email reminders which is helpful. There are premium features available for companies with larger/more robust needs, and I would definitely recommend looking into this software if you are searching for a user friendly payroll solution
Owner
Alex Pegg PhotographyPhotography, 1-10 employees
Pros
Ceridian Powerpay
- Ceridian Powerpay simplifies the payroll process, very little manual work involved during each payroll run.
- Ceridian Powerpay is mostly an intuitive interface with easy to understand workflows to allow for multiple users to be able to use the system if required.
VP, People & Operations
Peel Mutual InsuranceInsurance, 11-50 employees
Payroll by Wave
- An intuitive, clear UI helps you know where everything is, what options are at your disposal. Calendars and timelines show that Wave really thought out how to provide you with useful tool.
- Pay day can be automated and straightforward.
- Wave onboarding provides guidance at what information to input next until you are all set up.
Business Systems Administrator
Island City CreativeRetail, 11-50 employees
Cons
Ceridian Powerpay
- Customer Support is Horrible
- They over bill you for everything and ignore cancellation requests
- They don't listen to what you need or want, they slip in cancellation clauses and charge you for inactive employees throughout the year.
- They leave one person in charge of your account and should that person go on leave you are stuck waiting until that person gets back (including personal leaves that lasted 2 months)
Accounting Manager
Henry of Pelham Inc.Food & Beverages, 51-200 employees
Payroll by Wave
- Additional filings such as WorkSafe, etc.
- More flexibility when it comes to paying a director.
President
Red Ape MediaDesign, 1-10 employees
Pricing Details
Ceridian Powerpay
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Payroll by Wave
General
Free Trial
—Free/Freemium Version
—Premium Consulting/Integration Services
—Entry-level set up fee?
No
Starting Price
—Support Rating
Ceridian Powerpay
Ceridian Powerpay 8.0
Based on 2 answers
Generally, Ceridian Powerpay support is strong, with the edge given to the telephone staff, which is prompt and always helpful. When I have had to reach out via telephone, I am greeted quickly and provided with a quick resolution to my issue. The email support leaves a bit to be desired, though, as my experience with change requests result in long waits for confirmation and completion, with some instances not even being given a resolution to an issue without requiring additional follow-up. I shouldn’t have to stay on top of the support in addition to providing the details needed, and it should just get done.
VP, People & Operations
Peel Mutual InsuranceInsurance, 11-50 employees
Payroll by Wave
Payroll by Wave 8.8
Based on 3 answers
Quick response times, personalized service. They offer in-depth videos and guides for helping to get set up. Any time I have a question about taxes or reporting, they answer quickly and give comprehensive answers. Members of the team with whom I've interacted have been courteous, friendly, and helpful. Overall, great support.
Owner
Alex Pegg PhotographyPhotography, 1-10 employees
Alternatives Considered
Ceridian Powerpay
Have not used any other payroll software in my experience.

Verified User
Manager in Corporate
Restaurants Company, 11-50 employeesPayroll by Wave
We moved away from Wave as most of our contractors are time-based, and Wave flat out refuses to provide time tracking features. We tried integrations, but the pricing/complexity goes up and reliability goes down when integrating systems which were not intended to communicate. We since moved to Avaza and sacrificed Payroll for more robust time tracking, project management, and a very open feature development process
Business Systems Administrator
Island City CreativeRetail, 11-50 employees
Return on Investment
Ceridian Powerpay
- The return on investment has been substantial for our company. Having a payroll system that calculates everything for you, processes important documents, and only takes minimal time and effort allows us to focus more time on running the business and generating revenue.
- Instead of having a user spend half a day (or potentially a full day) processing payroll, it only takes a couple hours (obviously depending on how many employees need to be processed).

Verified User
Manager in Corporate
Restaurants Company, 11-50 employeesPayroll by Wave
- Ensuring that I am compliant with my payroll obligations.
- Less time spent on managing employee payroll.
President
Red Ape MediaDesign, 1-10 employees