Dayforce Powerpay vs. Paychex

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Dayforce Powerpay allows small businesses to pay and manage employees. It is used to simplify and automate payroll processes with automatic payroll calculations and remittances to the CRA and RQ, and streamlines payroll with connected time and attendance tracking to help ensure people are paid accurately.N/A
Paychex
Score 6.7 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
Dayforce PowerpayPaychex
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
Dayforce PowerpayPaychex
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Dayforce PowerpayPaychex
Considered Both Products
Dayforce Powerpay
Chose Dayforce Powerpay
Being able to remit payroll directly to CRA reduces the number of steps in payroll processing. It also means that there is no way for us to forget a remittance. This is important to us because it's all-in-one software. I did like that QB would have the entry directly there so …
Chose Dayforce Powerpay
Even though Quickbooks was cheaper, I would have to do more work, much more information added into the system and while I would pay less per pay run, there was a lot more work for me to do. I prefer to pay a little extra and spend my time making money instead of the headache of …
Chose Dayforce Powerpay
Wagepoint has made errors in the past. ADP has terrible customer service. QuickBooks Online is convenient however the Dayforce Powerpay pricing is better for larger payrolls. Payworks has no "run as is" option.
Chose Dayforce Powerpay
I selected Powerpay (Ceridian at it was then) for the ease of use. I like that I have the choice of phoning my payroll in or doing it online myself. I used Ceridian a long time ago when I worked part time for a law firm. The Powerpay system is easy to use, it is logical and you …
Chose Dayforce Powerpay
Have not used any other payroll software in my experience.
Chose Dayforce Powerpay
Having used both Ceridian Powerpay and DayforceHCM, I find that Ceridian Powerpay is the better solution for the average user. DayforceHCM provides a more fully-featured solution for an organization, but utilizing those features will depend on your organizational needs. …
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
Dayforce PowerpayPaychex
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce Powerpay
8.9
Ratings
7% above category average
Paychex
7.4
Ratings
9% below category average
Pay calculation9.10 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors9.20 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.70 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.70 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.00 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.80 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.90 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce Powerpay
-
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
Dayforce Powerpay
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.2
Ratings
12% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings6.80 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce Powerpay
-
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
Dayforce Powerpay
-
Ratings
Paychex
4.8
Ratings
50% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings4.80 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce Powerpay
-
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
Dayforce Powerpay
-
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
Dayforce Powerpay
-
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
Dayforce Powerpay
-
Ratings
Paychex
5.3
Ratings
38% 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
Dayforce PowerpayPaychex
Small Businesses
OnPay
OnPay
Score 8.7 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
Dayforce PowerpayPaychex
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(0 ratings)
6.5
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(0 ratings)
7.1
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.6
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
5.3
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.0
(0 ratings)
6.2
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
4.5
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
5.2
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
5.6
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.1
(0 ratings)
5.6
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(0 ratings)
6.1
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Dayforce PowerpayPaychex
Likelihood to Recommend
I like Dayforce's timesheet inputs. I like that there is both the rapid entry and the timesheet tabs. It's easy and quick, and it makes a lot of sense. I wish Dayforce would pay out RSP payments, rather than log them only. It would eliminate a step for us and make things faster. But it's only once per year, so not a huge issue.
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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
  • 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.
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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
  • Adjustment - Reversal sometimes gives an error
  • Emergency Contact Comments field - would be nice if it would accept more characters in this field
  • A warning that 'no ROE will be created' popup when EI or other related fields are marked Exempt
  • Rate history on an employee's page would be nice
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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
Powerpay exceeds my expectations: it's easy to use and does not 'eat' my time by wondering what the end result will be. I can see what each employee's pay statement will look like before I submit the payroll for processing. Monthly processing fees are not exorbitant and the service from support it top notch, quick and awesome when you need it! What's not to like? It's a terrific company to have on your side!
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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
Dayforce
Powerpay has a great interface that makes it easy to navigate, easy to remit
payroll, and easy to report after the fact. It has made overseeing and executing our payroll easier for me as an administrator, and our staff find their portal easy to navigate as well. The only thing that I find less desirable is that you need to start a payroll in order to make any adjustments to employees' information.
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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 have never experienced application errors or unplanned outages. I do know that I could phone Dayforce Powerpay and give them hours and other deductions and they would do the payroll and I could either have them deliver the completed payroll by courier (there are small extra charges for this) or I could download the completed payroll on pay day. I have also been able to complete payroll our payroll at home instead of at the office. Dayforce is very accessible by phone or online.
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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
Pages online load in seconds. Click and it's instantly there! I have never had pages not loading properly or taking time to load. Payroll reports also downloads quickly. We do not interface Dayforce Powerpay with anything else
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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
Regardless the issue, the Customer Support team is offering outstanding services! When I am calling, the wait time is reasonable, and the team members will ensure you receive the right support in a timely manner, with politeness and kindness. If you reach out the team that it's a guarantee that your issue will be solved!
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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
No answers on this topic
We did online training only
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Online Training
I have used Powerpay before (at a previous employer) but a few years had elapsed. I had a quick online training session (less that 30 minutes) to recover basic knowledge and I was away. I still from time to time have to do something that i am not quite sure of and pick up the phone! Every one that works at Ceridian - now Dayforce - have been able to answer my question and tell me where to go in the program, click on what and do what I need to do. The support is out-of-this-world good!
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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
I initiated the implementation. I answered all the questions I was asked, prepared the documentation and sent it off and it was done! Quickly, efficiently and done well!
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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
Even though Quickbooks was cheaper, I would have to do more work, much more information added into the system and while I would pay less per pay run, there was a lot more work for me to do. I prefer to pay a little extra and spend my time making money instead of the headache of trying to submit everything. It may work well for those who use that program with everything else on a daily basis, but I don't and also did not want to learn a new system when I have something that works really well!
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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
We have a small staff of less than 20 employees. We moved our payroll from a previous provided because of terrible and expensive service. Dayforce is much, much easier to use and costs about 30% less than the previous provider. Dayforce Powerpay also seem to have people that speaks clearly and are efficient in everything they do so that less time is wasted by phone calls that has you on hold for 3 hours!
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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
  • 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).
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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

Paychex Screenshots

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