ADP Workforce Now vs. Paylocity

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP Workforce Now
Score 8.0 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
ADP Workforce Now is a cloud-based HR platform for mid-sized businesses. It features customizable modules of various HR services that businesses can tailor to their specific needs, as well as regulatory monitoring and alerts to help businesses remain compliant.N/A
Paylocity
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Paylocity provides 24/7 access to your online payroll and human resource data management. Paylocity offers highly customizable payroll functionality, as well as HR, benefits administration, and time and talent management programs.N/A
Pricing
ADP Workforce NowPaylocity
Editions & Modules
Essential
Contact sales team
Enhanced
Contact sales team
Complete
Contact sales team
HR Pro
Contact sales team
Payroll Essentials
Contact sales team
HR Plus
Contact sales team
Hiring Advantage
Contact sales team
Performance Plus
Contact sales team
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP Workforce NowPaylocity
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPlease contact ADP for a product demo and ask about a hands-on "test drive" of Workforce Now.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP Workforce NowPaylocity
Considered Both Products
ADP Workforce Now
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I did not select ADP Workforce Now. It was in place prior to my arrival at my company. I did not work with Paylocity long enough to draw a conclusion. I do like ADP's interface much better.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Paylocity is a good little payroll system for companies under 250 employees. When you get over 250 employees and want to fully utilize their system, then Paylocity starts falling short of ADP very quickly.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I would hands-down pick ADP WOrkforce Now over Paylocity or Darwin any day of the week. I feel Paychex is pretty similar, so I wouldn't be mad if my company decided to switch to them.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
More features, more efficient and cost effective. Paylocity has called me a total of 52 times from September to December, even though I have told them numerous times that we are not interested in leaving ADP, which makes me firmer in our decision.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Paylocity seems to be the only platform that I would consider over ADP. It seems to be more "whole" when adding a module. But WFN is more advanced and easier than the others.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now is simply way more user friendly than Paylocity, with a much simpler and more modern looking UI, for both users and Admins. Paylocity's interface was just way too complicated and old looking, for that alone we decide to go with ADP Workforce Now to avoid …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
not particularly different, except I think the customer service is worse with ADP Workforce Now.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP is only better as it relates to payroll
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP is just more advanced that these other platforms and always looking to improve. The mobile function definitely is better.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP had a better recording system, we switched over when our company was quite large an operating in several states. It made sense to make the move
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I did not select ADP, I'm evaluating the other softwares to move away from ADP.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now is 3rd in my ranking with the above-used platforms. ADP TotalSource and Workday are above them.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
The easy of use and multiple reporting areas as well as the information saved and archived makes it nice for back end reporting. The classes and the suggestion of classes available to everyone is great. Having supervisors that can track and approve their own time cards as …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce has a better onboarding approach and has better customer service standing behind the solution.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We have seen demos from several other companies and it always comes down to costs and features for us. The features and benefits of ADP are amazing. ADP has so many more features of the program than the others were able to offer. The added features that ADP has over the others …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I am at the point that I'd try to use ANY other vendor just to get away from ADP.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I still believe that ADP is the best at payroll and HR solutions. I have not felt comfortable even considering moving away from ADP.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
The other 3 are far more simplistic in the long run with fewer processes. However, they do offer fewer services. I believe they are more valuable resources for small businesses.
Paylocity
Chose Paylocity
Those are the companies I've used in the past. I wasn't working at CNOB when Paylocity was chosen. But Paylocity is 1000 times superior to the two programs I used in the past! There are no secret codes for deductions or earnings; payroll registers are easy to read, and it's …
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is generally better than all these other systems
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is easier to use, more intuitive, and takes fewer clicks on average to access, especially for Supervisors.
Chose Paylocity
ADP Workforce is much better, and I don't think that is a super good platform either.
Chose Paylocity
I think payroll processing in Paylocity is much simpler than with either ADP or Paychex. Having the pre-process view and the ability to make corrections easily makes processing payroll much more straightforward than with either of the other products I have worked with. The …
Chose Paylocity
I really liked Insperity because we had a dedicated service rep who knew our business, and we built a good rapport. I liked ADP because their service reps were knowledgeable.
Chose Paylocity
Friendlier user interphase. It is easier to automate manual, time-consuming tasks and customize workflows to streamline all the areas of the organization. It keeps employees connected Effortlessly, with communication and collaboration tools they actually enjoy using. Paylocity …
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is much better with customer service and listening to my needs. I went with Paylocity because ADP was not doing what they promised to me when I signed on with them. And, they were very bad at communicating with me.
Chose Paylocity
We were very close to selecting Proliant or Rippling. Proliant because their customer service was superior to any of the other platforms we looked at. They were so much more personable and ready to work with us. However, we chose Paylocity because Proliant didn't have many …
Chose Paylocity
It works more effectively for medium-to-large size companies.
Chose Paylocity
The employee interface is easier for employees to use and understand. Provides them with the access needed to edit their information. Encourages employees and managers to participate in different areas, such as performance reviews and time keeping. The ability to track …
Chose Paylocity
In my opinion, Paylocity appears modern and sleek and easy to use. In time and in my experience, their customer support has become almost entirely useless
Chose Paylocity
Everything is included with Paylocity. I am not paying for each service. I make a call and understand the person I am speaking with. Paylocity's system is truly user-friendly. Reporting gives you precisely what you are looking for without having to customize for hours to get …
Chose Paylocity
Price Ease of system commitment to a long-term relationship.
Chose Paylocity
Pricing and ease of use were much better with Paylocity.
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is superior in so many ways. From streamlining process to customer service, they are hands down better!
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is a mid-market budget player that appeals primarily to small to medium sized businesses without overly complex processes or requirements.
Chose Paylocity
I have been with my current employer for less than a year. Coming into a Paylocity environment for the 1st time I am impressed with what Paylocity has to offer.
I would like to see Paylocity offer an in person "Meeting of the Minds" style meeting for networking and learning …
Chose Paylocity
Better than Paycor. Paycom does allow api worse than High5 for performance, not as strong as UKG, ADP is terrible.
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity has nothing on ADP at all, especially when it comes to customer service for the client administrator.
Paylocity is 100x better than Kronos.
Paylocity was already implemented at my place of employment when I started. Also, ADP is significantly higher in price than …
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is far and above these. the reporting structure and the service level is the main seperation
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is prettier and easier to use. I also like the help section that gives articles to learn how to do something in Paylocity.
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
ADP Workforce NowPaylocity
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
1022 Ratings
2% below category average
Paylocity
7.8
847 Ratings
0% below category average
Employee demographic data8.1903 Ratings8.5798 Ratings
Employment history8.2939 Ratings8.2779 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.0890 Ratings7.8716 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.5917 Ratings7.6727 Ratings
Organizational charting6.7643 Ratings7.1668 Ratings
Organization and location management7.5704 Ratings7.8650 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.6648 Ratings7.5556 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
8.0
1034 Ratings
0% below category average
Paylocity
8.1
835 Ratings
1% above category average
Pay calculation8.7995 Ratings8.6811 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.5389 Ratings7.3381 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.9294 Ratings8.5581 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.9798 Ratings7.2554 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.7983 Ratings8.9810 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.9769 Ratings8.2641 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.7468 Ratings7.9395 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
844 Ratings
5% below category average
Paylocity
7.6
698 Ratings
6% below category average
Approval workflow8.0766 Ratings7.9619 Ratings
Balance details7.6800 Ratings7.4668 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.6648 Ratings7.4518 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
8.0
1014 Ratings
1% below category average
Paylocity
8.3
847 Ratings
2% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.3977 Ratings8.5824 Ratings
Update personal information8.6968 Ratings8.6838 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.2782 Ratings8.0665 Ratings
Employee recognition7.0366 Ratings8.3581 Ratings
View job history7.732 Ratings8.3703 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
12 Ratings
25% below category average
Paylocity
7.5
238 Ratings
3% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets6.012 Ratings7.5238 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.1
944 Ratings
7% below category average
Paylocity
7.0
773 Ratings
8% below category average
Report builder7.4927 Ratings7.0739 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.6923 Ratings7.4753 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.4550 Ratings6.5449 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.2
116 Ratings
11% below category average
Paylocity
8.2
721 Ratings
2% above category average
New hire portal7.6112 Ratings8.3717 Ratings
Manager tracking tools6.892 Ratings8.0559 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.8
311 Ratings
4% below category average
Paylocity
7.4
374 Ratings
10% below category average
Corporate goal setting7.9240 Ratings7.4283 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.9291 Ratings7.4345 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.5238 Ratings7.3244 Ratings
Performance tracking7.9284 Ratings7.4348 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
7.3
402 Ratings
8% below category average
Paylocity
7.4
480 Ratings
7% below category average
Performance plans7.3361 Ratings7.2429 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.2309 Ratings7.2355 Ratings
Review status tracking7.5366 Ratings7.4441 Ratings
Review reminders7.3378 Ratings7.5443 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.2313 Ratings7.6362 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
7 Ratings
27% below category average
Paylocity
7.1
220 Ratings
10% below category average
Create succession plans/pools5.86 Ratings6.7147 Ratings
Candidate ranking5.86 Ratings7.1180 Ratings
Candidate search6.37 Ratings7.4200 Ratings
Candidate development6.26 Ratings7.4161 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP Workforce Now
6.8
421 Ratings
13% below category average
Paylocity
7.7
453 Ratings
1% below category average
Job Requisition Management7.6366 Ratings7.8372 Ratings
Company Website Posting8.1358 Ratings8.1396 Ratings
Publish to Social Media7.1287 Ratings7.7304 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting7.3321 Ratings7.7371 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention2.38 Ratings7.0310 Ratings
Applicant Tracking7.1362 Ratings8.0416 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.3383 Ratings7.9414 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP Workforce NowPaylocity
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
ADP Workforce NowPaylocity
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(1089 ratings)
7.7
(882 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.3
(82 ratings)
8.9
(82 ratings)
Usability
6.2
(78 ratings)
8.5
(58 ratings)
Availability
7.3
(14 ratings)
8.8
(9 ratings)
Performance
6.4
(13 ratings)
9.4
(9 ratings)
Support Rating
7.1
(463 ratings)
7.2
(79 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.1
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
5.8
(17 ratings)
8.3
(10 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.8
(34 ratings)
8.2
(33 ratings)
Configurability
6.4
(10 ratings)
8.3
(7 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(4 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.1
(8 ratings)
6.6
(7 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.5
(751 ratings)
8.8
(8 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.2
(8 ratings)
7.3
(7 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
6.1
(8 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP Workforce NowPaylocity
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
If you are looking to automate processes and have the system handle administrative, boring tasks this is the system for you. They are continuing to evolve and are coming out with improvements constantly. Have a suggestion on an improvement they will listen and consider implementing.
Read full review
Paylocity
Paylocity works well for our organization. Ease of use for our managers and employees is very important. Makes it easier for us in HR to manage. Time and attendance works very well. Efficient and effective. Payroll runs very smoothly. We appreciate the performance and compensation module for tracking employees performance, journals and getting feedback and annual compensation.
Read full review
Pros
ADP
  • HRIS that is personalized for the employee and addresses DE&I needs.
  • Payroll, of course! The system addresses all needs, such as deductions, additional pay, premium OT, and shift differentials.
  • Onboarding is an excellent way to stay in compliance and have all documents completed.
  • Tax and Banking and resolution to any issues.
Read full review
Paylocity
  • Customer Service is always helpful with little wait time.
  • Always improving; for example, the recent change to processing payroll. So much easier.
  • Onboarding makes it simple and the fact that the company can personalize the messaging to new hires allows us to make it more personalized.
  • Having an assigned account manager regardless of company size is definitely a plus.
Read full review
Cons
ADP
  • I would like it if better communication was sent out about new product updates. Sometimes, I go into a screen and things are different and I have to relearn it on the fly.
  • Editing the mobile app - I would like it if what is shown on the desktop version was automatically on the app. WAY more of my employees use the app, but I put the most important information on the desktop version because it is easier to update.
Read full review
Paylocity
  • Recruiting piece/ATS could be improved.
  • A candidate being able to save progress on their application is really a must as they can't leave and come back to their application without having to restart, i.e. if they need to get a phone number for a reference for example.
  • Could use more room in entering the job for internal notes.
  • Quirky when doing cut and paste of job details that leaves spaces that aren't in the document being pasted.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
ADP
Due to the lack of support from the sales and service center we are looking at other options outside of ADP. Again it is a good system, it just lacks the support it deserves from the company employees. It is just unimaginable that you will need to reach out to a service provider several times for the same issue and not get it resolved.
Read full review
Paylocity
We have had many issues with the way our platform was set up at implementation that still continue to plague us. In addition, our benefits, in particular our FSA, have been mis-managed causing a balance due from an employee (and also a lot of work for our accounting and HR team, as well as stress for the employee). Our service rep continues to answer incorrectly on many fronts (original response is usually check out this paylocity article, vs. helping) and recently our COBRA management was mishandled (not adding Dental to a person on Cobra who had requested it). So- all in all...we are not particularly happy w/ Paylocity
Read full review
Usability
ADP
I would give it a 10 however I do not like when ADP does facelifts in Workforce Now which does not add any value other than having to relearn navigation. I am also not a big fan of being forced to refer to the Bridge. We have Google which gives the same results. If I understood the answer I would not contact our Account Rep.
Read full review
Paylocity
Overall, in my experience, Paylocity has been easy to use for both staff and administrators. First, the staff has an application and inputting Paid Time Off is easy to do. I then get an alert on my app and I am able to approve it on the spot from my app that gives me access as an employee and an administrator without having to use multiple apps or logins. As an administrator I think the portal is easy to use, Paylocity did a great job showing me tools and rolling out training classes before rollout.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
ADP
ADP outages are very rare
Read full review
Paylocity
Paylocity support is always available and I never have to wait endlessly on hold. If our dedicated account manage is not available, there is an entire team assigned to our account. Every one of them is knowledgeable about our organization and Paylocity's process.
Read full review
Performance
ADP
Overall, I think the functionality of the program works pretty well. Sometimes, certain browsers do not work well for the policy function of ADP, but that is the only issue thus far
Read full review
Paylocity
pages load in an acceptable amount of time, reports come back quickly, but integration is very complicated and hasn't been possible
Read full review
Support Rating
ADP
I have contacted support multiple times and have always been happy with the results. ADP's support staff is always helpful and makes easy work of solving problems. I love my Payroll Account Manager, as well as my Enhanced Time Account Manager.
Read full review
Paylocity
Everyone wants immediate assistance. Awaiting a response from an email only to ask 2-3 more questions is time consuming. Within the first six months of setup, I would rather respond back to the instructors who provided me the training in each category of my contract.
Read full review
In-Person Training
ADP
In-person training was pretty good - I think this significantly depends on the trainer. Our trainer was really good and showed what ADP can do - but I know that all trainers are not the same - and this truly makes such as difference. Overall, our training went pretty well.
Read full review
Paylocity
No answers on this topic
Online Training
ADP
At the time training was not as expansive as it is now. If it could go wrong it did for me so the process was difficult and lengthy. I needed to have more in person walkthroughs of things to ensure the transition was done correctly. Not sure what else I can say, we were part of the initial move to Workforce Now when it was introduced.
Read full review
Paylocity
The training was live online, but was with a group of other companies. We did not receive any personalized training with our team. Whenever we would ask for training, we would be sent a peak article link or a video. It felt like the reps we dealt with didn't know the answer to the questions.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
ADP
Either assign more than one specialist to the implementation process, or assign less clients to the implementation specialist. The process requires attention to detail and the ability to test and re-test as well as verify the information. It also requires a lot of back and forth between the client ant the implementation specialist, so they need to be readily available during the whole implementation process.
Read full review
Paylocity
I had gone through an implementation process of another HR platform (Paycom) in my previous job and was traumatized, it was painful. I was surprised how easy and fast it was with Paylocity, the team was very helpful and set us up for success
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
ADP
Although this SAS takes longer to perform the everyday functions related to payroll and HR data input, the difference in this software and our previous software is like night and day. We were on a very old server platform and had too many issues with continuous need for backup.
Read full review
Paylocity
We honestly had a program that only kept track of our Demographics, salaries, etc. then all of our Payroll was done on paper with paper leave slips etc. When I saw Paylocity, I was very excited about how easy it is/would be to use. [...] Our Paylocity rep that I spoke to was super GREAT in the explanation of Paylocity and I didn't even shop around much.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paylocity
I wasn't involved in the sales process. I joined the organization after Paylocity was implemented.
Read full review
Scalability
ADP
It handles very well with very sensitive data of a company especially of employees. Even provides HR services regarding recruitment services like recruitment, providing notification, even handles increment cycle of employee, any awards achieved by employees. All of this services are handled by them in very efficient way.
Read full review
Paylocity
You have an account manager assigned to you on a daily basis but that person is barely available to you
Read full review
Professional Services
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paylocity
Support is quick and proffessional
Read full review
Return on Investment
ADP
  • ADP WorkforceNow has provided a positive ROI for our company. It has saved me countless hours in the time I used to spend preparing reports, managing benefits, and annual enrollment, recruitment tracking, and much more.
  • The integration with Payscale has allowed our company to take every position in our organization and benchmark it to industries and job titles. This has allowed us to be more competitive on recruitment and retention.
  • We have used the new DE&I dashboard to provide valuable information on the landscape of our workforce, as well as areas of our organization that may not be as diverse.
Read full review
Paylocity
  • Definitely more consistent processes. Everything is very user friendly and it reduces the amount of time it has taken us in the past before we started using Paylocity. Everything flows super smoothly.
  • We have an improved retention since we have used Paylocity. Before hand, many employees thought it was difficult to find anything like tax forms, pay stubs, benefit elections, etc. when we used other platforms before we implemented our data into Paylocity.
  • Costs have been reduced and the decision-making process has improved and got quicker. Before Paylocity, it would take at least a week to get a salary increase approved, or a job title change approved. Now, it take less than a day and is super easy.
Read full review
ScreenShots

ADP Workforce Now Screenshots

Screenshot of ADP Workforce Now: a simple and complete human capital management solutionScreenshot of Benchmarking by ADP DataCloud: an application with an extensive data set ... available to ADP Workforce Now clientsScreenshot of ADP Workforce Now clients can equip their employees with the ADP Mobile self-service app