ADP Workforce Now vs Dayforce

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Our analysts compared ADP Workforce Now vs Dayforce based on data from our 400+ point analysis of HR Management Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

ADP Workforce Now is a cloud and on-premise platform for businesses seeking a one-stop shop for everything HR, including remote, in-office or hybrid teams. It operates as a professional employer organization (PEO), offering tools to tackle complex and time-consuming HR tasks.

It includes payroll management, time and attendance, talent management and benefits administration. Tools like payroll automation, data syncing and error detection help HR managers overcome common challenges like payroll inaccuracies and time-consuming manual processing.

It's ideal for teams that want to boost efficiency and save time on core HR tasks while navigating compliance regulations. Its key features include applicant tracking and recruiting, compensation management, document management, employee onboarding, employee self-service and payroll management.

It’s embedded with protective layers such as physical security, intelligent detection, fraud defense and other mechanisms for enhanced security and data privacy.

According to recent user reviews, users generally find it intuitive and reasonably easy to navigate. In contrast, some users report long customer support wait times.

Monthly pricing starts at $110. Pricing also depends on features, modules or packages selected, such as bundling payroll and HR. A free trial is also available. 

Pros
  • Custom reporting
  • Easy clocking in and out
  • Detailed, accessible paystubs
Cons
  • Customer support variations
  • Learning curve during implementation
  • Occasional slowness
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Dayforce is a cloud-based human capital management (HCM) platform that offers a full suite of tools for managing payroll, workforce management, career development, benefits and HR tasks.

It's a great pick for larger teams looking to streamline onboarding and training with performance management tools that support ongoing career development. Plus, its self-service portal gives employees more independence.

Ranked in the top five on our HR software list, Dayforce stands out as the Best for Reporting and Dashboards. It shines with features like employee engagement, succession management and compensation management.

With tools for workforce insights, personalized coaching, and mobile access, managers can enhance engagement and adapt more efficiently, which helps cut down on turnover and anticipate trends. Mobile time-tracking tablets and time clocks help minimize errors and ensure more accurate payroll.

The platform offers customizable dashboards, automated payroll calculations, centralized employee info and engagement tracking. Users love its intuitive, easy-to-use design and self-service options that lighten the admin load. However, some find the reporting feature a bit tricky; while reports are customizable, getting them set up can be complex.

Pricing varies based on the number of users and chosen modules, generally falling between $6 and $12 per employee per month, which is mid-range compared to other options out there.

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$110 Monthly
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$6/Employee, Monthly
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Product Assistance

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Knowledge Base
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Product Insights

  • Streamline Processes: Automate critical processes like onboarding, record-keeping and employee status changes. Track and report about certifications, licenses and compliance data.
  • Improve Employee Experience: Empower employees with access to their pay, benefits and time information. Employees can also request time off, view work schedules and download pay statements without HR/admin intervention.
  • View Real-Time Insights: View key metrics like labor costs, overtime, actual vs. scheduled hours, turnover rate and other KPIs using data analysis tools.
  • Integrate Seamlessly: Integrate with different systems like Workday, Litmos, ZipRecruiter, TSheets, QuickBooks, Slack, Microsoft Teams and more.
  • Manage Information Anywhere: Get 24/7 mobile access to time and attendance features, benefits data, and pay details with an app for iOS and Android platforms.
  • Enhance Data Security: ADP's security training and awareness program includes annual interactive training covering key topics and policies like phishing, malware and incident response. There are classroom sessions, webinars and visual aids.
  • Ensure Compliance: With built-in safeguards like error detection and data syncing, the platform aids compliance with labor laws and regulations.
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  • Centralize Records: Store all your documents in a secure repository, using filters to easily find the forms you need. You can also monitor and manage compensation levels, performance metrics, and org charts. Dayforce’s document management gets an 81 out of 100, according to our data.
  • Improve Payroll Accuracy: Reduce timesheet errors for more accurate payroll processing. While payroll management scores a 75, Dayforce payroll calculates pay in real time as it's recorded, giving admins continuous data throughout the pay period and providing more time for verification, review and audits.
  • Enhance Engagement: Promote stronger team engagement and communication with TeamRelate. Managers can track employee engagement daily, tailor coaching, and gauge employee communication styles and motivators through surveys. Its employee engagement tools come in at a perfect 100.
  • Navigate Compliance: Access real-time information on all legislative rules globally, including monitoring regulations in over 200 countries, to ensure compliance. Configure what the system monitors based on specific needs.
  • Work Flexibly: Update availability, check schedules and submit time-off requests on the go. Users can preview earnings, clock in and out, and view the People Directory to contact coworkers.
  • Boost Communication: Enhance communication by highlighting managers and colleagues in interactive org charts. Build and arrange employees based on the company’s structure and hierarchy.
  • Manage Time and Time Off: Replace punch clocks with tablets offering accurate time and attendance information. Employees can record time, request time off or trade shifts, and view schedules via the mobile app.
  • View Workforce Insights: Track critical organizational indicators like turnover by location and age to understand operational trends.
  • Ease Benefits Management: Simplify benefits enrollment with side-by-side plan comparisons and smart recommendations. Employees can update their coverage via self-service.
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  • Payroll: Access employee pay data on a dashboard. Automate deductions for benefits and other compensation.
    • Manage tax filings and access historical pay summaries.
    • Prorate pay during a cycle or apply it to previous runs.
    • Identify payroll errors via warning notifications.
  • Time & Attendance: Offers tracking and scheduling capabilities with digital time clocking, visual schedules and clocks with finger scan functionality.
    • Facilitate absence management with absence analysis, leave tracking and more.
    • Secured Time Tracking: Reduce time theft (like buddy punching) with finger scanning, facial recognition and geofencing.
    • Time Tracking Options: Employees can clock in and out using their mobile device, kiosk app, web timesheet, tablet or smart time clock. The time kiosk application enables pin codes or facial recognition for an added layer of security.
    • Scheduling: Assign shifts and let employees swap as needed, reducing productivity bottlenecks. Configure scheduling work rules like max hours/days.
    • Scheduling by Skill: Ensure efficiency by matching specific employees to jobs based on their skills, licenses and certifications. Use skills-based scheduling to assign employees with the required language and training provisions.
    • Dashboards: View absences, schedules, hours worked and overtime. See timecard statuses to help wrap up time details without delaying payroll.
    • Time and Attendance Compliance: ADP’s compliance on-demand option gives clients access to a team of consultants for guidance on key practices. Access a content library with info on federal, state and local laws, and regulations.
  • Talent Management:
    • Recruiting and Hiring: Automatically create job descriptions and job postings. Offers screening, compliance mandates by location, hiring-practice guidance, credential verification and background check tools.
    • Management and Growth: View employee performance, deliver learning programs and offer leadership skill improvement tools. Reduce talent gaps and plan ahead with succession management.
  • Benefits Administration:
    • With ADP AE Snapshot™, managers can access employee metrics on enrollment preferences and decisions.
    • Access ranks of different plans, compare options, calculate and evaluate various scenarios, and configure plan selections with PlanFit.
    • Enroll and manage benefits through the mobile app.
    • Use eligibility, enrollment activity and plan summary reports.
  • ADP® DataCloud: Reference reliable industry data and compare company trends and data to information from similar organizations. Predict turnover and discover contributing factors using big data through Turnover Probability Explorer.
  • ADP® StandOut: Personalize digital coaching content and use 15-minute strength assessments. Offers:
    • Real-time team engagement, custom and performance pulse surveys.
    • Light-touch check-ins with employees.
    • Coaching intelligence and insights.
  • Learning Management: Allow employees to self-enroll for courses. Custom build or upload training content. Provides:
    • 41 pre-packaged compliance and development courses.
    • Course tracking dashboards.
    • Publishing and tracking of instructor-led training.
    • Online demos
  • HR Assist: Features include:
    • Federal and state compliance reporting, along with regulatory expertise and guidance.
    • Job description templates and wizards.
    • Employee handbook assistance.
    • HR doc library and toolkits with guides, forms, documents and policies.
    • ADP TotalSource®: Offers support for benefits, payroll, hiring and compliance across all 50 states. Has features like full-time recruiters, applicant tracking, ZipRecruiter integration, mobile-friendly career sites, background checks and onboarding.
  • Workforce Management: Effectively plan projects and assign tasks, even on the go. Managers can remotely view time off, hours worked and timecards. There’s also overtime and absence analytics and reporting for helpful insights.
  • Digital Record Keeping: Store confidential company data securely in the cloud. Upload data in batches to save time. Search and audit information.
  • Onboarding: Facilitate a fully integrated onboarding experience for new hires. Capabilities include:
    • Digital onboarding
    • Digital I-9 processing.
    • Identification of employee payment preferences.
    • Onboarding completion reminders.
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  • Core HR: Centralize employee info, manage performance, carry out recruiting, oversee payroll and get reports for data-driven decision-making.
  • Employee Self-Service (ESS): Let users enroll in benefits, view pay details, update personal information, access learning resources and stay current on announcements.
  • Payroll: Roll out a variety of payroll tasks, including tax management, employee verification and data entry for unique situations like retroactive payments. Dashboards provide insights and reporting tools support payroll reconciliation.
  • Benefits: Fast track enrollment by letting employees independently enroll for coverage. Admins can access enrollment totals, a library of qualification rules, on-demand calculations and streamlined COBRA management. It also integrates with hundreds of carriers and incorporates features to ensure ACA compliance.
  • Talent Management: Manage every phase of an employee lifecycle, from recruiting and onboarding to succession planning. Track performance in a holistic view, plan budgets effectively and reskill current employees with AI talent tools.
  • Workforce Management: Process payroll, manage sick days or vacation time, and view reports on key trends like spending for proactive planning.
  • Compliance Support: Safeguard sensitive information with role-based access and ease multi-jurisdictional tax filings with tax services for federal, state and local jurisdictions.
  • Customer Support: Get help with questions and concerns through live chat or phone. Access additional resources on the website like the help center and webinars.
  • Dayforce Wallet: Provide employees access to their earned wages before payday. This flexibility improves financial wellness and reduces employee stress associated with waiting for a paycheck. It also provides functionalities such as budgeting tools and financial planning resources. Note: The amount available depends on completed shifts and standard transfer time is between 1-3 business days. Faster transfers require additional fees.
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Product Ranking

#11

among all
HR Management Software

#9

among all
HR Management Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

77
79
86
64
56
78
84
88
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Training
Availability and Scalability
User Support
Document Management
Payroll Management
Availability and Scalability
Employee Engagement
Platform Security
Reporting and Dashboard
Succession Management

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

ADP Workforce Now
Dayforce
+ Add Product + Add Product
Applicant Tracking And Recruiting Benefits Management Compensation Management Document Management Employee Engagement Employee Onboarding And Administration Employee Self Service Learning Management Payroll Management Performance Management Platform Capabilities Reporting And Dashboard Succession Management Time And Attendance Management Workforce Management 86 56 84 94 23 88 89 69 94 62 84 86 77 61 51 64 78 88 81 100 74 78 82 75 83 86 100 100 87 90 0 25 50 75 100
73%
9%
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16%
63%
21%
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75%
8%
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86%
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14%
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100%
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73%
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83%
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86%
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14%
90%
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50%
86%
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14%
75%
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12%
88%
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78%
11%
11%
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67%
17%
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8%
75%
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82%
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18%
9%
55%
36%
91%
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9%

Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

ADP Workforce Now
Dayforce
+ Add Product + Add Product
Availability And Scalability Deployment Options Integrations And Extensibility Mobile Platform Security 96 50 72 92 100 50 61 100 0 25 50 75 100
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83%
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17%
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Analyst Ratings for Vendor Qualification Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 10989 reviews
Great User Sentiment 3463 reviews
85%
of users recommend this product

ADP Workforce Now has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 85% when considering 10989 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

85%
of users recommend this product

Dayforce has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 85% when considering 3463 user reviews from 5 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (19)
5.0 (24)
4.1 (3109)
4.2 (792)
4.4 (5734)
4.3 (969)
4.4 (358)
4.6 (541)
4.0 (1769)
4.0 (1137)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated ADP Workforce Now and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Training.

Training Award

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Dayforce and concluded it earns best-in-class honors for Employee Engagement, Reporting and Dashboard and Succession Management.

Employee Engagement Award
Reporting and Dashboard Award
Succession Management Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Users generally have positive feedback about ADP's time tracking, highlighting its ease of use for clocking in and out, viewing time cards, and requesting time off.
Users highlight quick access to paystubs from current and past jobs. They appreciate having all paystub information in one place and find it easy to download. There are also detailed breakdowns of earnings and deductions.
60% of users appreciate reporting capabilities, particularly the custom reports feature, finding it helpful for generating tailored insights.
64% of users find the system intuitive and user-friendly, praising easy navigation and accessibility of features.
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Easy PTO Tracking: Dayforce simplifies requesting and viewing PTO and tracking employee hours.
User-Friendly Interface and Features: Dayforce receives praise for being easy to set up and navigate.
Comprehensive: Dayforce is effective for managing payroll, benefits, and workforce management (WFM), providing real-time data and streamlined record-keeping. Custom reporting, time management and compensation planning are highlighted as strong features.
Consistency: The system integrates well across various functions such as HR, payroll, and time management, helping to consolidate processes and improve efficiency.
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While some users appreciate backend support, such as assistance with 401k information, 73% of users express frustration with customer service, citing long wait times.
47% of users experienced a learning curve with features during implementation. Some users mention poor implementation support, leading to a confusing onboarding experience for employees.
40% of users express reports have room for improvement, noting the reporting functionality can be complex and not intuitive enough, with limitations in filter prompts.
36% of users note difficulties with integration between features and occasional slowness and feel that certain aspects are scattered.
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Reporting: Report creation can be cumbersome and not very user-friendly. The ability to convert fixed reports into customizable formats and access more diverse formats is limited.
Outdated Employee Self-Service: Some users found this feature outdated without improved auditing and traceability features for payroll elections.
Frequent Updates: Some updates lead to slow down and create a learning curve for some users.
Implementation Process: Users reported implementation can have high up-front costs, take longer than expected and cause frustration.
Customer Support: Users experienced long response times and additional fees.
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ADP Workforce Now is a popular PEO and HR solution for businesses that need a comprehensive HCM for payroll, time and attendance, benefits administration, reporting, and compliance assistance. It’s ideal for small teams, mid-sized organizations and larger businesses looking to improve their time tracking, ensure payroll accuracy and go paperless with document management.Standout features include automated time tracking, collaborative scheduling, talent acquisition, configurable work rules, employee self service and data syncing.Time and attendance features support productivity by ensuring proper staffing, tracking time via desktop or app, and providing time clocks or ADP® Kiosk access. Additionally, it supports online schedule management, time-off requests and approvals.It also facilitates benefits administration, SmartCompliance, financial wellness support, and performance and compensation management, fostering a positive employee experience.Additionally, ADP Workforce Now has AI capabilities that can automate repetitive tasks, analyze workforce data for insights, find tax forms, access company policies, and submit PTO requests through mobile devices or myADP. AI-driven analytics aid decision-making across key HR functions like recruiting, compliance and time management.Users commend ADP's time tracking for its efficiency and user-friendly interface. However, some users report drawbacks, including customer service issues and a learning curve during implementation.As a PEO, ADP offers assistance with workers' compensation, claims management and tax support in all 50 states.Overall, ADP Workforce Now is an inclusive HR solution that provides essential features for payroll, time tracking, and HR management while also offering custom reports, automation and AI capabilities to all business sizes.

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Dayforce, a popular AI-powered HCM solution, caters to businesses across various industries on a global scale. It’s perfect for large teams and companies needing a scalable and adaptable platform. Most of its features are user-friendly, making it relatively easy to learn and navigate.Dayforce stands out with its mobile time-off requests, smart benefit enrollment recommendations, TeamRelate, Dayforce Wallet and automated payroll calculations. It also offers robust support for day-to-day operations, including reports and dashboards, org charts, shift trades, and compliance.The mobile app and self-service platform give employees the freedom to handle tasks like accessing pay stubs, viewing schedules, and submitting time-off requests independently, which reduces the need for admin intervention.Dayforce tackles common HR challenges like managing varied payroll and compliance needs, dealing with tricky reporting, and making employee self-service easier. While users appreciate its mobile features and schedule management, they’ve mentioned that reporting can be a bit complex and time-consuming, sometimes leading to long waits for customer support.The demo reveals a comprehensive hub serving as a centralized dashboard, providing news updates, team objectives, pending tasks, and recommended applications like performance management and recruiting.Personally, I thought the scheduling module looked a little cluttered/complicated for beginners, but you can use filters to narrow down results and make it look less busy/cleaner.Payroll processing demands a hawk's eye when it comes to details. I thought Dayforce had a reasonably straightforward payroll design.Engagement surveys offer compact insights into employee sentiment and effectiveness, while customizable dashboards and scorecards display key metrics on workforce dynamics, such as availability, recruitment metrics, and turnover rates.Automated alerts and integration with job boards enhance recruiting, and self-service features support career development, HR and benefits enrollment.The chatbot provided a brief welcome and directed me to the Help Center after I chose support. The chat ended there, and I encountered the issue of the conversation not clearing when the page was reopened.Pricing is competitive, based on user numbers and selected modules (charged per month).Overall, Dayforce is a comprehensive HCM software that effectively supports managing people, pay and compliance.

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