ADP Workforce Now vs Paylocity
Choose ADP Workforce Now for payroll/tax compliance brand and a named Select/Plus/Premium ladder. Choose Paylocity for a more modern employee Community/Ignite UX. Neither replaces Gusto’s published SMB award. Compare published pricing, hiring, core HRIS, payroll, scheduling, training, time tracking, integrations, and mobile.
ADP Workforce Now
Mid-market payroll + HR (Select / Plus / Premium packaging) — custom PEPM quote; no published seat $. Landscape vs Gusto.
Best for
- • Payroll/tax compliance depth
- • Select → Plus → Premium packaging
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
Choose ADP Workforce Now for payroll/tax compliance brand and a named Select/Plus/Premium ladder. Choose Paylocity for a more modern employee Community/Ignite UX. Neither replaces Gusto’s published SMB award.
ADP Workforce Now is better for
- ✓ Payroll processing
Paylocity is better for
- ✓ Hiring workflow
- ✓ Core HRIS depth
- ✓ Training depth
- ✓ Mobile / frontline
Tie
- • Scheduling depth
- • Time tracking depth
- • Integrations
Choose ADP Workforce Now if: Payroll/tax compliance depth
Choose Paylocity if: Modern mid-market HCM UX
Paylocity
US mid-market HR + payroll (+ finance/IT) — custom quote (‘Explore Payroll Pricing’); Ignite AI. Landscape vs Gusto.
Best for
- • Modern mid-market HCM UX
- • Community + Ignite AI
No free plan
ADP Workforce Now vs Paylocity at a glance
Criterion-level leaders from verified research.
Scorecard preview
Criterion leaders based on verified research — open the Scorecard tab for evidence detail.
- Starting pricingDepends
ADP Workforce Now
Paylocity
- Free planDepends
ADP Workforce Now
Paylocity
- User / licence minimumDepends
ADP Workforce Now
Paylocity
- Hiring workflowPaylocity
ADP Workforce Now
Paylocity
- Core HRIS depthPaylocity
ADP Workforce Now
Paylocity
Which HR software is better for you?
Quick picks based on fit — not a universal ranking.
- → ADP Workforce Now
Payroll/tax compliance depth
Pick ADP Workforce Now for Payroll/tax compliance depth.
- → ADP Workforce Now
Select → Plus → Premium packaging
Pick ADP Workforce Now for Select → Plus → Premium packaging.
- → Paylocity
Modern mid-market HCM UX
Pick Paylocity for Modern mid-market HCM UX.
- → Paylocity
Community + Ignite AI
Pick Paylocity for Community + Ignite AI.
- → ADP Workforce Now
Best for payroll processing
ADP Workforce Now is the stronger fit for payroll processing (10/10 vs 9/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.
- → Paylocity
Best for hiring workflow
Paylocity is the stronger fit for hiring workflow (5/10 vs 6/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.
The biggest differences
Where the products diverge most clearly on verified criteria.
Starting pricing
DependsADP Workforce Now
Both are custom PEPM quotes with no published USD. ADP names Select / Plus / Premium; Paylocity is a single platform quote.
Paylocity
Both are custom PEPM quotes with no published USD. ADP names Select / Plus / Premium; Paylocity is a single platform quote.
Hiring workflow
Paylocity winsADP Workforce Now
Trails Paylocity on this criterion
Paylocity
Paylocity is the stronger fit for hiring workflow (5/10 vs 6/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.
Core HRIS depth
Paylocity winsADP Workforce Now
Trails Paylocity on this criterion
Paylocity
Paylocity is the stronger fit for core HRIS depth (7/10 vs 8/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.
Payroll processing
ADP Workforce Now winsADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now is the stronger fit for payroll processing (10/10 vs 9/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.
Paylocity
Trails ADP Workforce Now on this criterion
Scheduling depth
TieADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now and Paylocity are close on workforce scheduling (6/10 vs 6/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.
Paylocity
ADP Workforce Now and Paylocity are close on workforce scheduling (6/10 vs 6/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.
Training depth
Paylocity winsADP Workforce Now
Trails Paylocity on this criterion
Paylocity
Paylocity is the stronger fit for training and SOPs (4/10 vs 5/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.
Which should you choose?
Choose ADP Workforce Now if
- Payroll/tax compliance depth
- Select → Plus → Premium packaging
Choose Paylocity if
- Modern mid-market HCM UX
- Community + Ignite AI
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Alternatives to consider
Gusto
US SMB payroll + benefits + light HR — Simple from $49/mo + $6/person; Plus $80 + $12; Premium $180 + $22.
Paycor
HR + payroll HCM (Paychex-owned since 2025) — custom quote; WISE AI. Landscape vs Gusto / Paylocity.
Rippling
Unified people platform (HR + payroll + IT/spend) — published SMB floor $8/user/mo plus $40/mo platform fee; modules are quote-stacked.
BambooHR
SMB/mid-market core HRIS with Core/Pro/Elite PEPM tiers — Core from $10/employee/mo above 25 employees, or $250/mo flat floor for smaller teams.
How we compare
A short look at the comparison process. Full methodology
1
Collect
Collect official product information, pricing, and product evidence.
2
Normalize
Map evidence to the same category evaluation criteria for both products.
3
Compare
Evaluate both products against identical criteria — ties and depends are allowed.
4
Explain
Show why each product wins, loses, or ties, with evidence behind the outcome.
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