ADP SmartCompliance vs. ADP Workforce Now

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP SmartCompliance
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
ADP SmartCompliance is a tax and regulatory compliance platform for midsize or larger companies using an ERP or non-ADP platform for HR and HRMS services.N/A
ADP Workforce Now
Score 7.9 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
Pricing
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
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
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredRequired
Additional DetailsPricing varies based upon modules deployed and features enabled.Please contact ADP for a product demo and ask about a hands-on "test drive" of Workforce Now.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Considered Both Products
ADP SmartCompliance
Chose ADP SmartCompliance
I have used ADP for 30+ years. Nothing in my book stacks against ADP.
Chose ADP SmartCompliance
Have only used ADP SmartCompliance at this time. It provides a lot of resources and the information available is good.
ADP Workforce Now
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We loved RUN Powered by ADP, but it was no longer compatible with how big the company was. We currently use and love Monday and Slack. QuickBooks Time is very important to our company, especially construction because it allows GPS tracking of employees. 7shifts is great for …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Many companies say they have seamless integration, provide a wide-array of reporting capabilities to help achieve compliance, company objectives, analytics. In my experience, only WorkForce has been able to say it and bring it to fruition.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
There was one other payroll system I have used, but I can't recall what it was at this time. ADP [Workforce Now] has been the main one, so I prefer it above others at this time.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We have always used ADP Workforce Now.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
Although I didn't select ADP Workforce Now for our company, I can say that it stacks up a lot better than other systems I've used or evaluated in the past. The payroll module is user-friendly and very intuitive. It didn't take my team very long at all to get the process down …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I've used another ADP platform with a previous employer (we referred to the platform as V5) along with Enterprise eTime. Workforce Now is definitely more limited than the V5 platform (it was for an employer with +5,000 employees). Workforce Now is great for small businesses in …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
I think that Workforce Now is more robust and inclusive to make things very efficient on one platform with different modules.
Chose ADP Workforce Now
There are some features in ADP WFN that I love (like the mobile app).
I am on the fence about the reporting...UltiPro BI reporting is really great and I could create reports that I struggle with on ADP WFN.
However ADP reporting is very simple and easy to use so I can see where …
Chose ADP Workforce Now
We have not evaluated any other payroll products in recent years, mostly because we see the value in ADP. Personally, I couldn't bring myself to trust in another payroll company as much as I do ADP. Our company was recently purchased by another company and there was some …
Features
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Type of tax
Comparison of Type of tax features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
8.7
11 Ratings
10% above category average
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
Sales and Use Taxes8.25 Ratings00 Ratings
Cross-border Taxes8.37 Ratings00 Ratings
VAT / GST Taxes9.11 Ratings00 Ratings
Energy and Fuel Taxes9.11 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Reporting & Compliance
Comparison of Tax Reporting & Compliance features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
7.9
52 Ratings
1% above category average
ADP Workforce Now
-
Ratings
Geolocation for Tax Assessment7.113 Ratings00 Ratings
3rd-Party Software Integrations7.431 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Data Reporting8.051 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance Administration Management8.542 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Exemption Processing7.520 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Document Management7.643 Ratings00 Ratings
Complex Tax Scenario Management8.831 Ratings00 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.8
1039 Ratings
1% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.0917 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings7.8954 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings8.4904 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.9932 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings8.0652 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings8.0715 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.8659 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
1051 Ratings
3% below category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.51012 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings6.7396 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings7.4304 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.5804 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.31000 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.7782 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings8.2477 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
858 Ratings
4% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings7.6780 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings7.3811 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.1658 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.6
1031 Ratings
6% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.0994 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings7.7983 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.9794 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings7.0373 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.732 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
12 Ratings
29% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings6.012 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
6.7
955 Ratings
11% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.8938 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.2934 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings5.3557 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.2
127 Ratings
9% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.5123 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings6.8100 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
7.7
318 Ratings
3% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings7.5246 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings7.6297 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings7.9243 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings7.6291 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
6.4
411 Ratings
20% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings6.9368 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings6.3316 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings5.5372 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings7.0388 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings6.5322 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
6.0
7 Ratings
26% below category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings5.86 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings5.86 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings6.37 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings6.26 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
ADP Workforce Now
6.6
425 Ratings
16% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings7.5370 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.4361 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings6.9290 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings6.6323 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings2.38 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings7.2365 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.0386 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Small Businesses
TaxJar
TaxJar
Score 8.6 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
LOVAT
LOVAT
Score 10.0 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Vertex
Vertex
Score 8.0 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Likelihood to Recommend
9.5
(148 ratings)
8.0
(1106 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.5
(34 ratings)
7.2
(82 ratings)
Usability
7.2
(43 ratings)
2.2
(79 ratings)
Availability
6.9
(15 ratings)
7.3
(14 ratings)
Performance
6.6
(15 ratings)
6.4
(13 ratings)
Support Rating
6.8
(42 ratings)
7.2
(477 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.7
(6 ratings)
8.2
(9 ratings)
Online Training
7.2
(10 ratings)
5.8
(17 ratings)
Implementation Rating
4.7
(28 ratings)
1.5
(34 ratings)
Configurability
6.5
(13 ratings)
6.4
(10 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.6
(12 ratings)
6.1
(8 ratings)
Product Scalability
6.9
(14 ratings)
7.4
(767 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.1
(11 ratings)
5.2
(8 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.5
(10 ratings)
6.1
(8 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP SmartComplianceADP Workforce Now
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
We love our account manager Joanne Renova who goes above and beyond to make sure that we are well prepared for quarter and year end. She is the reason we are enjoying our experience with ADP thus far. SmartCompliance itself is fairly easy to navigate and has a lot of resources/links available to help & further knowledge.
Read full review
ADP
During COVID, ADP Workforce Now was great about keeping up with changing laws and regulations. They built reports that helped us apply for PPP loans and then later apply for forgiveness. Webinars and other training avenues were well constructed, accurate, and informative. We were all at a loss together and having a partner who ensured the legal side was met was one less worry. They can easily do the day-to-day compliance and regulatory things. COVID highlighted how quickly it could be done.
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Pros
ADP
  • It helps us identify our employees who entered their account information incorrectly and get the payment reissued to them as quickly as possible.
  • It helps us quickly and securely issue payment to employees who terminate.
  • We efficiently get our garnishments processed to remain compliant.
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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
Cons
ADP
  • ADP should have their SC employees better trained to give consistent answers about how to handle certain tax issues relating to the states. I seem to get a different answer multiple times.
  • It's difficult to distinguish between which cases/letters goes through ADP Workforce Now Service Connect and which cases go through SmartCompliance. I have been told differently on many occasions and will find a case in both places.
  • While many of the agency notices of tax rate changes, etc. are a very quick process and ADP "resolves" the case, I find other notices get lost in the shuffle when it doesn't fit exactly into the rate change bucket or the past due bill that says "Just Pay It". Some letters aren't that straightforward.
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ADP
  • Customized pre-process payroll reports (Limited on pre-process payroll reports)
  • Labor Allocation (Allocations make payroll reporting very hard to review and find any errors )
  • Recruiting (ATS is very basic)
  • Geofencing (should be able to change shape rather than a circle)
  • Pay Classes (should be able to change at Practitioner level rather than reach out to support)
  • Cookies and Cache have to be cleared on a regular basis
  • Only able to see employee documents/acknowledgements one at a time in the employee file
  • Timecards can only be managed/viewed by 1 person
  • Timeoff emails do not have a link
  • Cost per payroll - not just monthly fee so cost with off cycle payrolls
  • Separate I9 step not needed - during onboarding - 2nd Everify step
  • ADP Workforce Now does not pull in allowances for Houly employees into payroll ONLY Salaried employees
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Likelihood to Renew
ADP
There is no other option on the table for us at the moment to go with a different vendor. We also have had very little issues processing with ADP that would make us want to look for a new vendor.
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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.
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Usability
ADP
For the most part, one can get in and learn how to navigate the system by just clicking on one of the suject areas. If you have a good clientrepresentative, they will inform you of new features/functionality and give you a quick demo. This is helpful for one to go back in and navigate to learn how it works and usefulness.
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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.
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Reliability and Availability
ADP
Exceptional Services Received during our Build . The teams of ADP Professionals assisted on a daily basis with tight deadlines and testing, each day , each Qtr. and annual processes including setting up local and State agencies for the 50 State we are reporting since our Workday go live 4/1/23. The process was seamless.
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ADP
ADP outages are very rare
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Performance
ADP
If ADP is having issues, they communicate the problem within the solution once you log in. They also communicate that the issue will be fixed promptly. Reports run efficiently and in a reasonable amount of time. Also, the reports allow for various reporting types to be produced like a PDF or a Microsoft Excel file.
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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
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Support Rating
ADP
As mentioned in the last comment, everyone and everything has been great. However sometimes you get one person that I feel can bring a score down and the current dedicated tax representative I have I do not feel is very supportive.
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ADP
this is my only down side of ADP, they dont transfer you around a lot (Good) and try to tackle the issue right there, but the english barrier is sometimes a huge brick that stands in the way, and can result in the wrong outcome. There has been times I have asked for someone else as I thought it was getting done wrong, and was still able to get the assistance I needed, just took me explaining it twice
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In-Person Training
ADP
ADP also provide in person training which can fit into our schedule. The are flexible on timing. We always have a pack schedule and not able to attend training in person if not available. Not sure the in person training with recording that can share with us especially we can review it again and again
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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.
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Online Training
ADP
They have annual training for Smart Compliance, which is very helpful. We learn the most up to laws for various subject matters, like garnishments, payroll law, child support, state unemployment laws by states. We also earn credit toward certifications. The training is user friendly, and highly recommended. It can be done live or listened to at your own convenience.
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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.
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Implementation Rating
ADP
Exceptional Services Received during our Build . The teams of ADP Professionals assisted on a daily basis with tight deadlines and testing, each day , each Qtr. and annual processes including setting up local and State agencies for the 50 State we are reporting since our Workday go live 4/1/23. The process was seamless.
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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.
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Alternatives Considered
ADP
ADP SmartCompliance was easily integrated with WFN and all of our employee data was in one place. We saw this as an advantage instead of having to log into multiple platforms, everything was quickly accessible to respond to a VOE or claim.
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ADP
They pale compared to ADP because they each have broken systems that do not flow from beginning to end. Another system is required to support all of the functions needed to process payroll. That puts too much on me, the person, instead of the system. We should work smarter, not harder.
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Scalability
ADP
ADP has the ability to scale across departments. This was found to be true when we rolled out the wage payment solution. ADP users are able to view their pay stubs on their phones and/or computers. This wage payment portal offers W2 storage and paystub storage for access at any time by an employee.
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ADP
We have been able to grow with ADP from just a few hundred employees to over 10,000 so it's actually very scalable for payroll usage. We do not use the benefits and onboarding offerings for most of our employees but they are built to scale easily enough for when our corporate team has over 1,000 FTE.
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Return on Investment
ADP
  • The customer service phone service for the ADP Wisely service is very bad. No understanding or a language barrier is a very difficult service to deal with. Also working with them to correct a situation was impossible. It is basically non existent.
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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.
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ScreenShots

ADP SmartCompliance Screenshots

Screenshot of

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