Softwr

Accounting · head to head

ADP vs ADP Workforce Now

ADP logo

ADP

Accounting

Always Designing for People

From
$29/month
Rated
-
ADP Workforce Now logo

ADP Workforce Now

Payroll

All-in-one HR, payroll, talent, and benefits

From
$23/employee per month
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: ADP no pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken; ADP Workforce Now pricing not publicly available, making budget comparison difficult
  • They diverge on capability: ADP covers Payroll, ADP Workforce Now covers Payroll Processing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADP and ADP Workforce Now actually diverge.

Attributes where ADP and ADP Workforce Now differ
AttributeADPADP Workforce Now
Starting price$29/month$23/employee per month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Mobile
CategoryAccountingPayroll

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), founded (1949).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in ADP

  • Payroll
  • Tax services
  • HR management
  • Time & attendance
  • Benefits administration
  • Sage
  • Oracle
  • SOC 1/2

Only in ADP Workforce Now

  • Payroll Processing
  • Tax Administration
  • HR Management
  • Benefits Administration
  • Time and Attendance
  • Talent Management
  • Xero
  • Salesforce

Both cover

  • QuickBooks
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

ADP

  • Payroll processing and tax filingnot ADP Workforce Now
  • HR administration and employee recordsnot ADP Workforce Now
  • Time and attendance trackingnot ADP Workforce Now
  • Benefits administrationnot ADP Workforce Now
  • Talent management on the mid-market and enterprise productsnot ADP Workforce Now

ADP Workforce Now

  • Processing payroll and tax compliance for 1 in 6 U.S. workersnot ADP
  • Managing time tracking and labor cost forecasting across locationsnot ADP
  • Coordinating benefits administration and retirement plan compliancenot ADP
  • Running distributed hiring workflows for enterprises with global teamsnot ADP

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ADP

  • No pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken
  • Split into three separate products by company size, RUN for 1 to 49 employees, Workforce Now for 50 and above, and Lyric HCM for enterprise, so growing across a threshold means changing product rather than plan

ADP Workforce Now

  • Pricing not publicly available, making budget comparison difficult
  • Additional modules increase per-employee cost significantly
  • Requires minimum 50 employees, not suitable for small businesses
  • Setup fees of $2,000 or more for additional modules

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP

$29/month
  • Essential$79/month
    • Payroll
    • Tax filing
    • Direct deposit
  • Enhanced$139/month
    • HR tools
    • Background checks
    • Job posting

ADP Workforce Now

$23/employee per month

No published plan breakdown. See the ADP Workforce Now review.

Which should you pick?

Choose ADP if

  • You need payroll.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want tax services.

Choose ADP Workforce Now if

  • You need payroll processing.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want tax administration.

Questions people ask

Is ADP or ADP Workforce Now better?
Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and ADP Workforce Now at $23/employee per month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADP or ADP Workforce Now?
ADP starts at $29/month and ADP Workforce Now at $23/employee per month.
Does ADP or ADP Workforce Now run on more platforms?
ADP runs on Web, Ios, Android. ADP Workforce Now runs on Web, Mobile.
What is ADP best used for?
ADP is most often used for payroll processing and tax filing, hr administration and employee records, time and attendance tracking, benefits administration. Of those, payroll processing and tax filing and hr administration and employee records are not what ADP Workforce Now is typically brought in for.
What can ADP do that ADP Workforce Now cannot?
ADP covers Payroll, Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance. ADP Workforce Now covers Payroll Processing, Tax Administration, HR Management, Benefits Administration. Both handle QuickBooks, Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ADP: How is ADP pricing organized?

ADP organizes pricing by business size: Small Business (1-49 employees), Midsized (50-999 employees), and Enterprise (1,000+ employees). Each segment receives customized pricing tailored to specific business needs.

Source
ADP Workforce Now: How much does ADP Workforce Now cost?

ADP Workforce Now pricing starts around $23 to $30 per employee per month as base cost. Additional modules like recruiting cost extra, typically $3 per employee per month plus $2,000 setup fee.

Source
ADP: Is there a current promotional offer for ADP payroll?

ADP currently offers 3 months free when signing up for small business payroll (promotion ends 9/24). Contact sales at 800-225-5237 for details and to request pricing based on your employee count.

Source
ADP Workforce Now: What payroll features does ADP Workforce Now include?

ADP Workforce Now includes payroll processing, benefits administration, time and attendance tracking, compliance management, and AI-powered anomaly detection that flags potential payroll errors before processing.

Source
ADP Workforce Now: Does ADP Workforce Now integrate with other systems?

Yes, ADP Workforce Now integrates with Workday through Flexspring connectors for near-real-time data sharing. Employee benefits, new hire data, and payroll information sync automatically between systems.

Source
ADP Workforce Now: Who is ADP Workforce Now suitable for?

ADP Workforce Now is built for organizations with 50 or more employees seeking comprehensive payroll and HR management with enterprise-grade features.

Source
Share

Related pages

Other head to heads