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ADP vs Amazon RDS

ADP logo

ADP

Software

Always Designing for People

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Amazon RDS logo

Amazon RDS

Software

Set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the cloud

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Amazon RDS no super-user access or direct host connectivity limits advanced customization
  • They diverge on capability: ADP covers Payroll, Amazon RDS covers Multiple DB Engines.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADP and Amazon RDS actually diverge.

Attributes where ADP and Amazon RDS differ
AttributeADPAmazon RDS
Starting price$29/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidAWS Cloud, Multi-AZ, Multi-region
Founded19492006

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

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
  • QuickBooks
  • Sage
  • SOC 1/2

Only in Amazon RDS

  • Multiple DB Engines
  • Automated Backups
  • Multi-AZ Deployment
  • Read Replicas
  • Encryption
  • Performance Insights
  • Automatic Scaling
  • MySQL

Both cover

  • Oracle
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

ADP

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

Amazon RDS

  • Transaction processingnot ADP
  • Data storagenot ADP
  • Application backendnot ADP
  • Reportingnot ADP
  • Data analyticsnot 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

Amazon RDS

  • No super-user access or direct host connectivity limits advanced customization
  • Pricing unpredictable and expensive compared to GCP alternatives with equivalent features
  • Limited access to system procedures and tables requiring advanced permissions
  • No Oracle RAC (Real Application Clusters) support for high-availability Oracle deployments

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP

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

Amazon RDS

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Amazon RDS review.

Which should you pick?

Choose ADP if

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

Choose Amazon RDS if

  • You need multiple db engines.
  • You work on AWS Cloud, Multi-AZ, Multi-region.
  • You also want automated backups.
Amazon RDS review

Questions people ask

Is ADP or Amazon RDS better?
Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and Amazon RDS at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADP or Amazon RDS?
ADP starts at $29/month and Amazon RDS at On request.
Does ADP or Amazon RDS run on more platforms?
ADP runs on Web, Ios, Android. Amazon RDS runs on AWS Cloud, Multi-AZ, Multi-region.
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 Amazon RDS is typically brought in for.
What can ADP do that Amazon RDS cannot?
ADP covers Payroll, Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance. Amazon RDS covers Multiple DB Engines, Automated Backups, Multi-AZ Deployment, Read Replicas. Both handle Oracle, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amazon RDS: What databases does Amazon RDS support?

Amazon RDS supports Amazon Aurora, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle Database, and Microsoft SQL Server as managed database engines.

Source
Amazon RDS: Does Amazon RDS handle backups automatically?

Yes. Amazon RDS automates backup configuration, backing up your database and transaction logs. Blue/Green Deployments allow safer updates by mirroring production in staging before applying changes.

Source
Amazon RDS: How does Amazon RDS Proxy improve performance?

Amazon RDS Proxy is a managed database proxy that makes applications more scalable by reducing database connection overhead, more resilient to database failures, and more secure through built-in authentication.

Source
Amazon RDS: Does Amazon RDS provide read replicas?

Yes. Amazon RDS supports read replicas across availability zones and regions, enabling horizontal scaling of read capacity while maintaining a single write primary.

Source
Amazon RDS: Can I access the host directly via SSH or Remote Desktop?

No. Amazon RDS does not allow direct host access via SSH, Telnet, or Windows Remote Desktop Connection. Database access is limited to database clients and management console.

Source
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