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Accounting · head to head

ADP vs Apple Pay

ADP logo

ADP

Accounting

Always Designing for People

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Apple Pay logo

Apple Pay

Personal Finance

The easier way to pay and send money

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Apple Pay has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: ADP no pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken; Apple Pay apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets
  • They diverge on capability: ADP covers Payroll, Apple Pay covers Digital wallet.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADP and Apple Pay actually diverge.

Attributes where ADP and Apple Pay differ
AttributeADPApple Pay
Starting price$29/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidIOS, WatchOS, MacOS
CategoryAccountingPersonal Finance
Founded19492014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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
  • Oracle

Only in Apple Pay

  • Digital wallet
  • Secure payments
  • Contactless transactions
  • P2P money transfers
  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • Bank accounts
  • IOS support

What people use each for

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

ADP

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

Apple Pay

  • Contactless in store payment from iPhone and Apple Watchnot ADP
  • Paying in apps and on the web without entering card detailsnot ADP
  • Sending money between Apple users with Apple Cash and Tap to Cashnot 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

Apple Pay

  • Apple Pay works only in countries and regions that support contactless payments and is not available in all markets
  • Apple Cash is available only in the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
  • Apple Cash Family accounts and Tap to Cash transactions are each capped at 2000 USD within a rolling seven day period
  • Mac support requires a Touch ID equipped model
  • A card works only if the issuing bank supports Apple Pay, and banks may charge their own overseas usage fees

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP

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

Apple Pay

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Secure payments
    • P2P transfers
    • Transit passes

Which should you pick?

Choose ADP if

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

Choose Apple Pay if

  • You need digital wallet.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS.
  • You also want secure payments.
Apple Pay review

Questions people ask

Is ADP or Apple Pay better?
Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and Apple Pay at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADP or Apple Pay?
Apple Pay has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $29/month for ADP and Free for Apple Pay.
Does ADP or Apple Pay run on more platforms?
ADP runs on Web, Ios, Android. Apple Pay runs on IOS, WatchOS, MacOS.
Can I use Apple Pay for free?
Yes. Apple Pay has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ADP starts at $29/month.
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 Apple Pay is typically brought in for.
What can ADP do that Apple Pay cannot?
ADP covers Payroll, Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance. Apple Pay covers Digital wallet, Secure payments, Contactless transactions, P2P money transfers.

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
Apple Pay: Does Apple Pay charge fees?

No. Apple does not charge any fees when you pay with Apple Pay in stores, online, or in apps.

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
Apple Pay: What are the transaction limits for Apple Cash Family?

Apple Cash Family accounts have a maximum transaction limit of $2,000 within any rolling seven-day period for sending or receiving money. The same $2,000 rolling 7-day limit applies to Tap to Cash peer-to-peer transfers.

Source
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