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Software · head to head

ADP vs Bonusly

ADP logo

ADP

Software

Always Designing for People

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Bonusly logo

Bonusly

Software

Employee recognition that builds culture

From
$3/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; Bonusly the free plan is capped at 8 users
  • They diverge on capability: ADP covers Payroll, Bonusly covers Peer-to-peer recognition.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADP and Bonusly actually diverge.

Attributes where ADP and Bonusly differ
AttributeADPBonusly
Starting price$29/month$3/month
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Api
Founded19492012

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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
  • Oracle

Only in Bonusly

  • Peer-to-peer recognition
  • Points-based rewards
  • Manager awards
  • Reward catalog
  • Automated milestones
  • Public recognition feed
  • Analytics & insights
  • Custom company values

What people use each for

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

ADP

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

Bonusly

  • Peer-to-peer recognition with points employees give each othernot ADP
  • Redeeming points for gift cards and rewardsnot ADP
  • Recognition inside Slack or Microsoft Teamsnot ADP
  • Tracking recognition patterns across teamsnot ADP
  • Company-wide awards programmes on the top tiernot 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

Bonusly

  • The free plan is capped at 8 users
  • Reward funding is separate from the subscription: a $10 gift card costs $10 on top of the per-user fee
  • The Bizy AI assistant costs $2 per user per month more, at $5 against $3
  • SAML single sign-on, awards programmes and a dedicated success manager are on the quote-only Organization tier
  • Advanced analytics and automations start at the Team tier

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP

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

Bonusly

$3/month
  • Core$3/month
    • Peer-to-peer recognition
    • Points-based rewards
    • Reward catalog
  • Pro$5/month
    • Everything in Core
    • Manager awards
    • Automated milestones
  • Custom$undefined/month
    • Everything in Pro
    • Custom rewards
    • API access

Which should you pick?

Choose ADP if

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

Choose Bonusly if

  • You need peer-to-peer recognition.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want points-based rewards.

Questions people ask

Is ADP or Bonusly better?
Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and Bonusly at $3/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADP or Bonusly?
ADP starts at $29/month and Bonusly at $3/month.
Does ADP or Bonusly run on more platforms?
ADP runs on Web, Ios, Android. Bonusly runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
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 Bonusly is typically brought in for.
What can ADP do that Bonusly cannot?
ADP covers Payroll, Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance. Bonusly covers Peer-to-peer recognition, Points-based rewards, Manager awards, Reward catalog.

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