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Software · head to head

ADP vs Freshdesk

ADP logo

ADP

Software

Always Designing for People

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Freshdesk logo

Freshdesk

Software

Delight your customers, effortlessly

From
$19/month
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; Freshdesk growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards
  • They diverge on capability: ADP covers Payroll, Freshdesk covers Ticketing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADP and Freshdesk actually diverge.

Attributes where ADP and Freshdesk differ
AttributeADPFreshdesk
Starting price$29/month$19/month
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded19492010

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 Freshdesk

  • Ticketing
  • Automation
  • Self-service
  • Team collaboration
  • Multi-channel support
  • SLA management
  • Reporting
  • Mobile apps

What people use each for

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

ADP

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

Freshdesk

  • Help desk and ticketing systemnot ADP
  • Customer support portal and knowledge basenot ADP
  • Multi-channel support coordinationnot ADP
  • AI-assisted support agent interactionnot 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

Freshdesk

  • Growth tier lacks multilingual helpdesk and custom reporting dashboards
  • Skill-based routing available only on Enterprise tier
  • Freddy AI Copilot requires separate £29/agent/month add-on on Pro and Enterprise plans
  • AI agent sessions charged beyond initial 500 sessions: £49 per additional 100 sessions
  • Day passes for non-agents vary by tier: £2 (Growth), £7 (Pro), £12 (Enterprise)

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP

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

Freshdesk

$19/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Freshdesk 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 Freshdesk if

  • You need ticketing.
  • You also want automation.
Freshdesk review

Questions people ask

Is ADP or Freshdesk better?
Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and Freshdesk at $19/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADP or Freshdesk?
ADP starts at $29/month and Freshdesk at $19/month.
Does ADP or Freshdesk run on more platforms?
ADP runs on Web, Ios, Android. Freshdesk runs on Web.
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 Freshdesk is typically brought in for.
What can ADP do that Freshdesk cannot?
ADP covers Payroll, Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance. Freshdesk covers Ticketing, Automation, Self-service, Team collaboration.
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