Softwr

Accounting · head to head

ADP vs Namely

ADP logo

ADP

Accounting

Always Designing for People

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Namely logo

Namely

Payroll

The HR platform that employees love

From
$18/employee/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; Namely limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions
  • They diverge on capability: ADP covers Tax services, Namely covers HR Management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADP and Namely actually diverge.

Attributes where ADP and Namely differ
AttributeADPNamely
Starting price$29/month$18/employee/month
Pricing modelsubscriptionUnknown
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
CategoryAccountingPayroll
Founded19492012

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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

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

Only in Namely

  • HR Management
  • Benefits Administration
  • Time Off Management
  • Performance Management
  • Onboarding
  • Slack
  • Google Workspace
  • Microsoft 365

Both cover

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

Namely

  • Processing payroll for employees across multiple states with different tax rulesnot ADP
  • Collecting 360-degree feedback and managing performance reviewsnot ADP
  • Automating onboarding workflows and document e-signature collectionnot ADP
  • Managing benefits enrollment and annual open enrollment periodsnot 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

Namely

  • Limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions
  • Payroll limitations: better served for less complex organizations and struggles with complex time-and-attendance or multi-FEIN scenarios
  • Missing ATS and surveys: lacks built-in applicant tracking system and pulse survey capabilities
  • Slow support response times: pod-based support model has led to slow response times for customers
  • Designed for specific market segment: best fit is mid-sized companies with 50-350 employees

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP

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

Namely

$18/employee/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Namely review.

Which should you pick?

Choose ADP if

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

Choose Namely if

  • You need hr management.
  • You also want benefits administration.
Namely review

Questions people ask

Is ADP or Namely better?
Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and Namely at $18/employee/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADP or Namely?
ADP starts at $29/month and Namely at $18/employee/month.
Does ADP or Namely run on more platforms?
ADP runs on Web, Ios, Android. Namely 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 Namely is typically brought in for.
What can ADP do that Namely cannot?
ADP covers Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance, Benefits administration. Namely covers HR Management, Benefits Administration, Time Off Management, Performance Management. Both handle Payroll, 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
Namely: Does Namely support global payroll?

Namely primarily focuses on mid-sized US-based companies with 50-350 employees. While it can handle complex payroll scenarios, it is better served for less complex organizations and does not have extensive global payroll capabilities compared to enterprise platforms.

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
Namely: What is included in Namely's Premium pricing?

Premium plans cost $18-24 per employee per month plus implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs. Plans include payroll, HR, benefits administration, time management, and talent management features.

Source
Namely: Does Namely include performance management features?

Yes, Namely offers customizable performance review modules enabling dynamic, ongoing feedback rather than traditional annual-only reviews. This is one of Namely's standout features.

Source
Namely: How long does Namely implementation typically take?

Namely is designed for mid-sized companies and implementation timelines vary based on complexity. The platform includes implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs in addition to monthly per-employee pricing.

Source
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