Software · head to head
ADP vs Paychex
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; Paychex paychex Flex pricing is not published; it depends on employee count and business needs and requires contacting sales for a custom quote across Select, Pro and Enterprise tiers
- They diverge on capability: ADP covers Payroll, Paychex covers Payroll processing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ADP and Paychex actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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
- Oracle
- ISO 27001
Only in Paychex
- Payroll processing
- HR services
- PEO services
- Xero
- SSAE 18
Both cover
- Time & attendance
- Benefits administration
- QuickBooks
- Sage
- SOC 1/2
- 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 Paychex
- HR administration and employee recordsnot Paychex
- Time and attendance trackingnot Paychex
- Benefits administrationnot Paychex
- Talent management on the mid-market and enterprise productsnot Paychex
Paychex
- Businesses with 1 to 250+ employees needing payroll, willing to get a custom quote rather than self-serve pricingnot 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
Paychex
- Paychex Flex pricing is not published; it depends on employee count and business needs and requires contacting sales for a custom quote across Select, Pro and Enterprise tiers
Pricing, plan by plan
ADP
$29/month- Essential$79/month
- Payroll
- Tax filing
- Direct deposit
- Enhanced$139/month
- HR tools
- Background checks
- Job posting
Paychex
$29/month- Flex Essentials$39/month
- Payroll
- Tax administration
- Direct deposit
- Flex Select$59/month
- HR administration
- State unemployment insurance
- New hire reporting
Which should you pick?
Choose Paychex if
- You need payroll processing.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want hr services.
Questions people ask
- Is ADP or Paychex better?
- Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and Paychex at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ADP or Paychex?
- ADP starts at $29/month and Paychex at $29/month.
- Does ADP or Paychex run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- 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 Paychex is typically brought in for.
- What can ADP do that Paychex cannot?
- ADP covers Payroll, Tax services, HR management, Oracle. Paychex covers Payroll processing, HR services, PEO services, Xero. Both handle Time & attendance, Benefits administration, QuickBooks, Sage.