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Software · head to head

ADP vs Plaid

ADP logo

ADP

Software

Always Designing for People

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Plaid logo

Plaid

Software

The safer way to connect financial accounts

From
$29/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; Plaid no dollar amount is published for any product, and the pricing page states no per request rate or minimum commitment
  • They diverge on capability: ADP covers Payroll, Plaid covers Bank account linking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADP and Plaid actually diverge.

Attributes where ADP and Plaid differ
AttributeADPPlaid
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidApi, Web, Ios, Android
Founded19492013

Identical on both: starting price ($29/month), 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 Plaid

  • Bank account linking
  • Transaction data
  • Identity verification
  • Income verification
  • Asset reports
  • Venmo
  • Robinhood
  • Coinbase

Both cover

  • ISO 27001
  • 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 Plaid
  • HR administration and employee recordsnot Plaid
  • Time and attendance trackingnot Plaid
  • Benefits administrationnot Plaid
  • Talent management on the mid-market and enterprise productsnot Plaid

Plaid

  • Connecting bank accounts to an application for balances and transactionsnot ADP
  • Verifying account ownership and income for payments or lendingnot 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

Plaid

  • No dollar amount is published for any product, and the pricing page states no per request rate or minimum commitment
  • Three different billing models apply depending on the product, being one time per connected account, monthly per connected account, and per successful API call
  • That mix means total cost depends on which products are combined rather than on a single unit
  • Discounted rates require the Growth plan, which is a 12 month commitment

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP

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

Plaid

$29/month
  • Pay-as-you-goFree
    • Bank connections
    • Transaction data
    • Account verification

Which should you pick?

Choose ADP if

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

Choose Plaid if

  • You need bank account linking.
  • You work on Api, Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want transaction data.

Questions people ask

Is ADP or Plaid better?
Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and Plaid at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADP or Plaid?
ADP starts at $29/month and Plaid at $29/month.
Does ADP or Plaid run on more platforms?
ADP runs on Web, Ios, Android. Plaid runs on Api, Web, Ios, Android.
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 Plaid is typically brought in for.
What can ADP do that Plaid cannot?
ADP covers Payroll, Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance. Plaid covers Bank account linking, Transaction data, Identity verification, Income verification. Both handle ISO 27001, Web support, Ios support, Android support.

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