Is ADP Workforce Now or Xero better?

Neither clearly leads. ADP Workforce Now starts at $23/employee per month and Xero at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, ADP Workforce Now or Xero?

ADP Workforce Now starts at $23/employee per month and Xero at $13/month.

Does ADP Workforce Now or Xero run on more platforms?

ADP Workforce Now runs on Web, Mobile. Xero runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.

What can ADP Workforce Now do that Xero cannot?

ADP Workforce Now covers Payroll Processing, Tax Administration, HR Management, Benefits Administration. Xero covers Bank reconciliation, Invoicing, Bill payment, Expense claims.

Payroll & Benefits · head to head

ADP Workforce Now vs Xero

ADP Workforce Now

Payroll & Benefits

All-in-one HR, payroll, talent, and benefits

From: $23/employee per month
Rated: -

Full review Website

Xero

All industries

Beautiful accounting software

From: $13/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: ADP Workforce Now pricing not publicly available, making budget comparison difficult; Xero the Early plan caps you at 20 invoices and 5 bills per month, and the invoice limit counts both approving and sending
They diverge on capability: ADP Workforce Now covers Payroll Processing, Xero covers Bank reconciliation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which ADP Workforce Now and Xero actually diverge.

Attributes where ADP Workforce Now and Xero differ
Attribute	ADP Workforce Now	Xero
Starting price	$23/employee per month	$13/month
Pricing model	Unknown	subscription
Platforms	Web, Mobile	Web, Ios, Android, Api
Category	Payroll & Benefits	All industries
Founded	1949	2006

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 Workforce Now

Payroll Processing
Tax Administration
HR Management
Benefits Administration
Time and Attendance
Talent Management
QuickBooks
Xero

Only in Xero

Bank reconciliation
Invoicing
Bill payment
Expense claims
Financial reporting
Inventory tracking
Project tracking
Mobile apps

What people use each for

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

ADP Workforce Now

No use cases recorded yet. See the ADP Workforce Now review.

Xero

Small business bookkeeping, invoicing and bank reconciliationnot ADP Workforce Now
Bill payment and purchase order managementnot ADP Workforce Now
Sharing books with an accountant or bookkeepernot ADP Workforce Now

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

ADP Workforce Now

Pricing not publicly available, making budget comparison difficult
Additional modules increase per-employee cost significantly
Requires minimum 50 employees, not suitable for small businesses
Setup fees of $2,000 or more for additional modules

Xero

The Early plan caps you at 20 invoices and 5 bills per month, and the invoice limit counts both approving and sending
Invoices created by connected app partners count against the Early plan invoice limit
Multiple currencies, project time and cost tracking, employee expense and mileage claims and industry benchmarking are restricted to the top Established plan at $90 per month
Cash flow forecasting is capped at 30 days on Early and 60 days on Growing, with 180 days only on Established
Payroll is not included in any plan and costs an extra $36 a month plus $6 per employee or contractor through Gusto
Inventory Plus is a paid optional add-on rather than part of any plan
The advertised 90% off applies only to the first 6 months, after which the regular $25, $55 or $90 monthly price auto-renews
The introductory discount excludes add-ons, usage charges and payment fees
Payment fees apply to online invoice payments and to bill payments other than standard domestic ACH, and are billed on top of the subscription
Subscriptions are billed monthly with no annual payment option, and after upgrading you must wait one month before downgrading to a cheaper plan
Xero states subscription prices are increasing from October 1, 2026

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP Workforce Now

$23/employee per month

No published plan breakdown. See the ADP Workforce Now review.

Xero

$13/month

Early$13/month
- Send 20 invoices
- Enter 5 bills
- Reconcile bank transactions
Growing$37/month
- Unlimited invoices & bills
- Bulk reconcile transactions
- Short-term cash flow
Established$70/month
- Everything in Growing
- Use multiple currencies
- Track projects

Which should you pick?

Choose ADP Workforce Now if

You need payroll processing.
You work on Web, Mobile.
You also want tax administration.

ADP Workforce Now review

Choose Xero if

You need bank reconciliation.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
You also want invoicing.

Xero review

Questions people ask

Is ADP Workforce Now or Xero better?: Neither clearly leads. ADP Workforce Now starts at $23/employee per month and Xero at $13/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, ADP Workforce Now or Xero?: ADP Workforce Now starts at $23/employee per month and Xero at $13/month.
Does ADP Workforce Now or Xero run on more platforms?: ADP Workforce Now runs on Web, Mobile. Xero runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
What can ADP Workforce Now do that Xero cannot?: ADP Workforce Now covers Payroll Processing, Tax Administration, HR Management, Benefits Administration. Xero covers Bank reconciliation, Invoicing, Bill payment, Expense claims.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

ADP Workforce Now: How much does ADP Workforce Now cost?

ADP Workforce Now pricing starts around $23 to $30 per employee per month as base cost. Additional modules like recruiting cost extra, typically $3 per employee per month plus $2,000 setup fee.

Source

ADP Workforce Now: What payroll features does ADP Workforce Now include?

ADP Workforce Now includes payroll processing, benefits administration, time and attendance tracking, compliance management, and AI-powered anomaly detection that flags potential payroll errors before processing.

Source

ADP Workforce Now: Does ADP Workforce Now integrate with other systems?

Yes, ADP Workforce Now integrates with Workday through Flexspring connectors for near-real-time data sharing. Employee benefits, new hire data, and payroll information sync automatically between systems.

Source

ADP Workforce Now: Who is ADP Workforce Now suitable for?

ADP Workforce Now is built for organizations with 50 or more employees seeking comprehensive payroll and HR management with enterprise-grade features.

Source

ADP Workforce Now vs Xero

ADP Workforce Now

Xero

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in ADP Workforce Now

Only in Xero

What people use each for

ADP Workforce Now

Xero

Where each one falls short

ADP Workforce Now

Xero

Pricing, plan by plan

ADP Workforce Now

Xero

Which should you pick?

Choose ADP Workforce Now if

Choose Xero if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on ADP Workforce Now

More on Xero

Keep looking

Other head to heads