ADP
Paylocity
| Feature | ADP | Paylocity |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $79/mo | Contact sales |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4.1 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | small-businesses, mid-market-companies, enterprises, multi-state-employers | mid-size-businesses, hr-teams, payroll-managers, growing-companies |
| Founded | 1949 | 1997 |
| Payroll Processing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tax Filing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Benefits Administration | ✓ | ✓ |
| Time Attendance | ✓ | ✓ |
| Hr Management | ✓ | ✗ |
| Talent Management | ✓ | ✓ |
| Compliance | ✓ | ✗ |
| Payroll | ✗ | ✓ |
| Hr Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
| Employee Experience | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ ADP Pros
- Industry leader with 70+ years of payroll expertise
- Scalable from 1 employee to 100,000+
- Automatic tax filing and compliance updates
- Comprehensive benefits and retirement administration
✗ ADP Cons
- Pricing requires custom quote (not transparent)
- Interface feels dated compared to modern HR tools
- Customer service quality varies by region
✓ Paylocity Pros
- Strong payroll processing
- Good employee self-service
- Modern community features
- Comprehensive benefits admin
✗ Paylocity Cons
- Implementation can be lengthy
- Pricing not transparent
- Customer support varies
The Verdict
ADP is built for small businesses and mid market companies, with a focus on payroll-processing and tax-filing. Paylocity targets mid size businesses and hr teams and leads with payroll and benefits-administration.
Paylocity uses custom enterprise pricing, while ADP starts at $79/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
Feature-wise, ADP offers broader built-in capabilities (7 features vs 6), while Paylocity takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.