ADP TotalSource vs. Paychex Flex

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP TotalSource
Score 6.3 out of 10
N/A
ADP TotalSource is a professional employer organization (PEO) that provides strategic HR outsourcing. It includes services and technology to manage employee benefits, payroll, compliance, risk management, safety, and recruiting. Users have access to an online portal for things like self-service reporting, generating pay statements, and managing applicant resumes/interviews. Help from the service center and industry experts is available by phone.N/A
Paychex Flex
Score 6.5 out of 10
N/A
Paychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
Pricing
ADP TotalSourcePaychex Flex
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Paychex Go
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
Paychex Flex Service
Contact sales team
Paychex Flex Enterprise
Contact sales team
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP TotalSourcePaychex Flex
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP TotalSourcePaychex Flex
Considered Both Products
ADP TotalSource
Paychex Flex
Chose Paychex Flex
Paychex Flex is somewhat compatible to ADP TotalSource. Total source payroll grid was much easier to navigate
Chose Paychex Flex
Paychex flex was selected prior to my client contracting me. However, I have had the opportunity with other clients to evaluate, implement and administrate other payroll providers. Out of the products I've used, Paychex flex is most like Justworks. Paychex Flex is …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
ADP TotalSourcePaychex Flex
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP TotalSource
-
Ratings
Paychex Flex
6.8
255 Ratings
15% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.0204 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings8.4228 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings7.3163 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.2160 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings7.9145 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings8.0136 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP TotalSource
-
Ratings
Paychex Flex
8.5
297 Ratings
6% above category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.9280 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings8.4141 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings7.2163 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings9.1279 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.4199 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings8.7110 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP TotalSource
-
Ratings
Paychex Flex
7.0
149 Ratings
15% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings6.3106 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings7.4141 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings7.3115 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP TotalSource
-
Ratings
Paychex Flex
8.6
256 Ratings
5% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.6234 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings9.1246 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings8.0114 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings8.8174 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP TotalSource
-
Ratings
Paychex Flex
7.6
41 Ratings
4% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.641 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP TotalSource
-
Ratings
Paychex Flex
5.9
168 Ratings
25% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings5.9138 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.0158 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings4.885 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP TotalSource
-
Ratings
Paychex Flex
7.8
164 Ratings
3% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings8.0157 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings7.5101 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP TotalSource
-
Ratings
Paychex Flex
8.3
61 Ratings
5% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings9.633 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings9.831 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings6.524 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings6.431 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings7.930 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.835 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings9.255 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP TotalSourcePaychex Flex
Small Businesses
Justworks
Justworks
Score 7.1 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Justworks
Justworks
Score 7.1 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.6 out of 10
Enterprises

No answers on this topic

Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ADP TotalSourcePaychex Flex
Likelihood to Recommend
1.0
(16 ratings)
7.7
(307 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(42 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
7.9
(249 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.7
(11 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(11 ratings)
Support Rating
3.3
(3 ratings)
7.7
(254 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
4.5
(1 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.4
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(12 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
7.5
(8 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(11 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(31 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.2
(32 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP TotalSourcePaychex Flex
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
I would not use this company for anything. [I believe my] employees [absolutely] hate the software and there are constantly glitches in the software which occur every payroll run, benefits enrollment, etc. [I have spent] large amounts of time on the phone with outsourced customer support[,] so think twice when comparing [the] cost to other providers. [I feel] you [will] need someone full time to deal with all of their issues. We are currently in the process of setting up another PEO company. The amount of money and time to implement ADP has been a huge loss.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
It's better for larger businesses (50+) with various types of pay structures. Employees need to be comfortable with technology to take advantage of the self-service features. I've struggled with the default in the state tax section; extra steps must be taken when an employee lives in a different state than they work, and we don't know where they live until after completing their profile. So we have to go into the system and make the corrections, then notify the employee to go in and complete the state-specific withholding forms and follow up to confirm they do so.
Read full review
Pros
ADP
  • Payroll was easy to learn and use with time tracking in a short time frame
  • Tracking team members request offs and approving them were very easy
  • Customizing reports for specific periods of time. This made is very easy for end of year tracking for total hours worked and total dollars paid.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
  • It provides a well account of Retirement Plan Account Information.
  • Alerts are sent to email when there is new information to access.
  • Employee access both online and thru app.
  • Paperless options.
  • Easy and quick access to paystubs and tax forms.
  • Easy employee retirement management.
Read full review
Cons
ADP
  • Customer service is horrible
  • Follow up takes 7-10 days, and requires multiple inquiries from you, the client
  • The promised "dedicated team" doesn't exist
  • Onboarding is confusing to new hires
  • Explanation of benefits to new hires is useless and must be done in office, thereby negating any value.
  • They should not provide handling UI claims as as service. They have no ability to actually meet deadlines.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
  • When it comes to audit reports, Paychex Flex could improve on helping clients locate the correct reports for audit purposes more easily
  • When a client receives a discount, it would be helpful if the discount were automatically provided each year, or if the Paychex rep proactively reached out to the client first, versus the client having to call and request that the discount continue.
  • It would be helpful if the invoice was emailed to the client versus the client logging in to access invoices.
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Likelihood to Renew
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paychex, Inc.
Overall I like the features that Paychex Flex offers. I am sure that there are other features that I am unaware of, so I am excited to see if there is more that Flex is capable of to make my job easier. The basic features are really user friendly and easy to access. If there ever is an issue customer service is great
Read full review
Usability
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paychex, Inc.
Some things could be streamlined. For example, we could do custom options for the "add items" tab which has so many options that we never use. "Medical Pay" could be something that the system remembers for the applicable employees. Salaried employees' salaries should definitely be auto-filled. Overall the system works well but I think it could be improved to be easier to use and read.
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Reliability and Availability
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paychex, Inc.
We have not experienced any difficulties with unplanned outages. Notifications are always made for outages, and they do not effect normal business operations.
Read full review
Performance
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paychex, Inc.
Unless there is lag time within the internet, the Paychex Flex website loads exceptional fast, pages load quickly and reports that I need to print or download load quickly. If I need to create a specialized report, once I complete it I receive an e-mail telling me my report is ready to be downloaded. Changing between web pages is fast as well.
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Support Rating
ADP
ADP is a great HR solution for most organizations. It is truly all-in-one. I rated it a 7, because of the issues we experienced during implementation and the high cost of service when issues do arise.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
Our dedicated representative is one of the main reasons we are sticking with Paychex Flex. If it were not for this person, other platforms could provide the same/similar functionality. It is the ability to speak with someone that understands our business and is willing to get questions answered in a timely fashion that keeps us with Paychex Flex.
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In-Person Training
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paychex, Inc.
We did online training only
Read full review
Online Training
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paychex, Inc.
It was easy to understand and follow along. I do like the informational videos that we can utilize before we opt to call in for customer service support. It has made a difference since sometimes that resolves the issue I may have had and saved myself a phone call to Paychex support.
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Implementation Rating
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paychex, Inc.
Implementation was very smooth. The most cumbersome task was entering the current employees into the system during initial set up, but Paychex staff handled most of that and verified against prior system reports as well as internal reports provided to ensure 100% accuracy.
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Alternatives Considered
ADP
At the moment, we have not investigated any of the products available in the drop-down list provided. However, we have evaluated some other (unavailable) products and have been intrigued by the potential decrease in fees along with the potential for a much more "rich" benefit plan. We can't speak to the level of customer service observed by current clients, only to apparent cost savings.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
We still use QB Desktop Pro to maintain a Check Register / Overall Balance for the company, but once having tried QB Payroll Online for about 3 months prior to finding Paychex Flex I can tell you that there's just no comparison. QB online is VERY EXPENSIVE and not so user-friendly. I hated every minute of those 6 payrolls we ran through QB online.
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Scalability
ADP
No answers on this topic
Paychex, Inc.
I generally do payroll at the office, however I have had to go remote due to internet issues and also had to take payroll on vacation with me. Very easy to log in wherever you are and manage your TAA and payroll
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Return on Investment
ADP
  • It has cost us more money from a financial aspect and then taken away my main/other job duties because I have to focus all of my time on ADP TotalSource and basically fixing errors that happen weekly/every time an employee is added or terminated (which is more than the normal company due to the nature of our business).
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Paychex, Inc.
  • I do not believe we have saved anything additionally. The time we've had to spend to get things to hopefully work is sad. This is the reason we've had to turn off all extra "products" of Paychex Flex. Time and Attendance is horrible. Benefits management is horrible. The user experience is horrible.
  • One thing I do not understand is why are updates for states, cities, counties, school districts, etc. not automatically updated? Should we not get a big red flag if we have an employee living/working, being paid in CA, but they aren't set up for CA sick time? If it is required to be on the paycheck stub to show the balance of the sick time, why would we not be notified that we are out of compliance?
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ScreenShots

Paychex Flex Screenshots

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