Spending too much on recruitment, payroll or global HR?
Our verdict
ADP Workforce now is cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) service aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. It offers HR management, payroll administration, benefits administration, talent management, time tracking, training and development, and analytics insights.
Pros
- A comprehensive solution for streamlining HR tasks
- Allows for customization to your needs
Cons
- Setup process can be complex
- Lack of pricing transparency
Visit ADP Workforce Now
How is this calculated?
We calculate the Overall Rating by combining the ratings of several testing categories.
Learn more by reading our testing and review methodology.
US only (global options available)
Not publicly available
Direct deposit, Pay Card
ADP Workforce Now is a cloud-based HCM (human capital management) software that combines multiple features such as Human Resource Management, Payroll, Employee Benefits, Talent Management, Time Tracking, Training and Development, People Analytics, and more.
ADP Workforce Now is designed to help medium to large businesses simplify their HR workload, streamline core processes such as payroll, safely store company data, and efficiently manage their workforce – all in one centralized platform.
The platform intuitively provides HR teams with various tools and capabilities that cater to their everyday needs. The user-friendly tool is available on both desktop and mobile, providing its users with a convenient yet engaging experience.
In this review, we will provide an overview of ADP Workforce Now, its features, the advantages and disadvantages of using the software, the plans and pricing options available, and more. Now, let’s dive in…
Overview
Having been around for 70 years, with over 90,000 loyal clients, it’s safe to say ADP is considered one of the biggest names in the human resources industry. Their award-winning software, ADP Workforce Now, has been designed to help business owners better manage HR, payroll, talent, employee benefits, and more.
To read about ADP’s Professional Employer Organization (PEO) solution check out our 2025 review of ADP TotalSource.
Key features
Renowned for its extensive array of HR software features, from payroll management, employee benefits administration to talent management, let’s dive into the details of each of ADP Workforces core features…
Payroll Management
ADP Workforce Now Payroll enables businesses to quickly and accurately process payroll through its intelligent software solution. With its anytime, anywhere self-service access, employees can easily access their payment information. The solution is designed to support HR compliance obligations and can easily scale with businesses’ growth. Tax filing and payments are extremely easy to manage with the help of this software.
Workforce management
ADP’s comprehensive workforce management feature automates timekeeping, attendance tracking, and scheduling of employees’ hours. This helps businesses to manage labor costs, increase productivity, and simplify the most time-consuming tasks. The software provides quick and convenient online and mobile access, which saves both employees and managers considerable amounts of time when clocking in and out of work. With this workforce management feature, companies can easily manage scheduling, and absences, and ensure more accurate timesheets and payroll processing.
How can ADP Workforce Now streamline workforce management?
HR management
ADP Workforce Now HR Management tool helps businesses reduce the time spent on paperwork and increase the time spent managing and transforming their workforce. The solution features configurable workflows and online document storage, enabling HR teams to quickly work their way through their mountains of paperwork and files. Additionally, the self-service functions enable both employees and managers to efficiently complete tasks, leading to increased productivity.
Talent management
ADP’s Talent Management feature helps businesses to improve their talent acquisition and management process with their direct integration with ZipRecruiter®’s job posting and smart matching technology. The core focus is to help companies to find top-quality candidates faster. With this tool, businesses no longer need to wait for candidates to apply, as ZipRecruiter directly invites suitable candidates to apply for the job position. Applications are stored instantly and directly in the ADP Workforce Now Recruitment area. This eliminates complicated workflows and saves a significant amount of time and budget usually spent on hiring. Moreover, ADP Workforce Now offers branded career sites and intuitive dashboards, making it easier for businesses to identify hiring trends and discover qualified candidates.
Employee benefits
ADP Workforce Now simplifies HR operations, improves the employee benefits experience, and helps businesses control costs. The solution enables the administration of benefit plans and the collection of data required to comply with the ACA. Eligibility rules can be easily created, and employees can access online open enrollment.
Moreover, ADP Workforce Now helps businesses manage their benefits budget by easily monitoring billing discrepancies. With this solution, businesses can streamline their benefits setup and enrollment process, providing employees with a great benefits experience and ultimately improving talent retention.
ADP Workforce Now plans and pricing
ADP Workforce Now pricing is not available on their website, so interested users need to contact a sales representative to get customized pricing suited to their company’s requirements. This is due to the fact that the costs of using ADP can vary significantly based on the HR services and products that you need, as well as the number of employees in your company. Typically, ADP charges companies on a per-employee per-month (PEPM) basis.
ADP Workforce Now offers three subscription tiers:
- Essential: This basic plan provides effective payroll and HR streamlining. It includes real-time payroll and tax processing, advanced HR tools, and self-service options. Additional features such as learning courses, analytics and insights, and talent acquisition and recruitment can be accessed for an extra fee.
- Enhanced: This includes everything in the Essential plan, with the addition of benefits administration.
- Premium: This plan builds on the Enhanced package by adding automated time tracking and seamless payroll integration.
Note: The most recent pricing information for ADP Workforce Now can be obtained during the software evaluation process. It’s also worth noting that there’s no free trial so you’ll need to sign up for a demo to get a good glimpse of the tool and an idea of their plans and pricing.
Pros and cons
Pros
Benefits of ADP Workforce Now include:
- A comprehensive HR and payroll software solution. ADP Workforce Now includes everything businesses need to efficiently manage their workforce. This includes payroll processing, time and attendance tracking, benefits administration, compliance management, talent management, and more. By having everything in one place, businesses can streamline their HR and payroll processes and improve efficiency.
- A solution tailored to your business. Dashboards can be customized to suit specific needs. This means that companies can add or remove widgets, change layouts, and set up alerts to ensure that the most essential information is always front and center. By customizing the dashboards, businesses can improve their everyday workflow and increase productivity.
- Flexible service options. ADP Workforce Now offers flexible service options, allowing businesses to choose the level of service that best suits their needs. Businesses can opt for full-service payroll processing, or they can choose a self-service option that allows them to handle their own payroll processing. In addition to this, businesses can choose to outsource their HR functions to ADP or keep them in-house. This flexibility ensures that businesses can get the level of service they need without paying for services they don’t.
- Integrations with other HR business applications are available. ADP Workforce Now offers integration with other HR business applications, making it easier for businesses to manage their HR functions. This includes integration with recruitment and applicant tracking systems, employee background check services, and more. Through these smart integrations with other applications, businesses can effortlessly streamline their HR processes and significantly improve their workflow.
- Time and attendance tracking are automated. The software boasts a robust time and attendance tracking feature, which allows businesses to track easily employee hours and ensure compliance with labor laws. Employees can clock in and out of their work shifts using either the mobile app or web browser. Their hours are automatically tracked and recorded. This saves time and reduces the risk of errors, ensuring that employees are paid accurately and on time.
Cons
While ADP offers a wide range of benefits as an HR and payroll software solution, it is important to consider its potential drawbacks before committing to the software:
- Lack of transparency in pricing. ADP does not provide clear pricing information on its website, therefore potential customers must request this information by speaking to a member of the sales team. This lack of transparency makes it difficult for businesses to compare ADP’s pricing to other HR and payroll solutions and can be somewhat offputting.
- The initial setup can be complex. Setting up ADP can be a long and complex process, and businesses may require support from ADP’s customer service team or their own IT department in order to get everything up and running. Therefore this setup will require time and resources and may cause other areas of the business to fall behind.
- No free trial is available. As we previously mention, ADP does not offer a free trial period for potential customers to test the software before committing to a subscription plan. This may make it difficult for businesses to determine if ADP is the right solution for their needs before making a financial commitment.
- Limited customer support available. While ADP does offer customer support via live chat, the service is automated and not manned by a human representative. This can be pretty frustrating for businesses needing immediate assistance or seeking assistance with a more complex issue resolution.
RemotePad Score for ADP Workforce Now
9.6/10 Our expert score for ADP Workforce Now
Our team came to this score by considering the following components in the following weightings:
| Payroll management | 15% |
| Workforce management | 15% |
| HR management | 15% |
| Talent management | 10% |
| Employee benefits | 10% |
| Pricing | 20% |
| User reviews | 15% |
For each component, ADP Workforce Now received the following score:
| Payroll management | 15/15 |
| Workforce management | 15/15 |
| HR management | 14/15 |
| Talent management | 10/10 |
| Employee benefits | 10/10 |
| Pricing | 18/20 |
| User reviews | 14/15 |
Top competitors (alternatives)
For those looking for an alternative HR platform, focused on international Employer of Record (EOR) services, consider the providers below.
Top provider for:
IP Protection and compliance
Monthly fee
$599per employee
Top provider for:
HR support
Monthly fee
$770per employee
ADP Workforce Now — final thoughts
ADP Workforce Now offers a comprehensive HR and payroll solution suitable for medium to large-sized businesses. While some users have mentioned initial difficulties in learning the software and room for improvement in performance evaluation and reporting features, the application is user-friendly and certainly automates most manual HR tasks. Additionally, it offers quick access to documents and offers a secure place to store important data. Overall, ADP Workforce Now is a solid option for businesses seeking an all-in-one HR solution.
FAQ
ADP Workforce Now offers a range of features, including online employee self-service, workflow automation for common HR tasks, employee records management, hiring management and orientation tools, onboarding processes, performance reviews, applicant tracking, and recruitment tools.
ADP Workforce Now is an HR management software that offers a comprehensive set of HR features tailored for larger enterprises and alternatively, ADP Run is a payroll management software that is suitable for smaller companies with up to 50 employees.
In general, ADP Workforce Now has a user-friendly interface that can be easily learned and navigated. While the program is easy to use, occasional issues have been observed with communication between the app and the desktop platform.
