ADP vs Paylocity Pricing (2026)
Compare / ADP vs Paylocity
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Team size
25 seats

ADP vs Paylocity

HR/HRIS pricing comparison · 2026

ADP pricing ranges from $79–$150/user/month, while Paylocity ranges from $20–$40/user/month. Paylocity is typically 74% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

Visit
See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit ADP pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · HR/HRIS
Side-by-side · live
ADP
ADP is one of the largest and most established payroll and HR solutions providers in the w
verified 10w ago
$42K $51K
View pricing →
Paylocity
Paylocity is a cloud-based HCM and payroll software platform designed for mid-sized busine
verified 2d ago
$42K $51K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
Paylocity saves $9.1K vs ADP · 25 seats
Cheapest $42K
Spread 18%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Workforce Now
$45K/yr
year 1 license · $150/seat
Professional
$9.0K/yr
year 1 license · $30/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$51K/yr
Vendr · n=11 avg 22% negotiated
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$42K/yr
Vendr · n=13
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 12 sourced facts
9 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 2mo ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 17 sourced facts
11 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 2d ago
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Cancellation Fees & Continued Billing During Cancellation Period
    $500-$5,000
    2 sources
  • Implementation Errors & Tax Correction Costs
    10-25% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Upsell Add-On Packages
    15-30% of license costs
    1 source
  • Payroll Error Remediation Costs
    5-15% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Opaque Per-Employee Pricing
    $4-$10/user/month
    2 sources
5 documented
  • Annual Price Increases
    5-10% of license costs
    1 source
  • BaseHR Package Requirement
    $1,000-$3,000
    1 source
  • Implementation Support Time
    $5,000-$15,000
    2 sources
  • Customer Service Delays
    10-20% additional labor time
    3 sources
  • FSA Administration Issues
    5-10 hours/month administrative time
    2 sources
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

ADP
Paylocity
Auto-renewal
Yes
✓ No
Cancellation
Not publicly disclosed; users report continued billing throughout cancellation period
No official renewal required
Commitment
Annual contract typical
Typically 1 year
Price escalation
No published schedule; users report difficulty exiting contracts
Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in.
Can downgrade
—
✓ Yes
Based on 4 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
Trustpilot
1out of 5 (25)
Best for
Small businesses with 1-49 employees
Watch out
Extremely difficult to cancel service; large cancellation fees and continued billing
TrustRadius
9.2out of 5 (5)
Trustpilot
1.2out of 5 (25)
Best for
Small to mid-sized businesses needing payroll and basic HR
Watch out
Extremely long customer service hold times (1.5+ hours)
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit ADP pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
HR/HRIS

ADP

$79–$150
/user/month
2 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
HR/HRIS

Paylocity

$20–$40
/user/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

ADP and Paylocity both operate in the hr/hris category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan ADP Paylocity
Run $79 /month base + $10/user $20 /user/month
Workforce Now $150 /month base + $15-25/user $30 /user/month
Enterprise — $40 /user/month

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

ADP

6 scenarios
$79/month
Starter Setup
$79/month
Growing Business
plus potential add-ons
Custom pricing — typically negotiated annually, contact sales for quote
Enterprise (100+ users)
See all 6 scenarios →

Paylocity

6 scenarios
$20/month
Starter Setup
$30/month
Growing Business
Custom pricing — typically negotiated annually, contact sales for quote
Enterprise (100+ users)
See all 6 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

ADP

Median annual cost
$51,372
Average negotiated discount
22%
Based on
11 deals

Paylocity

Median annual cost
$42,240
Based on
13 deals

What Users Say

ADP

Trustpilot
1out of 5 (25)
Top complaints
  • Extremely difficult to cancel service; large cancellation fees and continued billing
  • Payroll errors including missing checks and incorrect direct deposits
  • Tax filing mistakes leading to IRS and state tax penalties

Paylocity

Trustpilot
1.2out of 5 (25)
TrustRadius
9.2out of 10 (5)
Top complaints
  • Extremely long customer service hold times (1.5+ hours)
  • Unresponsive support - no callbacks or email responses
  • FSA card repeatedly declines legitimate medical expenses

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

ADP 5 hidden costs

critical
Cancellation Fees & Continued Billing During Cancellation Period $500-$5,000
high
Implementation Errors & Tax Correction Costs 10-25% of license costs
medium
Upsell Add-On Packages 15-30% of license costs
high
Payroll Error Remediation Costs 5-15% of license costs
medium
Opaque Per-Employee Pricing $4-$10/user/month
See all ADP hidden costs →

Paylocity 6 hidden costs

medium
Annual Price Increases 5-10% of license costs
medium
BaseHR Package Requirement $1,000-$3,000
medium
Implementation Support Time $5,000-$15,000
high
Customer Service Delays 10-20% additional labor time
medium
FSA Administration Issues 5-10 hours/month administrative time
See all Paylocity hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term ADP Paylocity
Auto-renewal Yes No
Cancellation Not publicly disclosed; users report continued billing throughout cancellation period No official renewal required
Minimum commitment Annual contract typical Typically 1 year
Price escalation No published schedule; users report difficulty exiting contracts Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in.
Can downgrade — Yes

Continue researching

ADP

Paylocity

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