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

Paylocity vs ADP Workforce Now

HR/HRIS pricing comparison · 2026

Paylocity pricing ranges from $20–$40/user/month, while ADP Workforce Now uses custom pricing. These products use different pricing models (Per-seat subscription vs ), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.

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 Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit ADP pricing
Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · HR/HRIS
Side-by-side · live
Paylocity
Paylocity is a cloud-based HCM and payroll software platform designed for mid-sized busine
verified 2d ago
$16K $42K
View pricing →
ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now does not publish prices publicly.
verified 6w ago
$16K $42K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
ADP saves $26K vs Paylocity · 25 seats
Cheapest $16K
Spread 62%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Professional
$9.0K/yr
year 1 license · $30/seat
Custom pricing
Custom
all tiers are quote-only
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$42K/yr
Vendr · n=13
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$16K/yr
Vendr · n=7 · limited data
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 17 sourced facts
11 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 2d ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 18 sourced facts
12 hidden-cost · 2 contract · Vendr median · 3 review platforms
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence Limited 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
  • 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
5 documented
  • Overall Cost Gap
    30% to 50%
    1 source
  • Cancellation Fees and Difficulty Exiting
    $500-$5,000
    1 source
  • Hidden Service Fees and Non-Transparent Pricing
    10-20% of base license costs
    3 sources
  • Implementation and Setup Costs
    5-15% of license costs
    1 source
  • Payroll Error Remediation Costs
    5-25% of license costs
    3 sources
REF · 04

Contract terms

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

Paylocity
ADP
Auto-renewal
✓ No
Yes
Cancellation
No official renewal required
Multi-month process; users report difficulty canceling even after extended attempts
Commitment
Typically 1 year
Annual contract standard; retirement services have separate cancellation terms
Price escalation
Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in.
Annual price increases reported; users note honeymoon pricing with significant increases at renewal
Can downgrade
✓ Yes
—
Based on 5 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
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)
TrustRadius
7.5out of 5 (2,244)
Trustpilot
1out of 5 (24)
G2
4.2out of 5 (4,190)
Best for
Mid-sized businesses needing core payroll and HR in one platform
Watch out
Extremely poor customer service with users bounced between departments
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit ADP pricing
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

Paylocity

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

ADP Workforce Now

Custom pricing
/user/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
⚖

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — Paylocity uses Per-seat subscription pricing while ADP Workforce Now uses pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

Per-seat subscription

Paylocity

$20–$40 / user/month
See full Paylocity pricing →
vs

ADP Workforce Now

Custom pricing
See full ADP Workforce Now pricing →

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

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Paylocity ADP Workforce Now
Core $20 /user/month Custom
Professional $30 /user/month Custom
Enterprise $40 /user/month Custom

Cost at Scale

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

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 →

ADP Workforce Now

2 scenarios
Approximately $150/month based on user reports
Small Business (10–20 Employees, Payroll Only)
Custom pricing; users report significant cost vs. competitors like Gusto ($40-60 base + $6-9/employee/month)
Small Business with Full HR Suite

Market Intelligence

Paylocity

Median annual cost
$42,240
Based on
13 deals

ADP Workforce Now

Median annual cost
$16,000
Based on
7 deals

What Users Say

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

ADP Workforce Now

G2
4.2out of 5 (4,190)
Trustpilot
1out of 5 (24)
TrustRadius
7.5out of 10 (2,244)
Top complaints
  • Extremely poor customer service with users bounced between departments
  • Frequent app login issues, password loops, and technical glitches
  • Payroll errors including missed payments and incorrect tax withholdings

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

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 →

ADP Workforce Now 6 hidden costs

critical
Overall Cost Gap 30% to 50%
critical
Cancellation Fees and Difficulty Exiting $500-$5,000
high
Hidden Service Fees and Non-Transparent Pricing 10-20% of base license costs
high
Implementation and Setup Costs 5-15% of license costs
critical
Payroll Error Remediation Costs 5-25% of license costs
See all ADP Workforce Now hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Paylocity ADP Workforce Now
Auto-renewal No Yes
Cancellation No official renewal required Multi-month process; users report difficulty canceling even after extended attempts
Minimum commitment Typically 1 year Annual contract standard; retirement services have separate cancellation terms
Price escalation Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in. Annual price increases reported; users note honeymoon pricing with significant increases at renewal
Can downgrade Yes —

Continue researching

Paylocity

ADP Workforce Now

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