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Paycor vs ADP Workforce Now

Paycor5.4/10

ADP Workforce Now6.5/10

Scored in HCM Software

The short answer

Both sell by quote. Paycor, owned by Paychex, names five plans for companies under 50 employees, from Basic payroll to Complete + ASO, and quotes separate plans for 50 to over 1,000.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Based on 15 sources, most recently checked

Paycor

Best for
US employers from small teams to large enterprises that want payroll and HR in one system

Choose Paycor if

  • You have under 50 employees today and want one vendor as you grow past 1,000.
  • You want administrative services on top of the software (Complete + ASO).
  • You need a SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type 2 report.
  • You want single sign-on with Microsoft, Google, OneLogin or Okta.

Paycor plans and pricesPaycor alternatives

ADP Workforce Now

Best for
Midsize and large US employers that want payroll and HR in one suite

Choose ADP Workforce Now if

  • You want compliance coverage for local, state, federal and global payroll rules.
  • You run off-cycle payments without extra fees.
  • You want AI that explains pay changes and recommends retro pay.
  • You want a Time Kiosk with badge, PIN, face or finger clock-ins.

ADP Workforce Now pricingADP Workforce Now alternatives

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Scorecard

Paycor wins 3ADP Workforce Now wins 02 ties

Paycor vs ADP Workforce Now by dimension
DimensionPaycorADP Workforce Now
PricingNeither publishes prices. Paycor quotes five named plans; ADP shows a pricing form for Select, Plus and Premium. Quote only1Quote onlyQuote only
CapabilitiesBoth cover payroll, HR, benefits, time, scheduling and talent. Paycor adds expense management; ADP adds continuous payroll calculations with variance detection. HR and payroll, Talent acquisition, Talent management, Workforce management (time, scheduling), Benefits administration, Analytics, Expense management28 of 12 core capabilities10 of 12 core capabilities
IntegrationsPaycor’s marketplace lists hundreds of pre-built connectors, such as Deputy, NetSuite and 15Five, with open APIs and signed webhooks. ADP Workforce Now connects through ADP Marketplace and an API; ADP API Central consulting hours cost extra. 100+116 documented (vendor says 100+)16 documented
Fit and supportPaycor sells plans for companies under 50, 50 to 1,000 and 1,000+ employees. ADP sells Workforce Now from 50 employees up and offers ADP Professional Services from implementation onward. Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises1Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprisesMid-market companies, enterprises
SecurityPaycor states SOC 1 Type 2, SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR. The ADP Workforce Now pages we reviewed name no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 report. Yes3SOC 2, GDPRGDPR

Paycor or ADP Workforce Now: what matters most to you?

We match on verified product facts for this need, never on who pays us.

Key differences

Where Paycor and ADP Workforce Now differ (5)
AttributePaycorADP Workforce Now
Best forSmall businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises1Mid-market companies, enterprises4
GDPR program35
Founded1990619497
HeadquartersCincinnati, Ohio8Roseland, New Jersey, US7
OwnershipSubsidiary9Publicly traded7
Show 5 attributes where they are the same
Where they are the same (5)
AttributePaycorADP Workforce Now
Pricing modelQuote only1Quote only10
Price transparencyQuote only1Quote only11
Mobile apps212
API313
Automatic tax filing1415

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. Neither publishes prices. Paycor quotes five named plans; ADP shows a pricing form for Select, Plus and Premium.

Capabilities. Both cover payroll, HR, benefits, time, scheduling and talent. Paycor adds expense management; ADP adds continuous payroll calculations with variance detection.

Integrations. Paycor’s marketplace lists hundreds of pre-built connectors, such as Deputy, NetSuite and 15Five, with open APIs and signed webhooks. ADP Workforce Now connects through ADP Marketplace and an API; ADP API Central consulting hours cost extra.

Fit and support. Paycor sells plans for companies under 50, 50 to 1,000 and 1,000+ employees. ADP sells Workforce Now from 50 employees up and offers ADP Professional Services from implementation onward.

Security. Paycor states SOC 1 Type 2, SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR. The ADP Workforce Now pages we reviewed name no SOC 2 or ISO 27001 report.

Neither one?

Paylocity

Paylocity has the highest LeadChange Score in HCM Software after excluding these two (6.8/10).

Paylocity review

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, Paycor or ADP?

For published security reports and many connectors, Paycor: it states SOC 2 Type 2 and lists hundreds of pre-built connectors. For a company over 50 employees that wants ADP’s compliance coverage and off-cycle runs at no extra cost, ADP Workforce Now.

Who are Paycor’s competitors besides ADP?

Paylocity, Paycom, isolved, UKG Pro and Dayforce sell quoted suites to the same mid-market and enterprise buyers, and we compare each with Paycor. Paycor itself belongs to Paychex and quotes plans for companies from under 50 to over 1,000 employees.

Which is better for a small business, Paycor or ADP Workforce Now?

Paycor quotes small-business plans for companies under 50 after a short questionnaire. ADP aims Workforce Now at businesses with more than 50 employees and sells RUN Powered by ADP to those with 1 to 49.

How do Paycor and ADP Workforce Now price their plans?

Both quote. Paycor names Basic, Essential, Core, Complete and Complete + ASO and builds a custom quote; ADP names Select, Plus and Premium and asks for your details before showing a price.

Do Paycor and ADP use AI?

Paycor’s WISE is an expert-enabled AI teammate that monitors, guides and acts in the tools your team already uses, and a mobile AI assistant answers employee questions. ADP Workforce Now applies AI to pay-change explanations, retro pay recommendations, workforce analytics and manager coaching.

Which states more security certifications, Paycor or ADP?

Paycor lists SOC 1 Type 2, SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR, FinCEN and US Privacy Shield on its security page. The ADP Workforce Now pages we reviewed name no certification, so ask ADP for its audit reports.

Where are Paycor and ADP based?

Paycor was founded in 1990 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and is part of Paychex. ADP dates to 1949 and is a public company headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey.

How this page was made

  • What it is built from

    29 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 9, 2026.

  • Method

    Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology

  • Independent review

    Our independent review of Oct 30, 2026 asked for changes. How we review

  • Hands-on testing

    We have not tested either product hands-on: this page uses public information only.

  • Who made it

    The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us

  • Independence and errors

    Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction

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Paycor vs ADP Workforce Now

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Sources

The 15 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.

Quotes from the sources
  1. Paycor paycor.com/plans-pricing“Answer a few questions to get a custom price quote if you’re a small business or view our mid-market product plans.” “Visit our marketplace featuring hundreds of pre-built connectors to best-in-class HCM vendor partners.”
  2. Paycor paycor.com“Streamline HR by automating tasks and getting data-driven insights that help employees work smarter.” “EMPLOYEE MOBILE APP”
  3. Paycor paycor.com/compliance-solutions/security“Paycor is accredited by and compliant with GDPR, FinCEN, US Privacy Shield, SOC 1 Type 2, and SOC 2 Type 2 security standards.” “Multi-tenant architecture, Cloud-native features, Microservices, and Open APIs”
  4. ADP adp.com/what-we-offer/payroll/payroll-for-50-1000-plus-employees.aspx“Free up time to focus on strategy with a partner you can trust to tackle the payroll details for businesses with more than 50 employees.”
  5. ADP adp.com/privacy.aspx“ADP has adopted Binding Corporate Rules (BCR) for processing Client employee data and business contact data.”
  6. Paycor paycor.com/company“Since our founding in 1990, we’ve always wanted to be a company animated by the Guiding Principles “Do the Right Thing” and “Take Care of Each Other.”
  7. ADP sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/8670/000000867026000030/adp-20260630.htm“In 1949, our founders established ADP with a simple, innovative idea: help clients focus on their business by solving their payroll challenges.” “its corporate headquarters in Roseland, New Jersey”
  8. Paycor paycor.com/company/news-press/paycor-receives-soc-2-type-2-attestation“CINCINNATI, OH – January 28, 2021 – Human Capital Management (HCM) company Paycor announces today”
  9. Paychex, Inc. (Form 8-K exhibit, April 14, 2025) sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/723531/000095010325004790/dp227639_ex9901.htm“today announced the successful completion of its acquisition of Paycor HCM, Inc.”
  10. ADP adp.com/what-we-offer/products/adp-workforce-now/compare-options.aspx“Select … All-in-one payroll and HR software suite … Get Pricing … Plus … Everything in Select … Get Pricing … Premium … Everything in Plus … Get Pricing”
  11. ADP adp.com/what-we-offer/products/adp-workforce-now.aspx“Three packages. One powerful central hub for your HR ecosystem. … Select … Get Pricing … Plus … Get Pricing … Premium … Get Pricing”
  12. ADP apps.adp.com/en-US/apps/406528/adp-workforce-now-next-generation-time-and-attendance/features“Device: Employees can use their mobile phones or turn a shared tablet into a timeclock with the Time Kiosk app.”
  13. ADP adp.com/what-we-offer/integrations/api-central.aspx“ADP API specialists are available to guide you through your development efforts including API selection and best practices to help drive your project to completion.”
  14. Paycor paycor.com/plans-pricing/small-business“Payroll and Tax Service Federal & state tax filing Direct deposit Check stuffing Employee self-service New hire filing Wage Garnishments”
  15. ADP adp.com/what-we-offer/payroll/payroll-software.aspx“Just right for growing organizations, ADP Workforce Now® includes: Automated payroll Payroll tax filing and compliance Mobile access”

What the LeadChange Score means

A 0–10 editorial assessment built only from verified facts, across six weighted dimensions: capabilities, pricing, integrations, security, fit and support, and data confidence.

Payments, commissions and lead fees are never inputs.