ADP SmartCompliance vs. BambooHR®

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
ADP SmartCompliance
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
ADP SmartCompliance is a tax and regulatory compliance platform for midsize or larger companies using an ERP or non-ADP platform for HR and HRMS services.N/A
BambooHR®
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
BambooHR is an cloud-based human resources solution that provides onboarding, payroll, and benefits management. It also offers automated time-off management and employee self-service.
$250
per month
Pricing
ADP SmartComplianceBambooHR®
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Core
$250
per month
Pro
Contact Sales
per month
Elite
Contact Sales
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
ADP SmartComplianceBambooHR®
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredOptional
Additional DetailsPricing varies based upon modules deployed and features enabled.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
ADP SmartComplianceBambooHR®
Features
ADP SmartComplianceBambooHR®
Type of tax
Comparison of Type of tax features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
8.7
Ratings
10% above category average
BambooHR®
-
Ratings
Sales and Use Taxes8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Cross-border Taxes8.30 Ratings00 Ratings
VAT / GST Taxes9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Energy and Fuel Taxes9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Reporting & Compliance
Comparison of Tax Reporting & Compliance features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
7.9
Ratings
1% above category average
BambooHR®
-
Ratings
Geolocation for Tax Assessment7.20 Ratings00 Ratings
3rd-Party Software Integrations7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Data Reporting8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance Administration Management8.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Exemption Processing7.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Tax Document Management7.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Complex Tax Scenario Management8.80 Ratings00 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
BambooHR®
7.6
Ratings
3% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings6.60 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
BambooHR®
6.5
Ratings
20% below category average
Pay calculation00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings5.80 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration00 Ratings5.70 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings6.10 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
BambooHR®
8.7
Ratings
8% above category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
BambooHR®
8.0
Ratings
1% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
BambooHR®
9.1
Ratings
12% above category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
BambooHR®
6.7
Ratings
11% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings6.60 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
BambooHR®
7.7
Ratings
3% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
BambooHR®
7.5
Ratings
5% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings6.60 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
BambooHR®
7.5
Ratings
4% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings6.80 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
BambooHR®
9.1
Ratings
15% above category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
ADP SmartCompliance
-
Ratings
BambooHR®
7.8
Ratings
1% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings9.30 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
ADP SmartComplianceBambooHR®
Small Businesses
TaxJar
TaxJar
Score 8.6 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
LOVAT
LOVAT
Score 10.0 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Vertex
Vertex
Score 8.1 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
ADP SmartComplianceBambooHR®
Likelihood to Recommend
9.7
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.6
(0 ratings)
9.9
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.1
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
Availability
7.0
(0 ratings)
9.3
(0 ratings)
Performance
6.7
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.9
(0 ratings)
8.8
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
8.8
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
7.2
(0 ratings)
9.2
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
4.5
(0 ratings)
8.6
(0 ratings)
Configurability
6.6
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.6
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
6.9
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.4
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
8.7
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
ADP SmartComplianceBambooHR®
Likelihood to Recommend
Customer service when I call in for Wage Payment issues is usually very helpful and I get answers quickly. I have had several different CSRs since we have had ADP SmartCompliance and they have not always been the most helpful or forthcoming with information. It makes it difficult to do what I need to do if I don't have the help and support from those that know what needs to happen and when. I can't always have a conversation with that person when I need to.
Read full review
I think if you're a small organization and you're trying to get out of paper, this is a really good first step to doing that. I've heard from other people that are in larger organizations where they have thousands of employees that there may be better platforms, but for smaller organization it's awesome.
Read full review
Pros
  • Upload agency notices when received in the mail
  • Provision a new state is very easy through SmartCompliance
  • There is a resource link within SmartCompliance that gives you a lot of information about the state you are entering with new employees, agency phone numbers, and helpful hints.
  • You can easily see your tax profiles and the status of each along with the quarterly reports that have been filed.
Read full review
  • BambooHR® allows you to preview as a user in a specific access level. This is VERY helpful for providing instructions to employees or double checking that information is secure.
  • BambooHR® customer support is unmatched. Any time I have a question, I can quickly get an answer as well as additional resources.
  • Employees are able to easily find their information without coming to HR for questions. This cuts down on the questions coming into HR departments, big and small.
Read full review
Cons
  • I would like to be provided a copy of additional information provided to a jurisdiction when there is an Agency Notice resolution.
  • Access to the code used on the quarterly reports. Code numbers don't do us any good if we don't know what they are in order to address accordingly.
  • The amount of time for issue resolution on an agency notice, at times, can take a very long time before receiving a resolution and there is never a response when asking for an update.
Read full review
  • Notices for approving hours don't always coincide with pay periods well.
  • Payroll reports are by pay period without the ability to combine hours, etc. into a monthly report.
  • There is not an easy way to fix payroll errors. Must get it right the first time.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
There is no other option on the table for us at the moment to go with a different vendor. We also have had very little issues processing with ADP that would make us want to look for a new vendor.
Read full review
There's nothing wrong with this platform. I would recommend it to any business starting with more than 10 employees. I will continue to use the program for as long as I need to, hoping they continue being tremendous and finding other ways to incorporate more technology.
Read full review
Usability
SOme historical information is hard to retrieve and communications go out to clients when ADP is doing some internal work. This is confusing when the client gets one of these notices but no action is required. ADP needs to stop the notices or put a message on the top so the client is aware.
Read full review
BambooHR® is helpful, but I still handle some tasks manually due to missing features relevant to my needs. Certain processes require additional functionality, limiting full automation. While it streamlines HR operations, gaps in usability mean I must supplement workflows with manual efforts to ensure efficiency and meet specific business demands.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Exceptional Services Received during our Build . The teams of ADP Professionals assisted on a daily basis with tight deadlines and testing, each day , each Qtr. and annual processes including setting up local and State agencies for the 50 State we are reporting since our Workday go live 4/1/23. The process was seamless.
Read full review
Yes, there is a huge team in the back of the online platform or it looks like it because I have never been left without an answer when I have a question or waiting from a response on my chat .... There must be a huge team, this is so great and I always seem to have someone that is very knowledgeable too. So many times in the past I had to leave with customer service that would connect you with someone else because of the expertise, here everyone seems to be some kind of an expert in the HR function.
Read full review
Performance
If ADP is having issues, they communicate the problem within the solution once you log in. They also communicate that the issue will be fixed promptly. Reports run efficiently and in a reasonable amount of time. Also, the reports allow for various reporting types to be produced like a PDF or a Microsoft Excel file.
Read full review
I love BambooHR. Reports are easy to run and download and it usually covers any types of requests I get from the management team. You get excel or .csv downloads/reports and it is fast and simple, not too crowded so it is easy to read through. We don't integrate the tool yet but again, soon we will. we just did not had the time to utilize it yet but that's the plan.
Read full review
Support Rating
ADP's support team creates case numbers for every transaction and process. This case is being tracked for status update. ADP Support always notifies us the next step of the process by emailing us if action is needed or not. We can always check the status online and can follow up with them. We can also call them for instant answer to our urgent concerns.
Read full review
The support can be slow as they are a US based company and therefore we often have to wait for them to be online before we can speak to somebody and they are not particularly responsive to emails. The service itself has always been helpful and in most cases, the issue was resolved.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Exceptional Training Services Received during and after our Build . The teams of ADP Professionals assisted on a daily basis with tight deadlines and testing, each day , each Qtr. and annual processes including setting up local and State agencies for the 50 State we are reporting since our Workday go live 4/1/23. The process was seamless.
Read full review
I didn't have in-person training besides teaching my managers how to use the program. However, I couldn't omit this question (maybe a system glitch).
Read full review
Online Training
They have annual training for Smart Compliance, which is very helpful. We learn the most up to laws for various subject matters, like garnishments, payroll law, child support, state unemployment laws by states. We also earn credit toward certifications. The training is user friendly, and highly recommended. It can be done live or listened to at your own convenience.
Read full review
As far as I can recall, everything went well with doing it online and got questions answered. Was thankful to work with a dummy file to get used to some practices prior to getting our own domain within bamboo to then place our personnel information in the system, this helped a lot!
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Although there are meeting schedule time to time during the implementation, however, some of the time the account manager is not able to attend or miss the meeting. as that said, never able to get a full house to discuss thing in detail with a group. ADP need to look into this
Read full review
We implemented bambooHR in Fall, 2023 then implemented Payroll 1/1/24. A vital piece of information was not known or missed in that we are exempt from State Unemployment Tax and have a Reimbursement Set-up, so bambooHR did not send Payroll Reports to the State. Those reports need to be sent regardless if we are exempt or not.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
ADP SmartCompliance had already been selected as a vendor prior to my joining the company. I think one area where ADP excels over OneSource is in the amendment processing. OneSource has a very manual process where you have to request each period/state/jurisdiction needed, then you have to manually review and approve each amendment within a short amount of time. ADP's process of submitting an amendment sync and automatically detecting what amendments are needed based on the information in the sync is much preferred.
Read full review
I needed a system that was easy to use from an admin level as well as employee level. We run a pretty simple operation as we do not have shift diffs or multiple approval levels. Some of the systems reviewed were too much for us and, as a result, too expensive. BambooHR® fit our needs and budget accordingly.
Read full review
Scalability
Exceptional Services Received during our Build . The teams of ADP Professionals assisted on a daily basis with tight deadlines and testing, each day , each Qtr. and annual processes including setting up local and State agencies for the 50 State we are reporting since our Workday go live 4/1/23. The process was seamless.
Read full review
There is so much you can do with this platform, it is incredible and so welcoming. We don't utilize it 100% yet just because we are growing and the HR team has not been able to concentrate on other areas offered to us but but we will soon. Which is also why we got the product, specifically because what BambooHR can do to help us meet our growing business needs.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • we were able to outsource our garnishments, so that the bulk task it handled by someone else.
  • we have been able to process tickets quicker for missing deposits can we can see if the payment was sent back from the bank.
  • we are able to fund our final pay payments more efficiently and quicker
Read full review
  • HR team members have been saved thousands of hours over the 3.5 years we've had BambooHR®. It saved me personally several hours a day once BambooHR® was set up. Specifically, onboarding, offboarding, and a formal Hiring system are the major time savers.
  • Employee Information is much easier to access and is all centralized. Employees are empowered to update their information when applicable, and we have designed custom access levels for different positions and managers to ensure every individual is seeing the appropriate types of information about employees.
  • We saved significant money by switching from Lattice to BambooHR®'s Performance Management solution. This solution is less advanced, but the simplicity meets our needs perfectly fine, and it even saves time for managers and employees by BambooHR®'s standard questions, carefully designed to get to the heart of performance and improvement.
Read full review
ScreenShots

ADP SmartCompliance Screenshots

Screenshot of

BambooHR® Screenshots

Screenshot of Job Info TabScreenshot of Onboarding TasksScreenshot of New Hire PacketScreenshot of Employee Performance ReportScreenshot of Employee Satisfaction (eNPS®)Screenshot of Open Enrollment