APS vs. Dayforce Powerpay

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
APS
Score 1.4 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
APS is a national workforce management and cloud-based HR solution provider. The platform includes core HR, payroll, time and attendance (including manager and employee self-service), compliance tools, and onboarding.N/A
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
N/A
Dayforce Powerpay allows small businesses to pay and manage employees. It is used to simplify and automate payroll processes with automatic payroll calculations and remittances to the CRA and RQ, and streamlines payroll with connected time and attendance tracking to help ensure people are paid accurately.N/A
Pricing
APSDayforce Powerpay
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
APSDayforce Powerpay
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsThe Payroll solution is offered as a standalone service, but additional solutions must be used in conjunction with the Payroll solution.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
APSDayforce Powerpay
Features
APSDayforce Powerpay
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
APS
9.1
Ratings
10% above category average
Dayforce Powerpay
8.9
Ratings
8% above category average
Pay calculation10.00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment10.00 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.80 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Direct deposit files10.00 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.90 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Best Alternatives
APSDayforce Powerpay
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
OnPay
OnPay
Score 9.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
APSDayforce Powerpay
Likelihood to Recommend
1.0
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.7
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(0 ratings)
8.6
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.8
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.7
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Configurability
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
APSDayforce Powerpay
Likelihood to Recommend
APS Payroll is an easy to use payroll system, and integrates well with some things such as the APS Hire feature, which handles onboarding, and the eSelfServe timeclock feature. It exports well to Quickbooks, but is only ok with NetSuite. (It works but is a completely manual process and takes a lot of setup.) Our tax registration and filing has been fine and we're always apprised of any tax discrepancies such as small Unemployment overages/underages when filed compared to what was withheld.
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I like Dayforce's timesheet inputs. I like that there is both the rapid entry and the timesheet tabs. It's easy and quick, and it makes a lot of sense. I wish Dayforce would pay out RSP payments, rather than log them only. It would eliminate a step for us and make things faster. But it's only once per year, so not a huge issue.
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Pros
  • It's fast and intuitive. Our previous contractors were ADP and Paychex and neither were intuitive. Our payroll runs have less errors now than with previous vendors. Payroll prep time is down from 5 hours with ADP to 2 hours with APS for the HR Manager.
  • The limiters are great. I'm always afraid of that error that no one caught. Let's assume that you add a $200 limiter to overtime. Any time that a staff member is about to receive more than $200 in overtime for that pay period, a red flag goes up for the HR manager to double check.
  • We have 3 programs in public schools that block certain ports. APS has a 2nd feature using GPS so that staff can only check in for their shift while they are in the designated GPS range. Great for someone who has to report to a remote location. Just add the GPS coordinates and they can't check until they get to the project.
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  • Ceridian Powerpay simplifies the payroll process, very little manual work involved during each payroll run.
  • Ceridian Powerpay is mostly an intuitive interface with easy to understand workflows to allow for multiple users to be able to use the system if required.
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Cons
  • More robust HR reporting options and better customized report building.
  • Be able to have multiple recruiting pipelines that are tracked.
  • Less glitches in APS Hire. Especially with sending onboarding emails and applicants not being able to open them.
  • Better file feed communications and auto-updating to save time and add efficiency to processes.
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  • Adjustment - Reversal sometimes gives an error
  • Emergency Contact Comments field - would be nice if it would accept more characters in this field
  • A warning that 'no ROE will be created' popup when EI or other related fields are marked Exempt
  • Rate history on an employee's page would be nice
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Likelihood to Renew
I have been using the system for over a year now and feel more comfortable with the functionality of it. I have just recently implemented the benefit administration portion.
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Powerpay exceeds my expectations: it's easy to use and does not 'eat' my time by wondering what the end result will be. I can see what each employee's pay statement will look like before I submit the payroll for processing. Monthly processing fees are not exorbitant and the service from support it top notch, quick and awesome when you need it! What's not to like? It's a terrific company to have on your side!
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Usability
The APS Payroll software is very easy to use, and it is easy to train new employees on it. The APS Payroll support team is very helpful and response time is quick. It is easy to enter/change employee information, adjust salaries and benefits, etc. New features have also been added that makes it even better, such as being able to set up your own income/deduction items.
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Dayforce
Powerpay has a great interface that makes it easy to navigate, easy to remit
payroll, and easy to report after the fact. It has made overseeing and executing our payroll easier for me as an administrator, and our staff find their portal easy to navigate as well. The only thing that I find less desirable is that you need to start a payroll in order to make any adjustments to employees' information.
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Reliability and Availability
I haven't had any outages
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I have never experienced application errors or unplanned outages. I do know that I could phone Dayforce Powerpay and give them hours and other deductions and they would do the payroll and I could either have them deliver the completed payroll by courier (there are small extra charges for this) or I could download the completed payroll on pay day. I have also been able to complete payroll our payroll at home instead of at the office. Dayforce is very accessible by phone or online.
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Performance
Very quick
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Pages online load in seconds. Click and it's instantly there! I have never had pages not loading properly or taking time to load. Payroll reports also downloads quickly. We do not interface Dayforce Powerpay with anything else
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Support Rating
I had to learn APS on my own, and the support team held my hand. They are still there when I have an occasional question. Anytime I need support, I can call my rep or send an email and help is on the way, without failure. The support team is awesome
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Regardless the issue, the Customer Support team is offering outstanding services! When I am calling, the wait time is reasonable, and the team members will ensure you receive the right support in a timely manner, with politeness and kindness. If you reach out the team that it's a guarantee that your issue will be solved!
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In-Person Training
Even if it wasn't in-person on location, we felt like we had our trainer in the room with us.
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No answers on this topic
Online Training
We had great webinars.
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I have used Powerpay before (at a previous employer) but a few years had elapsed. I had a quick online training session (less that 30 minutes) to recover basic knowledge and I was away. I still from time to time have to do something that i am not quite sure of and pick up the phone! Every one that works at Ceridian - now Dayforce - have been able to answer my question and tell me where to go in the program, click on what and do what I need to do. The support is out-of-this-world good!
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Implementation Rating
It would have been helpful to understand the phases of the implementation up front so I could have prepared differently for enrollments, billing, and transfer of information to payroll. At the end of the day, I'm happy with the selection and the system and anticipate I will like it better as we go along. We have done a number of other system implementations in the past few years, and this has been pretty painless, however, I've had a few surprises.
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I initiated the implementation. I answered all the questions I was asked, prepared the documentation and sent it off and it was done! Quickly, efficiently and done well!
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Alternatives Considered
We had used ADP for years and had always struggled with their customer service. With over 20 locations (20+ W2s, quarterly filings, etc) we had a lot of questions. We would have to call and sit on hold for long periods of time to talk to someone who couldn't always answer our questions. Then we would get different answers from different people or have to re-explain our issue. It was a major time suck for my employees and they dreaded having to call all of the time. For us - the final straws for us to switch providers were: +Numerous year end filings with incorrect names and addresses (they couldn't keep our 20+ locations separate even though our paperwork was completed correctly) +Incorrect SUI rates for several locations that resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in overpayments which was a lot of money for small hotels. We had sent in numerous requests for them to fix this but it never happened +Lack of care - even though we were having all of these issues, nobody would work with us to get them all resolved and make sure to remedy the situation. We had to seek out a manager to get them resolved but even after this, we still had more issues. Overall - DON'T stick with ADP or even think about switching to them. They might be able to slash prices but their poor customer service and lack of care will cost you in the end. It's not worth it. APS does everything ADP had the capability of but we don't have the errors or headaches we did before. I am really looking forward to this year end!
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Even though Quickbooks was cheaper, I would have to do more work, much more information added into the system and while I would pay less per pay run, there was a lot more work for me to do. I prefer to pay a little extra and spend my time making money instead of the headache of trying to submit everything. It may work well for those who use that program with everything else on a daily basis, but I don't and also did not want to learn a new system when I have something that works really well!
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Scalability
I've never had a problem with the system nor in finding the right information.
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We have a small staff of less than 20 employees. We moved our payroll from a previous provided because of terrible and expensive service. Dayforce is much, much easier to use and costs about 30% less than the previous provider. Dayforce Powerpay also seem to have people that speaks clearly and are efficient in everything they do so that less time is wasted by phone calls that has you on hold for 3 hours!
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Return on Investment
  • We were able to transition quickly and continue to successfully hire and onboard new hires for several Clubs that opened within weeks of moving to APS.
  • We do struggle a bit with the ease of reporting simply because our locations are all under separate EIN and that can make it difficult to easily combine data queried under custom reports, so the volume of reporting that I might wish to be able to push through weekly in order to help address 'real time' trends is not always available.
  • The lack of effective dating for position and wage changes does mean that HR and available APS data is not 'real time' accurate and that HR does need to return to the system to update changes well after-the-fact, which is not ideal.
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  • The return on investment has been substantial for our company. Having a payroll system that calculates everything for you, processes important documents, and only takes minimal time and effort allows us to focus more time on running the business and generating revenue.
  • Instead of having a user spend half a day (or potentially a full day) processing payroll, it only takes a couple hours (obviously depending on how many employees need to be processed).
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ScreenShots

APS Screenshots

Screenshot of workforce planningScreenshot of expense management