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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    APS

    Score1.4 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

    Paychex

    Score5.2 out of 10
    N/APaychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.

    $59

    per month/+$4 per employee

    Pricing
    APSPaychex
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Paychex Go
    $59
    per month/+$4 per employee
    Paychex Flex Service
    Contact sales team
    Paychex Flex Enterprise
    Contact sales team
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    APSPaychex
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalRequired
    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
    APSPaychex
    Considered Both Products
    APS
    Chose APS
    Paychex was probably the best system, but the constant shifting of support teams caused a loss of institutional knowledge every time.
    ADP was impersonal and support phone calls almost always went overseas. The lack of knowledge of the support service was disturbing.
    It was hoped …
    Incentivized
    Chose APS
    APS is much easier to use; it's laid out better you have access to all of the employee data without having to switch screens.
    Incentivized
    Paychex Inc.
    Chose Paychex
    In addition to the ones listed above, we also used BenePay, a local payroll company. We found Paychex Flex priced in the middle, with ADP the most expensive and too complicated, with many features that were unnecessary for us. We found that Paychex Flex's features and reporting …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    APSPaychex
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of APS and Paychex
    Feature
    APS
    9.1
    33 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Paychex
    9.3
    299 Ratings
    15% above category average
    Pay calculation10.032 Ratings9.7282 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors8.013 Ratings00 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment10.04 Ratings8.3142 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.822 Ratings9.0164 Ratings
    Direct deposit files10.032 Ratings9.7281 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management8.024 Ratings9.2200 Ratings
    Reimbursement management8.913 Ratings9.6111 Ratings
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of APS and Paychex
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    7.3
    257 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Employee demographic data00 Ratings7.3206 Ratings
    Employment history00 Ratings9.4230 Ratings
    Job profiles and administration00 Ratings9.0164 Ratings
    Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings8.6161 Ratings
    Organizational charting00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Organization and location management00 Ratings9.2146 Ratings
    Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.5137 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of APS and Paychex
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    8.7
    151 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Approval workflow00 Ratings8.6107 Ratings
    Balance details00 Ratings8.8143 Ratings
    Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.6117 Ratings
    Employee Self Service
    Comparison of Employee Self Service features of APS and Paychex
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    8.7
    258 Ratings
    8% above category average
    View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings9.1236 Ratings
    Update personal information00 Ratings8.4248 Ratings
    View company policy documentation00 Ratings9.8114 Ratings
    View job history00 Ratings7.5175 Ratings
    Asset Management
    Comparison of Asset Management features of APS and Paychex
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    7.5
    41 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.541 Ratings
    HR Reporting
    Comparison of HR Reporting features of APS and Paychex
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    7.0
    169 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Report builder00 Ratings7.9139 Ratings
    Pre-built reports00 Ratings8.1159 Ratings
    Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings5.086 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of APS and Paychex
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    6.9
    165 Ratings
    13% below category average
    New hire portal00 Ratings7.5158 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools00 Ratings6.3101 Ratings
    Recruiting / ATS
    Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of APS and Paychex
    Feature
    APS
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    7.9
    61 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Job Requisition Management00 Ratings7.733 Ratings
    Company Website Posting00 Ratings9.331 Ratings
    Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.224 Ratings
    Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings7.231 Ratings
    Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings8.030 Ratings
    Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.035 Ratings
    Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.155 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    APSPaychex
    Small Businesses
    OnPay
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Netchex
    Score8.8 out of 10
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.4 out of 10
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    APSPaychex
    Likelihood to Recommend
    1.0
    (36 ratings)
    5.3
    (309 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.7
    (6 ratings)
    9.0
    (42 ratings)
    Usability
    9.5
    (4 ratings)
    8.2
    (251 ratings)
    Availability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.3
    (11 ratings)
    Performance
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.3
    (11 ratings)
    Support Rating
    6.8
    (5 ratings)
    7.1
    (256 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    4.5
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.3
    (4 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.7
    (4 ratings)
    6.5
    (12 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.4
    (8 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (11 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.9
    (31 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.2
    (32 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    APSPaychex
    Likelihood to Recommend
    APS
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    For the most part, Paychex Flex is a very good payroll system and is well suited for a small business. Most basic features are simple and user friendly. For businesses that have hourly employees, its timeclock system is a good feature. For businesses that have a large number of employees and more complicated rules and policies, it might not be as appropriate because of the difficulty to set up for these rules and policies
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    APS
    • 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.
    Read full review
    Paychex Inc.
    • It provides a well account of Retirement Plan Account Information.
    • Alerts are sent to email when there is new information to access.
    • Employee access both online and thru app.
    • Paperless options.
    • Easy and quick access to paystubs and tax forms.
    • Easy employee retirement management.
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    APS
    • Reporting - We have six different business units and the reporting is separate for all three. Most reporting I do requires information from all business units so am running six reports and then copying and pasting to get the report I need.
    • Multi-state taxes - We have a number of employees who live in New York and work in New Jersey. APS OnLine is designed to accommodate one state withholding so ability to have "worked in" state and "lived in" state taxes withheld went away. This was a shortfall.
    • The Carrier connection setup took much longer than expected. After a year, we are still having some issues with some items transferring over to the GL.
    • The CA overtime calculation does not calculate after 8 hours per day, only on the 40 per week so we override each week.
    • Reporting - when running Benefit reports, it recognizes employees who formerly carried the plan but may have dropped it. To get around this, we have to delete off the employee's record so the history is not readily available.
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    • When it comes to audit reports, Paychex Flex could improve on helping clients locate the correct reports for audit purposes more easily
    • When a client receives a discount, it would be helpful if the discount were automatically provided each year, or if the Paychex rep proactively reached out to the client first, versus the client having to call and request that the discount continue.
    • It would be helpful if the invoice was emailed to the client versus the client logging in to access invoices.
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    APS
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    Overall I like the features that Paychex Flex offers. I am sure that there are other features that I am unaware of, so I am excited to see if there is more that Flex is capable of to make my job easier. The basic features are really user friendly and easy to access. If there ever is an issue customer service is great
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    APS
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    Some things could be streamlined. For example, we could do custom options for the "add items" tab which has so many options that we never use. "Medical Pay" could be something that the system remembers for the applicable employees. Salaried employees' salaries should definitely be auto-filled. Overall the system works well but I think it could be improved to be easier to use and read.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    APS
    I haven't had any outages
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    We have not experienced any difficulties with unplanned outages. Notifications are always made for outages, and they do not effect normal business operations.
    Incentivized
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    Performance
    APS
    Very quick
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    Unless there is lag time within the internet, the Paychex Flex website loads exceptional fast, pages load quickly and reports that I need to print or download load quickly. If I need to create a specialized report, once I complete it I receive an e-mail telling me my report is ready to be downloaded. Changing between web pages is fast as well.
    Incentivized
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    Support Rating
    APS
    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
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    Our dedicated representative is one of the main reasons we are sticking with Paychex Flex. If it were not for this person, other platforms could provide the same/similar functionality. It is the ability to speak with someone that understands our business and is willing to get questions answered in a timely fashion that keeps us with Paychex Flex.
    Incentivized
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    In-Person Training
    APS
    Even if it wasn't in-person on location, we felt like we had our trainer in the room with us.
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    We did online training only
    Incentivized
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    Online Training
    APS
    We had great webinars.
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    It was easy to understand and follow along. I do like the informational videos that we can utilize before we opt to call in for customer service support. It has made a difference since sometimes that resolves the issue I may have had and saved myself a phone call to Paychex support.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    APS
    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.
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    Implementation was very smooth. The most cumbersome task was entering the current employees into the system during initial set up, but Paychex staff handled most of that and verified against prior system reports as well as internal reports provided to ensure 100% accuracy.
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    Alternatives Considered
    APS
    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!
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    We still use QB Desktop Pro to maintain a Check Register / Overall Balance for the company, but once having tried QB Payroll Online for about 3 months prior to finding Paychex Flex I can tell you that there's just no comparison. QB online is VERY EXPENSIVE and not so user-friendly. I hated every minute of those 6 payrolls we ran through QB online.
    Incentivized
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    Scalability
    APS
    I've never had a problem with the system nor in finding the right information.
    Incentivized
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    Paychex Inc.
    I generally do payroll at the office, however I have had to go remote due to internet issues and also had to take payroll on vacation with me. Very easy to log in wherever you are and manage your TAA and payroll
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    APS
    • 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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    Paychex Inc.
    • I do not believe we have saved anything additionally. The time we've had to spend to get things to hopefully work is sad. This is the reason we've had to turn off all extra "products" of Paychex Flex. Time and Attendance is horrible. Benefits management is horrible. The user experience is horrible.
    • One thing I do not understand is why are updates for states, cities, counties, school districts, etc. not automatically updated? Should we not get a big red flag if we have an employee living/working, being paid in CA, but they aren't set up for CA sick time? If it is required to be on the paycheck stub to show the balance of the sick time, why would we not be notified that we are out of compliance?
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    ScreenShots

    APS Screenshots

    Screenshot of workforce planningScreenshot of expense management

    Paychex Screenshots

    Product screenshotProduct screenshotProduct screenshot