Dayforce vs. Namely

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Dayforce
Score 7.9 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Dayforce is a people platform that simplifies HR operations. As a unified HCMS, it delivers HR, payroll, benefits, workforce management, talent, and analytics—helping organizations boost productivity, stay compliant, and make smarter decisions with embedded intelligence and personalized experiences.N/A
Namely
Score 7.2 out of 10
N/A
Namely is an end-to-end HR, benefits, and payroll solution for mid-sized businesses. The cloud-based platform can be used to manage the entire HR process.N/A
Pricing
DayforceNamely
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
DayforceNamely
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalRequired
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
DayforceNamely
Features
DayforceNamely
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.2
Ratings
4% above category average
Namely
7.0
Ratings
11% below category average
Employee demographic data9.00 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Employment history9.20 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Job profiles and administration9.30 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.9.20 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Organizational charting6.50 Ratings4.60 Ratings
Organization and location management6.60 Ratings6.30 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.30 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.6
Ratings
8% above category average
Namely
6.9
Ratings
14% below category average
Pay calculation9.20 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.00 Ratings5.50 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.20 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.50 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.20 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.30 Ratings4.10 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.00 Ratings6.60 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
9.0
Ratings
12% above category average
Namely
7.4
Ratings
8% below category average
Approval workflow9.30 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Balance details9.10 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.50 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.3
Ratings
3% above category average
Namely
8.3
Ratings
3% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.60 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Update personal information8.40 Ratings9.10 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.70 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Employee recognition9.00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
View job history7.70 Ratings8.40 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.5
Ratings
5% above category average
Namely
5.9
Ratings
31% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets8.50 Ratings5.90 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
6.2
Ratings
19% below category average
Namely
8.2
Ratings
9% above category average
Report builder6.40 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Pre-built reports6.30 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.7
Ratings
10% above category average
Namely
6.7
Ratings
16% below category average
New hire portal9.10 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Manager tracking tools8.20 Ratings4.80 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.6
Ratings
8% above category average
Namely
4.1
Ratings
64% below category average
Corporate goal setting8.10 Ratings6.00 Ratings
Individual goal setting9.00 Ratings3.10 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility8.50 Ratings3.10 Ratings
Performance tracking8.70 Ratings4.10 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.1
Ratings
3% above category average
Namely
5.9
Ratings
28% below category average
Performance plans8.60 Ratings4.60 Ratings
Performance improvement plans8.50 Ratings2.20 Ratings
Review status tracking7.40 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Review reminders8.30 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.70 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.5
Ratings
8% above category average
Namely
5.9
Ratings
28% below category average
Create succession plans/pools9.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking8.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search8.00 Ratings5.90 Ratings
Candidate development8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
9.3
Ratings
18% above category average
Namely
8.8
Ratings
13% above category average
Job Requisition Management9.60 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Company Website Posting9.60 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Publish to Social Media9.10 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting9.60 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.90 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Applicant Tracking9.60 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts9.50 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Best Alternatives
DayforceNamely
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 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
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
DayforceNamely
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(0 ratings)
7.9
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(0 ratings)
9.9
(0 ratings)
Usability
4.2
(0 ratings)
8.4
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Performance
5.0
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.9
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.9
(0 ratings)
5.5
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
7.3
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.9
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.9
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
DayforceNamely
Likelihood to Recommend
Dayforce has great customer support, and you can always count on them to get you the professional help you need. It is a great place to store all your personal data in a very secure manner by assigning different user roles. The only thing where I wouldn't see it appropriate is for very small-scale companies, less than 50 people.
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Namely is nice because it has everything all in one place: performance, applicant tracking through Greenhouse, payroll, time off, hourly timesheets, and benefits. From the payroll side, Namely is especially helpful for remote employers who have employees in multiple states, especially Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Indiana. Namely will automatically update the payroll profile of the employee with the state and local tax for the work or home location, whichever the employer chooses. I have found a few mistakes with the local tax being assigned not matching the Ohio Tax Finder, but for the most part, it is accurate. It is also helpful that we can create multiple payrolls for multiple periods and they are included in the overall fee
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Pros
  • Payroll - it shows everything in real time and it runs quickly.
  • People - Having all employee details from the offer letter to W2 information in the same spot.
  • Dayforce Wallet: The on-demand feature is fully integrated with Timesheets and Payroll. What shows in one will be in the other.
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  • Namely has helped with our COVID sick leave response. It has made a major difference both with the weekly payroll and the 941 tax filing
  • Keeping track of our multiple PTO plans. Thank goodness for Namely, I have shredded my old PTO spreadsheets.
  • Employees like the convenience of the cell phone app. As a payroll administrator, I like the Geo Tracking tool where I can see where some are when the clock is in or out.
  • The flexibility inside of the payroll system both as you are finalizing an employee profile and when you are processing payroll is a major advantage.
  • The reports I get out of Namely in Excel format work well for me.
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Cons
  • In payroll, there are sometimes issues with calculating pay when people’s rates change mid-pay period
  • Would love to see an option to assist with building SQL or XML statements in the future (maybe co-pilot AI?)
  • Would love an easy way to store pre-hire documents with candidates that syncs over to their HR profile when hired
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  • in my opinion, HORRIBLE performance review platform, we had a really hard time with it and would not recommend that you use this function
  • In my experience, poor customer service, difficult to get ahold of them when you need support
  • Capabilities are limited in comparison to other more robust HRIS systems
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Likelihood to Renew
We are highly invested in Ceridian's Dayforce product. It give us the flexibility and scaling that our growing company needs. Its potential reaches beyond the basic HR functions to the decision making that our Management Team needs. Ceridian is always innovating the employee and employee experiences to offer cutting edge options.
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Administrators and employees love Namely. It is very easy to use and streamlined. Employees stay engaged with news feed updates and enjoy all the self service options. The time cards are very easy to access and clocking in and out for non-exempt employees is a breeze. Namely is part of our family.
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Usability
I give Dayforce a 10 because it was easy to integrate into our network since it was cloud-based. It is also user friendly and easy to maneuver around the web site. We were able to integrate three separate applications into just one site which made it easier for employees to access the tools they need
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It is very simple to use for myself, the HR team, and our employees. I find the payroll process very user-friendly. Reporting is simple to navigate and produce the required information requested. I know our employees enjoy the self-service feature and use it on a regular basis, which saves me time.
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Reliability and Availability
Dayforce's high availability ensures that our HR processes are supported around the clock, which is critical for a global organization like ours. The platform is cloud-based, offering reliable access from any location at any time, allowing our employees, managers, and HR teams to stay connected regardless of time zones or geographic locations. This level of availability ensures that payroll processing, employee self-service, and real-time data access continue uninterrupted, even during peak periods or unforeseen disruptions. The system’s robust infrastructure minimizes downtime, which is vital for operations that span multiple regions. Additionally, having a centralized platform that’s always available helps keep our teams aligned, ensures compliance, and facilitates timely decision-making across all our locations.
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Performance
We haven't noticed any slow-down due to the integration of Dayforce WFM with our Ceridian HPL products (HRIS and Payroll). The new HTML view of the timesheets don't load as quickly as the old Silverlight view - however, we have gotten used to the change.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
This is dependent on what type of support that is needed. Ceridian has opportunities to make improvements relating to support on the global/UK side. I find it challenging to get problems solved quickly with our UK Native payroll. The US side is different. We tend to get our issues resolved quickly when we encouter issues on the US side.
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Unfortunately, in more recent years we've had a lot of difficulty with Namely as they've undergone a lot of internal changes. It took 4 returned emails saying the person no longer worked at Namely to find someone to help me (I finally called payroll) and it took a while to get connected with a direct source of help. Namely now has set up their "pod" feature of communication which works well for the most part, but is different. I felt spoiled when we first started with Namely, but now it feels very much like working with most large companies' help centers. There is a system to go through and you do have the option to click "urgent". In general the help is efficient, but it still takes a few days and it's hard to speak with someone directly. It is all done via online communications and is difficult to actually speak to someone on the phone. This works well for most cases, but I do feel frustrated more often than I'd like to with this type of communication. (2019/2020)
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In-Person Training
This training was at insights, it was great once we have been on the system for a while so it makes sense.
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No answers on this topic
Online Training
The courses are very interactive and informative. There are classes for every topic, which allows you to make the most of the system. There are also some "go at your own pace" course which is a great option for a busy schedule.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Have a strong internal team. Communicate with your implementation team - they are there to make it work for you. Take the time to really think about how you want the system to work for you - in some cases, you may need to rethink your own business practices to see if you are working harder when the system could do it for you
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There were so many specialists in the implementation process; it would have been nice to have fewer people who had a more holistic understanding of the platform. Also, the onboarding meetings covered so much technical information that there was relatively little time for questions (though questions were invited). Eventually, everything worked out.
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Alternatives Considered
Having Payroll, HR, Time, and Benefits all in a single application with Dayforce has significantly improved efficiency and accuracy. Unlike other solutions with third-party integrations, Dayforce eliminates data silos, reduces errors, and saves time by streamlining processes, providing a more cohesive and user-friendly experience. Dayforce also had a competitive price point versus competitors
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We had used Namely in conjunction with Wurk for payroll and Ease for benefits enrollment. Unfortunately the "fraken-system" was very cumbersome to manage. The fraken-system was used due to the limited options in the cannabis industry for providers who were willing to work with us. We eventually transitioned to OnePoint to have an all-in-one system but also left it because it was not able to scale with the organization.
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Scalability
Overall, we are extremely happy with the Dayforce WFM module. Our biggest pain point is concerning the twice annual software upgrades - which is the only reason I haven't rated them as a '10'. Because every customer is configured differently, the upgrades can sometimes have adverse effects on our current configured policies/rules. And although they roll-out the upgraded version in a test environment several weeks before go-live, not all testing is accurate in that environment. Some issues do not present themselves until you are working with live punches.
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Return on Investment
  • Easy to integrate to SAP Fiori an BlueWorx
  • The efficiency within Ceridian DayForce has allowed our payroll department of only 2.5 FTE handle paying ~3,000 employees.
  • Easily handles the differences and nuances in our multiple bargaining agreements. Everything from different pay schedules and unique rates/bonuses for some of the most detailed/granular CBA details.
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  • When we were over 100, it provided a huge benefit to us due to the accuracy of payroll, benefits integration and management, and org chart and performance tracking. Having all of that in one place was a huge improvement from the former disjointed user experience.
  • When we dropped below 100 due to covid, our insurance rates went up 93% to offer comparable plans, and we had to move over to a PEO for benefits which meant we also had to move payroll. It was hugely disruptive, and now our employees have a bad experience when trying to manage their HR lives in multiple places. It is confusing and, again, disjointed.
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ScreenShots

Dayforce Screenshots

Screenshot of Dayforce HubScreenshot of Human Resources (Position Management)Screenshot of Dayforce Reporting & AnalyticsScreenshot of People AnalyticsScreenshot of Dayforce HR Service DeliveryScreenshot of Dayforce Flex Work

Namely Screenshots

Screenshot of the Namely employee dashboard. This creates a central hub to access payroll and benefits info, share announcements, celebrate milestones, and navigate everything HR, from a desk or on the go.Screenshot of Namely Payroll, which is backed by automation and built-in compliance.Screenshot of the Onboarding interface, for new hires.Screenshot of the Applicant Tracking interface, which supports processes from job posting to onboarding with tools for hiring teams and candidates.Screenshot of the Benefits Administration interface, which supports open enrollment, plan changes, and employee elections.Screenshot of the Workforce Management interface. From here, viewers can track time, manage schedules, and handle complex workforce needs.