Dayforce vs. Paychex

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
Paychex
Score 5.5 out of 10
N/A
Paychex 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
DayforcePaychex
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
DayforcePaychex
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalRequired
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
DayforcePaychex
Considered Both Products
Dayforce
Chose Dayforce
By having a single application we have seen an increase in our efficiency and an accuracy in our data. Our previous system had third party modules for many systems and they didn't do a good job "talking" to each other. Our data was often incorrect, charging employees the wrong …
Chose Dayforce
We don’t use third party modules We don’t use a third party modules. We do plan on looking at what more we can use with dayforce in the upcoming year. I do not feel like I can answer this question to the full ability. I will not be answering fbis question
Chose Dayforce
The biggest impact that I have experienced from using Dayforce is accuracy. I do not have to worry about going from program to program or module to module or spreadsheet to spreadsheet, making sure that everything is correct. The employee's information is all there and all …
Chose Dayforce
Having everything in one place and all of the data "talking" to each other has allowed for a lot less time locating information. It also ensure that data is correct across multiple areas - payroll, job info, and benefits. We don't have to spend extra time making sure data is …
Chose Dayforce
For a small organization staff wearing multiple hats, this has helped us streamline our back office staff and gave us the ability to provide more staff at the front end where our organization is about engaging members. This has helped us meet the mission of our organization and …
Chose Dayforce
Dayforce takes you away from paper and is truly working smarter, not harder.
Chose Dayforce
It's great having everything in one place, but we do have to have excellent coordination to avoid stepping on each other's toes. For example, backdating changes on the HR side has real-time consequences on the payroll side. It's wonderful - just be careful that all users are …
Chose Dayforce
Having time and payroll in the same application has helped immensely. No more need to create a load to pay transfer time from one vendor to processing payroll in another. This has reduced labor hours and has made the processing of the payroll a lot more smooth. Before we had …
Chose Dayforce
Fewer errors and less time spent on payroll
Chose Dayforce
One application is the most efficient. I have worked for companies where multiple systems were used and it does not make sense why anyone would do this. Information flows from one area to the next and causes less room for errors.
Chose Dayforce
ADP Workforce Now appears to be a single application, but it is really 3 separate databases that have a single GUI. They do not always communicate well, and when they get out of sync it is very difficult to correct the errors. Since Dayforce is one database with one EE …
Paychex

No answer on this topic

Features
DayforcePaychex
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.1
601 Ratings
3% above category average
Paychex
7.3
257 Ratings
7% below category average
Employee demographic data8.8524 Ratings7.6206 Ratings
Employment history9.0559 Ratings9.4230 Ratings
Job profiles and administration9.0548 Ratings8.8164 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.9.0552 Ratings8.3161 Ratings
Organizational charting6.8502 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Organization and location management6.8547 Ratings9.0146 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.4370 Ratings7.1137 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.5
601 Ratings
6% above category average
Paychex
9.1
299 Ratings
13% above category average
Pay calculation9.1587 Ratings9.6282 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.2294 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.0153 Ratings8.0142 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.3475 Ratings8.6164 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.1573 Ratings9.6281 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.3455 Ratings9.1200 Ratings
Reimbursement management8.9308 Ratings9.5111 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.8
546 Ratings
10% above category average
Paychex
8.4
151 Ratings
5% above category average
Approval workflow9.2514 Ratings8.2107 Ratings
Balance details8.9528 Ratings8.5143 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.5433 Ratings8.5117 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.2
614 Ratings
2% above category average
Paychex
8.8
258 Ratings
9% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.5585 Ratings9.1236 Ratings
Update personal information8.4598 Ratings8.6248 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.6418 Ratings9.7114 Ratings
Employee recognition8.8219 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history7.6492 Ratings7.9175 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.2
103 Ratings
2% above category average
Paychex
7.5
41 Ratings
7% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets8.2103 Ratings7.541 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
6.3
600 Ratings
18% below category average
Paychex
7.0
169 Ratings
7% below category average
Report builder6.5591 Ratings7.9139 Ratings
Pre-built reports6.5591 Ratings8.3159 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.0416 Ratings5.086 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.5
393 Ratings
7% above category average
Paychex
7.0
165 Ratings
12% below category average
New hire portal8.9383 Ratings7.8158 Ratings
Manager tracking tools8.2337 Ratings6.3101 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.3
256 Ratings
5% above category average
Paychex
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting7.8214 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting8.8235 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility8.2200 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking8.5240 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.0
282 Ratings
2% above category average
Paychex
-
Ratings
Performance plans8.5261 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans8.3224 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking7.5265 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders8.2260 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.7234 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.1
130 Ratings
4% above category average
Paychex
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools9.1103 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking7.7112 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search7.7118 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development8.1105 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
9.0
302 Ratings
15% above category average
Paychex
8.0
61 Ratings
3% above category average
Job Requisition Management9.4284 Ratings8.033 Ratings
Company Website Posting9.4277 Ratings9.531 Ratings
Publish to Social Media8.8233 Ratings7.124 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting9.4265 Ratings7.131 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.7229 Ratings8.030 Ratings
Applicant Tracking9.4276 Ratings8.135 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts9.3272 Ratings8.155 Ratings
Best Alternatives
DayforcePaychex
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
DayforcePaychex
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(640 ratings)
6.0
(309 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.8
(89 ratings)
9.0
(42 ratings)
Usability
4.2
(60 ratings)
8.3
(251 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(12 ratings)
7.4
(11 ratings)
Performance
5.0
(13 ratings)
7.4
(11 ratings)
Support Rating
8.9
(66 ratings)
7.5
(256 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.0
(11 ratings)
4.5
(1 ratings)
Online Training
7.3
(18 ratings)
8.3
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.8
(44 ratings)
6.5
(12 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(13 ratings)
7.4
(8 ratings)
Ease of integration
7.3
(9 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.9
(14 ratings)
9.1
(11 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(18 ratings)
8.9
(31 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.9
(12 ratings)
9.2
(32 ratings)
User Testimonials
DayforcePaychex
Likelihood to Recommend
Dayforce
I think Dayforce is a great option for a large and/or Global organization. I do not think it would be the best fit for a very small company or business. It really shines for enterprise organizations with multi-locations. While a small business could use it, I would say it has too many bells and whistles that might feel overwhelming to a smaller organization.
Read full review
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
Read full review
Pros
Dayforce
  • 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.
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.
Read full review
Cons
Dayforce
  • There have been a few instances of users being locked out of Ceridian due to recent upgrades. Not ideal when an employee wants to see their paystub and is suddenly have login issues.
  • Not the best for when an employee is transferred to another country as their employee number is locked to their SIN or SSN. And, we are required to create a new user record with a new employee number for the new country.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Dayforce
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.
Read full review
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
Read full review
Usability
Dayforce
I think it's very usable for the employee. I don't think it is as easy for the HR/PR admins - especially if there is an issue. There are so many setup screens that need to be looked at to try to figure out why payroll isn't calculating properly, hours aren't feeding over correctly, or benefits are not calculating properly. For the most part, they can't do their own troubleshooting. The same is true for the managers. Our managers find it cumbersome to go into make any schedule changes after the schedules have been generated.
Read full review
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.
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Reliability and Availability
Dayforce
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.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Performance
Dayforce
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.
Read full review
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.
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Support Rating
Dayforce
Most of the time the support is great; it's not always super efficient but I always get the help I need. Occasionally it takes a lot longer than we had hoped or get conflicting responses. We had one ticket recently where we were told we would have to pay the service team to support us on the project and then another person called the next day with the solution to our query and was able to find a solution easily. Generally, though, the response is great and they either walk me though how to do something via a Zoom Meeting or they email step-by-step instructions on how to do it and say if I have questions we can set up a meeting to discuss further.
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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.
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In-Person Training
Dayforce
Because the training we reviewed at Insights has changed how we use the system everyday. This is a key factor in our training.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
We did online training only
Read full review
Online Training
Dayforce
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.
Read full review
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.
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Implementation Rating
Dayforce
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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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
Dayforce
I can't speak much to how it would be if we had all of these features separately since I started with Dayforce all being integrated and have no other experience, but having it all in one place has made the completion of all of these HR tasks seamless. We can direct all of our energies into the same system, and it makes it easier to field employee inquiries and to troubleshoot when we need to
Read full review
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.
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Scalability
Dayforce
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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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
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Return on Investment
Dayforce
  • Performance Reviews/Comp used to be handled via paper and tracking/reporting was a nightmare - having all of that in the system is so much more efficient and provides huge ROI
  • Our organization used to have big problems with hiring managers going rogue and hiring positions that aren't approved by Finance - we built an approval workflow in the system that triggers before any req is approved which has completely solved this problem
  • Dayforce Wallet has been a huge perk for our employees - it's heavily used and our crew love it
Read full review
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

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

Paychex Screenshots

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