Dayforce vs. Paylocity

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
Paylocity
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
Paylocity provides 24/7 access to your online payroll and human resource data management. Paylocity offers highly customizable payroll functionality, as well as HR, benefits administration, and time and talent management programs.N/A
Pricing
DayforcePaylocity
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
DayforcePaylocity
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
DayforcePaylocity
Features
DayforcePaylocity
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.2
Ratings
4% above category average
Paylocity
7.9
Ratings
1% above category average
Employee demographic data9.00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Employment history9.20 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Job profiles and administration9.30 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.9.30 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Organizational charting6.50 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Organization and location management6.50 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.30 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.7
Ratings
9% above category average
Paylocity
8.1
Ratings
2% above category average
Pay calculation9.30 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.20 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.50 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.30 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.30 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.10 Ratings7.80 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
Paylocity
7.5
Ratings
6% below category average
Approval workflow9.40 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Balance details9.20 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.60 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.3
Ratings
3% above category average
Paylocity
8.4
Ratings
4% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.60 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Update personal information8.50 Ratings8.90 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.70 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Employee recognition9.00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
View job history7.70 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.6
Ratings
6% above category average
Paylocity
7.0
Ratings
14% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets8.60 Ratings7.00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
6.2
Ratings
19% below category average
Paylocity
7.4
Ratings
1% below category average
Report builder6.30 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Pre-built reports6.30 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.7
Ratings
10% above category average
Paylocity
8.3
Ratings
5% above category average
New hire portal9.20 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Manager tracking tools8.20 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.7
Ratings
9% above category average
Paylocity
7.7
Ratings
3% below category average
Corporate goal setting8.20 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Individual goal setting9.00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility8.50 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Performance tracking8.80 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.1
Ratings
3% above category average
Paylocity
7.5
Ratings
4% below category average
Performance plans8.70 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Performance improvement plans8.60 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Review status tracking7.40 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Review reminders8.40 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.70 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.5
Ratings
8% above category average
Paylocity
7.2
Ratings
8% below category average
Create succession plans/pools9.30 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Candidate ranking8.10 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Candidate search8.10 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Candidate development8.60 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
9.3
Ratings
18% above category average
Paylocity
7.9
Ratings
2% above category average
Job Requisition Management9.60 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Company Website Posting9.60 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Publish to Social Media9.20 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting9.60 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention8.00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Applicant Tracking9.60 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts9.60 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Best Alternatives
DayforcePaylocity
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
DayforcePaylocity
Likelihood to Recommend
8.2
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(0 ratings)
9.2
(0 ratings)
Usability
4.2
(0 ratings)
9.2
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.8
(0 ratings)
Performance
5.0
(0 ratings)
9.6
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.9
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.0
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
Online Training
7.3
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.9
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(0 ratings)
7.8
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
7.3
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.9
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(0 ratings)
8.6
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.9
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
DayforcePaylocity
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.
Read full review
Paylocity appears to be well-suited for startups to large businesses. As with any product, finding the right price point for the services provided is the challenge. Always remember that one small company that would really appreciate the "benefits essentials" or some other part of the platform but can't afford them right now, may be the ones to get you that large company through word of mouth...IF they had been able to experience that part of the product and refer it to others.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
  • Obviously, time and labor and payroll. It's time and labor time sheets are so easy, so easy for employees. We have been for many years a company that's allowed our employees to self-report that was easy to set up. California is a tough company or tough state to work in, so there's been a lot of restrictions and Paylocity has really helped us establish the rules and regulations and make sure we're compliant. We've recently moved to time clocks, so something that we had to do and that was a really easy transition to do and it's going very well. And also payroll. Payroll is so easy to run, so it's two good systems that I think have been really great.
Read full review
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
Read full review
  • We have had lots of year end issues specifically with Partners W2's.
  • We had an accrual issue that was causing 2 additional vacation/sick accruals per year.
  • When updating accruals- the paperwork to do so is confusing at times. I feel there is little support to assist you in filling the paperwork correctly to reflect what you need the accrual to actually do.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
We most likely will because we are learning how to use it better all the time. It does integrate with our Advanced Benefits. But the customer service is not responsive when needing help. It almost always requires several contacts to get anywhere, and the contacts can be several days apart. Once you actually get to TALK to someone, things are usually resolved fairly quickly, but their email system is not efficient. I get half answers and they close the ticket! But once I can get to someone, it is almost always great service. Very hard to get someone though.
Read full review
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
Read full review
Staff hasn't had that many glitches and they don't come with as many problems as we had with, we had a DP before. And there will always be issues sometimes with time clocks, time, time we clocking in and stuff. We've really seen downsides with that. That staff is not complaining as much.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Over the last 3 years, we've only had one major service issue that rendered Airbase unusable for us for about 24 hours. That said, they navigated the SVB bank crisis very well and made sure funds were available during that time.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
We had some minor hiccups throughout the year but they have all been fixable. Paylocity integrates well with our 401k provider, Principal, and our benefits, OneDigital. It makes it simple to house everything and have it all connected. It doesn't slow anything down to have Principal integrated. It makes it more efficient
Read full review
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.
Read full review
I really appreciate that we are assigned a support manager. That person is very familiar with our set up, our needs and our history. However, I've spoken to others on the support team and have had very positive interactions and get the help needed.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
I didn't have in-person training, but I'm sure it was just as great as any other training/assistance Paylocity provides. Paylocity customer service is always available. You never have to be on hold and their answers are always accurate and timely. Documents in the help section are helpful as well. My in-person training was conducted y one of our employees who was involved in the initial set-up and training of all employees. She was excellent.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
The training was live online, but was with a group of other companies. We did not receive any personalized training with our team. Whenever we would ask for training, we would be sent a peak article link or a video. It felt like the reps we dealt with didn't know the answer to the questions.
Read full review
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
Read full review
We were handed off to multiple implementation people, some quit, one went on leave, one left suddenly, one was transfered to a diff dept...all causing a significant amount of disruption for our team. Many had conflicting info on how to properly set things up...hence a complete mess was left for us to figure out
Read full review
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
Read full review
I would say that Paylocity is a significant upgrade from my experience with Paycor. I would say that it's a similar product to Paycom. The one thing I liked, Paycom did pay the PTOA little bit differently. It was in real time, but Paycom did not value us as a customer and they lost us due the pricing. And then they've tried to come back and they've tried to match. They have tried to match Paylocity pricing, but we chose not to go back because we're happy with Paylocity and I'm not going to make a huge move like that if I'm happy where I am.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
We have gone from a medium sized company to a larger company with no issues whatsoever with Paylocity being able to keep up or do what we need it to do for the size of our needs. In fact, it does more than we even use at this juncture
Read full review
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.
Read full review
  • All of the above, the data is readily available so that we can actually see what our turnover ratio is or the data that we need to make decisions. So I think overall it made our process a bit more seamless. There are training that's readily available that we can deploy to our employees as opposed to creating it and it's customizable so we can add things to it that is specific to our organization and just build on to what's already there.
Read full review
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

Paylocity Screenshots

Screenshot of a view of real-time employee data and performance metrics used to uncover and analyze trends. This creates an impactful understanding of the business, increase retention, understand labor costs, and plan for changes.Screenshot of where to automate manual processes with Paylocity's self-serve automation engine, Workflows. Users can implement routines for time-consuming manual tasks.Screenshot of where to manage and comply with employment law. Paylocity's HR Compliance solution helps users to stay on track and view important employee compliance items, from Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), healthcare, and compensation.Screenshot of how Paylocity Recruiting can automate hiring processes. amplify outreach, showcase a company's culture, and build stronger candidate connections to swiftly fill positions.Screenshot of recognition and rewards in Paylocity.