UKG vs. ADP: HR and payroll comparison in 2025

If you’ve been comparing HR and payroll software for a while, you’ve probably noticed most “ultimate roundups” are simply feature dumps in disguise. And once you actually test drive the lauded tools, the reality starts to show — too many logins, manual workarounds, and integrations to keep straight.

So, you've narrowed your checklist, and today's task is to find out if UKG and ADP are worth booking demos for. My goal is just as simple: to make this the last UKG vs. ADP comparison article you’ll ever read, and to show you how Rippling ends your search.

Quick comparison: UKG vs. ADP vs. Rippling at a glance

Here's a quick peek at the three HRIS platforms we'll do a deep dive on:

Methodology: How I reviewed different payroll software

Most comparison guides recycle vendor talking points and skip the hard part of testing what actually works. This one doesn’t.

I started with each vendor’s product and pricing pages to see how they really handle payroll processing, benefits administration, time tracking, and integration, but I went deeper. I watched demos to see those features in action and flagged every activity that needed an add-on or third-party patch.

From there, I turned to the people who live in these systems every day — actual users. I read hundreds of recent reviews on G2, Capterra, and SoftwareAdvice, hunting for patterns (not isolated complaints) that surfaced again and again.

Every detail here is the result of hours of tracing workflows click-by-click, and cross-checking every claim from UKG and ADP against user feedback and product documentation.

Rippling editorial policy: Rippling puts our customers (and prospective customers!) first. The Rippling team is committed to providing information supported by product data, insights, and customer feedback to inform our content.

Features comparison: UKG vs. ADP vs. Rippling

Payroll

Payroll is where every HR software either proves its worth or falls apart. Let's see how our vendors compare.

Rippling

Rippling Payroll makes payroll processing so smooth, you’ll finally have the time to focus on the best parts of your job.

Everything runs off a single employee record that connects HR, IT, and finance. That foundation is what makes it fast, accurate, and surprisingly hands-off. 

Need to correct a mistake or drop in a last-minute bonus? Rippling recalculates it in seconds. It syncs hours, benefits deductions, and PTO so your numbers are always right, and you never have to touch a spreadsheet again. And because it all runs in one system, you can see labor costs in real time.

Global coverage isn’t bolted on either. Rippling natively runs global payroll natively, and supports contractor management in 185+ countries. It also automatically handles tax filings and local compliance.

UKG

UKG Pro comes from a long line of workforce management software, and it shows in its payroll depth.

It handles the complex moving parts of scheduling, job costing, and labor management across global teams, making it a strong fit for large enterprises (like retail and healthcare) with intricate pay structures.

Its global payroll capabilities cover 160+ countries through its 2023 acquisition of Immedis, with built-in geospatial tax mapping that automatically applies the right local, state, and federal rates.

I discovered it even gives employees early wage access through UKG Wallet and a “Predict My Pay” tool that shows how deductions or bonuses will change their next check. These are solid perks for hourly and shift-based workforces.

ADP

ADP (which stands for Automatic Data Processing) is one of the old guards of payroll. It’s flexible, stable, and backed by years of tax compliance expertise. 

It automatically applies compensation changes and calculates and files taxes. If you’d rather outsource payroll, ADP’s PEO service will run it for you and take on the compliance liability.

Global payroll coverage spans 140+ countries and is powered by ADP’s own teams instead of third-party vendors, which helps reduce errors and delays. It provides multiple payment options, including direct deposit, check delivery, and also supports on-demand pay.

While ADP serves companies of all sizes, Workforce Now is generally considered well-suited for scaling businesses under 1,000 employees.

Payroll feature snapshot

My verdict

UKG wins on enterprise-grade payroll management, but it can be heavy to manage. ADP nails compliance and outsourcing, yet still feels like multiple systems stitched together.

Rippling closes that gap and wins on ease of use, automation, native integrations, and reporting.

Your business is complex. Payroll software shouldn’t be.

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Recruiting

The best recruiting platforms don’t just post jobs; they provide your candidates with a seamless experience from first click to offer letter. Here’s how Rippling, UKG Pro, and ADP Workforce Now handle that reality.

Rippling

Rippling Recruiting is built inside Rippling’s Talent Management module. It covers everything you’d expect from a modern ATS: job distribution to 25,000+ boards, branded career sites, custom pipelines, structured scorecards, automated email templates, and built-in pay transparency compliance that pulls salary data directly from compensation bands. 

Because it’s native to Rippling, recruiting flows straight into onboarding. With one click, you can send the offer, enroll the new hire in payroll and benefits, and provision IT devices — all in about 90 seconds. Headcount planning and approval workflows are also built in, so you always know what roles are open and what budgets apply.

You can even manage confidential roles, send candidate surveys, and use two-way scheduling that cross-checks calendars to avoid back-and-forth coordination. Rippling truly lives up to its promise to "recruit better at every step".

UKG

With UKG Recruiting, you get talent management along with all the other moving parts — onboarding, performance, learning management, and applicant tracking.

It does the fundamentals well: job postings across 3,000+ job boards, multilingual listings for global reach, and an application flow that’s easy on candidates. You can spin up offer letters from templates, screen applicants with custom questions, and run background checks.

UKG also syncs with LinkedIn for résumé parsing and with Google, Exchange, and Outlook for calendar management. Once a candidate is hired, their data also flows into onboarding and payroll.

ADP

For teams already running ADP Workforce Now, the recruiting add-on fits right in. It’s structured, scalable, and heavy on analytics.

The platform can generate job descriptions with AI, score candidates by relevancy, and surface top matches based on skills, education, and experience. Their reporting dashboards show metrics such as time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, and sourcing efficiency, so you can see what's working or course-correct in real time.

On the sourcing side, ADP has reach. Through ZipRecruiter and ADP’s partner network, you can push listings to over 25,000 job sites, then pull applicants into branded career pages. Two-way texting, calendar integrations (via Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace), and self-scheduling tools help keep the recruitment process moving smoothly. 

Where ADP shines is compensation intelligence. Its competitive salary benchmarks come from millions of live payroll records, so offers aren’t guesswork. After hiring, the new employee's date flows into payroll and compliance. 

I also reviewed their broader talent management suite. You can set goals, track progress, and surface high performers on a dashboard that also helps with succession planning.

Recruiting feature snapshot

My verdict

All three platforms can distribute jobs, manage candidates, and push hires into HR. The difference is how much heavy lifting they make you do to get there.

Rippling is the one that feels effortless. Confidential requisitions and native headcount planning make it run circles around tools that rely on integrations.

Benefits administration

Let's now see Rippling vs. UKG vs. ADP in the benefits administration space.

Rippling

I’ve interacted with a lot of HR and payroll systems, and Rippling is the only one where benefits actually feel automated. You can use your own broker or Rippling’s, connect to over 4,000 carriers, and sync eligibility data across HR, payroll, and IT instantly.

When an employee’s role or employee count changes, Rippling updates their deductions and coverage in real time. They also get a user-friendly portal with side-by-side plan comparisons and live cost visibility. For your HR teams, enrollment reminders and compliance checks are automatic. Reports show costs, participation rates, and pending actions the second you open them.

UKG

UKG Pro handles benefits with the same enterprise-level precision it brings to workforce management. As an HR leader, you get open enrollment, deep ACA compliance tools, and a partner network for juggling global footprints, union rules, or complex scheduling.

Your employees can view, compare, and enroll from any device, and UKG syncs with payroll once selections are confirmed. It’s built for control and scale, not speed, but when configured right, it gives any HR manager full oversight across thousands of employees.

ADP

ADP Workforce Now Benefits Administration does what ADP always does best — compliance first, everything else second. It’s integrated with HR and payroll, so deductions, enrollments, and eligibility sync automatically.

It also provides access to an extensive range of employee benefits, including health insurance, retirement plans, and wellness programs.

The ben admin module covers everything you expect from a mature management system: ACA compliance, COBRA compliance notifications, and broker integrations through the ADP Marketplace. You can bring your own broker or use ADP’s own benefits advisory services for expert guidance. If you're operating across multiple states, this level of compliance automation is worth its weight in tax penalties avoided.

ADP also adds financial wellness tools through myWisely, and offers HRO and PEO services to larger companies that want to outsource benefits administration completely.

Benefits administration feature snapshot

My verdict

UKG and ADP handle benefits reliably, but still feel like legacy systems built for admin control, not everyday use. Rippling makes benefits simple in an easily accessible interface for you and your employees.

See how simple HR can be

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Performance management

Done well, performance management keeps HR managers focused on outcomes. Done poorly, it’s just another form to chase before reviews. Here’s how Rippling, UKG Pro, and ADP Workforce Now compete.

Rippling

Rippling's performance management module has a clean user interface with intuitive workflows. You can set OKRs, assign reviewers by department or location, and collect 360-degree feedback in minutes.

You can then link feedback to retention trends or predictive analytics on top performers, and push that data into compensation or training modules. This blend of performance and compensation is what sets Rippling apart.

You can also calibrate ratings across teams, sync merit increases to payroll automatically, and use live comp ratios to keep decisions fair. The unified architecture means no exporting and no manual approvals hanging in limbo.

As for reporting, Rippling does better than surface metrics. It connects recruiting and performance data so you see which interviewers consistently identify top performers. It also helps you make data-driven decisions like which employees are ready for growth, which ones need coaching, and where your teams are over- or under-performing.

UKG

With UKG, you can run regular check-ins, host 1:1 meetings, and use built-in templates to keep feedback action-oriented. You can also tie performance cycles to compensation and run 360-degree reviews for fair evaluations.

The real differentiator is workforce intelligence. UKG layers AI and natural language processing (NLP) over employee performance data to flag top performers early. I found that the platform even gave personalized coaching recommendations.

All of this feeds back (pun intended) to UKG's talent management and learning modules. You can build branded learning academies, chart internal career paths, and use succession planning tools — like nine-box grids and talent pools — to prepare future leaders.

ADP

ADP’s edge here is its benchmarking capabilities. It pulls salary data from more than 30 million employees worldwide and gives context to every raise or promotion. Once approved, those pay changes sync automatically into payroll.

ADP also supports succession planning by identifying high performers and building readiness timelines that surface star players for future roles. The learning and development library — with more than 70,000 pre-built courses — supports that process and reinforces growth and retention goals.

As a manager, you can set goals, track progress, and provide ongoing feedback through structured review cycles. Performance links directly to compensation management, so pay decisions are backed with data and transparent.

Performance management feature snapshot

My verdict

Both ADP and UKG offer depth for performance management, but ADP Workforce Now is the less scalable option. Rippling, by contrast, combines that depth with native integrations and built-in scalability.

Compliance

Compliance management sits at the heart of every HCM platform, but each one handles it differently. Some prioritize precision, others scalability, and a few automate enough to keep HR managers out of the weeds entirely. 

Here’s how Rippling, UKG Pro, and ADP Workforce Now compare.

Rippling

Rippling's Compliance 360 engine continuously monitors employee data and scans for issues like minimum wage violations, missed breaks, or sick-leave errors, flagging them with clear context. For instance, “Employee X under Break Policy Y violates Gov Policy Z”. The platform also walks you through the fix without leaving the dashboard.

That automation depth also has global breadth. Rippling supports compliance in 185+ countries through localized expertise across its Global HRIS and Employer of Record (EOR) network.

UKG

UKG embeds compliance into every layer of its workforce management experience, from time management to payroll and benefits. It enforces labor laws, minimum-wage rules, and scheduling standards, which is especially valuable in healthcare or public service sectors where compliance is nonnegotiable.

The platform’s compliance module tracks changing regulations and keeps U.S. and Canadian payroll rules current. 

ADP

ADP tracks about annual regulatory changes 20,000 changes to help businesses stay compliant. Its SmartCompliance suite covers the full post-payroll spectrum — ACA reporting, wage garnishments, unemployment insurance, and tax credit management.

Multi-state and multinational businesses rely on ADP for accurate filings and localized support teams that know the regulations where they operate. Their PEO and HRO options extend that strength by letting you offload risk management entirely, placing the compliance burden on ADP.

Compliance feature snapshot

My verdict

After a detailed comparison, each platform brings clear strengths to compliance management. 

UKG Pro shines in structured oversight, which is ideal for organizations with complex scheduling needs. ADP Workforce Now leads in post-payroll compliance, backed by its global support network. Rippling combines both automation and global scale with a hands-off system that keeps every compliance process in sync.

Take the guesswork out of compliance

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UKG vs. ADP vs. Rippling: Pricing

Rippling

Rippling uses a modular pricing model that scales with your employee count and chosen features. Essentially, you only pay for what you need.

The core HRIS starts at $8 per employee per month, with add-ons for payroll, benefits, global workforce, IT, and finance modules. There are no long-term contracts, and you can scale without reimplementation.

UKG

UKG Pro's pricing is quote-based and not publicly available.

ADP

Like UKG, ADP Workforce Now's pricing is quote-based.

UKG vs. ADP vs. Rippling: Reviews

UKG vs. ADP vs. Rippling: Pros and cons

Rippling pros and cons

Rippling pros

• Natively built across HR, Payroll, IT, and Finance — no acquisitions or data silos.

• Fully customizable cross-module reporting; advanced tools like pivot tables and formulas outperform ADP’s.

• Automates more administrative work out of the box across all modules.

• Rated highly for ease of use on G2 (9.5/10.0) over UKG's 8.4 and ADP's 8.3.

Rippling cons

Due to its comprehensive depth and flexibility, Rippling workflows and automations can seem complex during setup. However, implementation support is available, and the long-term ROI is up to 136%.

UKG pros and cons

UKG Pro pros

• Supports upskilling, development, succession planning, and ongoing feedback.

• Supports complex workforce structures.

• Offers robust people and predictive analytics tools.

UKG Pro cons

• UKG Pro has limited automation capabilities.

• Some features, like reporting, are extremely complex, and extra fees are charged for custom reports.

• Implementation is often lengthy (sometimes as long as 20 months) and may require consulting, billable by the hour.

• UKG Pro is made up of many different acquired software solutions, leading to an inconsistent user experience.

ADP pros and cons

ADP Workforce Now pros

• Decades of leadership in tax filing, wage calculations, and payroll accuracy.

• Offers PEO and HRO options to outsource payroll and compliance, reducing administrative load.

• Uses data from 30M+ employee records to guide competitive pay decisions.

ADP Workforce Now cons

• Despite the range of integrations, many products operate in silos and are managed by separate teams.

• Basic workflow automation is limited to simple approvals and notifications.

• Lacks modern reporting features like pivot tables and drill-downs; exports are often needed for deeper analysis.

• While functional, you might find the interface dated compared to other HR

• software like Rippling.

• Setup time can be high.

• While ADP doesn’t publish exact pricing details, pricing is often charged per employee per pay run (rather than a simple base fee structure), plus added fees for implementation, end-of-year tax filing, and add-on features.

Why Rippling is the best HR software compared to UKG and ADP

Rippling delivers a unified HR platform that connects HR, Payroll, IT, and Finance in one system built on a single source of truth. This architecture eliminates data silos entirely.

Rippling also simplifies how you manage and pay employees worldwide. Its global payroll capabilities let you run payroll in over 50 countries, stay compliant across local, state, and federal tax regulations, and automatically sync every data point from hours worked to benefits deductions into one system — cutting manual work at scale.

Beyond payroll, Rippling automates busy work like sending offer letters, provisioning devices, managing apps, and setting up payroll. The user-friendly interface and mobile access give both HR and employees control without juggling multiple logins or tools.

Where ADP relies on layered add-ons and UKG needs heavy implementation, Rippling delivers instant access to every module you need through native integrations. It pairs automation with a best-in-class customer experience, flexible pricing, and scalable features, making it the right solution if you're seeking long-term efficiency and compliance.

The only all-in-one HR software without silos

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UKG vs. ADP vs. Rippling FAQs