ADP TotalSource vs Clarity Wave

Paylocity

Rippling

BambooHR

One unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Connect people, processes, and data. Automate tasks and drive business growth. 

Rippling is a cloud-based workforce management system that helps businesses manage operations across HR, finance, and IT.

BambooHR centralizes employee, payroll, time, and benefits data in one platform, ensuring accurate, secure, and coordinated information for peace of mind.

Manager

Customer service is lacking, most of the time when we ask questions (especially HR related), we are just referred to our employee handbook, which is not helpful.

The customer service, our reps answer us very quickly and are very helpful

Executive Director

Great for managing e-documents for EEs, has lots of self service options for EEs to help cut down on having a person to answer questions.  

From helping with day-to-day tasks like compliance questions, addressing turnover, employee engagement and development, or tricky employee situations to diving deep into HR goals and strategy, clients can count on their dedicated HRBP. 

360 Degree Feedback

401(k) Tracking

ACA Reporting

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Accounting Integration

Activity Dashboard

Alerts/Notifications

Applicant Tracking

Approval Process Control

Attendance Management

Benefits Administration Outsourcing

Benefits Dashboard

Benefits Management

Calendar Management

Client Portal

COBRA Administration

Collaboration Tools

Compensation Management

Compliance Management

Customizable Branding

Customizable Fields

Customizable Reports

Customizable Templates

Data Import/Export

Data Security

Direct Deposit

Disability Insurance Administration

Document Management

Document Storage

Electronic Forms

Electronic Signature

Employee Benefits Administration

Employee Database

Employee Engagement

Employee Handbook

Employee Management

Employee Onboarding

Employee Portal

Employee Profiles

Employee Self Service

Feedback Management

FMLA Administration

For PEO/ASO

Goal Management

Health Insurance Administration

Help Desk Management

HIPAA Compliant

HR Management

HSA/FSA Administration

Insurance Management

Job Description Management

Learning & Development

Life Insurance Administration

Mobile Access

Mobile App

Offboarding

Onboarding

Online Benefits Enrollment

Orientation Workflow Management

Payroll Management

Payroll Reporting

Performance Management

Process/Workflow Automation

Provider Management

Real-Time Reporting

Recruitment Management

Reminders

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

Retirement Plan Management

Self Service Portal

Sick Leave Tracking

Succession Planning

Surveys & Feedback

Task Management

Tax Calculation

Tax Compliance

Tax Management

Third-Party Integration

Third-Party Integrations

Time & Attendance

Time Off Management

Time Tracking

Training Management

Vacation/Leave Tracking

W-2 Preparation

Wage Garnishment

Workflow Management

Workforce Management

Reviews for ADP TotalSource come from a wide variety of industries, including real estate (6% of reviewers), information technology and services (5%), and hospital & health care (5%). The most frequent use case for ADP TotalSource cited by reviewers is human resources (43% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Some users say ADP TotalSource offers quality benefits and competitive rates, which they feel justify costs for larger organizations. However, many users report high prices, unclear billing, and prohibitive extra fees, especially for smaller companies.

Value for money

ADP TotalSource is a human resources tool offering key features such as payroll management, benefits management, HR management, employee database, and reporting/analytics, among others.

Proprietary

ADP TotalSource

Web-based

Windows

Linux

Chromebook

Android

iPhone

iPad

Paychex Flex

TriNet

Paycom

QuickBooks Payroll

Paycor

TriNet HR Plus

Slow customer response times

Operations Manager

When you put a ticket in, the response is not quick and sometimes the questions are not answered.

Chief People Officer

So, the steps are incorrect or misleading, forcing me to ask again for clarity only to again get no response for weeks.  

71% of reviewers feel negative about Response Time. Reviewers frequently report delays in receiving responses from customer support, with some waiting weeks for answers to critical issues. They say it is often necessary to follow up multiple times or escalate requests to get any resolution. Users mention that support is sometimes unresponsive or provides incomplete information, which can delay important business decisions and create ongoing frustration.

High and opaque pricing

Director of Accounting

The cost per employee compared to ADP Run or any other platform I have used was much higher and I could not figure out what I was getting for all of the extra fees.   

70% of reviewers feel negative about Pricing. Reviewers frequently mention that the software is expensive compared to alternatives, with high costs for both core services and add-ons. They express frustration over a lack of transparency in billing, making it difficult to understand or justify fees. Some users report regular price increases and say the cost structure is not well-suited for smaller organizations. Others highlight the inability to negotiate or separate costs for individual services.

Challenging platform navigation

45% of reviewers feel negative about Navigation. Reviewers indicate that navigating the platform can be confusing and time-consuming, especially when searching for specific features or completing tasks like balancing PTO. They report that the menus are not always intuitive, and finding less frequently used options can be difficult. Some users say that terminology and multiple web portals add to the complexity, while others mention frustration with navigation on both desktop and mobile devices.

Limited and difficult reporting

56% of reviewers feel negative about Reporting. Reviewers indicate that reporting features lack flexibility and are not user-friendly, making it hard to generate custom or detailed reports. They say finding and accessing specific reports is cumbersome, and the process for creating new reports is not intuitive. Some users report inaccuracies or delays in report generation, while others mention that available reports do not always meet their needs for analysis or compliance.

Outdated and unintuitive interface

46% of reviewers feel negative about User Interface. Reviewers report that the platform’s interface appears outdated and is not intuitive, making it hard to locate features or complete tasks. They say the design feels clunky, with confusing layouts and non-intuitive labeling. Some users mention that updates often require navigating multiple areas, and the overall user experience does not meet their expectations for modern software. Employees and administrators alike find the interface challenging to use.

Centralized HR data management

Consultant

It is a complete package to organize all the HR related function in any organization as it is suitable for all the industry.

Vice-President

Fairly easy and intuitive to use, menus are organized well and web interface and portal contain plenty of support information

85% of reviewers feel positive about Organized Information. Reviewers appreciate having all HR-related functions and resources consolidated in one platform, making it easier to manage and access important data. They find the system’s layout clean and intuitive, which helps them stay organized and enhances compliance. Users indicate that the interconnected modules and comprehensive dashboards allow for efficient tracking of time sheets, benefits, and other critical information. Some reviewers value the extensive capacity for storing information, which supports both daily operations and long-term HR needs.

Streamlined user experience

83% of reviewers feel positive about Ease of Use. Reviewers appreciate the platform’s user-friendly design, which allows them to quickly access HR, payroll, and benefits information from any location. They find it easy to navigate tabs, make changes, and complete tasks such as timekeeping and requesting PTO. Users say the intuitive dashboard and well-defined categories save time and simplify daily operations. Some reviewers highlight the convenience of having all HR functions in one portal, noting that it makes their work more efficient and manageable.

HR Manager

Additionally, the reporting capabilities are exceptional, offering detailed, customizable reports that help streamline decision-making and provide valuable insights into business operations.

Office Operations Manager

The platform delivers a reliable, well-rounded HR solution with simple, dependable payroll processing and strong HR support.

Head of People

By taking on the heavy administrative work—payroll, onboarding, compliance, and many of the manual day-to-day tasks—ADP TotalSource has allowed us to shift our focus to what really matters: engaging with our employees and supporting their growth.

ADP TotalSource has been a dependable partner that improves efficiency, reduces stress, and supports consistent payroll and HR operations.

Sr tech specialist

The compliance guidance is helpful and reduces risk of missing important requirements. Once you learn system, it becomes a reliable tool for managing all HR tasks.

HR Consultant

ADP TotalSource is a full HR suite in an intuitive system to include payroll support, access to competitive benefits, tax filings, workers' compensation, training resources, applicant tracking system, analytics, reporting, time keeping, and performance management, personnel file management, background checks, and data security with a single sign-on.

I used it in my previous as well as current job , ADP brings payroll, benefits, and HR support into one , which makes daily work easy and easy to follow and understand

Administrator

The learning curve for my employees, because they use to be able to write in their times if they forgot a punch in or out, but during the initial period they'd have to call me or their supervisor to correct their timecards till they figured out how to leave memos.

ADP ensures that onboarding and payroll are accurate and seamless, which builds trust and sets a positive tone for every employee experience.

With less time spent on administrative burdens, our team can devote energy to performance reviews, employee development, and creating a workplace culture that inspires and retains talent.

Office Manager

That comes out to roughly $9,500 per month for health insurance - and that doesn't include the GAP insurance we pay separately for our employees since the deductible is $5K per person!  

These tools enable users to make informed decisions with confidence and ensure compliance with various regulations.

This is likely because individual representatives are managing more clients than they should, leading to delays and frustration for users who need immediate assistance.

Technical support engineer

ADP Total source helps me every month to find my payroll details, my leave counts, my exception and tax deduction information very easily from one portal.

Vice President

ADP helped us to manage layoffs when closures first occurred and  we were forced to downsize temporarily, as well as to navigate the PPP Loan Application process with easily accessible reports customized for this purpose.

A full service one stop provider utilizing a co-employer model that helps a small organization such as ours to fulfil all of our HR obligations, as well as federal and state regulations, while offering our employees great benefits.

Pharmacist

It saves me a lot of time when running payroll, and their customer service has been excellent—most of my questions get resolved promptly when I call.

Server

Also, when company had switched payroll providers to better integrate with their other systems, all employees lost access to ADP login credentials/accounts and therefore could not access previous payroll history.

HR Generalist

ADP TotalSource has helped make the day-to-day tasks easier. If you are looking for support in your HR department for a growing business, I recommend ADP TotalSource.

I like the feature that can login anytime and keep track on our salary records, HR, benefits across the things.

Director People Operations

Things like adding date ranges for data should be easier to set up for custom reports.   And if we need a report created it takes weeks to get it done.  

Practice Administrator

The payroll is not very user friendly and difficult to find reports; Too many emails sent that it's difficult to know when there is something to really pay attention to.

Payroll manager

After some updates last 2 years, on Mondays it didn't work, so need to contact later on as due to time difference I cannot call for at least 5 hours

sensitive content hidden] is available when we need him and helps us understand our options, enabling us to make informed decisions.

President

Also, due to ADP negligence I have surfaced numerous federal tax errors on government programs...

Pharmacy Technician

I didn't actually do the payroll - I think that is an HR thing. But, I do use it to navigate and see my paycheck every two weeks.

ADP TotalSource is a invaluable resource for a small organizations navigating many of the aspects people employment.  

Payroll is straightforward and efficient, making routine processing smooth and stress-free.

Limited option while doing payroll, ie PTO: does not allow one to personalize reasons why the many various reason people take off.

I like the support staff and that ADP covers all HR releated areas needed for a business.

Behavior Technician

Also, there are some occasional system glitches.

Director of Finance

The compliance aspect it fully handled by ADP which saves me, as a one person department, a ton of time on the administrative side.

The only issue we have with ADP is how frequently we have issues for staff trying to clock in and out.

I get bounced around a lot when I have issues and when I create a case I'm told it could take 3 to 6 pay periods to resolve the issue.

My ERC submission is taking a VERY LONG time which is not ADP's fault, but would really like regular follow-up from them letting me know things are still progressing.

ADP TotalSource vs Clarity Wave Comparison (2026)

ADP TotalSource

Clarity Wave

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives