2026 HRIS Switcher Analysis
June 17, 2026
By Chris Harvey
Why Are Organizations Leaving ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, and Paylocity?
Every year, HR Technology Advice receives hundreds of requests from HR leaders researching replacements for their existing HRIS systems. As part of our research to evaluate the market and better serve the HR leader community, we ask: What HRIS are you using today — and why are you thinking about leaving?
Of nearly 200 HR leader inquiries we analyzed for 2026, approximately half came from organizations planning to leave one of just three vendors: ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, or Paylocity. What makes that number even more notable is that these same three vendors topped our 2025 analysis as well — confirming that this is not a momentary trend but likely a persistent pattern.
We call these organizations HRIS Switchers — HR leaders who have declared their intent to leave but have not yet made the move.
A New Top Concern Rose to the Top
In 2025, the leading driver of HRIS switching activity was Lack of Functionality. In 2026, something shifted.
Poor Customer Support has moved to the top — cited by 60% of all HRIS Switchers as a primary reason for their planned departure.
The implication is significant. A growing number of HR leaders feel that inadequate support has a bigger impact on their satisfaction than whether the system can do the job. These issues are also correlated — if an HRIS fully met organizational needs, support requests would be minimal. When functionality falls short and support fails to resolve the resulting problems, frustration compounds quickly.
Support quality is harder to evaluate before you sign a contract than any feature on a capability checklist. And once trust erodes, it rarely recovers.
2026 Switcher Analysis
Why are Organizations Leaving ADP Workforce Now, Paycom, and Paylocity?
Download Your FREE HRIS Switcher Analysis
The Numbers Tell a More Specific Story
Each vendor has a distinct pattern of dissatisfaction — and understanding those differences matters if you are currently evaluating any of these platforms or approaching a renewal decision.
One vendor recorded the highest functionality dissatisfaction of the three at 61%. One recorded integration challenges at 39% — a figure that warrants serious due diligence from any HR leader whose technology stack depends on reliable connectivity. And one recorded support dissatisfaction at 70% — the highest of any vendor in this analysis — with the sharpest pain felt among organizations with fewer than 250 employees.
The full report breaks down the top five dissatisfaction drivers by vendor, identifies where each platform is most vulnerable, and translates the switcher data into specific due diligence questions you should be asking before your next HRIS decision.
One More Thing Worth Knowing
When cost appears as a reason for switching — and it did for a meaningful percentage of switchers — it is rarely about the price itself. It is about realized value. Poor support, reporting gaps, and functionality limitations erode perceived value until the price feels unjustifiable regardless of what the contract actually says.
The cost objection is a lagging indicator. By the time it surfaces, something else has already broken down.
The full vendor-by-vendor breakdown — including which platform recorded 70% support dissatisfaction and which hit 61% on functionality — is in the 2026 HRIS Switcher Analysis. Download it free.