Paychex vs ADP RUN

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Our analysts compared Paychex vs ADP RUN based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Payroll Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Paychex provides payment processing, time-keeping and other general human resource software. They offer this to self-employed users, small businesses, medium business and large enterprise ventures. Buyers can choose from various pricing plans and payment options such as direct deposit, real-time transfers and same-day ACH. Most versions have some core HR management and pay processing functionalities.

Based in the cloud, it assists with hiring, onboarding, tax filing, benefits management, business insurance, startup services and more. Users can customize it to meet their specific needs, adding only what they use. This allows administrators to ensure it fits their requirements, whether they be simple or complex.
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Like a classic rom-com montage, running a small business means trying on a lot of hats. Processing payroll alone is a complex, time-consuming task. That's where ADP RUN comes in—it's a cloud-based payroll service specifically for small businesses, keeping your payroll processing and HR management out of the horror genre.

When you need to complete multiple tasks without the manpower of larger corporations, ADP RUN (also known as RUN POWERED by ADP) helps you do the job(s).

Here's how:

  • Automating the entire payroll process (including recurring payroll with RUN & DONE).
  • Calculating deductions and withholdings.
  • Self-onboarding employees.
  • Detecting payroll errors.
  • Working on the go with the mobile app.

ADP RUN at a Glance

Price

Starting from $79 monthly (additional $4 per employee).

Deployment Method

Cloud-based.

Business Size

Most suitable for small businesses.

Popular Integrations

QuickBooks, Xero, Tsheets, When I Work, ZipRecruiter.

Customer Service Availability

Live chat agents are available Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. ET. A.V.A. (virtual assistant) is available 24/7.


User Experience

Nearly 90% of users recommend it.

Training

Documentation, videos, live online, webinars and demos.

Mobile App

Yes, 4.9 review score according to Google Play.


Let’s be honest: not everyone is a fast learner. Whether it’s your first time or your hundredth, ADP RUN has step-by-step screens and quick tips for completing tasks.

There’s direct deposit for paying your employees and additional options like Wisely Direct (an ADP-exclusive debit card) and ADPCheck.

Manage everything from your personalized dashboard, including upcoming payrolls, to-dos, payroll history and quick access to all RUN features.

Run powered by ADP is under the ADP umbrella, which earns recognition on our top ten list of the best HR software. Additionally, ADP Workforce Now is in the top five for applicant tracking and recruiting, compensation management, employee self service, and learning management.

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$39 Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
$79 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Assistance

Documentation
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Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
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Product Insights

  • Reduce Errors: Ensure accuracy in payroll processing with the help of a variety of safeguard features, such as sending managers notifications when the system detects potential issues so that these problems are avoided entirely.
  • User Support: Access 24/7 online support to assist with all aspects of processing, and the option for a dedicated specialist that can act as a personal support expert for both payment and tax needs.
  • Convenience: The mobile app enables employers and employees to access the system from any device. By leveraging the cloud, they can start work on a desktop and pick up right where they left off directly from their mobile device, allowing them to complete core tasks from anywhere.
  • Informed Employees: Employees can get information about their time off, upcoming paychecks, benefits information or retirement funds. This saves time from HR and accounting by answering their more pressing questions while also building transparency and trust in the entire process.
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  • Ensure Compliance: Plan for tax season (it’s never too early and let's be honest, everyone dreads it). ADP RUN handles filing and paying your company’s taxes.
  • Manage Overtime: Stay on top of overtime by managing schedules and checking worker classifications. The system comes with support for state unemployment insurance and garnishments.
  • Save Time: Automate payroll and onboarding tasks, kick off off-cycle payrolls, and streamline data entry with convenient worksheets. You can also adjust or correct past payments within the current quarter. The payroll dashboard provides a clear view of all ongoing and past payrolls, with relevant codes highlighted, and shows both in-progress and recently approved payrolls to keep everything organized.
  • Create an Employee Handbook: Keep employees informed about compliance issues and company standards with built-in tools for creating and maintaining employee handbooks (which are viewable online).
  • Go Digital: Reduce physical paperwork by storing company and employee documents digitally via a document vault, which includes a library of templates with best practices.
  • Provide Retirement Planning for Employees: Create retirement plans, including 401(k) and SIMPLE IRA.
  • Offer Employee Self-Service: Let employees access information, from benefits and retirement details to weekly pay stubs.
  • Receive HR Support: Integrate with ADP’s HR solution for expert support, toolkits and training, checkups, and legal assistance. Access resources on healthcare compliance, HR documents, state and federal forms, and pages for tracking employee information.
  • Educate Employees: Provide training courses on topics like sales and sexual harassment.
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  • Products: It has many different products for different applications. Here are the most important:
    • Payroll: The platform offers payment for businesses with one employee, under 10 employees, from 10-49 employees and from 50 to over 1,000 workers. This includes online payroll, taxes, deductions and many tools to generate reports and look at costs.
    • Time and Attendance: The online time and attendance function ties in directly to payroll, saving time when trying to calculate paychecks. In addition to the software, it also offers TrueShift physical time clocks and the InVision iris recognition clocks. Users can track team activity in real time through the manager’s dashboard, and allow employees to record time, approve timecards and check schedules through the employee dashboard.
    • HR: It has a range of HR services and software including employee development, hiring, records administration, compliance, benefits administration, learning management and more.
      • Professional Employer Organization: This is a full-service HR consulting program that helps organizations with liability issues, daily worker problems, risk management, benefits administration and other related issues.
      • Hiring Service: The software can make the hiring process easier with applicant tracking, screening, recruiting and onboarding capabilities. Please note, they don’t have employee leasing, temp staffing or contract staff services.
      • Employee Benefits: Managers and workers alike can get access to health insurance for groups or individuals, financial wellness and retirement planning.
    • Business Insurance: Users can get property and casualty insurance with the help of agents who assist in the selection and implementation process for the new benefits. This includes business owner policies, cyber liability and workers’ compensation.
    • Finances and Payments: Besides payroll, this program also has business loans, expense management, tax administration and processing for payments.
    • Startup Solutions: For new businesses, it offers guides, consulting, advice and more for multiple aspects of the process. They give aid with marketing, the incorporation process, business management and access to free online tools.
  • Payroll and Tax Filing: Process payroll and automatically calculate taxes. Paychex can calculate, file and pay taxes at the federal, state and local level automatically. The platform can calculate hours, doing setup for direct deposit and setting hours per pay period.
  • General Ledger: Synchronize payroll data with integrations offered by Paychex. The system is compatible with a variety of popular accounting systems, including QuickBooks Online and Xero.
  • Reporting and Analytics: Generate custom analytics and reports or choose from over 160 customizable templates to track and visualize relevant data.
  • Learning and Development: Employees can take advantage of online courses to stay educated on relevant topics. Not only does this increase productivity, but it makes employees feel more invested in.
  • Core HR: It gives employee feedback, manages employee training and tracks important documents through the system’s interface.
  • Onboarding: Applicants and new hires can complete new hire documents, such as tax forms, and set up direct deposit directly through the platform.
  • Paycheck Protection Program: Introduced by the CARES Act as a measure for economic stability during the COVID pandemic, the Paycheck Protection Program loans encourage small businesses to keep or rehire workers that have been furloughed. This system offers a quick way to apply for this loan.
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  • Payroll: Check employee hours, adjust details like rates and bonuses, and review the payroll (helping estimate costs for your current pay period). This feature also integrates with general ledgers and exports to Xero and QuickBooks.
  • Insurance: Connects with licensed insurance pros to help pick the right coverage for your business with the ADP Insurance Agency. They've got workers’ comp, auto insurance, BOP, liability insurance and group health insurance. This setup makes it easy to handle premium payments and get certificates of insurance.
  • Mobile Solutions: Securely access the system anytime, anywhere, including clocking in and out with mobile timecards via iOS and Android-ready apps.
  • Hiring and Onboarding: Connect with ZipRecruiter to post jobs, invite candidates, access a resume database and use a wizard to create job descriptions. ADP RUN also includes background check capabilities.
  • Self Onboarding: Let employees fill out paperwork and set up account details, such as direct deposit, before their first day of work.
  • Reporting: View custom reports related to profiles, payroll, PTO and deductions. Arrange report fields with the drag-and-drop functionality and filters help you find what you need faster. Export reports in CSV, PDF or Excel formats.
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Product Ranking

#4

among all
Payroll Software

#1

among all
Payroll Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Paychex
ADP RUN
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Benefits Management Dashboard And Reporting Expense Management Mobile Capabilities Payroll And Tax Management Platform Capabilities Security And Compliance Time And Attendance Management 94 100 100 81 90 100 100 91 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 2800 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 2835 reviews
83%
of users recommend this product

Paychex has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 83% when considering 2800 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

90%
of users recommend this product

ADP RUN has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 90% when considering 2835 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

4.5 (24)
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4.2 (1342)
4.6 (1450)
4.1 (1122)
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4.5 (779)
3.9 (312)
4.3 (606)

Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Paychex and concluded it deserves the award for the Best Overall Payroll Software available today and earns best-in-class honors for Expense Management and Platform Capabilities.

Analysts' Pick Award
Expense Management Award
Platform Capabilities Award

ADP RUN stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly UI: A total of 80% of reviewers who mentioned the UI felt it easy to use.
Price Within Budget: Around 50% of reviewers that mentioned price were satisfied with the pricing structure and found that the system was worth it.
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Easy to Use: A whopping 88% of users found the design intuitive and user-friendly, including the mobile app. Specifically, the payroll side is noted for its clear presentation.
Excellent Customer Service: 82% of ADP RUN users praise its customer service, particularly the prompt assistance and effective issue resolution through the 24/7 chat feature.
Efficient Reporting: Users enjoy ADP RUN's reporting for ensuring accurate P&L allocation and payroll tracking. The report generator helps tailor payroll reports for seamless integration with accounting files for a more comprehensive overview.
User-Friendly Payroll Processing: Most users find the payroll feature easy and efficient. They appreciate the quick data entry process and fail-safe questions to prevent errors.
24/7 Customer Service: RUN offers phone and online support to ensure the speedy resolution of issues. In reviews, users say customer service is polite, knowledgeable and effective.
Automated Tax Filing: Companies can leave all their taxes to RUN. They don’t have to worry about filing on time. Instead, they can trust experienced professionals to handle it.
Easy to Use: The platform is easy to navigate and use, with a relatively small learning curve.
Multiple Reports: Built-in reports are easy to generate; you can also “favorite” frequent reports to save time. They’re also convenient to view online and export as a PDF or Excel file.
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Late Submissions and Missed Deadlines: Around 80% of reviewers that mentioned taxes ran into issues, with around 70% saying they had to pay penalties as a result.
Terrible Customer Service: Clients complained that the customer service was rude, unqualified, ill-informed, unhelpful and had high turnover in almost 70% of reviews that mentioned customer service.
Broken Features: Over 50% of reviews that mentioned the features said they were left wanting. The most common issues were communication problems. Just under 20% of all reviewers complained about errors made by either the solution or the staff.
Late Cancellations: Around 20% of reviewers that discussed price complained that they had canceled the program, but it had kept taking money out of their account.
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Limited Timesheets: Some express a desire for a customizable timesheet.
PTO Woes: Users have mixed experiences with ADP RUN's PTO feature. They encounter challenges with managers not receiving timely alerts for PTO requests and being directed to incorrect pages when trying to approve requests. There's a desire for more customization options, particularly in setting PTO features tailored to individual employee needs.
Holiday Time Off: Some users also face difficulties updating company holidays for specific pay classes within the system.
Tax Questions: Some users request additional clarity when setting up earning and deductions tax status in payroll.
Add-Ons Get Expensive: Not all functionalities are available in the main application.
Costly Upgrades: It’s relatively expensive, and upgrading from one tier to the next isn’t always seamless. It’s not the most affordable for companies with many pay cycles per month. Other payroll options offer similar functions and cost less.
Difficult/Limited Functionality: Some issues include: Users can’t edit payroll after submission. No feature for escalating to supervisors. Hard to remove workers hired to cover during vacations. No unlimited payroll runs. No option to create multiple paychecks for one person during the pay cycle.
Implementation Miscommunication: Some reviewers have reported poor communication when working through implementation issues. However, some say that after setup, it’s easy to use, and potential hurdles are worth the trouble.
Slow Phone Customer Service: Customer service is ultimately helpful, but many users get frustrated by long wait times to speak with a rep. After all, any issue regarding money may be a serious one.
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Paychex incorporates a range of different solutions and is used widely by small, medium and large-sized companies. While around 40% of users were happy with the functionality of the system, the majority expressed dissatisfaction with its tax capabilities, pricing and customer service. Many described it as dishonest and complained especially that they were oversold on its capabilities and that the salespeople used pushy tactics to try and upsell them. Other complaints of the system included making errors, overpaying employees or even miscalculating taxes resulting in serious penalties. Current and former clients greatly disliked the service. The UI was the most positively reviewed element of the platform with around 80% expressing satisfaction with the design and navigation. Around 50% were happy with the pricing structure and a minority of around 30% of users said they had positive experiences with some select customer service members. This disparity in experiences may be in part to the high turnover rate in representatives which is mentioned many times during the reviews. This solution could be appropriate for small and medium-sized businesses. It supports larger enterprises, but buyers should make sure it has the necessary functionality before purchasing.

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RUN powered by ADP is a popular payroll and HR solution for a range of small businesses, including startups and newer companies needing robust payroll and HR tools (without extensive expertise).Its efficient tools for managing employee records, benefits and compliance help these professionals minimize manual effort. Payroll specialists and accountants or bookkeepers also benefit from ADP RUN's automation and error detection.The main menu and search bar (with shortcuts for common tasks under it) made it easy to find what I was looking for without an annoying amount of redirects or feeling like a game of Where’s Waldo. It’s simple and uncomplicated to view your paystub and when payday is.For admins, the payroll feature seems straightforward. View your pay period, use “Calculate Paycheck” and check dates. Get an overview of payroll either for all employees or sort by things like last name. When you log in and get to the main page, there’s also a convenient reminder(s) section called “Top To-Dos.”For famous document misplacers, there’s a document vault that keeps important info secure and accessible.Onboard fully from your phone, including setting up direct deposit and tax withholdings without waiting for HR to show you how. For me, working remotely makes mobile access a must-have, and ADP RUN checks that box with mobile clocking in and out, viewing company policies, PTO, and pay info. Admins can also fully get payroll done on their phones.If anything seems off, payroll error detection activates a pop-up box asking, “Does this look right?” and gives a brief explanation of potential issues; from there, admins select “Ignore issues” or “Go back and fix.”Run a single report or select a popular report option. View payroll details, liabilities and summaries. Choose your date range and download the report from there (on the app or desktop).Recent reviews cite long wait times over the phone for customer service. When I called the general line, I shared my details and got a specific number to dial. I would prefer direct transfers over calling separate numbers, although this might change once you have a designated contact.Lastly, I've noticed that the cost is higher compared to competitors like Paychex or Workday. Purchasing add-on features “a la carte” affects the cost, which may be frustrating to some users who need more in-depth functionality on a smaller budget.The RUN Powered by ADP® Mobile Payroll app is a free download for mobile devices. With the app, you can complete payroll processing, view reports like payroll liability and access or update employee 1099 info. Additional mobile app features vary depending on Apple or Android devices, such as a chat feature for Androids and pay rate changes on Apple devices.Overall, RUN Powered by ADP is a comprehensive payroll solution for small businesses. Its intuitive design is great for users with little to no experience in most cases. It might be pricier than some alternatives, but most users find the added cost valid, considering its user-friendly interface, payroll automation and mobile app features.

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