ADP RUN

The incumbent, with the compliance depth that comes with it

Starting price: Custom pricing
Vendor: ADP
Founded: 1949
Available in: United StatesCanada
Languages: English, French, Spanish
Support: PhoneEmailLive chatDedicated account managerKnowledge base

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Overview

What is ADP RUN?

ADP has run payroll longer than most of its competitors have existed, and RUN is the small business product. You buy it for the compliance machine behind it, not for the interface.

What it does well

When a tax notice arrives, ADP handles it. That is the thing customers actually pay for and the reviews bear it out: the resolution rate on agency notices is the highest in this category. For a business that has been burned by a penalty, it is a rational reason to pay more.

Coverage is broad. Multi state, complex pay rules, garnishments, unions, certified payroll for construction: RUN handles cases that trip up newer products.

Tax and filing

US filings are comprehensive and automatic: Form 941, 940, W-2, 1099-NEC and state and local filings including the local jurisdictions that Ohio and Pennsylvania businesses know about.

ADP does run Canadian payroll, but it is a different product on a different contract, not RUN. T4s, ROEs, CPP and EI are handled there. A business with staff on both sides of the border can stay with one vendor, which is unusual in this category, but expect two agreements.

Where it frustrates people

Price is quoted, not published, and it is negotiable, which means customers on identical headcount pay materially different amounts. Add on fees for year end and for W-2 delivery are a recurring complaint. The interface is dated. Cancelling is harder than signing up, and the reviews are blunt about that.

Features

What ADP RUN can actually do

The headline features first, then the full list as the vendor states it.

Tax notice resolution service
Automatic federal, state and local filing
Garnishment administration
Certified payroll reporting

Full service US payroll
Multi state payroll
New hire reporting
Benefits administration
HR support and toolkits
Employee self service
General ledger export

Works with the tools you already use

Integrations the vendor lists for ADP RUN. Check the fine print for plan limits before you rely on one.

QuickBooks Online
Xero
Sage Intacct
NetSuite
Salesforce

Ratings

The rating, broken down

Every score below comes from verified reviews. Nothing is weighted or edited.

3.5

168 verified reviews

5 stars56

4 stars34

3 stars36

2 stars23

1 star19

Positive 54%
Neutral 21%
Negative 25%

Ratings by dimension

Ease of use2.6
Value for money2.6
Functionality3.9
Customer service3.3

ADP RUN average rating by dimension, out of 5
Dimension	Rating out of 5
Ease of use	2.6
Value for money	2.6
Functionality	3.9
Customer service	3.3

Reviewer company size

1 to 10 employees39%
11 to 50 employees33%
51 to 200 employees16%
201 to 500 employees9%
500+ employees2%

Reviewers by company size, from 168 reviews
Company size	Share of reviewers
1 to 10 employees	39 percent, 66 reviews
11 to 50 employees	33 percent, 56 reviews
51 to 200 employees	16 percent, 27 reviews
201 to 500 employees	9 percent, 15 reviews
500+ employees	2 percent, 4 reviews

Head to head

Compare with a popular alternative

ADP RUN against Paychex Flex, side by side. Same verified review data, no weighting.

ADP RUN

3.5(168)

Paychex Flex

3.8(87)

View profile

Custom pricing

Starting price

$39/mo

Free versionFree trial

Pricing options

Free versionFree trial

2.6 (168)

Ease of use

3.4 (87)

2.6 (168)

Value for money

3.0 (87)

3.3 (168)

Customer service

4.1 (87)

3.9 (168)

Functionality

4.0 (87)

See the full comparison

Reviews

What users really think

Warren Doyle

People Operations Lead, Beacon Legal Partners

United StatesRetail1 to 10 employees

5.0

Nov 9, 2024

Verified userUsed 6 to 12 months

Nothing has gone wrong in nine years

Certified payroll for our construction contracts is not something the newer tools do properly. ADP does it, correctly, every week. That narrowed our options to about two vendors and this is the one that answered the phone.

Pros

General ledger export works with every major accounting platform.

Cons

Pricing is quoted, negotiable and opaque, so identical customers pay different amounts.

Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality

58 found this helpful

Terrence Broadbent

Head of Operations, Redbrick Property Group

United StatesFinancial services11 to 50 employees

3.0

Dec 2, 2024

Verified userLinkedIn confirmedUsed 6 to 12 months

It works, you just pay for everything

The payroll is solid and the software feels fifteen years old. Every screen is a form and nothing is where you would guess. Once you learn it you stop noticing, but nobody enjoys using this.

Pros

Nearly 80 years of payroll behind it. It does not miss filings.

Cons

Reports that should be standard sometimes carry a fee.

Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality

57 found this helpful

Laura Leclerc

Operations Manager, Summit Physio

United StatesFinancial services1 to 10 employees

4.0

Feb 14, 2025

Verified userUsed 6 to 12 months

Nothing has gone wrong in nine years

We had a penalty notice from a state agency and ADP dealt with it end to end. I forwarded the letter and it was gone. Having been burned by a penalty at a previous employer, that service is the entire reason we are here and I would pay it again.

Pros

General ledger export works with every major accounting platform.

Cons

Reports that should be standard sometimes carry a fee.

Ease of use
Value for money
Customer service
Functionality

56 found this helpful

All 168 reviews Write a review

Alternatives

If ADP RUN isn't the right fit

Paychex Flex

3.8(87)

Payroll with a named human attached to the account

$39/moCompare

Gusto

4.5(212)

US payroll that a non specialist can run without dread

$49/moCompare

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FAQ

We have the answers

Pricing

How much does ADP RUN cost?

ADP RUN does not publish a price. Every plan is quoted, and deals in this bracket typically land in the higher end of the market once implementation is included. Ask for a quote against your own headcount rather than a list price.

Integrations

What does ADP RUN integrate with?

ADP RUN connects with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage Intacct, NetSuite and 1 more. Confirm the specific integration you depend on with a trial account before you commit, since depth varies more than a logo wall suggests.

Local fit

Does ADP RUN work for businesses in the US and Canada?

ADP RUN serves businesses in both the United States and Canada, and nothing about it is country specific in the way accounting or payroll tools are. Pricing is listed in US dollars, which is the vendor's real list price on both sides of the border.

Reviews

What do users say about ADP RUN?

ADP RUN holds 3.5 out of 5 across 168 verified reviews, and it scores highest on functionality. The rating is computed from those reviews and cannot be edited by the vendor. Read the full archive to see the pattern behind the number.