RUN Powered by ADP® vs. Paychex

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
RUN Powered by ADP®
Score 9.0 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
The RUN Powered by ADP® cloud-based solution is used to pay employees. It also includes HR and hiring tools, as well as benefits, helping small businesses grow and manage their teams.N/A
Paychex
Score 6.8 out of 10
N/A
Paychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.N/A
Pricing
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Paychex Flex Pro
Custom Pricing
per month/+$4 per employee
HR Pro
Custom Pricing
HR PEO
Custom Pricing
Paychex Flex Select
Custom Pricing
Paychex Flex Enterprise
Custom Pricing
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Considered Both Products
RUN Powered by ADP®
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We switched from Intuit Online Payroll a while back in hopes that ADP would have better features for some of our unique company needs. We understood it would be a higher cost, but the functionality would've been worth it. Intuit was great, but we wanted to eliminate one of …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Other products we have used or reviewed were okay for large businesses, but were convoluted. We wanted something to fit our small business - clear and to the point.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I was not the decision maker but I have not had many issues. I have looked elsewhere and this is just a great service, it is hard to make any switch.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We decided to go with RUN Powered by ADP® as they seemed to be the most price conscious with the most up-to-date compliance in the field. Often the competitors cost more for individual services or wanted us to buy a much larger bundle of products than we needed.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Based on our experience, RUN Powered by ADP® was selected by our small business because our owner was seeking a robust, all-in-one payroll and HR solution that scales with our growth. It allowed us to move away from manual spreadsheets and our less sophisticated payroll …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We needed to move from a 100% manual process. So, we chose RUN Powered by ADP® because there are additional add-ons that we may utilize in the future.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Overall, RUN Powered by ADP® has contributed to smoother operations, fewer errors, and more predictable payroll cycles, which supports our broader goals of efficiency and compliance. I switched from another provider for three reasons: 1. Cost, 2. Less aggressive add-on sales …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I have none of ADP and their stellar reputation with different companies for years and have utilized their services as an employee and now as a business owner.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We were not able to keep a PEO for business purposes and had to change. Since we were with ADP totalSource, sales offered RUN Powered by ADP® but we probably would have been better off with a whole different product/brand. RUN Powered by ADP® associates promised ease and smooth …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
DP has been our first payroll processing company. We selected RUN Powered by ADP® based on conveniences and pricing.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We switched from Quickbooks Online Payroll to ADP. The interface and look of QBO was better than ADP, but the service and understanding of how errors affect our staff and our firm with regard to tax implications is FAR greater with ADP. QBO took over 8 months and more than 3 …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I moved from Paychex to ADP due to 1: an excellent sales rep. 2: Lower cost
3: easier platform 4: more knowledgeable customer service 5: better mobile app
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I selected RUN Powered by ADP® based on recommendations from other nonprofit executives. RUN made the process relatively easy. We are new to having to run payroll, so did not move from (and cannot compare RUN to) any other platform.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We have a great relationship with ADP for other clients. It was kind of a no brainer to switch to them. Big difference with customer support and ease of use.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
The last product we had, my boss/husband was calling in the payroll amounts. When I took over I knew that was not going to work. I needed to see and quickly enter the information and just be able to push a button to get the payroll processed. There is no waiting for a call back …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Management selected RUN Powered by ADP before my employment but I am thrilled with the product, it's flexibility and ease. I feel like ADP has though of every question for something I need or want and has it in place.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I selected it because it was easy to use, has a trusted brand name, and came with good customer service.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
This is the software my firm decided to use, I did not have a say on what was selected, but it seems like the most up to date software on the market right now.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
RUN Powered by ADP® allows more control over the payroll, easy to adjust time settings, and much better phone support.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
RUN Powered by ADP® is stronger than QuickBooks Online for payroll and HR because it offers advanced HR tools (job postings, compliance support, employee handbooks), friendly, extended hours live support, and integration with numerous platforms. QuickBooks focuses mainly on …
Paychex
Chose Paychex
Paychex is much more user friendly than ADP Run or ADP Total Source. However, I do like that ADP has an option to upload documents related to payroll such as notices from the state (DOR, UI, etc) and creates a case where notes from their rep are added and a case # is provided. …
Chose Paychex
NA - Am not using other Paychex services
Chose Paychex
I used Bangor Payroll prior to Paychex and they were better than Paychex. I didn't select Paychex, it was already at the organization when I joined it.
Chose Paychex
I think the Paychex reporting menus are easier to use and navigate than ADP.
Chose Paychex
They were alright, some of the same issues. Lots of turnover with payroll consultants.
Chose Paychex
Both ADP and Paychex are very good at informing businesses of the latest changes regarding payroll. Not sure which one is better, but very much get the most out of each. Both are informative and always looking at additional topics in a world that is constantly changing. …
Chose Paychex
Paychex has been around for a long time and have used it at other organizations. The payroll functionality is the best out of the other systems I have used. They all are great with handling the HR needs of our organization but Paychex is the most streamlined.
Chose Paychex
We use BambooHR in tandem with Paychex. BambooHR is our timesheet service, and Paychex issues the checks/payments to our employees. Ideally we would use one service instead of two to achieve our payment and timesheet needs.
Chose Paychex
More accessible and cost effective for our small business.
Chose Paychex
I far prefer Rippling to Paychex Flex, with its easy to navigate interface and user friendly model. I also appreciate the payday emails from Rippling and the paystub breakdown. It is also very easy and simple to request and view PTO in Rippling. I really dread having to use …
Chose Paychex
Paychex Flex has some room for improvement, I would choose ADP out of the different HRIS's I have used in the past
Chose Paychex
More user friendly works better for self service
Chose Paychex
I'm unable to give you a comparison because Paychex is the only payroll service I've used since I started my business over ten years ago. I've had no reason to explore other payroll services or make a change. I trust it will remain that way for as long as I'm in business.
Chose Paychex
In addition to the ones listed above, we also used BenePay, a local payroll company. We found Paychex Flex priced in the middle, with ADP the most expensive and too complicated, with many features that were unnecessary for us. We found that Paychex Flex's features and reporting …
Chose Paychex
I did not select Paychex. It was at 2 companies I started with and ended up having them switch out
Chose Paychex
Looking to switch over to ADP.
I think they are much less expensive
Chose Paychex
Based on what I've noticed, Paychex is comparable to DayForce, which has similar timekeeping functions. I think DayForce has a few easier-to-navigate tools from an Employee Self Service standpoint. iSolved is much better all around from my personal usage. If my company had more …
Chose Paychex
Gusto is more intuitive than Paychex and easier for smaller companies. Paychex has better customer support than Paylocity. Paychex is easier to navigate than Paycom.
Chose Paychex
Paychex offers much more than just tracking employee attendance and managing employee records. It offers Payroll services, Human Resource Services, Retirement Services, On-Boarding Services, Employee-Self Services, Employee Benefits Management, Employee Handbook Services, …
Chose Paychex
The could not match the price we pay for the same service.
Chose Paychex
I have not used any flex pay options only for payroll and tax situations.
Features
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
8.3
Ratings
0% above category average
Paychex
7.4
Ratings
9% below category average
Pay calculation9.40 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.70 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.10 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.70 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.60 Ratings8.30 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.70 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Reimbursement management5.10 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.0
Ratings
15% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings7.70 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.10 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.2
Ratings
12% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings6.80 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
6.1
Ratings
29% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
4.8
Ratings
50% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings4.80 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
5.7
Ratings
27% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings6.20 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings4.50 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
6.6
Ratings
19% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings6.80 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.0
Ratings
11% below category average
Candidate search00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
5.3
Ratings
38% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings5.10 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings5.20 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings5.60 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings5.90 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings4.60 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings4.70 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings6.10 Ratings
Best Alternatives
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.1 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(0 ratings)
6.5
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.3
(0 ratings)
7.1
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.5
(0 ratings)
5.3
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.7
(0 ratings)
7.0
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.5
(0 ratings)
6.2
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.5
(0 ratings)
4.5
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
5.2
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.3
(0 ratings)
5.0
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
10.0
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.4
(0 ratings)
5.6
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.8
(0 ratings)
5.6
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.8
(0 ratings)
6.1
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Likelihood to Recommend
Great for small businesses that don't need much guidance and have a good handle on their operations. Once implementation is over the personalized service is not the same. Calling the 800 numbers is a gamble and hold times have been long. The service during implementation is fantastic. We like being able to streamline all our service through one vendor
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Overall we have had a good experience. The unfortunate part of being with them for over 10 years is the change-over in support specialists and sometimes the lack of transparency when that occurs or the lack of personalized communication. However, the ease of use and streamlined services for reporting and recording payroll and onboarding employees is definitely a benefit to the service. Being able to pull reports and review past employees information can be invaluable at times. Knowing I have peace of mind when it comes to tax documentation because someone else is ensuring it is handled and handled correctly is very important
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Pros
  • Payroll runs are consistent, timely, and error‑free, even when handling multiple pay rates, deductions, or changes. Direct deposits process smoothly and predictably.
  • RUN Powered by ADP® manages federal, state, and local tax withholding, filings, and payments without requiring manual oversight. This significantly reduces compliance risk and administrative workload.
  • Common actions—running payroll, adding new employees, updating pay rates—are straightforward and guided, which helps prevent mistakes.
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  • It provides a well account of Retirement Plan Account Information.
  • Alerts are sent to email when there is new information to access.
  • Employee access both online and thru app.
  • Paperless options.
  • Easy and quick access to paystubs and tax forms.
  • Easy employee retirement management.
Read full review
Cons
  • When processing bonuses, it would be nice to have a NET pay selection, in addition to the GROSS pay selection.
  • I receive WAY too many emails asking me to purchase additional services, including some that we already have through ADP.
  • I receive(d) daily requests for our Section 125 Compliance documentation, which I sent over four times to each different individual who requested them. ADP "mentioned" they'd charge us $350 for this compliance plan, even though we have it and proved it by submitting the "required submission" of the policy multiple times. It's very frustrating, and it causes me to worry about (A), the validity of the request and (B) ADP's recordkeeping, since they can't keep up with the document I've sent multiple times.
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  • When it comes to audit reports, Paychex Flex could improve on helping clients locate the correct reports for audit purposes more easily
  • When a client receives a discount, it would be helpful if the discount were automatically provided each year, or if the Paychex rep proactively reached out to the client first, versus the client having to call and request that the discount continue.
  • It would be helpful if the invoice was emailed to the client versus the client logging in to access invoices.
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Likelihood to Renew
The only reason there is contemplation of switching would be because the project management site we use, BQE, is now offering GUSTO built into the website at a lower monthly cost. We are waiting to see how it runs before making any decisions though as it's just left beta.
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there are a lot of competitors on the market such as BambooHR and Insperity. Paychex need to make significant improvement on their offline customer service in order to compete with the other guys. Everything is online now and timely response to customer's questions is vital. Customers won't enjoy being put on hold for 45 mins every time they have a question regarding their HSA problems
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Usability
I have been using this system for years and they have actually made it easier and easier. The system is always making great upgrades that don't necessarily require any additional information or training. I love when I log in and see a new feature or button that I get to use to make my life easier!
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Employee usability is very good and user-friendly. For the most part, the employer usability is good, but for complicated rules and policies, it requires technical assistance, which in our case, was clunky and slow in implementation. Once is place, everything works as it should
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Reliability and Availability
We've had very little issue with RUN availability, only a couple times there were outages when least expected which occurred on our actual payroll due date
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We have not experienced any difficulties with unplanned outages. Notifications are always made for outages, and they do not effect normal business operations.
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Performance
ADP Run loads a bit slowly at times, once I put in my credentials. However, that said, I think my perception of the time it takes is impacted by our "instant gratification" expectation of being able to get into everything quickly.
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Unless there is lag time within the internet, the Paychex Flex website loads exceptional fast, pages load quickly and reports that I need to print or download load quickly. If I need to create a specialized report, once I complete it I receive an e-mail telling me my report is ready to be downloaded. Changing between web pages is fast as well.
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Support Rating
I appreciated having that issue finally take care of. it was extremely disheartening to see the issue had not been resolved. I also had my employees looking to me and thinking I was not trying to resolve the issue so it reflected poorly on my character. I do not know if i was because of a miscommunication, but nonetheless I was happy it was taken care of
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Chat has been helpful but the person I chat with isn't always able to help me with my questions. Phone support is ok, depending on your payroll specialist. We have a great one currently, but the few before that were never available and did not return calls.
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In-Person Training
they helped up with the 1st payroll after that we were fine - it is very user friendly- they wanted to be sure everything had imported correctly.
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We did online training only
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Online Training
very easy to learn i think it took maybe one payroll to have it down and we were up and running
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It was easy to understand and follow along. I do like the informational videos that we can utilize before we opt to call in for customer service support. It has made a difference since sometimes that resolves the issue I may have had and saved myself a phone call to Paychex support.
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Implementation Rating
The customer service team handled it very nicely. We had a rep that came to our office and helped with everything. It was a very easy process.
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Implementation was very smooth. The most cumbersome task was entering the current employees into the system during initial set up, but Paychex staff handled most of that and verified against prior system reports as well as internal reports provided to ensure 100% accuracy.
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Alternatives Considered
We decided to go with RUN Powered by ADP® as they seemed to be the most price conscious with the most up-to-date compliance in the field. Often the competitors cost more for individual services or wanted us to buy a much larger bundle of products than we needed.
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Paychex is much more user friendly than ADP Run or ADP Total Source. However, I do like that ADP has an option to upload documents related to payroll such as notices from the state (DOR, UI, etc) and creates a case where notes from their rep are added and a case # is provided. This helps create a good way to track a notice and be sure it is resolved. I have sent requests to close different states when a company no longer has an employee there or have been told an item has been filed/completed, only to receive a notice later from Paychex notification or the the state claiming the issue is unresolved. When you have as many clients as we do, this can feel messy.
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Scalability
Every summer, we hire three new college interns who have to be entered into the system. They can enter their information themselves, which takes a load off me. The onboarding is quite straightforward, and today's college kids are techy enough to be able to understand it.
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Employees can log in at home and get up to date information on their FSA balance and any medical bill reimbursements they may have uploaded. At renewal time they have the ability to make changes to their FSA or for new employees star the enrollment.
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Return on Investment
  • It has simplified the payroll process allowing more time to be dedicated elsewhere.
  • We have been able to consolidate our health benefits, HR support, payroll and 401k all onto one provider, making support easy.
  • We found the health deduction calculations and process to be easy-to understand, especially in comparison to our health provider.
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  • This software has provided visibility to shift managers and department leads that they never had before in managing their subordinates. They now have an easy-to-use go-to source for seeing who has PTO, how much they have available, and what the work calendar looks like, allowing them to make better-informed decisions.
  • With this software to manage open enrollment, we can now get through that process with a tool we use regularly, rather than jumping into enrollment management software only once a year and having to relearn it each year.
  • Literally thousands of steps are saved each week by not needing to traverse the entire shop floor or track people down to clear up questions with time cards. With everything digital, so much can be observed and addressed in real-time through the app.
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ScreenShots

RUN Powered by ADP® Screenshots

Screenshot of the RUN Dashboard with the business' key info front-and-centerScreenshot of the payroll interfaceScreenshot of access to payroll reports and liability amountsScreenshot of the RUN Powered by ADP mobile app, used to process payroll on the goScreenshot of the ADP mobile app, where employees can access their historical payroll statements and year-end tax documents

Paychex Screenshots

Screenshot of Paychex Payroll DashboardScreenshot of Employee Background ChecksScreenshot of Paychex HR DashboardScreenshot of Paychex Flex Perks