RUN Powered by ADP® vs. QuickBooks Online

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
RUN Powered by ADP®
Score 9.1 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
QuickBooks Online
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
QuickBooks Online is a SaaS version of the QuickBooks product. It contains all of the features found in the local version. Higher-priced plans include greater automation, payment management, inventory and time tracking, and analytics features.
$38
per month
Pricing
RUN Powered by ADP®QuickBooks Online
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Simple Start
$38
per month
Essentials
$75
per month
Plus
$115
per month
Advanced
$275
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
RUN Powered by ADP®QuickBooks Online
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
RUN Powered by ADP®QuickBooks Online
Considered Both Products
RUN Powered by ADP®
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I switched from Quickbooks Online Payroll to RUN Powered by ADP®. RUN Powered by ADP® provided amazing support for set-up and transferring over information. In addition, their support continues to be fantastic after three years. I can reach out to them any time I have a …
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 …
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 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®
Switched because ADP reached out to me, and they had a better pricing option, along with the integrated PTO tracking. I had MUCH higher hopes for the "flawless" transition, which has demanded way too much of my time to discover and fix the issues (which is still ongoing). So I …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Our accountant preferred ADP over Gusto because there was more flexibility to run catch up payroll for withholding and/or 401k payments. Personally, I thought Gusto was much easier to navigate and use, but our accountant disagreed. And honestly, making her happy so her job is …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Customer services on RUN Powered by ADP® is a decision maker, I will consider moving other clients for sure for next year.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Switched to ADP because QuickBooks Payroll did not function properly and lost employee data.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
ADP seemed to have more customer service capabilities, I can get questions answered pretty quickly vs. the previous company we used. Also, the fact that you can utilize several products under the RUN Powered by ADP® umbrella was a plus. We feel the product is easier to use …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
RUN Powered by ADP® is easier to navigate and much easier to use than some of the other payroll providers. The customer service is available and easy to understand. Their response time is far better than other payroll providers. They are reliable and take responsibility for …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We had a payroll company before who went out of business, and tried to partner with ADP to take all of their customers. The transition to RUN Powered by ADP® was pretty easy, and I felt like i never had to ask anyone a question more than once. Everyone was super helpful in that …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Easier to process things and less paper
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I used Paychex and found it very frustrating- my rep was constantly changing and the customer service I received was inadequate for my needs.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We moved away from QBO because the customer service was terrible. I was finding errors in my payroll taxes and having to explain it to the "professionals" and having to contact them several times before things were corrected. Also briefly tried another web based program but had …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I selected RUN Powered by ADP after a detailed demonstration from one of the executives in the franchise team. It seemed to do what I needed it to do and I was not happy with the payroll providers at other companies I had worked for before. So I went with ADP right from the …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Product was no longer being supported and the upgrade was not available. The new product was no worth the increase in price.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I like the ADP platform better, pricing was more aggressive and felt overall more comfortable. ADP sales rep was not pushy or misleading at all.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I used to use Paychex, but RUN Powered by ADP® helped me with my workers comp tracking in a more efficient way and I am saving money with using RUN Powered by ADP® versus competitors. Their customer service used to be more accessible, but then you started offering 24/7 access, …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We selected RUN Powered by ADP because it was much more efficient to run bi-weekly payrolls and were having customer service issues with the prior vendor.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Ease of use, taxes are filed and paid by RUN Powered by ADP®, direct deposit over manual checks, 401K plans. It has made it much easier each week to complete payroll, allowing me time to concentrate on other things that are important to run a construction company and deal with …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We selected RUN by ADP because my assistant did a research and we evaluated the costs. ADP is cheapest than others and I can say it is the easiest software to manage out there. I do not have to much knowledge in payroll and ADP make it easy.
QuickBooks Online

No answer on this topic

Features
RUN Powered by ADP®QuickBooks Online
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
8.4
364 Ratings
2% above category average
QuickBooks Online
8.0
110 Ratings
6% above category average
Pay calculation9.5352 Ratings8.4100 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.6105 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.1258 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.8162 Ratings7.452 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.6343 Ratings8.592 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.8269 Ratings8.165 Ratings
Reimbursement management5.138 Ratings7.871 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
6.9
100 Ratings
9% below category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings6.882 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings6.982 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
8.4
171 Ratings
3% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.6136 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.3161 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
8.3
197 Ratings
6% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings8.4184 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings8.6192 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings8.0175 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
7.9
214 Ratings
4% above category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings8.9180 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.9197 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings8.2180 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.0203 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings8.5187 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings7.083 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings7.983 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.037 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings7.565 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings7.866 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings8.3101 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings7.5111 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings6.729 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.058 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings8.158 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings7.743 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.4127 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings6.948 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings7.872 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.647 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.791 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
6.8
76 Ratings
7% below category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.571 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings7.238 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings7.242 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings6.528 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
QuickBooks Online
7.7
129 Ratings
3% above category average
Pricing00 Ratings7.979 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings7.775 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings8.297 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.497 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings6.937 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings7.840 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings7.033 Ratings
Best Alternatives
RUN Powered by ADP®QuickBooks Online
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
Score 6.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.2 out of 10
Zoho Books
Zoho Books
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management
Oracle Fusion Cloud Enterprise Performance Management
Score 7.6 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
RUN Powered by ADP®QuickBooks Online
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(390 ratings)
8.3
(231 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.2
(35 ratings)
9.3
(27 ratings)
Usability
9.0
(24 ratings)
8.4
(146 ratings)
Availability
9.5
(12 ratings)
8.9
(6 ratings)
Performance
9.7
(12 ratings)
1.0
(5 ratings)
Support Rating
8.4
(36 ratings)
9.6
(70 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.7
(7 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.3
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.9
(20 ratings)
9.7
(7 ratings)
Configurability
7.5
(9 ratings)
1.0
(2 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
10.0
(4 ratings)
1.3
(2 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.5
(13 ratings)
2.0
(3 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.7
(8 ratings)
4.9
(3 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.7
(9 ratings)
4.9
(3 ratings)
User Testimonials
RUN Powered by ADP®QuickBooks Online
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
It is a very simple payroll processing platform. I would recommend the platform to any small business looking to outsource the process. Its pay-per-person policy also makes it adaptable to businesses with minimal employee counts. I think it may not be as useful for employers who have consistent hourly employees that do not fluctuate as often.
Read full review
Intuit
I appreciate the ability to auto-generate invoices for recurring transactions, which saves time, as well as the option to set up auto-generated transactions. The report option is super helpful when reviewing information, as you can click to view the details in the report without having to go back and forth.
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Pros
ADP
  • 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.
Read full review
Intuit
  • Workflows for accounts payable invoice review are terrific.
  • Bill payment allows you to pay vendors online via ACH or check without having to write a physical check, which reduces admin time.
  • The cloud based login lends well to a remote or hybrid work environment for staff.
  • QuickBooks Online allows you to pre-configure vendors' general ledger expense accounts. This helps with general ledger coding accuracy and consistency.
  • QuickBooks Online integrates with Rippling HRIS, Coast, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, etc., which lends well to an efficient month-end closing and reduced administrative time.
Read full review
Cons
ADP
  • 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.
Read full review
Intuit
  • The upsells have gotten worse over time and are on every screen in the most awkward positions. I don't need a constant reminder to upgrade, especially on a very old account that's paid thousands over the years.
  • The interface has never been especially intuitive, but I was an old Quicken user and it was somewhat familiar. Over time, it's gotten worse, and in the last 2 years, the program seems to move things more often than I would expect.
  • The software constantly adds features that I don't want and want to turn off, but the interface is so difficult to use that I find myself skipping it. Imagine seeing a message that the system recognized invoices that hadn't been paid so it prepared reminder notices for you that can be sent at the click of a button. Who thinks using canned reminders that you've never seen is a good thing?
  • A lot of functionality seems to derive from connecting your bank accounts to QBO. I don't want Intuit to have an always-on connection to any bank accounts, even checking.
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Likelihood to Renew
ADP
It is much better than the payroll system I used previously. The integrations that RUN has for on-boarding new hires are very convenient when they work properly. It saves a tremendous amount of time being able to email a link to new employees that allows them to enter much of their own demographic information. Payroll feature alerts me when someone's pay is significantly less or more than usual.
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Intuit
It like the product 'right out of the box' and I trust Intuit will continually improve it over the years based on my experience with their desktop products. The large providers of Apps makes customizing the entire package relatively easy and seamless for a wide variety of business types.
Read full review
Usability
ADP
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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Intuit
I had very little trouble setting up the program and migrating from our old accounting system. The daily usage is also very intuitive and easy. Anytime we run into minor trouble with the program, there are always tons of help available on YouTube, so we don't even look up the online manual anymore.
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Reliability and Availability
ADP
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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Intuit
We have rarely had outages in the last 10 years. I can only recall 2 times in the last 10 years where we were not able to access our client files.
Read full review
Performance
ADP
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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Intuit
Everything process has its bugs lately with the new interface. Nothing has worked smoothly since this all began last month.
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Support Rating
ADP
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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Intuit
In my experience, most representatives keep me on the phone for hours, literally, for a single issue and then usually cannot resolve it satisfactorily. I have 10 open cases that need resolution and, in my experience, there has been NO follow-up communication on any of them.
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In-Person Training
ADP
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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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Online Training
ADP
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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Intuit
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
ADP
Make sure there's plenty of time between payrolls for the implementation and be sure to test all the manually inputted fields.
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Intuit
The person in charge of QB needs to be very accurate with record keeping and is recommended to stay on top of tasks. The biggest issue we have is reconciliation, and those issues occur only when too much time has occurred between reconciliations
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Alternatives Considered
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 payroll/accounting, while ADP provides broader HR capabilities, scalability, and compliance expertise along with extensive training.
Read full review
Intuit
As a freelance bookkeeper, the Desktop version of QuickBooks Online doesn't allow for ease of access from any device. Having to be on a computer with the software downloaded creates additional work to gain access to all required filings etc. Also, I personally find the linking functionality on the Online version to be much more streamlined and user friendly.
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Scalability
ADP
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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Intuit
As we have grown along our professional path, we have also expanded our use of QB. The scalability is easy and features seem to be waiting for you until you need them. We have increased profits by over 10x from our first year in business to the current and have yet to find a reason to look elsewhere
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Return on Investment
ADP
  • I will say ADP in general is not cheap, I think the cost to implement and use RUN Powered by ADP® is higher than some of the other products out there
  • I like the fact that RUN Powered by ADP® can handle payroll deductions for other vendors easily (401k, Insurance plans)
  • Wish we would use RUN Powered by ADP® more when it comes to job costing - trying to determine if a job we are managing is profitable or not
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Intuit
  • QuickBooks has given us a useful portal by which to get an overview of our financials.
  • QuickBooks has given us a relatively easy way to send out invoices quickly and efficiently.
  • Due to the customization limitations on QuickBooks, we've had to get creative in third-party implementations to better represent our brand and to track financials.
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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

QuickBooks Online Screenshots

Screenshot of the accounting and bank transactions interfaceScreenshot of an overview of the accounting inventoryScreenshot of book marksScreenshot of the business tax overviewScreenshot of the customer hubScreenshot of the dashboard