RUN Powered by ADP® vs. TriNet

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
TriNet
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
TriNet provides small and medium size businesses (SMBs) with full-service HR and payroll solutions tailored by industry. TriNet also offers specialized services through client access to HR representatives for advice and notifications on impactful regulatory changes.N/A
Pricing
RUN Powered by ADP®TriNet
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
RUN Powered by ADP®TriNet
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
RUN Powered by ADP®TriNet
Considered Both Products
RUN Powered by ADP®
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 …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Gusto is more expensive when you have more employees.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We had a different payroll provider that was also our CPA firm. It was a nightmare. They were not easy to work with. It cost more money than ADP. there were incorrect payroll calculations. Some employees didn't get the right pay. I love ADP's customer service.
TriNet
Chose TriNet
Justworks was a front runner but literally couldn't run payroll the way we needed at all. There was no way to make it work.
Rippling didn't have the certifications we wanted and found that their 'we don't nickel and dime you' promise as all-inclusive as they promised.
ADP is …
Chose TriNet
TriNet stands out far from the crowd. The Trinet team is pleasant to work with and understands our organization's needs. Their sales team was reasonable and worked with our PEO broker to ensure the arrangement was beneficial for everyone. Unlike some other popular payroll …
Chose TriNet
GreenShades had several issues with the benefit platform! We continued to find issues with the benefit deductions and enrollments with the providers for 9 months after open enrollment. Much of my time was spent auditing and fixing the errors.
Chose TriNet
TriNet is more streamlined than Workday
Chose TriNet
TriNet is quite similar, but not as user-friendly. The support is much better in my experience, though.
Chose TriNet
Easier implementation and processing with other vendors, but HR compliance is strong at TriNet.
Chose TriNet
Rippling is more of a tech company than HR. They didn’t provide a specific point of contact but a generic email address for customer success/support. Overall, the platform looked better than TriNet, but we were not sold on the EPLI they offered. We didn’t hear good things from …
Chose TriNet
I researched all 3 but TriNet clearly had the most to offer. Justworks focuses on small businesses like us and they were a close second but ultimately, I felt that TriNet gave us the biggest bang for our buck. Plus, our specialist is local to our headquarters which just made me …
Chose TriNet
TriNet does a great job at payroll, compliance, caring for the employees, resources for benefits, even free services offered to help and assist if needed. Very clean UI, and user-friendly and intuitive. Great for back office compliance. The customer service is vastly better …
Chose TriNet
I used ADP in the company I worked for before, but I was not responsible for nearly as much as I am with my current job. I never got too in-depth with ADP, but I already know that TriNet far exceeds what we had with ADP.
Chose TriNet
In short, cost. The per-person admin fee and benefit costs were less expensive, with overall services provided being commensurate.
Chose TriNet
Leaving TriNet due to high fees and poor tax team support
Chose TriNet
My company has been using TriNet for over a decade. The decision was made before I joined; however, it was a good business decision for us at the time due to the size of our company.
Chose TriNet
Not listed in the database is CoAdvantage, another excellent competitor that is under the radar. In any case, all three offer dramatically higher quality product, better benefits negotiation and stronger customer support. In my opinion, they are clearly going after clients who …
Chose TriNet
Because of TriNet's ability to work with Hawaii and K-1, they've stood out. However, our search for other PEO's or doing an ASO partnership haven't stopped due to the cost of medical coverage.
Chose TriNet
Smaller business feel, a lot more attentive fees seem comparable
Chose TriNet
When we first started with TriNet, it was a long process to get a report setup with all the information we needed on it. This report is what I use to complete my own report to corporate office. I was able to get all the information on one report but I was not able to have it …
Chose TriNet
In my opinion, TriNet is old and slow compared to some of the others.
Chose TriNet
We use ClearCompany for performance management and as our ATS. At the time, we were looking to add an ATS, TriNet's system was just not as flexible and was not as advanced as ClearCompany's system. Same with performance management. We are able to do a lot more with a lot more …
Chose TriNet
We use Justworks quite a bit, but the difference is the designated support specialist. They only offer a general # to call into or a chat box. Also, they don't offer an audit prior to payroll processing, which I find helpful to keep accuracy and detect any errors. The JW …
Chose TriNet
Comparable on most things. But the education and the Wing is great and a huge additive to TriNet.
Features
RUN Powered by ADP®TriNet
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
8.3
Ratings
0% above category average
TriNet
8.0
Ratings
1% below category average
Pay calculation9.40 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.70 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.10 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.70 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.60 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.70 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Reimbursement management5.10 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.2
Ratings
12% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
TriNet
6.9
Ratings
17% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.4
Ratings
10% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
TriNet
1.0
Ratings
156% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
TriNet
6.7
Ratings
11% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.2
Ratings
10% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
TriNet
6.4
Ratings
23% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings6.30 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings6.60 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
TriNet
6.6
Ratings
18% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings6.60 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.3
Ratings
7% below category average
Candidate ranking00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.3
Ratings
7% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings5.50 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Best Alternatives
RUN Powered by ADP®TriNet
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®TriNet
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(0 ratings)
7.4
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.3
(0 ratings)
5.9
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.1
(0 ratings)
7.5
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.5
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.7
(0 ratings)
7.7
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.5
(0 ratings)
7.1
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.5
(0 ratings)
9.4
(0 ratings)
Online Training
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
Configurability
7.3
(0 ratings)
5.2
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
10.0
(0 ratings)
5.2
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.4
(0 ratings)
7.7
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.8
(0 ratings)
7.2
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.8
(0 ratings)
6.9
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
RUN Powered by ADP®TriNet
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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TriNet is extremely knowledgeable and able to meet a wide variety of needs, such as handling K-1 employees and employees in Hawaii. It's challenging in the sense that pulling reports can result in blocks/barriers based on the number of employees one has.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
  • Extensive variety of benefit program plan designs and partners. Something for everyone.
  • One stop shopping for all health and wellness benefits.
  • Continue to add new offerings, such as access to Salary.com at a discount and access to Carta at a discount to manage employee stock programs.
  • On top of compliance by state.
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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  • Time Clock More User Friendly
  • On Staff Admin ability to assist employees is slightly less than I'd like. I don't like being told to have the employee contact for platform issues. I'd like to advocate more for my employees.
  • Expense Reimbursement better integrated with the payroll functionality.
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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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e are currently seeing a massive shift in HR tech, with rapid strides being made in the integration of AI and Machine Learning models. These advancements allow for:Predictive analytics for workforce planning.Automated, intelligent chatbots for instant employee support.Smart data synthesis that provides actionable insights rather than just raw numbers.TriNet appears to be lagging in these areas, missing opportunities to leverage AI to reduce administrative overhead and improve data accuracy
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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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The platform is highly intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy to navigate for both admins and employees when handling everyday tasks like payroll processing, benefits enrollment, and HR reporting. The flexibility in HR and payroll features does not require a need for extensive training. The mobile app stands out as amazing, with a great interface that enables quick access to employee related items
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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 had an issue with application errors - took TriNet 5 months to fix it, mean while we had someone manually tracking and keeping up with many requests and questions about the application error which affected time off. When we were all registering for Benefits during open enrollment there were lots of bugs that caused issues with registering for benefits or being able to see what benefits were available
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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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For the most part pages load quickly. Working for a software company we understand performance is everything, even a few seconds delay can feel like a lifetime, that being said, we ran into a few times where pages didn't load, information didn't load correctly, and an influx in users (like open enrollment) cause things to slow down
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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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The support overall is very good. There seems to be a good number of customer support staff and they are knowledgeable and pleasant to deal with and it almost all cases are able to resolve the question or issue very quickly. My only complaint would be having to wait in some cases as I'm based in the UK and the correct department may not be open 24 hours.
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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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it's been awhile, but I recall them being helpful. I got through a lot of it and when I needed help, they can walk me through it over the phone. It's also pretty user friendly in general at a platform. I don't really know what else to type, but they came and helped me in person and also when there was something new, they came and talked to me. They have not done that since with the new model that I hate
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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 good, but now I haven't done much and since they changed their model, it's a lot harder to deal with. We're talking online training of the trinet platform and not the online training they provide, right? Their online training is ok, and is unfortunate that there is a totally separate model for training that costs extra when we would only watch one or two things. However, the mandatory sexual harassment training is actually pretty good, it was just a little clunky
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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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not applicable as I implementation was done 5 years ago and have no recollection of the details of the process. Above it says to skip question if not involved in the process but it will not allow me to skip it as it states explanation requitred thus making this process extremely frustrating.
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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.
Read full review
I researched all 3 but TriNet clearly had the most to offer. Justworks focuses on small businesses like us and they were a close second but ultimately, I felt that TriNet gave us the biggest bang for our buck. Plus, our specialist is local to our headquarters which just made me feel better
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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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We are a small company, do we use it across departments and sites? Yes, we are all remote working, so there are as many sites as there are people. We also have our entire staff using TriNet, so every department from Accounting, Admin, HR, Development, QA, and Management are all using this. Can't say for sure how great the scalability is as we are only about 30 employees
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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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  • TriNet has raised the level of professionalism for our organization by having a really good platform that provides employees and management with easy data entry and reporting infrastructure.
  • I am sure that the benefits that TriNet offers have helped us recruit and retain excellent staff.
  • TriNet has reduced the time and energy spent on onboarding new employees.
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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