Payroll · Legacy payroll, PEO or reputation warning
ADP Run Review
ADP's small-business payroll for 1-49 employees, priced by quote in four packages
Quick verdict
Who ADP Run suits: Small trades shops (1-49 employees) that want job costing, add-on time tracking and workers' comp from one large payroll provider, and are willing to get a quote before seeing a price. Pricing: Quote only; ADP publishes no RUN prices. Four packages (Essential, Enhanced, Complete Payroll & HR Plus, HR Pro); time and attendance, retirement, workers' comp and health insurance are add-ons. Promotion at our October 23, 2026 check: new RUN clients with 1-49 employees in the continental US who sign and start payroll by November 26, 2026 get up to 6 free months of payroll processing (months 4-6 and 13-15; Essential Payroll clients who self-onboard digitally get 3), conditions apply. No published pricing (quote only), job costing and HR tools sit in higher packages, promotional free months come with conditions, and certified payroll is not advertised on the RUN package page.
About ADP Run
RUN Powered by ADP is ADP's payroll and HR product for small businesses. ADP pitches it at companies with 1-49 employees, and ADP's fiscal 2026 annual report (Form 10-K) says RUN serves over 980,000 small businesses. ADP itself dates to 1949 and is headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey.
ADP does not publish RUN prices. The product and package pages send you to a Get Pricing form or a sales line for a quote. RUN comes in four packages: Essential Payroll (payroll, tax filing, direct deposit, reporting, employee access and 24/7 support), Enhanced Payroll (adds check signing, state unemployment insurance management, job costing, labor law poster compliance and ZipRecruiter job posting), Complete Payroll & HR Plus (adds an HR HelpDesk, employee handbook wizard, HR tracking and a forms library) and HR Pro Payroll & HR (adds applicant tracking, a learning management system, harassment prevention training and legal assistance services). Time and attendance, retirement, workers' compensation and health insurance are add-ons.
ADP says RUN files federal, state and local payroll taxes, includes multi-jurisdiction payroll in every package, offers a mobile app and an assistant called ADP Assist that flags errors, and exports journal entries to QuickBooks, Xero, Wave and Creative Solutions. The package page says you do not have to sign a contract and services can be terminated at any time. At our October 23, 2026 check, ADP's offer terms gave new RUN clients with 1-49 employees in the continental US who sign and start payroll by November 26, 2026 up to six free months of payroll processing: months four to six, plus months thirteen to fifteen for clients still in good standing after month twelve. Essential Payroll clients who self-onboard digitally get three free months, and other conditions are set out in the offer terms.
The trade-off: RUN gives a small trades shop job costing (from the Enhanced package up), add-on time tracking and workers' comp, and a large payroll company behind the tax filing, but you cannot see a price until you talk to ADP. Get the quote in writing, including which package it covers and what happens to the price after any promotional months, and compare it with services that publish their prices.
How it works
Request pricing through ADP's form or sales line, pick a package, and ADP sets up your account. You then run payroll on a computer, in the mobile app or by phone. ADP calculates and files federal, state and local payroll taxes, pays employees by direct deposit or on a Wisely pay card, and can export journal entries to QuickBooks, Xero, Wave or Creative Solutions. ADP says no contract is required and service can be terminated at any time.
Pros & cons
What works
-
Large, long-running payroll provider
ADP was founded in 1949, and its fiscal 2026 annual report says RUN serves over 980,000 small businesses.
-
Job costing and multi-state payroll
Multi-jurisdiction payroll is included in every RUN package, and job costing is included from the Enhanced package up, which helps a contractor track labor by job.
-
Add-ons for time, workers' comp and benefits
Time and attendance, workers' compensation, health insurance and retirement plans can be added to RUN, so a shop can keep several services with one provider.
-
No contract required
ADP's package page says you do not have to sign a contract and services can be terminated at any time.
What doesn't
-
No published pricing
RUN prices are quoted through a form or sales call, so you cannot compare the cost with other payroll services before talking to ADP.
-
Promotional pricing has conditions
The current offer of up to six free months covers payroll processing only, applies to months four to six and thirteen to fifteen, requires direct debit of fees and staying on the same bundle and payroll frequency, and excludes non-payroll services, delivery, off-cycle and hardware fees.
-
Useful features sit in higher packages
Job costing starts at the Enhanced package, and HR tools start at Complete Payroll & HR Plus, so the package you need for a trades shop may not be the entry one.
-
Construction-specific payroll not advertised
ADP's RUN package page does not mention certified payroll or prevailing-wage reporting. Ask directly if you bid public work.
Pricing
Quote only; ADP publishes no RUN prices. Four packages (Essential, Enhanced, Complete Payroll & HR Plus, HR Pro); time and attendance, retirement, workers' comp and health insurance are add-ons. Promotion at our October 23, 2026 check: new RUN clients with 1-49 employees in the continental US who sign and start payroll by November 26, 2026 get up to 6 free months of payroll processing (months 4-6 and 13-15; Essential Payroll clients who self-onboard digitally get 3), conditions apply.
Affiliate disclosure: The link to ADP Run on this page goes to its own site and is not an affiliate link.
Integrations
Reviews and complaints at the source
We do not copy third-party review scores onto this page: they change often and we could not verify them. Read ADP Run's current reviews at the source.
Frequently asked
Is ADP RUN worth it for a 10-employee trades shop?
It can be, if you want job costing, workers' comp and time tracking from one provider. RUN is built for 1-49 employees. The catch is that ADP does not publish prices, so get a written quote for the package you need and compare it with payroll services that list their prices.
How much does ADP RUN cost?
ADP does not publish RUN prices; you request a quote. At our October 23, 2026 check, new clients with 1-49 employees in the continental US who sign and start payroll by November 26, 2026 could get up to six free months of payroll processing (months four to six and thirteen to fifteen), subject to ADP's offer terms.
Do I have to sign a contract with ADP RUN?
ADP's RUN package page says you do not have to sign a contract and services can be terminated at any time. Confirm this in writing when you get your quote.
Other payroll services
Gusto
Tier SOnline payroll with automatic federal, state and local tax filing, contractor payments and published prices for every plan
OnPay
Tier SOne-plan online payroll at $49/mo plus $6 per person, with QuickBooks and Xero sync and optional pay-as-you-go workers' comp
Patriot Payroll
Tier SLow-cost online payroll from Canton, Ohio: $37/mo plus $5 per worker with full tax filing, or $17/mo plus $4 per worker if you file taxes yourself
Hourly.io
Tier SPayroll plus pay-as-you-go workers' comp in one app, with GPS time tracking and job costing on every plan
QuickBooks Payroll (plans branded QuickBooks Workforce)
Tier AIntuit's own payroll, now sold as QuickBooks Workforce: runs inside QuickBooks Online, from $50/mo plus $7 per employee payroll-only
Square Payroll
Tier ASquare's payroll for businesses already on Square: $35/mo plus $6 per person paid, or $6 per contractor with no base fee