RUN Powered by ADP vs OnPay
We give RUN Powered by ADP a 2.4 GPA and OnPay a 2.6, out of 4.0. RUN Powered by ADP grades higher on ease of use. OnPay grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
RUN Powered by ADP
ADP's payroll and HR service for US businesses of 1 to 49 people
OnPay
US payroll with published prices, plus HR and time add-ons
How we grade them
| 2.4GPARUN Powered by ADPFair | 2.6GPAOnPayGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published: all four packages, Essential to HR Pro, are quoted after a form or a call, so there's no five-person figure to set against Gusto's $79 or ADP's own Roll at $64. W-2 and 1099 forms cost extra on top. | CPayroll Essentials is $49 a month plus $6 a worker, $79 for five, the same as Gusto and just under the middle of this category. Benefits administration and onboarding are in that price rather than sold on top. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial. New clients who start payroll by 22 October 2026 get months 4, 5 and 6 free, but you pay for the first three, so it's a discount rather than a trial. | CThe first month is free. There's no free plan, and the listing doesn't say whether you need a card to start. |
| Features | BPayroll by web, app or a phone call, taxes filed with ADP paying penalties for its own errors, multi-state and multi-company payroll, onboarding, and an HR help desk and hiring tools on the higher packages. The whole job, in steps. | BPays employees and contractors in all 50 states, files taxes under an error-free guarantee, onboards new hires with e-signatures, syncs to QuickBooks Online or Xero and sets up health plans with in-house agents. Time and HR are add-ons. |
| Ease of use | A4.92 from about 51,700 App Store ratings, the highest in this category. RUN & DONE repeats a regular payroll without you starting it, and ADP Assist flags likely mistakes before payroll runs. | B4.83 from 689 App Store ratings, short of the 1,000 an A needs. New hires onboard themselves and sign their I-9s and W-4s online. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with ledger exports to QuickBooks, Xero and Wave and links to Clover, ZipRecruiter and CareerPlug. No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Vestwell, JazzHR, NEXT Insurance and TurboTax. No desktop app. |
| Best for | small firms that want a big name filing their taxes | small US firms that want a clear price and benefits |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: RUN Powered by ADP and OnPay. How we grade
Where they differ
- OnPay also covers reports.
At a glance
| RUN Powered by ADP | OnPay | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $49 per month, plus $6 per worker paid |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | First month free |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ADP, Inc. | OnPay, LLC |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | onpay.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
RUN Powered by ADP
- US businesses with up to 49 employees that want taxes filed for them
- Owners who want payroll help by phone or chat at any hour
- Small firms that expect to add HR support and hiring tools later
OnPay
- Small US businesses that want to know the price without a sales call
- Teams paying employees and contractors in several states
- Owners who want benefits handled in the same place as payroll
Worth knowing
RUN Powered by ADP
- No prices are published: all four packages (Essential, Enhanced, Complete and HR Pro) are quoted after a form or a sales call.
- Producing W-2 and 1099 forms costs extra, and time and attendance, retirement plans and workers' comp are add-ons.
- State unemployment management, garnishment payments and job costing are left out of Essential; the HR help desk starts at Complete.
- RUN covers US payroll in all 50 states; ADP sells other products for larger firms and for payroll in other countries.
OnPay
- Add-ons bought alone cost $15 plus $2 per worker (HR), $15 plus $4 per worker (Time Tracking), $10 (Compliance Resources) and $65 a month (Live HR Support).
- Runs payroll in all 50 US states at no extra charge per state; the pages read mention no other countries.
- Health insurance, workers' comp and 401(k) plans are paid at their premiums on top of the OnPay subscription.
Key features
RUN Powered by ADP
- Payroll by web, app or phone
- Run payroll online, in the mobile app or by calling ADP. RUN & DONE repeats a recurring payroll without you starting it each time.
- Payroll tax filing
- ADP calculates, files, deposits and reconciles payroll taxes, answers tax agencies about them, and pays the penalties if it makes a filing error.
- ADP Assist
- An AI assistant that answers payroll and HR questions, flags likely mistakes before payroll runs and imports hours from an existing timesheet file.
- Multi-state and multi-company payroll
- Pay people who work in more than one state or locality in the same period, and report across several companies.
- HR tools by package
- Electronic onboarding comes with every package. Complete adds an HR help desk and handbook wizard; HR Pro adds CareerPlug hiring and online training.
- General ledger export
- Sends payroll journal entries to QuickBooks, Xero, Wave or Creative Solutions, or to a generic file, without retyping them.
OnPay
- Full-service payroll
- Pay W-2 employees and 1099 contractors by direct deposit, check or prepaid debit card, with unlimited pay runs and garnishment deductions.
- Taxes in all 50 states
- Files and pays federal, state and local taxes and year-end W-2s and 1099s, registers for state taxes, and backs its filings with an error-free guarantee.
- Hiring and onboarding
- Send offer letters for e-signature, have new hires sign I-9s and W-4s and onboard themselves, and file state new-hire reports automatically.
- Accounting sync
- Syncs the general ledger to QuickBooks Online or Xero after every pay run, with line items mapped to your chart of accounts.
- Benefits administration
- Health, dental and vision plans chosen with licensed in-house agents, with open enrollment and payroll deductions; you pay only the premiums.
- Time Tracking add-on
- Time clocks for each worksite, overtime and break rules, supervisor approval and approved hours sent straight to payroll.
Plans
RUN Powered by ADP
Pricing could not be confirmed. See adp.com.
OnPay
Payroll Essentials$49
per month, plus $6 per worker paid
Full-service payroll and tax filing in all 50 states, onboarding with e-signatures, accounting sync, reports and benefits administration.
Payroll, Time Tracking and HR$70
per month, plus $10 per worker paid
Bundle for hourly teams: Payroll Essentials with the Time Tracking and HR add-ons, against $79 plus $12 per worker bought separately.
Payroll, HR and HR Support$120
per month, plus $7 per worker paid
Bundle for salaried teams: Payroll Essentials, HR, Compliance Resources and Live HR Support.
Everything bundle$130
per month, plus $10 per worker paid
Payroll Essentials with Time Tracking, HR, Compliance Resources and Live HR Support.
Ways to pay less
RUN Powered by ADP
- Other savings
3 months of payroll free
New RUN clients with 1 to 49 employees in the continental US who start payroll by October 22, 2026 get months 4, 5 and 6 of payroll processing free.
OnPay
No public discounts listed.
