RUN Powered by ADP vs Paycom (2026): which should you pick?

Pick RUN Powered by ADP if

• Fits if you'd rather run payroll with a phone call than learn new software
• Works for owners who want ADP to pay the penalties for its own filing mistakes

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want to see a price before speaking to a salesperson
• Tight if you're on Essential and have garnishments, state unemployment or job costing to manage
• Watch out: W-2 and 1099 forms cost extra, and time and attendance, retirement and workers' comp are add-ons
• Pricey if you want HR help, as the help desk starts at the Complete package, which is also unpriced
• Skip it if you pay people outside the US or have 50 or more staff, since RUN is US payroll for 1 to 49

Pick Paycom if

• Fits if you want payroll, time and hiring from one vendor
• Works for employers who want a dedicated specialist to set it up

Look elsewhere if

• Watch out: no prices are published, and every quote is custom
• Watch out: Core is the minimum every client uses, with other tools added on top
• Not for you if you want self-serve setup, as each customer is assigned a specialist
• Skip it if you want a free plan or a trial, as neither is listed

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.

Paycom

• No prices are published: every quote is customized, and the pricing page is a contact form.
• Paycom says its Core package is the minimum every client uses, with other tools added on top.
• Each customer is assigned a dedicated specialist rather than self-serve setup.
• Paycom lists Global HCM as covering over 190 countries; whether payroll runs there is not stated on the pages read.

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.

Paycom

Self-starting payroll

Payroll begins automatically each pay period, checks live employee data for errors and guides employees to correct them before it is submitted.

Time and labor management

Time and attendance, time clocks and terminals, geofencing, time-off requests, scheduling and labor allocation, with approved time flowing into payroll.

Talent acquisition

Applicant tracking, onboarding, background checks and E-Verify, with candidate data carried into the employee record without re-entry.

Benefits and compliance

Benefits administration with carrier connections and COBRA, plus ACA reporting, garnishment administration and payroll tax management.

Employee self-service and mobile app

Employees see their own pay and HR data in the Paycom app, which has listings on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

RUN Powered by ADP

Pricing could not be confirmed. See adp.com.

Paycom

Pricing could not be confirmed. See paycom.com.

RUN Powered by ADP

• Other savings

  Up to 6 months of payroll free

  New RUN clients with 1 to 49 employees in the continental US who start payroll by November 26, 2026 get months 4 to 6 and 13 to 15 free; self-onboarding Essential clients get 3 months.

Paycom

No public discounts listed.