RUN Powered by ADP vs Paylocity
We give RUN Powered by ADP and Paylocity the same GPA: 2.4 out of 4.0. They get the same grade on all five counts.
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
Paid
Paylocity
Payroll, HR, finance and IT platform for US employers, by quote
Paid
How we grade them
| 2.4GPARUN Powered by ADPFair | 2.4GPAPaylocityFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo prices are published: every package is quoted after a demo request, so there's no five-person figure to compare. Expenses, corporate cards and IT tools are sold as separate products on top of payroll. |
| 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. | FNo free plan, no trial and no self-serve sign-up. A one-month-free payroll offer is advertised for small businesses, without its terms. |
| 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. | BPayroll with 40+ audits before you process, tax filing in all 50 states and US territories, time and scheduling from phone, kiosk or clock, early wage access, and payroll for staff in 100+ countries. The whole job. |
| 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. | A4.81 from about 681,000 App Store ratings, the most in this category, for the app staff use to check pay, clock in and ask for time off. It works only for staff of client companies. |
| 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, plus kiosks and time clocks for hours. No desktop app, and the listing names no integrations. |
| Best for | small firms that want a big name filing their taxes | US employers with hourly staff and a growing HR team |
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 Paylocity. How we grade
Where they differ
- Paylocity also covers reports and expense tracking.
In commonWebiOSAndroidAI featuresTime trackingPayroll
At a glance
| RUN Powered by ADP | Paylocity | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ADP, Inc. | Paylocity |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| 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
Paylocity
- US companies that want payroll, HR and time tracking in one system
- Employers with hourly staff who clock in by phone, kiosk or time clock
- Companies paying some staff abroad alongside US 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.
Paylocity
- No prices are published: the pricing page asks for a demo request form, and quotes follow from sales.
- Tax filing covers the US, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam; payroll in 100+ other countries is a separate global payroll service.
- There is no free trial or self-serve sign-up; the app works only for staff of companies that are already clients.
- Expense management, corporate cards, procurement and IT tools are sold as separate products alongside payroll.
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.
Paylocity
- Payroll with built-in audits
- A Payroll Readiness Dashboard lists tasks before processing day, and more than 40 audits flag likely errors such as unexpected pay spikes.
- Tax services
- Paylocity files as a Registered Reporting Agent with the IRS in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam, and checks each employee's tax location.
- Time and scheduling
- Hours are collected by mobile, web, kiosk or time clock, with geofenced clock-in, shift swaps and scheduling rules that feed payroll.
- Expense management and cards
- Employees snap receipts for AI-coded expense reports, and virtual and physical corporate cards come with policy controls and automatic reconciliation.
- Global payroll
- Domestic and international employees are managed and paid from one system, with payroll data gathered across more than 100 countries.
- Mobile app and Community
- Employees check pay, clock in, request time off and draw earned wages early in the app, and Community gives them a company social feed and chat.
Plans
RUN Powered by ADP
Pricing could not be confirmed. See adp.com.
Paylocity
Pricing could not be confirmed. See paylocity.com.
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.
Paylocity
- Other savings
One month of free payroll for small businesses
Paylocity's payroll page advertises a limited-time offer of one month of free payroll, and more, for small businesses, without stating the terms.
