RUN Powered by ADP vs QuickBooks Workforce
We give RUN Powered by ADP and QuickBooks Workforce the same GPA: 2.4 out of 4.0. RUN Powered by ADP grades higher on ease of use. QuickBooks Workforce 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
QuickBooks Workforce
Intuit's payroll and HR service, sold alone or with QuickBooks
How we grade them
| 2.4GPARUN Powered by ADPFair | 2.4GPAQuickBooks WorkforceFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CWorkforce Payroll is $50 a month plus $7 an employee, so $85 for five, the middle of this category. Half-price base for the first 3 months makes that $60 at first. Time tracking and HR need Premium, which is $153 for five. |
| 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. | DA 30-day trial, but it only waives the $50 base: the $7 per employee is still charged, so running a real payroll costs money from day one. Taking the trial also means giving up the 3 months at half price. |
| 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. | BIntuit files and pays payroll taxes, pays salaried staff automatically, e-files unlimited 1099s and pays next day. Premium adds time tracking, hiring and onboarding, and Elite adds IRS penalty cover up to $25,000 a year. That covers 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. | B4.65 from about 197,000 App Store ratings for the QuickBooks Workforce app, where staff clock in. Premium includes an expert review of your setup, and Elite has an expert set it up for you. |
| 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, sitting alongside QuickBooks Online, with QuickBooks Time, Checkr, Vestwell, NEXT Insurance and Mineral connected. No desktop app in the listing. |
| Best for | small firms that want a big name filing their taxes | businesses already keeping books in QuickBooks |
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 QuickBooks Workforce. How we grade
Where they differ
At a glance
| RUN Powered by ADP | QuickBooks Workforce | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $50 per month, plus $7 per employee, billed monthly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial of the base price, taken instead of the 3-month discount; per-employee fees still apply |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ADP, Inc. | Intuit Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | quickbooks.intuit.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
QuickBooks Workforce
- US businesses already keeping their books in QuickBooks Online
- Small teams that want payroll, time tracking and HR from one vendor
- Employers who want an expert to set up payroll for them
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.
QuickBooks Workforce
- The advertised prices are 50% off the base fee for the first 3 months; per-employee fees are charged in full from the start.
- Time tracking, HR tools and same-day deposit need Premium; IRS penalty cover and a personal HR advisor need Elite.
- Bundles with QuickBooks Online accounting start at $88 a month plus $6.50 per employee (Workforce Payroll with Simple Start).
- It is Intuit's US payroll, filing with the IRS and US states; Canada has its own QuickBooks payroll site and prices.
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.
QuickBooks Workforce
- Full-service payroll taxes
- Intuit calculates, files and pays payroll taxes, sets up garnishments and deductions, and keeps reports on pay history, tax payments and time off.
- Auto payroll and fast deposits
- Salaried staff on direct deposit can be paid automatically. Payroll pays next day; Premium and Elite pay the same day if run by 7 am.
- Payroll AI
- Collects hours from staff by text or app, spots inconsistencies and drafts a payroll for you to approve. The plans list it by name on Premium and Elite.
- Time tracking in the Workforce app
- Premium and Elite include time tracking by phone or an on-site kiosk, with job schedules; Elite adds geofenced reminders and GPS mileage.
- Hiring and HR
- Premium and Elite add offer letters, digital onboarding, automated I-9s, recruiting, time-off policies and a documents center with e-signatures.
- 1099 e-filing
- Every plan e-files unlimited 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC forms with the IRS and sends copies to contractors.
Plans
RUN Powered by ADP
Pricing could not be confirmed. See adp.com.
QuickBooks Workforce
Workforce Payroll$50
per month, plus $7 per employee, billed monthly
Advertised at $25 a month for the first 3 months. Full-service payroll and tax filing, auto payroll, 1099 e-filing and next-day direct deposit.
Workforce Premium$88
per month, plus $13 per employee, billed monthly
Advertised at $44 a month for the first 3 months. Adds same-day direct deposit, time tracking, hiring, recruiting and an expert setup review.
Workforce Elite$134
per month, plus $17 per employee, billed monthly
Advertised at $67 a month for the first 3 months. Adds expert setup, IRS penalty cover up to $25,000 a year, performance reviews and an HR advisor.
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.
QuickBooks Workforce
- Other savings
50% off the base fee for 3 months
New customers on a monthly plan pay half the base price for the first 3 months, then the regular price. Per-employee and state filing fees are not discounted.
