RUN Powered by ADP vs Roll by ADP
We give RUN Powered by ADP a 2.4 GPA and Roll by ADP a 2.8, out of 4.0. RUN Powered by ADP grades higher on features. Roll by ADP grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use 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
Paid
Roll by ADP
Chat-based payroll app for very small US businesses
Free trial · from $39/mo
How we grade them
| 2.4GPARUN Powered by ADPFair | 2.8GPARoll by ADPGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BOne plan at $39 a month plus $5 a worker, $64 for five, inside the cheapest quarter of this category. Time tracking, the AI assistant and QuickBooks Online sync are all in that price; only same-day deposit costs extra. |
| 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. | C3 months free for new US clients, counted from when company setup is done. That's the longest trial in this category, but it's a trial, not a free plan. |
| 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. | CPayroll by typing requests in a chat, W-2 and 1099 workers, taxes paid, timekeeping and AI error checks. It does payroll fully, but it's a smaller job: the pricing page lists no HR, benefits administration or higher tiers. |
| 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. | A4.7 from about 2,900 App Store ratings. You type what you want done, and workers on fixed hours or pay can be paid automatically. |
| 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. | BiPhone, Android and web, plus QuickBooks Online. It's built for phones, though: the desktop view opens by scanning a code from the app. No desktop app. |
| Best for | small firms that want a big name filing their taxes | owners who want to run payroll from a phone chat |
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 Roll by ADP. How we grade
Where they differ
In commonWebiOSAndroidAI featuresTime trackingPayroll
At a glance
| RUN Powered by ADP | Roll by ADP | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | Not published | $39 per month, plus $5 per worker paid |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 3 months free for new US clients, starting once company setup is complete |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | ADP, Inc. | ADP, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | rollbyadp.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
Roll by ADP
- Owners with a few employees who want to run payroll from a phone
- Businesses paying both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors
- Teams spread across several US states
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.
Roll by ADP
- Runs payroll in the US only, though workers may live and work in different states.
- Built for phones: the desktop view is opened by scanning a code from the mobile app.
- Same-day direct deposit costs a per-transaction fee on top of the monthly price.
- One plan only: the pricing page lists no HR, benefits administration or higher tiers.
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.
Roll by ADP
- Payroll by chat
- Owners run payroll, hire workers and change pay by typing requests in a chat, with off-cycle payments for bonuses and final pay.
- Taxes calculated and paid
- Roll calculates, deducts and pays payroll taxes, files 1099-NEC forms, and delivers W-2s and 1099s to workers in the app each January.
- Next-day and same-day deposit
- Direct deposits arrive about 24 hours after payroll is submitted, and same-day deposit is available for a per-transaction fee.
- AI assistant and error checks
- A generative AI assistant answers payroll and HR questions and suggests savings, and AI-driven checks look for errors before payroll runs.
- Automatic payroll and time tracking
- Workers with fixed hours or pay can be paid automatically, and timekeeping is included for W-2 and 1099 workers.
- Employee app
- Employees are invited to their own version of the app to see pay summaries, download paystubs and tax forms, and update bank details.
Plans
RUN Powered by ADP
Pricing could not be confirmed. See adp.com.
Roll by ADP
Roll$39
per month, plus $5 per worker paid
Unlimited payroll for W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, tax filing and payment, time tracking, the AI assistant and QuickBooks Online sync.
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.
Roll by ADP
No public discounts listed.
