OnPay vs Roll by ADP
We give OnPay a 2.6 GPA and Roll by ADP a 2.8, out of 4.0. OnPay grades higher on features. Roll by ADP grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
OnPay
US payroll with published prices, plus HR and time add-ons
Roll by ADP
Chat-based payroll app for very small US businesses
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAOnPayGood | 2.8GPARoll by ADPGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | 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 | CThe first month is free. There's no free plan, and the listing doesn't say whether you need a card to start. | 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 | 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. | 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 | 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. | 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 QuickBooks Online, Xero, Vestwell, JazzHR, NEXT Insurance and TurboTax. 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 US firms that want a clear price and benefits | 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: OnPay and Roll by ADP. How we grade
Price against what you get
OnPay starts at $49 a month and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Roll by ADP starts at $39 a month and scores 3.0.
They score the same, and Roll by ADP starts $10 a month lower. Of the other payroll services on the chart, 1 scores higher than OnPay for less, and 1 scores higher than Roll by ADP for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- OnPay starts at $49 per month, plus $6 per worker paid. Roll by ADP starts at $39 per month, plus $5 per worker paid.
- OnPay also covers reports.
At a glance
| OnPay | Roll by ADP | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $49 per month, plus $6 per worker paid | $39 per month, plus $5 per worker paid |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | First month free | 3 months free for new US clients, starting once company setup is complete |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | OnPay, LLC | ADP, Inc. |
| Price read from | onpay.com | rollbyadp.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
