RUN Powered by ADP® vs. Paychex

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
RUN Powered by ADP®
Score 9.4 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
The RUN Powered by ADP® cloud-based solution is used to pay employees. It also includes HR and hiring tools, as well as benefits, helping small businesses grow and manage their teams.N/A
Paychex
Score 5.5 out of 10
N/A
Paychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
Pricing
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Paychex Go
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
Paychex Flex Service
Contact sales team
Paychex Flex Enterprise
Contact sales team
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Considered Both Products
RUN Powered by ADP®
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I am very familiar with Paychex Flex and what this platform lacks and does well. I cannot say I am anywhere near as familiar with RUN Powered by ADP and cannot offer a true response. However, I believe from what I've seen and used so far, RUN has far more capabilities and will …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We switched from using Paychex Flex to ADP Run back in 2019. We were very unhappy with the services that they were providing. We couldn't be happier now that we are with ADP Run. They are very helpful and willing to answer questions and take calls whenever we need them. We love …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I like being able to enter payroll online and not have to talk to anyone on the phone like I did with Paychex Flex. I work in a business where my phone rings often and majority of my business is conducted over the phone, so it is nice to be able to do payroll online while …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Our account with paychex was much more of an HR solution. We had an HR contact and they would direct me to other departments as needed. With paychex I have one number and often have to explain my question to multiple people until I get to the right person. Once I get to the …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
While Paychex Flex was a decent payroll processing product, the customer service support was terrible. We were unable to reach our assigned payroll support team member constantly. If we had issues that were not pressing, we would send a quick email to get insight or to be …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
RUN Powered by ADP® is much better than Paychex Flex. We used to have to run payroll via phone every time.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
RUN Powered by ADP® blows Paychex Flex out of the water. The ease of using the app and the website is so much better! The detail we are able to see in the payroll section is much improved. Probably the biggest improvement between the two is the customer service. We feel …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I used to use Paychex, but RUN Powered by ADP® helped me with my workers comp tracking in a more efficient way and I am saving money with using RUN Powered by ADP® versus competitors. Their customer service used to be more accessible, but then you started offering 24/7 access, …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Far easier to use and obtain information without having to contact the company
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Looking at the features offered (even if we don't utilize them all), we felt that RUN Powered by ADP was a better value for us. We liked the idea of having the support of a well-tenured business at our fingertips. Other payroll providers do not have the longevity or the scope …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
ADP is more user friendly overall. ADP also sets you up for success with their training portal, the Bridge, online communities, and often provides training based on your organizations individual needs. ADP really tries to build you up for success.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
ADP is very predictable in their cost and services. I did not see this beeing the case with Paychex as their cost increased without notice and constant attempt at selling other services.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I haven't worked within either system, I just know ADP was more informative on the intro call and had the lower per payroll rates, so I chose ADP.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
ADP was more cost-effective for our business. It was also more secure than other options.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
We were originally with Paychex. They did a fine job for us, and we were satisfied with their service. It seemed that our account rep was changing about two to three times a year. We'd always have to become familiar with our new rep. One of my credit union members was an …
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Paychex was more transparent but Run is cheaper.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
ADP hasn't messed up a check yet so that's good.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
I've used Intuit, Gusto & Paychex. Whenever I can, I refer clients to use RUN Powered by ADP payroll because of their easy payroll processing and the 24hrs service they provide.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
RUN is much more user-friendly and access is much easier online/mobile. We selected RUN based on these comparisons.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
ADP is superior to Paychex. It's simpler and gives you more flexibility in terms of reporting and analyzing data. These reports can also be imported into your accounting ERPs.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
Although Paychex came in with a much lower quote than RUN, it was my relationship with my rep that made me stick with ADP. Also, the fact that I already liked the system layout and platform I have been using since day one.
Chose RUN Powered by ADP®
They were more expensive and payroll had to be submitted two days prior to the check date which can be stressful depending on the calendar. The platform was much more cumbersome to use than ADP's RUN. We have had very good experiences with the RUN platform with regard to ease …
Paychex

No answer on this topic

Features
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
8.0
261 Ratings
3% below category average
Paychex
9.1
299 Ratings
13% above category average
Pay calculation9.1252 Ratings9.6282 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.276 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.2175 Ratings8.0142 Ratings
Benefit plan administration6.8111 Ratings8.6164 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.4245 Ratings9.6281 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.5186 Ratings9.1200 Ratings
Reimbursement management5.138 Ratings9.5111 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.3
257 Ratings
7% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings7.6206 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings9.4230 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings8.8164 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings8.3161 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings9.0146 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings7.1137 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
8.4
151 Ratings
5% above category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings8.2107 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings8.5143 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.5117 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
8.8
258 Ratings
9% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings9.1236 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.6248 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings9.7114 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.9175 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.5
41 Ratings
7% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.541 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.0
169 Ratings
7% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.9139 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings8.3159 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings5.086 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.0
165 Ratings
12% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.8158 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings6.3101 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
RUN Powered by ADP®
-
Ratings
Paychex
8.0
61 Ratings
3% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings8.033 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings9.531 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.124 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings7.131 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings8.030 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.135 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.155 Ratings
Best Alternatives
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(327 ratings)
6.0
(309 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.9
(21 ratings)
9.0
(42 ratings)
Usability
9.9
(12 ratings)
8.3
(251 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(7 ratings)
7.4
(11 ratings)
Performance
8.7
(7 ratings)
7.4
(11 ratings)
Support Rating
9.1
(24 ratings)
7.5
(256 ratings)
In-Person Training
9.6
(2 ratings)
4.5
(1 ratings)
Online Training
9.6
(2 ratings)
8.3
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.9
(10 ratings)
6.5
(12 ratings)
Configurability
8.7
(4 ratings)
7.4
(8 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(1 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(8 ratings)
9.1
(11 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.4
(3 ratings)
8.9
(31 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(4 ratings)
9.2
(32 ratings)
User Testimonials
RUN Powered by ADP®Paychex
Likelihood to Recommend
ADP
ADP offers a wide range of options beyond just running payroll. We appreciate the flexibility to select options that best suit our company, such as having Workers' Compensation administered through ADP. During the COVID pandemic, our payroll experts and legal team proved invaluable in navigating special pay circumstances. We have also accessed the HR application to navigate and seek advice on how to administer situations that could be tricky. I would say less appropriate would be putting all our eggs in one basket when it comes to employee benefits - we have a dedicated broker team that we have used for nearly 30 years, and we carry our own HSA and POP insurance, and circumstances when we carry compliant coverage from other sources do not translate to our file with ADP.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
For the most part, Paychex Flex is a very good payroll system and is well suited for a small business. Most basic features are simple and user friendly. For businesses that have hourly employees, its timeclock system is a good feature. For businesses that have a large number of employees and more complicated rules and policies, it might not be as appropriate because of the difficulty to set up for these rules and policies
Read full review
Pros
ADP
  • Ease of use of the platform for reporting payroll.
  • Ease of use for employees via the ADP App.
  • Ease of integration of both PayRoll & 401K services.
  • Storage of reports for 3 years.
  • Accuracy of quarterly filings for State Fund collections via payroll.
  • Hours of operation for support are adequate.
  • Additional available services are helpful.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
  • It provides a well account of Retirement Plan Account Information.
  • Alerts are sent to email when there is new information to access.
  • Employee access both online and thru app.
  • Paperless options.
  • Easy and quick access to paystubs and tax forms.
  • Easy employee retirement management.
Read full review
Cons
ADP
  • I would like to see a change in the payroll processing so that when you have to save for later, you don't have to reenter all the information you have already entered.
  • Make it easier for the employees to track their used vacation and PTO hours.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
  • When it comes to audit reports, Paychex Flex could improve on helping clients locate the correct reports for audit purposes more easily
  • When a client receives a discount, it would be helpful if the discount were automatically provided each year, or if the Paychex rep proactively reached out to the client first, versus the client having to call and request that the discount continue.
  • It would be helpful if the invoice was emailed to the client versus the client logging in to access invoices.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
ADP
It is much better than the payroll system I used previously. The integrations that RUN has for on-boarding new hires are very convenient when they work properly. It saves a tremendous amount of time being able to email a link to new employees that allows them to enter much of their own demographic information. Payroll feature alerts me when someone's pay is significantly less or more than usual.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
Overall I like the features that Paychex Flex offers. I am sure that there are other features that I am unaware of, so I am excited to see if there is more that Flex is capable of to make my job easier. The basic features are really user friendly and easy to access. If there ever is an issue customer service is great
Read full review
Usability
ADP
I have been using this system for years and they have actually made it easier and easier. The system is always making great upgrades that don't necessarily require any additional information or training. I love when I log in and see a new feature or button that I get to use to make my life easier!
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
Some things could be streamlined. For example, we could do custom options for the "add items" tab which has so many options that we never use. "Medical Pay" could be something that the system remembers for the applicable employees. Salaried employees' salaries should definitely be auto-filled. Overall the system works well but I think it could be improved to be easier to use and read.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
ADP
I don't think I have ever encountered error codes or 404 error screens when trying to access RUN ADP. I run payroll for the company every other week and I have had no issues accessing the website, everything saves and updates when it's needed. Our employees use the app on their phones and they have not had any issues either other than just a basic update of the app occasionally
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
We have not experienced any difficulties with unplanned outages. Notifications are always made for outages, and they do not effect normal business operations.
Read full review
Performance
ADP
ADP Run loads a bit slowly at times, once I put in my credentials. However, that said, I think my perception of the time it takes is impacted by our "instant gratification" expectation of being able to get into everything quickly.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
Unless there is lag time within the internet, the Paychex Flex website loads exceptional fast, pages load quickly and reports that I need to print or download load quickly. If I need to create a specialized report, once I complete it I receive an e-mail telling me my report is ready to be downloaded. Changing between web pages is fast as well.
Read full review
Support Rating
ADP
I appreciated having that issue finally take care of. it was extremely disheartening to see the issue had not been resolved. I also had my employees looking to me and thinking I was not trying to resolve the issue so it reflected poorly on my character. I do not know if i was because of a miscommunication, but nonetheless I was happy it was taken care of
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
Our dedicated representative is one of the main reasons we are sticking with Paychex Flex. If it were not for this person, other platforms could provide the same/similar functionality. It is the ability to speak with someone that understands our business and is willing to get questions answered in a timely fashion that keeps us with Paychex Flex.
Read full review
In-Person Training
ADP
they helped up with the 1st payroll after that we were fine - it is very user friendly- they wanted to be sure everything had imported correctly.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
We did online training only
Read full review
Online Training
ADP
Our rep was on a zoom with us and one other person from RUN ADP showing us the layout and how to access everything. we mainly use it for payroll and reports so any questions we had they both were insightful and able to help us navigate the site. The training process was a success and we have had any issues since using.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
It was easy to understand and follow along. I do like the informational videos that we can utilize before we opt to call in for customer service support. It has made a difference since sometimes that resolves the issue I may have had and saved myself a phone call to Paychex support.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
ADP
Make sure there's plenty of time between payrolls for the implementation and be sure to test all the manually inputted fields.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
Implementation was very smooth. The most cumbersome task was entering the current employees into the system during initial set up, but Paychex staff handled most of that and verified against prior system reports as well as internal reports provided to ensure 100% accuracy.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
ADP
I have looked at both of these products and they both have great services but the support I have received from ADP really keeps me here. My rep is amazing and I honestly have not seen anything on another platform that would make me change at this time.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
We still use QB Desktop Pro to maintain a Check Register / Overall Balance for the company, but once having tried QB Payroll Online for about 3 months prior to finding Paychex Flex I can tell you that there's just no comparison. QB online is VERY EXPENSIVE and not so user-friendly. I hated every minute of those 6 payrolls we ran through QB online.
Read full review
Scalability
ADP
Every summer, we hire three new college interns who have to be entered into the system. They can enter their information themselves, which takes a load off me. The onboarding is quite straightforward, and today's college kids are techy enough to be able to understand it.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
I generally do payroll at the office, however I have had to go remote due to internet issues and also had to take payroll on vacation with me. Very easy to log in wherever you are and manage your TAA and payroll
Read full review
Return on Investment
ADP
  • The costs add up with all the services such as running payroll, adding timekeeping, running background checks, and mailing w-2's.
  • We save money on background checks because the first two are free.
  • We lower risk of employee time, penalties, and lawsuits by allowing RUN Powered by ADP® to handle so much of the payroll such as calculations and tax reporting.
Read full review
Paychex Inc.
  • I do not believe we have saved anything additionally. The time we've had to spend to get things to hopefully work is sad. This is the reason we've had to turn off all extra "products" of Paychex Flex. Time and Attendance is horrible. Benefits management is horrible. The user experience is horrible.
  • One thing I do not understand is why are updates for states, cities, counties, school districts, etc. not automatically updated? Should we not get a big red flag if we have an employee living/working, being paid in CA, but they aren't set up for CA sick time? If it is required to be on the paycheck stub to show the balance of the sick time, why would we not be notified that we are out of compliance?
Read full review
ScreenShots

RUN Powered by ADP® Screenshots

Screenshot of the RUN Dashboard with the business' key info front-and-centerScreenshot of the payroll interfaceScreenshot of access to payroll reports and liability amountsScreenshot of the RUN Powered by ADP mobile app, used to process payroll on the goScreenshot of the ADP mobile app, where employees can access their historical payroll statements and year-end tax documents

Paychex Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of