There are so many different options for payroll solutions on the market today, and trying to make the right decision for your business can be overwhelming. One of the main factors in picking the right payroll software is pricing and whether it fits into your business’s budget.
One of the top payroll software companies on the market is ADP, according to our research. Renowned for its comprehensive and user-friendly solutions, ADP, short for Automatic Data Processing, is a trusted payroll provider, offering a suite of services that streamline payroll processes and compliance tasks for small to mid-sized businesses. One key factor that sets ADP apart is its flexible pricing structure tailored to the specific needs of businesses. Pricing is influenced by the number of employees, allowing scalability for companies experiencing growth. Additionally, businesses can choose from various features, enabling customization based on their unique requirements. Whether a company demands basic payroll processing or seeks advanced features such as tax filing, benefits administration and time and attendance tracking, ADP accommodates diverse needs.
In this article, we at the MarketWatch Guides team will break down ADP’s payroll pricing to help you decide if any of ADP’s payroll plans will fit your budget and if it’s best for your business needs.
ADP Run
3.9
3.9
Quick Facts
- Best For Businesses Looking to Grow
- Monthly cost: Undisclosed
- Plan options:4
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 3 month free trial
- New hire onboarding
- Unlimited payroll
Cons
- Lack of transparency on pricing
EXPLORE PLANS
What Impacts ADP Payroll Costs
Pricing for payroll software isn’t usually black and white, and it’s no different for ADP’s payroll costs. ADP separates its payroll services into two categories: small businesses (ADP Run) and mid-size businesses. Their small business payroll software comes with four different plan options, and the mid-sized business payroll software comes with three different plan options.
ADP doesn’t publicly disclose plan pricing on its website, and you have to contact a sales representative to get a custom quote based on your business and payroll needs. Several factors impact the price of ADP’s payroll plans, including:
- Number of employees: ADP creates two different payroll solutions catered towards small businesses (1-49 employees) and mid-sized businesses (50+ employees). Like most payroll providers, on top of a base monthly price, you’ll also pay an additional per-employee price per month.
- Payroll frequency: ADP offers options to align with a business’s preferred payment schedule, whether weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.
- Desired features: Different packages are also priced differently depending on the features included in each package. A plan that includes simple payroll features and minimal add-ons will cost less than a plan that includes all the bells and whistles.
- HR additions: Some ADP payroll plans include additional HR features to provide a well-rounded payroll solution. Plans that include HR features will cost more than payroll-only plans.
- Processing method: The processing method chosen for payroll can significantly impact pricing. The processing method includes how the payroll data is input, calculated and managed, influencing the level of automation and resources required.
ADP Payroll Pricing Plans
ADP doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing for any plans. To get accurate pricing, you’ll need to contact a sales representative who will review your business and payroll needs to create a custom quote based on the plan that best suits your payroll needs, number of employees and desired features.
Our research team found that in a 20-minute conversation with an ADP sales rep, you can expect to discuss your current payroll and broader HR solutions, your budget, other brands being considered, details about your employees and your role within the company. After talking with a sales rep on the phone, you will receive an email with a personalized payroll quote.
Plan | Essential | Enhanced | Complete | HR Pro |
Payroll features | Unlimited payroll, direct deposit, W2s and 1099s, tax filing and payroll delivery | Everything included in Essential plus check signing security, state unemployment insurance management, job costing and labor law compliance | Everything included in the Enhanced plan | Everything included in the Enhanced plan |
HR features | Employee access, new hire onboarding, employee discounts and background checks | Everything included in Essential plus ZipRecruiter access | Everything included in Enhanced plus HR help desk, employee handbook wizard, salary benchmark, HR tracking, HR forms and documents, training and toolkits | Everything included in Complete plus enhanced HR help desk support, applicant tracking system, enhanced employee handbook support, learning management system and sexual harassment training |
Marketing features | Google ads | Google ads | Google ads | Google ads, marketing tools, live advice and legal advice through Upnetic Legal Services |
Best for Growing Businesses
3.9
Best for Growing Businesses
3.9
ADP Essential Plan
The Essential plan is designed for small businesses and start-ups that just want to have simple payroll with a provider they can trust to do it right. The basic payroll features in the Essential plan include automated payroll processing, direct deposit, new hire reporting, W-2s and 1099s, tax filing, payroll delivery, multijurisdiction payroll and general ledger.
This plan also includes HR features, such as employee portal access where employees can view their pay history, manage their ADP retirement accounts and enroll in paperless pay stub statements. Other HR features in the Essential plan include new hire onboarding, employee discounts on brand-name products and local retailers and background checks.
ADP Enhanced Plan
The Enhanced plan is for businesses that want to access all of ADP’s payroll features plus the add-on for ZipRecruiter. With this plan, you have access to all the payroll features included in the Essential plan, plus job costing to track and calculate labor costs for jobs and projects, state unemployment insurance management and labor law compliance to automatically stay updated with labor law regulations. The ZipRecruiter feature can help small businesses grow their teams by posting job openings to over 100 online job boards.
ADP Complete Plan
The Complete plan is for businesses that want to add basic HR support to their payroll services. It offers all of the payroll services included in the Enhanced plan plus ADP’s basic HR support services including an HR help desk that gives you phone and email access to a dedicated HR support team to help you navigate any HR issues. Other HR features include an employee handbook wizard that helps you create a professional employee handbook based on federal employment laws, salary benchmarking to help you stay competitive in the job market, a library of HR templates, forms, documents, trainings, toolkits and access to HR tracking to track important employee information such as performance.
ADP HR Pro Plan
The HR Pro plan is for businesses that want the complete payroll and HR package. Prices vary based on unique business needs, but our research team received a quote for $453 per payroll for a company with 45 employees and a bi-weekly payroll frequency. Here’s how that quote is broken down:
ADP HR Pro Base Price | Per Employee Price | Number of Employees | Cost Per Payroll | Net Annual Price (26 Payrolls) |
$225.75 | $5.05 | 45 | $453 | $11,778 |
The per-employee pricing starts when you have more than four employees. For smaller companies, we received quotes of $238.95 for one to two employees and $245.95 for three to four employees.
ADP also charges a $392.45 annual fee for year-end W-2 statements and $14.95 annually for W-2 delivery (rates are for 45 employees).
On top of including all payroll features and the HR features included in the Complete plan, the HR Pro plan also comes with additional HR features. These extra HR features include enhanced HR help desk support with access to a dedicated team of business advisors that provide support as needed and scheduled check-ins, extra assistance with creating employee handbooks, an applicant tracking system and a learning management system to assign and track progress for online courses and skills and professional development training.
ADP Alternative Price Comparison
ADP is one of the most well-known payroll companies on the market. However, just because ADP is a top payroll provider doesn’t mean it will be the right fit for your company. When choosing a payroll provider, it’s important to research and consider all of your options and compare providers and plans to your budget, business size and payroll needs. Some of ADP’s top competitors to compare against include Gusto, Rippling, Paychex and SurePayroll.
Provider | ADP | Gusto | Rippling |
Pricing | Varies | $40/month + $6 per employee/month | $8/month per user |
Payroll | Automatic payroll and tax filing | Automated payroll for employees and contractors | Payroll for U.S. and global employees and contractors |
Direct Deposit | Direct deposit or payroll check delivery | Direct deposit and online paystubs | Direct deposit |
Onboarding | New hire onboarding is included in all plans | Customized onboarding is available in plus and premium plans | New hire onboarding included |
Tax Filing | Automated payroll tax filing and reporting | Automated state and federal tax filing | Automated tax filing and reporting for payroll |
Benefits Administration | Add on benefits features for health insurance, retirement and worker’s compensation | Health insurance and worker’s compensation are available through paying premiums only and additional benefits add-on features | Benefits administration, health insurance and retirement are available to add on |
Time Tracking | Time tracking and attendance management are available as an add-on | Time tracking is available in the premium plan | Time tracking is available to add on |
Employee Access | Employee access portal to access pay history, tax forms, manage ADP retirement accounts and get paperless pay statements | Lifetime access employee payroll portal | Employee self-service for payroll and HR available |
Free Trial | 3-month free trial | Free trial until you run payroll | No free trial |
Provider | Rating | Award | Explore Options |
---|---|---|---|
Best for SMBs | 4.6 | Best for Small Businesses | Get Started |
4.9 | Most User-Friendly | Get Started | |
4.7 | Best for QuickBooks Users | Get Started | |
ADP RunGet Started | 3.9 | Best for Growing Businesses | Get Started |
4.8 | Best for Global Payroll | Get Started | |
4.7 | Best for Insufficient Fund Protection | Get Started | |
4.7 | Best Customer Service | Get Started | |
4.5 | Best Compliance Support | Get Started | |
PaycorGet Startedvia Expert Market | 4.7 | Best Implementation Support | Get Startedvia Expert Market |
SurePayrollGet Startedvia Expert Market | 4.0 | Best for Household Payroll | Get Startedvia Expert Market |
WorkdayGet Startedvia Expert Market | 4.0 | Best for Enterprises | Get Startedvia Expert Market |
3.7 | Best for Freelancers | Get Startedvia Expert Market |
Provider | Rating | Award | Explore Options |
---|---|---|---|
Best for SMBs | 4.6 | Best for Small Businesses | Get Started |
4.9 | Most User-Friendly | Get Started | |
4.7 | Best for QuickBooks Users | Get Started | |
ADP RunGet Started | 3.9 | Best for Growing Businesses | Get Started |
4.8 | Best for Global Payroll | Get Started | |
4.7 | Best for Insufficient Fund Protection | Get Started | |
4.7 | Best Customer Service | Get Started | |
4.5 | Best Compliance Support | Get Started | |
PaycorGet Startedvia Expert Market | 4.7 | Best Implementation Support | Get Startedvia Expert Market |
SurePayrollGet Startedvia Expert Market | 4.0 | Best for Household Payroll | Get Startedvia Expert Market |
WorkdayGet Startedvia Expert Market | 4.0 | Best for Enterprises | Get Startedvia Expert Market |
3.7 | Best for Freelancers | Get Startedvia Expert Market |
Since ADP doesn’t disclose pricing, there’s also no clear answer on how you can reduce costs with ADP or available promotions without contacting a sales representative. For example, when our research team received a quote for ADP HR Pro, we also received a promotion for up to 12 months of free payroll with the purchase of a 401(k) plan with ADP.
Typically, payroll providers offer a discounted rate when you sign on for an annual contract and pay annually instead of monthly or may give a discount if you sign on with a large number of employees. ADP also offers a free trial for you to try out the software at no cost to you before committing to a contract. ADP’s typical free trial is for three months; however, some promotions state you can get up to a six-month free trial.
Setup Fees
ADP doesn’t charge any start-up fees to start with one of its plans. The cost to get started just includes the monthly and per-employee fees of the plan you choose. To get the most accurate estimate of how much it will cost for you to start using ADP for payroll, it’s best to contact a sales representative to get a quote for your business.
Roll by ADP Pricing Overview
Roll by ADP is an innovative payroll solution for small businesses. It’s a chat-based payroll mobile app for payroll management and HR assistance. This ADP payroll product is also transparent in pricing, costing $29 per month plus $5 per employee. You can also try Roll by ADP for free for three months. Roll manages many payroll functions automatically, including payroll processing, calculations, tax filing, paying all W-2 and 1099 workers via direct deposit or check, tipped wage support, Quickbooks online integration and unlimited live chat support.
The main benefit of Roll is that it’s made with small business owners in mind who want to manage payroll as quickly as possible without extra steps. ADP accomplishes this with its chat feature that allows employers to simply chat and send texts to the chat support to perform various payroll management functions automatically. This makes Roll a good payroll option for small business owners who have a very hands-on role in the day-to-day operations of their business, don’t have a payroll manager and need a quick and easy way to manage payroll on their own.
ADP’s other payroll plans and products would be better suited for small businesses that want more extensive payroll software with the ability to have access to HR features and either have more time to spend on payroll management or have a dedicated payroll manager.
Choosing the Best ADP Plan
When choosing the best ADP plan, it’s important to consider factors such as your budget, the size of your business and number of employees, plans for future growth, payroll features needed and whether you desire to have HR features included. Depending on these factors, certain ADP plans may or may not be best suited for you.
For example, if you’re a start-up that just needs simple payroll to pay your employees reliably and manage tax filing while you get up and running, then the Essential plan would probably be the best fit. However, if you’re a fast-growing small business that wants to also have HR functions in the same platform as your payroll, then the HR Pro plan may be the best investment for your business needs.
It’s also important to consider additional features you may need to add on, like benefits administration and time tracking. These add-ons will increase the cost of your plan, so if you want to add on features, you’ll want to make sure that the base cost of the plan plus the added costs of additional features is within your budget.
The best way to choose the right ADP plan for your payroll needs is to contact a sales representative who can give you pricing information and create a custom quote with a plan that will best suit your business and payroll needs.
The Bottom Line
ADP is a reliable payroll choice for small businesses looking for simple and trustworthy payroll with a provider that can scale along with them. The variety of different payroll plans allows for flexibility and customization to ensure you get the right plan that will fit your payroll needs and provide the features most important to your business. However, ADP’s lack of transparent pricing makes it difficult to quickly compare plans to competitors and determine if it’s the best choice without contacting a sales representative.
The best course of action when choosing one of ADP’s payroll plans is to request a quote from ADP, as well as a few other providers you’re considering, to conduct a full comparison and make an informed decision on the best payroll software for your business. When comparing and choosing a payroll provider, make sure to consider important factors like company reputation, costs, payroll and tax features, additional feature options and customer support.
ADP Run
3.9
3.9
Quick Facts
- Best For Businesses Looking to Grow
- Monthly cost: Undisclosed
- Plan options:4
Pros & Cons
Pros
- 3 month free trial
- New hire onboarding
- Unlimited payroll
Cons
- Lack of transparency on pricing
Frequently Asked Questions About ADP Pricing and Costs
Roll by ADP is an affordable $29 a month plus $5 per employee. For other ADP plans, get a custom quote by contacting an ADP sales rep.
Most payroll providers allow you to choose between paying for your plan monthly or annually.
Paychex’s lowest-priced payroll plan starts at $39 per month plus $5 per employee. Since ADP doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing, it’s difficult to determine if it’s more expensive than Paychex.
When you get in touch with a sales representative, they will provide you with a custom quote based on your business needs and you may be able to negotiate a plan or price that best fits your needs with ADP.
Methodology
Choosing human resources (HR) software for your organization is an important decision. To help you with it, we at the MarketWatch Guides team have researched and reviewed 50 leading HR software companies, including Paycor, ADP, Workday, Gusto, ZipRecruiter and Clockify. These providers help with some or all of the following HR disciplines:
- Payroll
- Time tracking and workforce management
- Recruiting and job posting
We conducted a survey in 2024 of 200 professionals who were currently using HR software or had used HR software within the past year. We analyzed the results of this survey to determine the following rating criteria:
- Features (25%)
- Value and Pricing (25%)
- User Experience (20%)
- Customer Support (15%)
- Reputation and Reviews (15%)
Visit the full HR methodology page for more details on our rating system.
If you have feedback or questions about this article, please email the MarketWatch Guides team at editors@marketwatchguides.com.