Enterprise reliability without the enterprise sales cycle
ADP RUN starts around $79/mo + $4/employee, but the published number rarely matches the invoice — most SMBs report $100–$300/mo per company after add-ons, and contracts typically lock in for 1–2 years. ADP's tax-resolution muscle and certified-payroll capabilities are still genuinely best-in-class for regulated industries. For accounting firms processing standard payroll across many clients, the price-per-client opacity and weeks-long onboarding are why firms quietly migrate off.
Transparent: $12/client/mo (accountants) or $29-99/mo (SMB direct)
Quote-based. RUN Essential ~$79 + $4/emp published; typical real invoice $100-300/mo per company after add-ons. ADP Roll: $29 + $5/emp for very small.
No setup fee, no annual contract, no early-termination clause. 50 clients on RUN at conservative $150/mo blended = $7,500/mo. Payrollix: ~$700/mo. Annual delta well into six figures.
Side by side — honestly, including where ADP comes out ahead.
| Feature | Payrollix | ADP |
|---|---|---|
| Published pricing | On the website | Quote required |
| Contract | Month-to-month | 1-2 year typical, auto-renew |
| Setup time | Self-service, minutes | Sales + implementation, weeks |
| Multi-client dashboard | Native | Accountant Connect (free, separate product) |
| IRS e-filing | Yes — e-filed directly with the IRS | Via ADP |
| Certified payroll (Davis-Bacon / union) | Roadmap | Mature add-on |
| PEO option | No | ADP TotalSource (full-service PEO) |
| Tax notice resolution / audit response team | In-house (small team) | Dedicated teams, decades of agency relationships |
| Customer count / time in market | New (2025) | 1M+ clients, founded 1949 |
| Same-day ACH | Higher-tier plans | Available, extra cost |
| Time tracking | Built-in + geofencing | ADP Time & Attendance add-on |
| HR tools & advisory | Core HR tools built-in; no advisory desk | Full HR services + advisors (HR Pro / TotalSource) |
| Mobile app (iOS + Android) | Employee + client portals | ADP Mobile (employee) |
| QuickBooks / Xero / Odoo / Wave / Sage | All native | QB / Xero only |
| Customer support | Email, chat, phone | Phone (queue depth varies) |
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