What is the difference between ADP RUN and Roll by ADP?

ADP RUN is ADP's traditional small business payroll platform for teams of 1-49 employees. It has four plan tiers (Essential, Enhanced, Complete, HR Pro), requires a sales call for pricing, and is designed for businesses with compliance-heavy or multi-state payroll. Roll by ADP is a mobile-first payroll app built by ADP for very small businesses that want simple, self-serve payroll. It publishes its price ($39/month + $5/person), offers 3 months free, and requires no long-term contract. For a 10-person team, Roll costs roughly half of estimated ADP RUN Essential.

Does ADP offer a free trial?

ADP RUN does not offer a self-serve free trial. You can request a guided demo through ADP sales, but you cannot test the product independently. Roll by ADP, however, offers 3 months free for new accounts with no credit card required upfront. Gusto offers a 30-day self-serve free trial. If hands-on evaluation before purchase is a requirement, Roll by ADP's 3-month offer is the best option within the ADP ecosystem, and Gusto's 30-day trial is the best option outside of it.

What happens to ADP pricing at 50 employees?

At 50 employees, ADP transitions you from RUN (the small business product) to ADP Workforce Now (the mid-market product). Unlike other payroll platforms where pricing simply jumps at a threshold, with ADP this is a platform switch: different interface, different onboarding, different sales contract. Workforce Now comes in three tiers (Select, Plus, Premium), all quote-only. The transition is not automatic; you initiate it through ADP sales. If you are approaching 50 employees, request Workforce Now pricing before you hit the transition, not after.

How does ADP compare to Gusto on price?

At 25 employees: estimated ADP RUN Essential is ~$231/month (from Forbes Advisor's custom quote), while Gusto Simple is $199/month with pricing published on gusto.com. Roll by ADP is $164/month for the same team but with a simpler feature set. At 10 employees: estimated ADP RUN Essential is ~$183/month vs. Gusto Simple at $109/month vs. Roll by ADP at $89/month. Gusto wins on price transparency and trial access (30 days, no credit card); ADP wins on compliance depth for complex payroll scenarios. For straightforward US payroll under 50 employees, Gusto is typically cheaper and faster to evaluate.

What is ADP Workforce Now vs. ADP RUN?

ADP RUN is for small businesses with 1-49 employees. It has four plan tiers (Essential, Enhanced, Complete, HR Pro), is optimized for SMB payroll, and has a simpler interface. ADP Workforce Now is for companies with 50 or more employees. It has three plan tiers (Select, Plus, Premium), is a more complex HRIS and payroll platform, and requires dedicated HR staff to manage effectively. They are separate products, not plan upgrades within the same system. If you grow past 49 employees on RUN, you will need to migrate to Workforce Now through a separate sales and onboarding process.

ADP Payroll Pricing 2026: RUN Plans, Roll by ADP, and What You'll Actually Pay

Last updated: August 2026

TL;DR

ADP has seven payroll products across two tiers and does not publish prices for six of them. For small businesses (1-49 employees), ADP RUN offers four plans: Essential, Enhanced, Complete, and HR Pro. Forbes Advisor obtained custom quotes of $150/month plus $3.25 per employee for both Essential and Enhanced for a 10-person team. Complete and HR Pro require quotes with no public estimates. Roll by ADP ($39/month plus $5/person) is ADP's only plan with published pricing and a self-serve free trial. For teams of 50 or more, ADP Workforce Now (Select, Plus, Premium) replaces RUN entirely and is also quote-only. At 49 employees on RUN, any move up means switching products entirely, not changing plan tiers.

ADP is the largest payroll processor in the US, handling payroll for over 900,000 small businesses through RUN Powered by ADP alone. Knowing what ADP costs before calling sales is nearly impossible: the company removed transparent pricing from most of its products and routes all quotes through its sales team. This guide covers what is confirmed from ADP's own site (Roll by ADP's published price), what Forbes Advisor obtained through direct quotes (Essential and Enhanced plan estimates), and what to watch for before signing a contract.

ℹ ADP does not publish pricing: one exception

ADP does not publish pricing for any ADP RUN plan (Essential, Enhanced, Complete, HR Pro) or any Workforce Now plan (Select, Plus, Premium). Roll by ADP is the only ADP payroll product with a published price ($39/month + $5/person). For all other ADP products, you must submit a quote request and speak with a sales representative. As of August 2026, ADP is running a promotion of 3 months free for new ADP RUN sign-ups (offer ending August 27, 2026, per adp.com).

ADP RUN Plans (1-49 Employees)

ADP RUN is ADP's payroll product for businesses with 1-49 employees. It has four plan tiers. Essential and Enhanced have quote-based estimates from Forbes Advisor's direct research; Complete and HR Pro require a full sales conversation before any pricing indication is available.

ADP RUN plan comparison, August 2026. Essential and Enhanced pricing based on Forbes Advisor custom quote for a 10-person team. Complete and HR Pro prices are not available from any public source.

Plan	Estimated monthly price	Key additions over prior plan	ATS included
Essential Payroll	~$150/mo + ~$3.25/person	Payroll, tax filing, direct deposit, new hire reporting, multi-jurisdiction payroll, employee portal	No
Enhanced Payroll	~$150/mo + ~$3.25/person	All Essential + SUI management, ZipRecruiter integration, check signing and stuffing, job costing, garnishment payments	No
Complete Payroll & HR Plus	Custom quote only	All Enhanced + HR HelpDesk, employee handbook wizard, salary benchmarks, compliance database, HR training toolkits	No
HR Pro Payroll & HR	Custom quote only	All Complete + applicant tracking (CareerPlug), LMS, harassment prevention training, Upnetic legal services	Yes

ℹ Why Essential and Enhanced show the same estimated price

Forbes Advisor's custom quote for a 10-person team returned $150/month plus $3.25/person for both Essential and Enhanced. This likely reflects ADP's modular pricing structure, where the base fee stays the same and upgrades between tiers are priced through add-on modules rather than a flat plan increase. When requesting a quote, ask for a side-by-side price comparison of Essential versus Enhanced for your specific headcount before committing. The difference may be meaningful at larger team sizes.

What Teams Actually Pay on ADP RUN

The table below estimates total monthly costs using Forbes Advisor's quoted rate for ADP RUN Essential ($150 + $3.25/person for a 10-person team). Because Complete and HR Pro are quote-only with no public estimates, the table includes only Essential. Your actual quote will vary based on headcount, selected modules, and negotiated rate. Roll by ADP and Gusto Simple are included for comparison using their published prices.

Monthly payroll cost comparison by team size, August 2026. ADP RUN Essential estimate based on Forbes Advisor custom quote. Roll by ADP and Gusto Simple are published prices.

Team size	ADP RUN Essential (est.)	Roll by ADP (published)	Gusto Simple (published)
5 employees	~$166/mo	$64/mo	$79/mo
10 employees	~$183/mo	$89/mo	$109/mo
25 employees	~$231/mo	$164/mo	$199/mo
49 employees (RUN max)	~$309/mo	$284/mo	$343/mo

⚠ The 50-employee product cliff

At 49 employees, ADP RUN is your product. At 50 employees, ADP moves you to Workforce Now (Select, Plus, or Premium), which is a completely different platform with a different interface, onboarding process, and sales contract. Unlike Paycor or Gusto, where the pricing cliff is a cost jump within the same product, the ADP transition at 50 employees means switching tools entirely. Request Workforce Now pricing before you hit 50 employees, not after.

Roll by ADP: The Only ADP Product With Published Pricing

Roll by ADP is a mobile-first payroll app built by ADP for very small businesses that want simple, self-serve payroll without a sales call. It is a separate product from ADP RUN and publishes its price: $39/month plus $5 per employee per month, with three months free for new accounts and no long-term contract requirement.

Roll by ADP vs. ADP RUN Essential vs. Gusto Simple, August 2026. ADP RUN Essential price is a third-party estimate; Roll by ADP and Gusto are published prices.

	Roll by ADP	ADP RUN Essential (est.)	Gusto Simple
Pricing	Published	Custom quote	Published
Starting price	$39/mo + $5/person	~$150/mo + ~$3.25/person	$49/mo + $6/person
Free trial	3 months free	No (demo only)	30 days
10-person total	$89/mo	~$183/mo	$109/mo
25-person total	$164/mo	~$231/mo	$199/mo
Payroll runs	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Tax filing	Yes	Yes	Yes
Multi-state payroll	Yes (all 50 states)	Yes	Yes
Mobile-first	Yes	No	No
Contract	Month-to-month	Annual (typically)	Month-to-month
HR features	AI-assisted basic	Basic	Basic

For a 10-person team, Roll by ADP ($89/month) costs about half of estimated ADP RUN Essential (~$183/month). The tradeoff is feature depth: RUN Essential includes more HR integrations, multi-company payroll management, and compliance capabilities designed for businesses with regulatory needs. Roll is built for businesses with straightforward US payroll: one or a few states, salaried or hourly workers, no complex garnishments or certified payroll requirements. If your payroll is simple, Roll is faster to start and cheaper. If you have compliance-heavy payroll, RUN is the right ADP product.

ADP Workforce Now (50+ Employees)

For businesses with 50 or more employees, ADP offers Workforce Now in three tiers. All three require a custom quote. Talent acquisition and performance management are add-ons in all Workforce Now tiers and are not included in any base plan.

ADP Workforce Now plan overview, August 2026. All pricing requires a custom quote from ADP sales.

Plan	Price	Notable inclusions	Key gaps (require add-on)
ADP Select	Custom quote	Core HRIS, ADP Assist AI, guided new-hire/termination workflows, voice-of-employee tools	Benefits administration, time collection, talent, performance management
ADP Plus	Custom quote	All Select + benefits administration, enrollment, and carrier connections	Mobile time collection, talent, performance management
ADP Premium	Custom quote	All Plus + mobile time collection	Talent acquisition, performance management

ADP Select is the entry point for teams transitioning from RUN, but it offers fewer features than RUN HR Pro at what is generally a higher price point. Workforce Now is a more complex platform than RUN and typically requires a dedicated HR or payroll administrator. The ADP Assist AI feature, included in all Workforce Now tiers, provides predictive analytics and guided decision-making across payroll, HR, and compliance.

Hidden Costs and Add-Ons

•Implementation and setup fees: ADP charges one-time setup fees for RUN Complete, HR Pro, and all Workforce Now tiers. Reported costs range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars depending on company size and data migration scope. Ask for this number explicitly before signing.
•Time and attendance: not included in any ADP RUN plan. Sold as a separate per-employee-per-month add-on. If you have hourly workers and need time tracking tied to payroll, this is an additional line item from day one.
•Benefits administration: sold as an add-on across all RUN plans. ACA compliance support and carrier integrations are not included in the base plan price.
•Workers' compensation: pay-as-you-go workers' comp is available through ADP but billed separately from any RUN or Roll plan.
•Background checks: included in Enhanced and above but billed per check, not as a flat monthly fee. High-volume hiring means per-unit costs compound quickly.
•Off-cycle payroll runs: some ADP quotes include a cap on included payroll runs per month. Confirm whether your contract covers unlimited off-cycle runs or whether additional runs are billed separately.
•Retirement services: 401(k) administration through ADP Retirement Services is a separate product with separate pricing, not bundled into any RUN plan.

ADP Payroll vs. Alternatives on Price

HR software pricing comparison at 25 employees, August 2026. ADP RUN and Paycor figures are estimates from third-party sources. Roll by ADP, Gusto, and Factorial prices are published by the vendor.

Software	~25-person monthly cost	Price published?	Free trial	US-only
Roll by ADP	$164/mo	Yes	3 months free	Yes
Gusto Simple	$199/mo	Yes	30 days	Yes
ADP RUN Essential (est.)	~$231/mo	No	No	Yes
Gusto Plus	$380/mo	Yes	30 days	Yes
Paycor Core (est.)	~$499/mo	No	No	Yes
BambooHR Pro + Payroll (est.)	~$500-625/mo	Base only	7 days	Yes
Deel EOR	$499/person	Yes	No	No

At 25 employees, Roll by ADP ($164/month) is cheaper than Gusto Simple ($199/month) and is the only ADP product that beats Gusto on price. Estimated ADP RUN Essential (~$231/month) costs more than Gusto Simple at the same headcount. The case for ADP RUN over Gusto is not cost: it is payroll compliance depth, multi-state complexity management, and the brand credibility some regulated industries require from their payroll provider.

When ADP Makes Sense

•Multi-state payroll with complex compliance requirements: ADP's compliance infrastructure is designed for companies running payroll across multiple states with different overtime rules, tip credit laws, and local taxes. ADP's Compliance Connection team and agency inquiry handling are included in all RUN plans. For regulated industries where a payroll error can trigger regulatory action, this coverage justifies ADP's higher price.
•Companies that want their payroll provider to handle agency inquiries and fines: ADP includes a guarantee covering fines and penalties from tax filing errors. Gusto also covers filing errors, but ADP's track record in enterprise and regulated industries adds credibility for companies subject to audits.
•Teams already integrated into the ADP ecosystem: if you use ADP Retirement Services, ADP benefits administration, or ADP workers' comp, adding RUN payroll creates a unified system with fewer integration points.
•Very small teams wanting transparent ADP pricing: Roll by ADP ($39/month + $5/person) lets you start with ADP without a sales call, price negotiation, or long-term contract.

When to Consider Alternatives

•Under 50 employees with simple payroll and transparent pricing: Gusto Simple ($199/month for 25 employees, payroll included, 30-day trial) costs less than estimated ADP RUN Essential (~$231/month) with full pricing published upfront. For a US-only team with straightforward payroll needs, Gusto is a stronger value.
•When you need a free trial before buying: ADP RUN has no self-serve free trial. Demos are sales-led. Roll by ADP offers 3 months free; Gusto offers 30 days. If hands-on evaluation matters before contract signing, Gusto or Roll are better starting points.
•International teams: ADP RUN and Roll by ADP are US-only products. ADP does offer separate global payroll products, but they are not RUN. For international payroll or EOR services from the start, Deel and Rippling are purpose-built and cover 150-185+ countries respectively.
•When performance management is a requirement: no ADP RUN plan includes performance management. BambooHR Pro ($17/employee/month) includes performance reviews, 360 feedback, and goal tracking. Rippling offers performance management as an add-on.

Frequently Asked Questions

ADP RUN does not publish pricing. Forbes Advisor obtained custom quotes of $150/month plus $3.25 per employee for both the Essential and Enhanced plans for a 10-person team. Complete and HR Pro have no public price estimates. Roll by ADP, a separate ADP product, is the only plan with a published price: $39/month plus $5 per employee, with 3 months free for new accounts. For a 10-person team, Roll by ADP costs $89/month; estimated ADP RUN Essential is ~$183/month; and Gusto Simple (for comparison) is $109/month with published pricing.