ADP vs QuickBooks Payroll (2026): RUN vs Workforce Under 25
For a QuickBooks Online business under 25 staff, QuickBooks Workforce costs $120 a month at 10 people, published. ADP RUN is quote-only, estimated near $119 at 10 but often higher all-in, and adds 24/7 phone support, garnishment and unemployment-tax services. Both sync with QuickBooks Online.
ADP vs QuickBooks Payroll: which is better for Payroll teams?
Under 25 employees with books in QuickBooks Online, start with QuickBooks Workforce: $50 plus $7 per employee, a published price, and payroll that writes into the same ledger.
Move to ADP RUN when payroll gets harder than the ledger: garnishments, state unemployment notices, several states, or a need to call someone at night. RUN still syncs to QuickBooks Online, so your bookkeeper keeps the ledger.
Don't pick ADP on its entry estimate ($79 plus $4 per employee) alone; Vendr reports RUN buyers paying $12 to $25 per employee all-in, and W-2s cost extra. Don't pick QuickBooks if you need to pay unemployment tax to more than one state for the same employee.
ADP vs QuickBooks Payroll: what each tool does
ADP is the payroll and HR platform that mid-market companies encounter when they need the reliability of the world's largest payroll processor behind their employee operations.
- Starting price
- $39/mo + $5 per employee (Roll) (est.)
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Free trial
- RUN: 3 months free payroll promotion; Roll: 3 months free (terms apply)
QuickBooks Payroll, now sold as QuickBooks Workforce, is Intuit's payroll for small businesses already on QuickBooks, with tax filing on every plan.
- Starting price
- $50/mo + $7 per employee
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial, or 50% off the base fee for 3 months
ADP vs QuickBooks Payroll: side by side
Rows are grouped by the decision they belong to, and a row is marked where the two products answer differently. Rows they answer the same way stay visible: that is an answer too.
| Pricing | ADP | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $39/mo + $5 per employee (Roll)Estimated, quote-based | $50/mo + $7 per employee |
| Typical cost | RUN est. $79/mo + $4 per employee and upEstimated, quote-based | $88/mo + $13 per employee on Premium ($413/mo at 25) |
| Billing unit | per month + per employee | per month + per employee |
| Free trial | RUN: 3 months free payroll promotion; Roll: 3 months free (terms apply) | 30-day free trial, or 50% off the base fee for 3 months |
| Price transparency | Some prices published, rest by quote | Prices published by vendor |
Prices verified Sep 2026. Sources: ADP (RUN Powered by ADP): RUN Powered by ADP packages page, ADP (RUN Powered by ADP): Roll by ADP pricing page, ADP (RUN Powered by ADP): Tech.co ADP RUN pricing guide (Jan 2026), ADP (RUN Powered by ADP): Vendr ADP pricing (updated Feb 2026), ADP (RUN Powered by ADP): Outsail ADP Workforce Now review 2026 (July 2026), QuickBooks Payroll (QuickBooks Workforce): QuickBooks Workforce pricing page, QuickBooks Payroll (QuickBooks Workforce): QuickBooks payroll plans page (trial and discount terms), QuickBooks Payroll (QuickBooks Workforce): Firm of the Future: QuickBooks payroll price changes (June 14, 2026), QuickBooks Payroll (QuickBooks Workforce): QB-LA: Workforce payroll changes July 2026 (June 19, 2026).
Full plan tables: ADP pricing, QuickBooks Payroll pricing.
| Criteria |  ADP |  QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Commercials | ||
| Starting priceDiffers | $39/mo + $5 per employee (Roll) (estimated, quote-based) | $50/mo + $7 per employee |
| Pricing modelDiffers | Base + per-employee pricing | Tiered pricing |
| Free trialDiffers | RUN: 3 months free payroll promotion; Roll: 3 months free (terms apply) | 30-day free trial, or 50% off the base fee for 3 months |
| Typical costDiffers | RUN est. $79/mo + $4 per employee and up | $88/mo + $13 per employee on Premium ($413/mo at 25) |
| Who it fits | ||
| Best forDiffers | Multi-state employers that value payroll reliability over polish | QuickBooks Online users wanting payroll posted straight to the ledger |
| Rollout & platform | ||
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Supported platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
ADP vs QuickBooks Payroll: key differences
When QuickBooks payroll stops being enough
QuickBooks Workforce is payroll inside your accounting tool. ADP RUN is a payroll service that syncs to that tool and takes on more of the tax admin.
- 9 employees, one state, owner and bookkeeper both in QuickBooks Online: QuickBooks Workforce Payroll ($113 a month).
- 14 employees, two garnishments and a state unemployment notice last year: ADP RUN Enhanced, which handles garnishment payments and unemployment tax management.
- Restaurant paying tips and weekly payroll, questions on Friday night: ADP for its 24/7 line.
- Growing past 25 toward 50: compare QuickBooks Workforce Premium with an ADP quote, then ADP Workforce Now at 50+.
ADP RUN vs QuickBooks Workforce at 5, 10 and 20 employees
| Plan | 5 employees / mo | 10 employees / mo | 20 employees / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| QuickBooks Workforce Payroll ($50 + $7) | $85 | $120 | $190 |
| QuickBooks Workforce Premium ($88 + $13) | $153 | $218 | $348 |
| ADP RUN Essential (est. $79 + $4) | $99 | $119 | $159 |
| Roll by ADP ($39 + $5, app-only) | $64 | $89 | $139 |
| ADP RUN, Vendr all-in range | $119-$275 | $179-$400 | $299-$650 |
What ADP RUN handles that QuickBooks leaves to you
| Feature | ADP | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Garnishment payments | Paid to agencies for you (Enhanced and up) | Deducted; check payment handling with Intuit |
| State unemployment notices | SUI management service (Enhanced and up) | Unemployment tax paid to one state per employee |
| Support hours | 24/7 phone and chat | Weekdays 6am-6pm PT; weekends on Premium and Elite |
| HR help | HR HelpDesk on Complete and HR Pro | HR advisor on Elite |
| Penalty protection | Not stated in packages | Elite: up to $25,000 a year, conditions apply |
| Accounting | Two-way QuickBooks Online sync; GL export to QuickBooks, Xero, Wave | Native in QuickBooks Online |
| Accountant tools | Accountant Connect (free) | QuickBooks Online Accountant |
| Contract | No contract; 30 days' written notice; fees can rise on 30 days' notice after 6 months | No annual contract; cancel anytime |
Moving payroll from QuickBooks to ADP
- 1Set the ADP start for a quarter boundary so QuickBooks files the closed quarters and ADP files from its first quarter.
- 2Pull year-to-date payroll per employee and tax liability reports from QuickBooks before cancelling.
- 3Cancel QuickBooks payroll from Settings, then Subscriptions and billing. Keep the bank account open until Intuit pays outstanding liabilities.
- 4Export QuickBooks payroll data within a year; Intuit keeps it accessible for 12 months after cancelling.
- 5Turn on ADP's QuickBooks Online sync and check the first journal entry with your bookkeeper.
If you ask Intuit to prepare year-end forms after cancelling, it charges $150. Decide up front which provider issues the W-2s.
What ADP and QuickBooks payroll users complain about
Themes from Trustpilot, Capterra and Intuit's community, checked October 2026. ADP's Trustpilot page covers all ADP products and includes employees.
- ADP, fees for services not ordered and charges in admin fees (Trustpilot, 1.2/5 from 3,125 reviews).
- ADP, billing after cancelling and hard-to-end service (Trustpilot).
- ADP, price rises after promotional periods (Trustpilot).
- QuickBooks, price increases without new features (Capterra).
- QuickBooks, tax penalty disputes over who was responsible (Intuit community; SoftwareFinder).
- QuickBooks, long support holds on complex tax questions (Capterra; Trustpilot).
Related: Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll, Gusto vs ADP, OnPay vs ADP, and the payroll register template.
Frequently asked questions
Is ADP or QuickBooks Payroll cheaper for a small business?
QuickBooks, usually, because its price is fixed and published: $50 a month plus $7 per employee on Workforce Payroll, or $120 at 10 employees. ADP RUN is quote-only; the entry estimate of $79 plus $4 per employee gives $119 at 10, but Vendr reports all-in RUN costs of $59 to $150 a month plus $12 to $25 per employee.
Can I keep QuickBooks for accounting if I use ADP for payroll?
Yes. ADP RUN has a two-way integration with QuickBooks Online and exports general ledger entries to QuickBooks, Xero and Wave in every package. Your bookkeeper keeps working in QuickBooks Online while ADP runs payroll and tax filing. ADP Accountant Connect, free for firms, adds multi-client reports and missed-payroll alerts.
Is it easy to switch from QuickBooks Payroll to ADP?
Reasonably. ADP says you can start once you have your EIN, tax documents and bank account details, and that you need not wait for a quarter end. In practice a quarter start is cleaner, because only one provider should file each quarter. Cancelling QuickBooks payroll leaves your QuickBooks Online accounting subscription in place.
Does ADP or QuickBooks have better support?
ADP offers longer hours: it says every payroll plan includes 24/7 access to live payroll professionals. QuickBooks Workforce Payroll support runs weekdays 6am to 6pm Pacific, and Premium and Elite add weekend phone and chat. QuickBooks Elite also includes an HR advisor; ADP's HR HelpDesk comes with its Complete and HR Pro packages.
When should a business move from QuickBooks Payroll to ADP?
Common triggers are wage garnishments, staff in several states, state unemployment notices you would rather not handle, or growth toward 50 employees. ADP RUN Enhanced manages state unemployment insurance and garnishment payments for you. Past 50 employees, ADP moves customers to Workforce Now, estimated at $23 to $30 per employee per month.