Finance & payroll / replacement guide
ADP alternatives: payroll and HR options for small and midsize employers
You have
ADP (RUN and Workforce Now)
Payroll and HR by ADP. Built for small businesses (RUN, 1–49 employees) and midsized employers (Workforce Now, about 50–1,000).
Common reasons to look elsewhere
- Pricing for RUN and Workforce Now is by quote, which makes comparison harder (ADP product pages).
- HR support, benefits administration and time and attendance sit in higher packages.
- Some teams want self-serve software or a single platform rather than a large service provider.
Consider
- Gusto PayrollSmall businesses wanting published, self-serve payroll
- OnPay PayrollSmall businesses wanting one simple plan
- Paychex FlexSimilar service-led provider
- PaylocityMidsize, HR plus employee engagement
- PaycomMidsize, employees check their own pay
- RipplingOne record for HR, IT and spend
Short answer. Small RUN customers who want published pricing and self-serve payroll usually look at Gusto or OnPay. Midsize Workforce Now customers comparing like for like should look at Paylocity and Paycom, or Paychex Flex for a similar service-led provider. If you want HR, IT and spend on one employee record, Rippling is the different approach.
The replacements, with the trade-off
Small businesses wanting published, self-serve payroll
Gusto Payroll
Why switch to it
Gusto publishes its plans and runs full-service payroll with employee self-service and HR tools, so a small RUN customer can see what they will pay before talking to sales.
What you give up
Multi-state payroll needs the Plus plan, and support is less service-led than a dedicated ADP rep.
Small businesses wanting one simple plan
OnPay Payroll
Why switch to it
OnPay has one price structure, multi-state filings included, and offers to enter historical wage data for new clients.
What you give up
Smaller provider with fewer HR modules than ADP’s higher tiers.
Similar service-led provider
Paychex Flex
Why switch to it
Paychex Flex offers payroll tiers with the option of a dedicated payroll specialist, and you can add HR, benefits, time or a PEO later. It is the closest match in service model.
What you give up
Also priced by quote, so you trade one large provider’s sales process for another’s.
Midsize, HR plus employee engagement
Paylocity
Why switch to it
Paylocity targets companies of about 100–499 staff with payroll, HR, talent and benefits in one system, plus an employee app with feeds, recognition and surveys.
What you give up
Quote-based, and the engagement features matter only if you will use them.
Midsize, employees check their own pay
Paycom
Why switch to it
Paycom runs HR and payroll on a single database, and its Beti feature has employees review and approve their own paychecks before payday, which shifts error-catching to the source.
What you give up
Built for employers with roughly 50 or more staff; quote-based.
One record for HR, IT and spend
Rippling
Why switch to it
Rippling puts payroll on the same employee record as HR, device and app access, expenses and bill pay, with global payroll and EOR.
What you give up
Modular, quote-based pricing; the value depends on adopting more than payroll.
Side by side
| Alternative | Category | Company size | Main difference | Pricing model | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto Payroll | Payroll | 1–250 staff | Self-serve full-service payroll with employee self-service and HR tools; plans are published, with multi-state payroll from the Plus tier. | Base + per employee | |
| Paychex Flex | Payroll | 1–1000 staff | Payroll tiers with the option of a dedicated payroll specialist; HR, benefits, time and a PEO can be layered on later. | Quote-based | |
| Paylocity | Payroll + HR suite | 11–1000+ staff | One platform for payroll, HR, talent and benefits with an employee app that includes social feeds, recognition and surveys; tiers by company size. | Quote-based | |
| Paycom | Payroll + HR suite | 51–1000+ staff | Single-database HR and payroll; its Beti feature has employees check and approve their own paychecks in the app before submission. | Quote-based | |
| Rippling | Payroll + HR suite | 11–1000+ staff | Payroll, HR, device/app management and spend share one database and permissions model; 650+ integrations per Rippling. | Quote-based | |
| OnPay Payroll | Payroll | 1–250 staff | Single plan covering multi-state filings, HR tools and benefits brokerage; free historical data migration advertised. | Base + per employee |
Company size is the range each vendor's own pages target, not a hard limit. Pricing models are for orientation only; check the vendor's pricing page for current prices.
RUN customer or Workforce Now customer?
ADP sells two different products. RUN Powered by ADP is for 1–49 employees; ADP Workforce Now is for midsized employers. The right alternative depends on which one you are leaving:
| Leaving | Comparable alternatives |
|---|---|
| RUN Powered by ADP | Gusto, OnPay, Paychex Flex |
| ADP Workforce Now | Paylocity, Paycom, Paychex Flex, Rippling |
Before you switch
- Read your ADP agreement for notice periods and termination terms before you set a date.
- Request year-to-date payroll registers, tax filings and employee pay history from ADP in a form the new provider can import.
- Plan the cut-over for a quarter start so quarterly filings sit in one system, and confirm who files the current quarter.
- If you use ADP for benefits administration or time and attendance, those need replacing at the same time.
Sources
| Source | Used for | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| ADP | RUN size band and tiers | |
| ADP | Workforce Now packages | |
| Gusto | Gusto Payroll — plans and features | |
| Paychex | Paychex Flex — packages | |
| Paychex | Paychex Flex — PEO option | |
| Paylocity | Paylocity — midsize positioning | |
| Paylocity | Paylocity — small-business tiers | |
| Paycom | Paycom — Beti employee-driven payroll | |
| Paycom | Paycom — enterprise fit | |
| Rippling | Rippling — platform scope | |
| OnPay | OnPay Payroll — plan, migration |
Other replacement guides
- Bill.com alternatives: AP and bill-pay options by company size
- Expensify alternatives: expense tools by how your team spends
- Gusto alternatives: six payroll options and when each one fits
- QuickBooks Online alternatives: what to switch to, by reason for leaving
- Rippling alternatives: when you need less platform, or a different one