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It's a split decision.
Choose RUN Powered by ADP if your business has 1–49 employees and you want ADP’s small-business payroll and HR offering. Choose ADP Workforce Now if you need a solution targeted at midsize to enterprise organizations, generally 50 to 999+ employees. The pricing pages do not publish prices for either product, and specific features, seat limits and add-on costs are not fully disclosed. Get a written quote before deciding; the available details do not establish which costs less.
01Side by side
| ADP Workforce Now | RUN Powered by ADP | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Not published | Not published |
| Free plan | No free plan listed | No free plan; 3 Months Free promotion, not a trial |
| Best for | Midsize to enterprise organizations | Small businesses with 1–49 employees |
| Core strength | Payroll and broad HR solutions across business sizes | Small-business payroll and HR offering |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations and data | Details not published | Details not published |
| Team and seat costs | Seat limits and prices not published | Plans cover 1–49 employees; prices not published |
| Support | Details not published | Details not published |
ADP Workforce Now Choose ADP Workforce Now if
- Choose ADP Workforce Now if you need a midsize-to-enterprise target.
- Choose ADP Workforce Now if broad HR solutions matter across business sizes.
- Choose ADP Workforce Now if you can evaluate a custom quote.
RUN Powered by ADP Choose RUN Powered by ADP if
- Choose RUN Powered by ADP if your business has 1–49 employees.
- Choose RUN Powered by ADP if you want ADP’s small-business offering.
- Choose RUN Powered by ADP if you can verify add-on costs first.
02Pricing compared
Neither product has a published monthly or annual price in the available pricing information, so we can’t say which costs less. RUN lists four plans for businesses with 1–49 employees: Essential Payroll, Enhanced Payroll, Complete Payroll & HR Plus, and HR Pro Payroll & HR. ADP advertises a “3 Months Free” promotion for RUN, but that is not a published free trial or a regular plan price.
Workforce Now lists Select, Plus, and Premium for midsize to enterprise organizations, generally described as 50 to 999+ employees; prices and seat limits are not published. Add-on pricing is also undisclosed for both products. RUN lists time and attendance, retirement, workers’ compensation, and health insurance as add-ons; Workforce Now lists recruiting, performance, compensation, and learning management. Get a written quote, including add-ons and any overage costs, before comparing totals.
03Features and depth
The clearest difference is the intended business size, not a documented feature-by-feature advantage. RUN is ADP’s small-business offering for 1–49 employees. ADP lists payroll for small businesses and also lists time and attendance, retirement, health and benefits, and workers’ compensation among its small-business solutions. The homepage does not specify which HR services or capabilities come with each RUN plan.
Workforce Now is positioned for midsize to enterprise organizations, generally 50 to 999+ employees. ADP lists payroll and HR for midsize businesses, time and attendance and talent for midsize businesses, and workforce management and benefits administration for midsize and large businesses. Those categories do not establish which features are included in Select, Plus, or Premium. The available descriptions do not provide detailed limits or a direct feature mapping between the products. Confirm the modules you need and whether they are included or quoted separately.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The available product descriptions don’t provide enough detail to compare setup, navigation, training, or day-to-day ease of use. They also don’t establish that either product is easier to learn. The practical first filter is company size: RUN is listed for 1–49 employees, while Workforce Now is targeted at midsize to enterprise organizations, generally 50 to 999+ employees.
Before choosing, ask ADP for a walkthrough using your payroll and HR workflows, plus details on implementation, training, support, and who manages ongoing changes. These details are not published on the vendor's site. Ask for the same information for both products if your headcount or requirements put you near the boundary. A quote alone won’t tell you how much administration the system requires.
Questions people ask
Is ADP or Workday better?
The published information covers ADP Workforce Now and RUN, not Workday, so it doesn’t support a direct comparison. It positions RUN for businesses with 1–49 employees and Workforce Now for midsize to enterprise organizations. Compare Workday’s current pricing, employee range, and included features before choosing.
Does ADP have 24-7 customer service?
The available product information doesn’t state whether ADP provides 24/7 customer service for RUN or Workforce Now. Ask ADP to confirm support hours, channels, and whether support access differs by plan. Get those terms in writing alongside your quote.
How much does ADP Payroll cost per employee?
A per-employee price is not published for either RUN or Workforce Now in the available information. RUN’s plan prices and Workforce Now’s plan prices are also not published, and specific usage limits are unclear. Request a quote that separates base fees, per-employee charges, add-ons, and overages.
Is ADP Workforce Now considered an HRIS?
The available description presents Workforce Now as ADP’s payroll and HR solution for midsize to enterprise organizations, but it doesn’t label the product an HRIS or detail its system modules. Confirm with ADP which employee records, HR workflows, and integrations are included in the plan you’re considering.