ADP vs Paychex Pricing (2026)
Compare / ADP vs Paychex
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Team size
25 seats

ADP vs Paychex

HR/HRIS pricing comparison · 2026

ADP pricing ranges from $79–$150/user/month, while Paychex uses custom pricing. These products use different pricing models (Per-seat subscription vs ), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit ADP pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Paychex pricing
Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · HR/HRIS
Side-by-side · live
ADP
ADP is one of the largest and most established payroll and HR solutions providers in the w
verified 13w ago
$480 $51K
View pricing →
Paychex
Paychex lists a starting price of $65 + $8 per employee for its Payroll & HR packages, wit
verified 17d ago
$480 $51K
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Paychex median is $51K less than ADP · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $480
Spread 99%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Workforce Now
$45K/yr
year 1 license · $150/seat
Custom pricing
Custom
all tiers are quote-only
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$51K/yr
Vendr · n=11 avg 22% negotiated
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$480/yr
Vendr · n=45
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 12 sourced facts
9 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 2mo ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 11 sourced facts
8 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median · 1 review platform
Last verified 2w ago
Confidence Limited confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Cancellation Fees & Continued Billing During Cancellation Period
    $500-$5,000
    2 sources
  • Implementation Errors & Tax Correction Costs
    10-25% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Upsell Add-On Packages
    15-30% of license costs
    1 source
  • Payroll Error Remediation Costs
    5-15% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Opaque Per-Employee Pricing
    $4-$10/user/month
    2 sources
5 documented
  • New State Registration Fees
    $20 to $50 per state
    2 sources
  • Off-Cycle Payroll Runs
    $15 to $50 per run
    1 source
  • Year-End Forms (W-2/1099)
    $3 to $5 per form, often packaged as a year-end run fee of $50 to $150 plus per-form charges
    1 source
  • Time Clock Fees
    $150 to $400 per clock
    1 source
  • HR Services Pro Fees
    1 source
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
Trustpilot
1out of 5 (25)
Best for
Small businesses with 1-49 employees
Watch out
Extremely difficult to cancel service; large cancellation fees and continued billing
TrustRadius
7.6out of 5 (5)
Best for
Small businesses that want core payroll and HR
Watch out
Unresponsive customer service with long wait times
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit ADP pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit Paychex pricing
Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
HR/HRIS

ADP

$79–$150
/user/month
2 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
HR/HRIS

Paychex

Custom pricing
/month
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
⚖

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — ADP uses Per-seat subscription pricing while Paychex uses pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

Per-seat subscription

ADP

$79–$150 / user/month
See full ADP pricing →
vs

Paychex

Custom pricing
See full Paychex pricing →

ADP and Paychex both operate in the hr/hris category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan ADP Paychex
Run $79 /month base + $10/user Custom
Workforce Now $150 /month base + $15-25/user Custom
Advanced — Custom
Complete — Custom

Market Intelligence

ADP

Median annual cost
$51,372
Average negotiated discount
22%
Based on
11 deals

Paychex

Median annual cost
$480
Based on
45 deals

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

ADP 5 hidden costs

critical
Cancellation Fees & Continued Billing During Cancellation Period $500-$5,000
high
Implementation Errors & Tax Correction Costs 10-25% of license costs
medium
Upsell Add-On Packages 15-30% of license costs
high
Payroll Error Remediation Costs 5-15% of license costs
medium
Opaque Per-Employee Pricing $4-$10/user/month
See all ADP hidden costs →

Paychex 7 hidden costs

medium
New State Registration Fees $20 to $50 per state
medium
Off-Cycle Payroll Runs $15 to $50 per run
medium
Year-End Forms (W-2/1099) $3 to $5 per form, often packaged as a year-end run fee of $50 to $150 plus per-form charges
medium
Time Clock Fees $150 to $400 per clock
high
HR Services Pro Fees
See all Paychex hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term ADP Paychex
Auto-renewal Yes —
Cancellation Not publicly disclosed; users report continued billing throughout cancellation period —
Minimum commitment Annual contract typical —
Price escalation No published schedule; users report difficulty exiting contracts —

Continue researching

ADP

Paychex

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