ADP vs Paradox — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
ADP starts at $79/mo. Paradox uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
The 75-year-old payroll and HR outsourcing giant serving 1M+ businesses globally. Positioned as the trusted enterprise alternative to newer competitors (Gusto, Rippling, Justworks) for companies that value regulatory rigor + compliance depth over modern UI. Multi-product portfolio: RUN Powered by ADP (SMB, 1-49 employees, published pricing $79-$179/mo + per-employee fees), Workforce Now (mid-market 50-1K employees, custom-quoted), TotalSource (PEO), and Vantage HCM (enterprise 1K+ employees). Also runs Payroll Services and ADP Comprehensive Services as consulting arms. Publicly traded NYSE: ADP, $115B market cap. Real cost varies significantly by employee count + services selected.
Conversational AI recruiting assistant (branded 'Olivia') — screens candidates, schedules interviews, handles high-volume hourly hiring. Enterprise pricing only, custom quoted; deployments typically start at $50K/year for mid-market and scale to $500K+ for large enterprises. Popular with Fortune 500 for high-volume hourly, retail, warehouse, and QSR hiring.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | ADP monthly | ADP annual | Paradox monthly | Paradox annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid | RUN Powered by ADP - Essential / — | $79 | $79 | — | — |
| Mid tier | RUN Powered by ADP - Enhanced / — | $129 | $129 | — | — |
| Pro / power | RUN Powered by ADP - Complete / — | $179 | $179 | — | — |
| Enterprise | — / Enterprise | — | — | Custom | Custom |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
ADP is worth it if… businesses that need payroll + HR + benefits from a single trusted vendor with 75-year compliance depth — particularly if you're in a regulated industry or have complex multi-state/international operations. RUN Powered by ADP covers 1-49 employees with published pricing ($79 base + per-employee fees for Essential); Workforce Now scales to mid-market with custom quotes; TotalSource offers PEO structure.
Paradox is worth it if… large employers running high-volume hourly hiring — retail, warehouse, QSR (McDonald's, Chipotle case studies). Olivia handles screening + interview scheduling at scale, replacing manual recruiter work.
Bottom line: Similar positioning, closer to a preference call than a strategic one.
Choose ADP over Paradox if…
Choose ADP if…
- You're comfortable with ADP's from $79/mo entry point.
- You match the profile ADP is built for: businesses that need payroll + HR + benefits from a single trusted vendor with 75-year compliance depth — particularly if you're in a regulated industry or have complex multi-state/international operations.
- You need a general-purpose hr & people option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Paradox if…
- You want fixed-price predictability (tiered, custom pricing).
- You match the profile Paradox is built for: large employers running high-volume hourly hiring — retail, warehouse, QSR (McDonald's, Chipotle case studies).
- You're building for recruiting.
At a glance
| ADP | Paradox | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | No |
| Entry price | $79/mo | Custom |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | — | Tiered |
| Last verified | September 18, 2026 | — |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 18, 2026. Tracked daily.