Head to head · HR and Payroll

ADP vs Justworks

A flexible payroll institution against an all inclusive PEO. ADP RUN runs payroll and taxes while you stay the employer, with a clear path to scale; Justworks co employs your team and bundles payroll, compliance and quality benefits into one flat per employee price. The right pick turns on which model you want. Here is how they compare.

Reviewed by M. HALLORAN·Updated JUNE 2026·How we vet
★ Our pick
ADP
84 /100
vs
Challenger
Justworks
85 /100
◂ ADP Advantage Justworks ▸
A near tie that turns on your model · ADP wins on payroll depth, scale and flexibility, Justworks on bundled benefits, compliance handled and simplicity.

These are affiliate links marked rel=“sponsored”. We may earn a commission if you buy · it never affects our scores or who wins. Disclosure.

How they score

Criteria ADP Justworks Winner
Payroll and tax depth
92
80
ADP
Compliance and scale
92
86
ADP
Benefits administration
86
90
Justworks
PEO and co employment
80
92
Justworks
Ease of use and simplicity
70
88
Justworks
Flexibility and scale path
90
74
ADP

Scores are our editorial assessment against the VettedSaaS rubric · not vendor supplied.

Choose ADP if…
+You want to stay the employer of record
+Deep payroll, tax and compliance come first
+You expect to scale or are mid sized
+You want a flexible, modular path as you grow
Choose Justworks if…
+You want a PEO to co employ and handle compliance
+Access to large group benefits matters
+You prefer one simple flat per employee price
+A small team wants HR and payroll off its plate

Feature by feature

✓ full  ·  ∼ partial  ·  — none
Capability ADP Justworks
Full service payroll and tax filing
PEO and co employment
Stay the employer (no co employment)
Large group benefits access
Scales to large enterprise
Flat, predictable pricing

Feature support verified as of June 2026 · check the vendor for current details.

Pricing, side by side

Base fee plus per employee, where listed
ADP Our pick
Essential $79
Enhanced Quote
Complete Quote
HR Pro Quote
Justworks Challenger
Payroll $8 + $50 base
PEO Basic $79
PEO Plus $109

Pricing as of June 2026, per employee per month unless noted. ADP RUN is quote based across four tiers; third party estimates put Essential near $79 a month plus about $4 per employee. Justworks lists Payroll at $8 per employee plus a $50 base, PEO Basic at $79 per employee, and PEO Plus at $109 per employee, with lower rates for 100 or more employees; Plus excludes the health premiums billed separately. Vendors change plans often · check the vendor for current pricing.