Cheapest Roll by ADP plan in 2026
Roll by ADP is a separate product from ADP Run. It is ADP's mobile-first product for micro-businesses. $29 base, $5 per employee, payroll runs via SMS or app chat, tax filing included. Roll is meaningfully cheaper than ADP Run for tiny businesses but has feature gaps that show up the moment you scale past 5 employees.
Roll by ADP true cost compared to ADP Run and Patriot
Source: Roll by ADP pricing page as of April 2026. ADP Run column is typical quoted small-business pricing.
| Employees | Roll by ADP / mo | ADP Run Essential / mo | Patriot Full Service / mo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $34 | $83 | $41 |
| 3 | $44 | $91 | $49 |
| 5 | $54 | $99 | $57 |
| 10 | $79 | $119 | $77 |
Roll undercuts ADP Run by roughly $40 to $50 per month at every micro-business headcount. It is competitive with Patriot Full Service, slightly cheaper at 1 to 5 employees and slightly more expensive at 10.
What "SMS-driven payroll" actually means in practice
Roll's distinguishing feature is that you run payroll by texting. The Roll app is the primary interface but the chat-style workflow extends to actual SMS. You type "run payroll" and Roll asks confirming questions in chat ("Run payroll for the period ending April 28, paying 3 employees, total $9,450, withhold $2,100 federal, send to accounts on file?") and you reply yes to confirm.
For owners who never sit at a desk and who manage everything from their phone, this is genuinely faster than logging into a web app and clicking through pay-run wizards. It is optimised for the same micro-business owner who runs the rest of the business through text messages: tradespeople, food trucks, single-store retailers, mobile service providers.
The trade-off is that complex payroll actions are awkward in the chat UI. Off-cycle bonuses with custom tax treatment, severance with special handling, retroactive pay adjustments, prior-quarter corrections, all of these are easier in a traditional web UI. If your business runs anything more complex than recurring W-2 paychecks, Roll's interface becomes the slower path, not the faster one.
Roll by ADP inclusion list
- Federal and state tax filing. 941, 940, 944, state unemployment, state income withholding. Files on your behalf.
- Year-end W-2 and 1099 filing. Included. No per-form charge.
- Multi-state payroll. Supported. No per-state surcharge.
- Direct deposit. Next-day deposit standard. Same-day available with a Roll Banking account.
- Tax penalty guarantee. ADP-backed guarantee that taxes filed by Roll are paid on time. If Roll misses a deadline, ADP pays the penalty.
- Mobile-first interface. iOS and Android apps. Web access is limited; the phone is the primary tool.
- AI-suggested pay runs. Roll learns your pay schedule and prompts you when a run is due.
- Contractor payments. Pay 1099 contractors at the same per-head rate.
The gaps that disqualify Roll for many small businesses
No time tracking. No integration with the major time-tracking tools (When I Work, Deputy, Homebase, QuickBooks Time). For any hourly workforce this is disqualifying. Hourly staff need a time clock and Roll does not provide one.
No HR support beyond payroll. ADP Run includes some basic HR features. Roll does not. No HR advisory access, no employee onboarding flows beyond the basic W-4 collection, no policy document templates. For owners making first manager hires, Roll is too thin.
Limited benefits broker integration. ADP Run integrates with ADP's broader benefits platform. Roll has fewer integrations. If you want a payroll plan that bundles a health insurance broker, Gusto, OnPay, and ADP Run are stronger choices.
Limited reporting. Roll's reports are simpler than ADP Run's. For accountants running quarterly reviews or year-end audits, the data depth is meaningfully less. Most Roll customers do not have an accountant; for those that do, the reporting gap is felt.
The narrow cohort where Roll is the cheapest right answer
Tradesperson with one or two employees, no time tracking needed (employees are on salary or fixed-job pay), runs business entirely from phone, wants ADP's tax-filing reliability. Roll at $34 to $39 per month is faster to operate than Patriot Full Service and meaningfully cheaper than ADP Run. The SMS interface fits the workflow.
Single-location food truck or mobile service business with 2 to 4 employees on fixed shifts. Roll's mobile-first design fits the owner's workflow. Tax filing reliability matters because tradespeople rarely have a finance team. ADP backing the tax guarantee is a real benefit.
Solo S-corp owner who wants ADP's name and reliability without paying ADP Run prices. Roll at $34 per month for one employee is genuinely competitive. The reason to choose it over Patriot Basic at $21 is the included tax filing and ADP penalty guarantee.
Other cheapest-vendor breakdowns
Cheapest ADP plan
Run Essential at ~$79 + $4
Cheapest Patriot plan
Basic at $17 + the $30 tax add math
Cheapest OnPay plan
Flat $40 + $6, multi-state included
Cheapest payroll for 1 employee
Solo path, S-corp owner specifics
Cheapest payroll for 2-3 employees
Sub-$60/mo path
Cheapest payroll for S-corp owner
Reasonable comp, minimal hassle
Common questions
How much does Roll by ADP cost?
Roll by ADP is $29 per month base plus $5 per employee. Tax filing, W-2 filing, and direct deposit are included. There is one plan.
Is Roll the same as ADP Run?
No. Roll by ADP and ADP Run are separate products. Roll is mobile-first, designed for micro-businesses under 10 employees. ADP Run is the traditional small-business product with a web app and dedicated specialist support. Roll is meaningfully cheaper but less full-featured.
How much does Roll cost for 3 employees?
Roll at 3 employees is $29 + (3 x $5) = $44 per month, or $528 per year. Tax filing and year-end W-2s are included.
Does Roll handle multi-state payroll?
Yes, Roll supports multi-state payroll. There is no per-state surcharge. This is competitive with OnPay and better than Gusto Simple, which is single-state only.
Does Roll include time tracking?
No. Roll does not include time tracking and does not integrate with the major time-tracking tools. For an hourly workforce that needs time tracking, Square Payroll or Homebase Payroll are stronger choices.
When is Roll the right cheap choice?
Roll is the right choice for solo founders or 2 to 5 person businesses that want ADP's tax-filing reliability at a Patriot-tier price, who run payroll on a phone rather than at a desk, and who do not need time tracking or HR features.