RUN Powered by ADP vs QuickBooks Payroll:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, RUN Powered by ADP had more branded searches than QuickBooks Payroll among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States. RUN Powered by ADP had about 179,000 branded searches, while QuickBooks Payroll had 18,100. RUN Powered by ADP made up 53% of all HR and payroll software for small and midsize business searches we track, and QuickBooks Payroll accounted for 5.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses, QuickBooks Payroll appeared in four of the five answers and RUN Powered by ADP in two. QuickBooks Payroll was mentioned before RUN Powered by ADP in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
RUN Powered by ADP, about 10 searches for every 1 for QuickBooks Payroll
Who does AI mention more?
QuickBooks Payroll, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, RUN Powered by ADP in 2
Who does AI recommend more?
QuickBooks Payroll, named ahead of RUN Powered by ADP in 3 of 5 answers
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Top HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, QuickBooks Payroll was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. RUN Powered by ADP was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. QuickBooks Payroll was listed before RUN Powered by ADP in three out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Gusto1st- QuickBooks Payroll2nd
Rippling3rd
Patriot Software4th
OnPay5th- RUN Powered by ADP6th
Paychex7th
Justworks8th
BambooHR–
HiBob–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Gusto5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- QuickBooks Payroll4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Rippling4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- OnPay3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- RUN Powered by ADP2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Patriot Software2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Paychex2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Justworks1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- BambooHR0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- HiBob0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which small business HR and payroll platform should I use in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best small business HR and payroll platforms in the US?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best small business HR and payroll platform in the US for a midsize team?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“small business payroll software”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“best payroll software”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 19, 2026.
Is RUN Powered by ADP or QuickBooks Payroll more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for RUN Powered by ADP and QuickBooks Payroll by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all ten HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses we track, month by month, from searches in United States.
Share of searches by month for RUN Powered by ADP, QuickBooks Payroll. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | RUN Powered by ADP | Gusto | BambooHR | Patriot Software | OnPay | QuickBooks Payroll | Rippling | Paychex | Justworks | HiBob |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 50.4% | 13.7% | 12.1% | 6% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 2.3% | 1.8% | 0.63% | 0.27% |
| Nov 2025 | 53.6% | 14.1% | 10.5% | 5.2% | 6.9% | 5.4% | 2.1% | 1.1% | 0.63% | 0.26% |
| Dec 2025 | 55.6% | 12.6% | 8.9% | 6.3% | 7.3% | 5.6% | 2.2% | 0.86% | 0.46% | 0.18% |
| Jan 2026 | 51.1% | 16% | 10% | 7% | 6.7% | 5.1% | 2.4% | 0.92% | 0.52% | 0.21% |
| Feb 2026 | 49.5% | 17.7% | 10% | 6.8% | 6.5% | 5% | 2.6% | 1.1% | 0.56% | 0.24% |
| Mar 2026 | 49% | 18.1% | 9.5% | 7.2% | 6% | 5.7% | 2.7% | 1.1% | 0.57% | 0.27% |
| Apr 2026 | 47.8% | 18% | 10% | 7.4% | 6.3% | 5.9% | 2.6% | 1.1% | 0.58% | 0.27% |
| May 2026 | 49.2% | 16.9% | 10.1% | 7.2% | 6.5% | 6.1% | 2.5% | 0.73% | 0.66% | 0.24% |
| Jun 2026 | 51.7% | 16.2% | 10.1% | 6.7% | 6.5% | 4.9% | 2.4% | 0.67% | 0.64% | 0.24% |
| Jul 2026 | 51.8% | 14% | 10.7% | 6.9% | 6.6% | 6.2% | 2.3% | 0.72% | 0.69% | 0.24% |
| Aug 2026 | 51% | 13.2% | 12.6% | 6.5% | 6.7% | 6.3% | 2.1% | 0.7% | 0.65% | 0.22% |
| Sep 2026 | 53% | 11.8% | 10.7% | 8.3% | 6.9% | 5.4% | 2.4% | 0.73% | 0.65% | 0.25% |
How has the RUN Powered by ADP and QuickBooks Payroll comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- RUN Powered by ADP was ahead of QuickBooks Payroll in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, RUN Powered by ADP’s share of searches among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States moved from 50.4% to 53%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 179K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, QuickBooks Payroll’s share of searches among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States moved from 6.2% to 5.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 22.2K to 18.1K.
How did search popularity change for United States HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, RUN Powered by ADP gained share of searches among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States, from 51% to 53%.
In September 2026, QuickBooks Payroll lost share of searches among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States, from 6.3% to 5.4%.
How are branded searches counted?
14 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using RUN Powered by ADP’s and QuickBooks Payroll’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
RUN Powered by ADP
13 branded search terms
- adp on the run
- adp payroll run payroll
- adp run adp
- adp run app
- adp run payroll
- adp run payroll adp
- adp run payroll app
- adp run powered by adp
- run adp
- run adp employer
- run payroll adp
- run payroll adp run
- run powered by adp
QuickBooks Payroll
1 branded search term
- quickbooks payroll
Other head-to-heads among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses
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