Kontrable: The ADP alternative for contractor management without payroll complexity

ADP Run is built for employee payroll: W-2 employees, tax withholding, benefits administration, state unemployment insurance, HR compliance. Their packages range from Essential payroll to comprehensive HR support with dedicated advisors. Kontrable is built for contractor management: tracking projects, managing contracts, handling invoices, and coordinating direct payments. These are fundamentally different needs requiring different tools.

If you're managing 1099 contractors who handle their own taxes and already have payment accounts, you don't need employee payroll infrastructure. You need contractor management.

Why ADP isn't the right solution for contractors

ADP Run is an employee payroll system. It's designed around employment relationships: tax withholding calculations, W-4 forms, state unemployment insurance, benefits administration, payroll processing, compliance reporting. Every feature assumes W-2 employees.

If you use ADP for contractors, you're paying for:

• Tax withholding infrastructure (contractors handle their own taxes)
• Benefits administration (contractors manage their own benefits)
• Payroll processing (contractors invoice you)
• Employment compliance (contractors are independent)
• HR features (contractors aren't employees)

Contractors don't need any of this. ADP's entire value proposition is built around employee management. Using it for contractors is like paying for a taxi to pick up a pizza you can walk to get.

What Kontrable actually solves for contractors

Contractor database: Store contractor information, payment details, business information, preferred payment methods in one organized place.

Contract and document management: Upload and organize contracts, statements of work, compliance documents. AI-assisted contract generation reviewed by your legal counsel. Track signatures and versions.

Project and milestone tracking: Create projects with specific milestones, deliverables, payment amounts. Track progress. Get alerts when milestones approach. Know what's pending.

Payment management with flexibility: Approve payments. Record transaction IDs and proofs from your chosen method (Wise, PayPal, Payoneer, or direct bank transfer). Track contractor confirmations. Complete audit trail.

Compliance organization: Centralize tax forms (W-9, W-8BEN), contractor status documentation, records for audits. Know what's on file.

Alerts and notifications: Automated reminders for deadlines, pending approvals, confirmations. No manual tracking.

Monthly reporting: Export contractor lists, payment records, status summaries for finance and operations.

This is what contractors actually need. Not payroll. Not tax withholding. Not benefits administration. Organization, tracking, and direct payment coordination.

Payment control—the fundamental difference

ADP processes employee payroll through their system. Money flows through ADP's infrastructure.

Kontrable lets you choose how to pay each contractor:

Wise transfers: Low foreign exchange fees (0.35-1%), fast delivery (1-3 days), strong global coverage. Best for cost-efficient international payments.

PayPal: Instant wallet delivery, ubiquitous, higher fees. Best for contractors who prefer PayPal.

Payoneer: Mass payout support, popular in emerging markets, 2-5 day delivery. Best for large contractor bases.

Bank transfers (ACH/SEPA/wire): Direct to contractor bank accounts, universal, auditable, fully traceable. Best for formal relationships and large payments.

You maintain complete control. Your money doesn't flow through a middleman's infrastructure.

The ADP overhead problem

If you use ADP for contractors, you're paying for complexity you don't need:

Tax withholding calculations - Contractors handle their own taxes Payroll processing - Contractors invoice you Benefits administration - Contractors manage their own benefits State compliance - Contractors are independent, not employees HR features - Contractors aren't part of your HR structure Payroll reporting - Contractors file their own 1099s

Every feature ADP offers assumes employment relationships. Using it for contractors means paying for infrastructure that doesn't apply.

Kontrable eliminates this overhead: tools designed specifically for contractor relationships, nothing more.

Who should choose Kontrable

Small agencies, remote startups, and growing teams managing 3-25 contractors who:

• Have contractors who are properly classified as independent (1099)
• Contractors already have their own payment accounts
• Contractors handle their own taxes in their jurisdiction
• Need contractor management tools (not employee payroll)
• Want to pay contractors directly through Wise, PayPal, Payoneer, or bank transfers
• Need to avoid employee payroll infrastructure overhead
• Value simplicity and contractor-specific functionality
• Want direct control over contractor relationships

Key advantages of Kontrable as the ADP alternative

Contractor-specific tools: Not employee payroll adapted for contractors. Built for contractor relationships from the ground up.

Milestone-based payments: Track deliverables. Pay when work is complete. Tie payments to specific outcomes. ADP doesn't offer this.

Project tracking: Create projects with milestones, deadlines, deliverables. Know what's pending. ADP is payroll-focused, not project-focused.

Direct payment control: Choose your payment method (Wise, PayPal, Payoneer, bank transfer) for each contractor. ADP forces payment through their payroll system.

No employee infrastructure overhead: No tax withholding, no benefits administration, no HR complexity. Clean contractor management.

No payroll processing costs: You don't pay for payroll runs, payroll tax calculations, or employment compliance.

Transparent pricing: $49/month for up to 10 contractors. $99/month for up to 25. No complex payroll packages.

Understanding the ADP model

ADP makes money by processing payroll for employees. Their entire business model is built on:

• Calculating withholding taxes
• Processing payroll runs
• Filing employment taxes
• Managing benefits
• HR administration

If you use ADP for contractors, they're trying to fit a contractor relationship into an employee payroll system. The fit is bad. You pay for complexity that doesn't apply.

Kontrable reverses this: we built contractor management from the ground up. No employee infrastructure. No payroll complexity. Just tools designed for contractor relationships.

What you get with Kontrable

Contractor-specific management: Every feature designed for contractor relationships, not adapted from employee systems.

Milestone-based payments: Track deliverables. Pay when work is complete. Connect payments to outcomes.

Direct payment methods: Wise, PayPal, Payoneer, or bank transfers. You choose. Your money stays with you.

Complete audit trail: All approvals, payments, confirmations documented. Clean records for finance and compliance.

Contract automation: AI-assisted contract generation reviewed by your legal counsel. Professional contracts without expensive legal fees.

Payment flexibility: Choose the method that works best for each contractor based on location, preference, cost.

No payroll overhead: No tax withholding calculations, no benefits administration, no payroll processing costs.

The real difference

ADP: Employee payroll system with overhead you don't need for contractors.

Kontrable: Contractor management system with tools contractors actually require.

If you have contractors, Kontrable is the alternative built for your actual needs.

What contractors actually cost vs what ADP assumes

What contractors need:

• Organization and tracking
• Contract management
• Project milestone tracking
• Payment coordination
• Tax form collection (W-9, W-8BEN)
• Payment history and audit trail

What ADP provides:

• Tax withholding infrastructure
• Payroll processing
• Benefits administration
• HR features
• State compliance management
• Employment tax filing

These are completely different. Contractors need the first list. ADP provides the second list (designed for employees) and bills you for overhead you don't use.

Kontrable provides exactly what contractors need, nothing more.

Why Kontrable exists

We kept using ADP for contractors and paying thousands per month for payroll infrastructure we didn't use. Tax withholding? Contractors handle their own taxes. Benefits administration? Contractors manage their own benefits. Payroll processing? Contractors invoice us.

We needed a platform built for contractor relationships. Not employee payroll adapted for contractors. Not infrastructure overhead we don't need. Just clean contractor management.

So we built Kontrable: contractor-specific tools, direct payment control, transparent pricing, no employee infrastructure overhead.

Get started

If you're managing independent contractors and need contractor management without employee payroll complexity and overhead—Kontrable is the alternative.

Contractor-specific tools. Direct control. Professional management. No payroll overhead.

Start organizing your contractor relationships today.