How we make this list: we compare pricing pages, product documentation and public user reviews. Rankite is independent; if a vendor ever pays for a featured spot, that listing is clearly labeled Partner.
#1
Gusto
Best for: small businesses that want payroll plus benefits in one friendly package
Visit gusto.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo (free to set up; you pay when you run payroll)
Gusto built its reputation on making payroll feel approachable for owners who are not HR people. You can run payroll in minutes, or let AutoPilot handle it on schedule, while Gusto files your payroll taxes and flags tax credits that save money. Benefits administration, time tracking, hiring and onboarding tools all live in the same account, so a growing team does not outgrow the platform quickly.
The company now serves more than 500,000 businesses, and its plans, Simple, Plus and Premium, scale from basic payroll to fuller HR support. Setup is free and you pay nothing until you run payroll, which lowers the risk of trying it. The honest gripe is pricing transparency: plan prices are not displayed on the site, so you have to talk to sales or start signup to see numbers, and the add-ons for time tracking, benefits and priority support add up. For small businesses that want one polished system for pay, benefits and compliance, Gusto remains the default recommendation.
What we like- 500,000+ businesses on the platform
- AutoPilot runs payroll automatically
- Federal, state and local tax filing
- Health benefits and 401(k) admin
Watch out for- Plan prices are not shown upfront
- Add-ons raise the real monthly cost
#2
OnPay
Best for: small businesses that want transparent pricing and real human support
Visit onpay.com
Starting price$49 per month base + $6 per month per worker
Free planNo
OnPay's whole pitch is no-nonsense payroll, and the pricing page proves it: $49 per month base plus $6 per worker, published right on the homepage with no haggling and no sales pitch required. You get complete payroll, automated tax filings and expert setup at that price, with optional add-ons for time tracking, HR compliance tools and health benefits as you grow.
Support is the other differentiator. The entire support team is US-based and trained in-house on payroll and compliance, there are no support paywalls, and migration of your prior wage and employee data is free when you switch. Reviews consistently rank OnPay at the top for support quality. The trade-off is breadth: if you want deep HR tooling, performance management or IT provisioning in the same system, Gusto and Rippling go further. For owners who want payroll done right by humans they can actually reach, OnPay is hard to beat.
What we like- Clear published pricing
- 100% US-based support team
- Free migration of prior wage data
- No support paywalls at any tier
Watch out for- Fewer built-in HR extras than Gusto or Rippling
- Smaller integration ecosystem
Starting price$17 per month + $4 per worker paid
Free planFree trial (30 days)
Patriot Software is the price leader, and it is not close. Full-service payroll starts at $17 per month plus $4 per worker paid, and the company backs it with a 30-day free trial followed by 50% off for three months. USA-based support is free no matter which tier you are on, and there are no long-term contracts, so the risk of trying it is minimal.
The product covers the essentials well: unlimited payroll runs, free direct deposit, tax filings and deposits on the full-service plan, and an employee mobile app for pay stubs and withholding. Pair it with Patriot's accounting software under one login if you want bookkeeping in the same place. What you do not get is the HR depth of the bigger platforms, no performance tools, no IT automation, fewer integrations. For businesses with simple payroll needs and a sharp eye on costs, Patriot delivers the fundamentals at a fraction of the going rate.
What we like- Cheapest full-service option here
- Free USA-based support on every tier
- Accounting software under the same login
- No long-term contracts
Watch out for- Basic feature set
- Fewer third-party integrations
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
QuickBooks Payroll, now branded as QuickBooks Workforce, makes the most sense for one specific buyer: the business already on QuickBooks. When payroll, time tracking, employee data and accounting share one system, reconciliation stops being a monthly chore and the books stay current automatically. Same-day direct deposit, automatic payroll runs after setup, and 100% accurate tax calculations with filing done for you cover the core jobs.
Contractor handling is solid too, with 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC creation and e-filing built in. Benefits options include health packages, 401(k) plans and workers' comp, and HR advisors are available by phone or online. The obvious caveat is ecosystem lock-in: the value compounds if you use QuickBooks accounting and fades if you do not. Pricing is not published on the page, so expect a quote flow. If QuickBooks is already your financial home, adding payroll here is the lowest-friction move you can make.
What we like- Deep sync with QuickBooks accounting
- Same-day direct deposit
- Automated tax filing
- 1099 e-file for contractors
- HR advisors via Mineral
Watch out for- Best inside the Intuit ecosystem
- Pricing not shown upfront
#5
ADP Run
Best for: small businesses that want the biggest name with room to grow
Visit adp.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
ADP is the incumbent everything else gets compared to: more than 1.1 million clients, 75 years in business, and a hand in paying one in six US workers. ADP Run is its small-business offering, with payroll, HR, time tracking and benefits in packages sized for smaller teams, plus a clear upgrade path as the company grows into mid-market and enterprise ADP products.
That scale buys real advantages. Compliance coverage across all fifty states, deep tax expertise and integrations with just about everything are table stakes at this size. The downsides are the ones you would expect from an incumbent: pricing is quote-based rather than published, and very small teams sometimes feel like a small fish in a very large pond. If you want the safest pair of hands in payroll and a vendor you will never outgrow, ADP Run is the conservative choice that rarely disappoints.
What we like- 1.1M+ clients and 75 years in business
- Pays 1 in 6 US workers
- Scales from small business to enterprise
- Deep compliance expertise
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing
- Can feel impersonal for very small teams
#6
Paychex Flex
Best for: SMBs that want payroll plus HR with expert guidance
Visit paychex.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Paychex has served small and mid-size businesses for over fifty years, and Paychex Flex is its cloud platform for running payroll, HR, time and attendance and benefits from one dashboard. The pitch is confidence: automation handles the routine, trained on decades of real HR conversations, with a deep bench of HR experts behind it for everything else. Around 840,000 businesses currently trust the company.
Flex scales from first hire to several hundred employees, and the company also owns SurePayroll, a simpler option aimed at small businesses and household employers that just need essential payroll. Support options are flexible and the platform covers compliance, workers' comp and business insurance alongside payroll. Pricing depends on headcount and needs, so it starts with a sales conversation rather than a signup form. For owners who want expert humans in the loop, not just software, Paychex is built for exactly that.
What we like- ~840,000 businesses served
- 50+ years of experience
- All-in-one HR, payroll, time and benefits
- SurePayroll subsidiary for simpler needs
Watch out for- Quote-based pricing
- Sales-led buying process
#7
Rippling
Best for: growing companies that want HR, IT and finance in one system
Visit rippling.com
Starting priceSee website
Free planNo
Rippling takes a different approach from everyone else here: instead of payroll software with HR attached, it is a workforce platform where payroll, HR, IT and finance apps share one data foundation. Onboard a hire and the system can run payroll, provision their laptop and apps, set permissions and issue a corporate card in one flow. That compounding effect is why it earns 4.9-star ratings and a reputation as the modern alternative to legacy HR suites.
You can start with just payroll and add modules as you grow, which keeps the initial commitment reasonable. The AI layer answers questions and automates work across the unified data, a genuine advantage over stitched-together point tools. The catches are familiar for this tier: pricing is not published, and a ten-person company may not need IT provisioning and spend management yet. For startups planning to scale past fifty employees, Rippling is the platform bet that grows with you.
What we like- Unified HR, IT and finance platform
- Modular apps on shared data
- Strong automation
- 4.9-star user ratings
Watch out for- Pricing is not public
- More platform than a small team may need
#8
Square Payroll
Best for: retailers, restaurants and service businesses already on Square POS
Visit squareup.com
Starting price$35 per month + $6 per person paid
Free planNo
Square Payroll is the obvious pick for the millions of businesses already running on Square. Timecards and tips import straight from the point of sale, payroll runs from the same dashboard, and tax filings happen automatically. Pricing is refreshingly transparent: $35 per month plus $6 per person paid for full-service payroll, or $6 per person paid for contractor-only payroll, with unlimited pay runs and no commitment.
Faster pay options include two-day payroll and instant payments from your Square balance. Benefits cover health insurance and retirement plans, and accounting syncs with QuickBooks Online. The limitation is scope: outside the Square ecosystem much of the magic fades, and the HR tooling is lighter than Gusto or Rippling. But for cafes, salons, retailers and restaurants living in Square, nothing else integrates this tightly.
What we like- Deep Square POS integration with timecards and tips
- Transparent published pricing
- Unlimited pay runs
- Cancel anytime
Watch out for- Best inside the Square ecosystem
- Thinner HR feature set than dedicated HR platforms
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free plan |
|---|
| Gusto | small businesses that want payroll plus benefits in one friendly package | See website | No (free to set up; you pay when you run payroll) |
| OnPay | small businesses that want transparent pricing and real human support | $49 per month base + $6 per month per worker | No |
 Patriot Payroll | tight budgets and straightforward payroll needs | $17 per month + $4 per worker paid | Free trial (30 days) |
 QuickBooks Payroll | businesses already running their books on QuickBooks | See website | No |
| ADP Run | small businesses that want the biggest name with room to grow | See website | No |
| Paychex Flex | SMBs that want payroll plus HR with expert guidance | See website | No |
| Rippling | growing companies that want HR, IT and finance in one system | See website | No |
| Square Payroll | retailers, restaurants and service businesses already on Square POS | $35 per month + $6 per person paid | No |
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
What payroll actually costs a small business
The sticker price is only part of it. Take a ten-person team as an example. OnPay costs $49 plus $60 for ten workers: $109 per month. Patriot runs $17 plus $40: $57 per month. Square Payroll is $35 plus $60: $95 per month. Gusto, ADP, Paychex, QuickBooks and Rippling will quote you, which usually lands higher once the sales conversation includes the modules you actually need.
Then add the extras. Time tracking, benefits administration, workers' comp and priority support are often add-ons with their own per-employee fees. A $6 per employee benefits admin fee across ten people is another $60 a month that never appeared in the headline price. Implementation fees, year-end W-2 processing and off-cycle payroll charges vary too, though most modern vendors include unlimited runs.
The cheapest option is not always the cheapest outcome. A $57 month that leaves you doing tax filings yourself is worse than a $109 month that handles them. Price the whole job: software, add-ons, your time and the cost of a mistake. Then pick the tier where the vendor owns the parts you least want to touch.
How we chose
We started from the payroll tools small businesses actually buy: G2 and Capterra rankings, accountant recommendations and small-business community discussions. We opened every vendor homepage to confirm the product is current and pulled pricing only from the vendor's own pages, which is why OnPay, Patriot and Square Payroll show exact numbers while the quote-based vendors say "See website." We never guessed a price.
We weighted transparent pricing, tax filing reliability, support quality and fit for teams under a few hundred people, since this guide is for SMBs. We included both pure payroll tools and broader HR platforms because growing businesses face that exact choice. No vendor paid for placement, and these assessments come from public documentation, pricing pages and user reviews, not hands-on testing.
Frequently asked questions
How much should a small business pay for payroll software?
For a ten-person team, expect roughly $60 to $150 per month for solid payroll software before add-ons. Quote-based vendors often land higher. Model your cost with your actual headcount plus any add-on fees, not just the base price.
Does payroll software file taxes for me?
The full-service options here, Gusto, OnPay, Patriot's full-service plan, QuickBooks Payroll, ADP Run, Paychex Flex, Rippling and Square Payroll, all handle federal, state and local payroll tax filings and payments. Confirm which forms are included before you sign.
Can I switch payroll providers mid-year?
Yes, and vendors handle it routinely. You will need your EIN, employee details and year-to-date payroll totals. Most providers, including OnPay with its free migration, will pull data from your old system and balance the year-to-date numbers for you.
What is the difference between Patriot's basic and full-service payroll?
Patriot offers a basic tier where you handle tax filings yourself and a full-service tier where Patriot files and deposits taxes for you. The $17 per month starting price is the entry point; confirm which tier a quote refers to.
Do I need HR software too, or just payroll?
Payroll alone is fine until hiring, onboarding, benefits and compliance start eating real time, usually around 10 to 20 employees. At that point the HR features in Gusto, Rippling, Paychex Flex or ADP Run start paying for themselves.
Sources we checked (8)
- https://gusto.com/
- https://onpay.com/
- https://www.patriotsoftware.com/
- https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/
- https://www.adp.com/
- https://paychex.com/
- https://rippling.com/
- https://squareup.com/us/en/payroll
Is your product missing or out of date?
We review this list regularly. Vendors can request a listing, send updated pricing or ask about featured placement.
Shihab Mia · Founder, Rankite
Shihab has spent more than a decade helping SaaS and e-commerce brands grow through search. He writes Rankite's software buying guides from pricing pages, documentation and public user reviews. More about Shihab.