The best payroll software and services should make pay runs easier, taxes cleaner, and compliance less stressful. Whether you’re paying a handful of employees or managing a growing workforce, the right platform can save time and reduce costly payroll mistakes.
For this guide, I reviewed nine payroll options to help you find one that fits your business needs.
My verdict:
| Gusto | ||
| ADP | ||
| Rippling | ||
| OnPay | ||
| Papaya Global | ||
| Paychex | ||
| SurePayroll by Paychex | ||
| QuickBooks Workforce (formerly QuickBooks Payroll) |
||
| Square Payroll | ||
| *Fees are based on Rippling’s small business page. **This is for Papaya Global’s Payroll Plus product. |
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Pricing is accurate as of 5/29/2026.
Since our last update: Bambee has been removed from this guide since it no longer offers payroll services.
Which payroll software is the best?
Given the many state and local jurisdictions, employers also face rising complexity when running payroll across states. The U.S. even ranked sixth in the 2025 Global Payroll Complexity Index, with California and New York identified as the country’s most complex states for payroll.
If those challenges sound familiar, you’re in the right place. I tested 9 of the most popular payroll solutions on the market today and used an objective scoring rubric to determine which one is truly the best.
And the results are in: Gusto is the best payroll software solution thanks to its thorough automation, comprehensive payroll tools, and optional employee benefits with built-in administration.
But if Gusto isn’t right for you, one of the other eight payroll solutions might do the trick. Below, I’ve analyzed each platform’s features, strengths, weaknesses, and cost to help you find the best fit for your business.
Data accurate and verified as of 5/29/2026.
Our star rating: 4.6 out of 5
Why Gusto?
If you don’t have any prior experience with payroll software and aren’t sure where to start, Gusto is absolutely my top recommendation. It’s one of the most popular payroll providers for small businesses, and it integrates with dozens of popular third-party applications, including accounting solutions like QuickBooks Online and Xero.
Gusto’s payroll service also has built-in time tracking and project tracking features for higher-priced plans. Managers can easily track team hours and process time-off requests and approvals. Workers can track their time by logging their hours on a computer or through Gusto’s employee mobile time-tracking app, which uses geolocation to verify hours.
The balance of flexibility and affordability made it my number one pick.
Pros
- Thorough employee self-service features with employee profiles, e-signature capabilities, and easy access to documentation.
- HR features include performance reviews, employee surveys, and access to certified HR experts (with pricier plans only).
- Automated payroll runs and automatic general ledger updates.
Cons
- Basic plan users don’t have access to customer support on weekends.
- Limited HR tools with the cheapest plan, especially compared to all-in-one payroll systems like ADP and Paychex.
- High per-employee fee with pricier plans can make the solution too expensive for organizations with a greater number of employees.
What are Gusto’s top payroll features?
- Unlimited monthly payroll runs.
- Full-service tax administration.
- Employee self-service portal.
- Hiring and onboarding tools with all plans.
- Gusto-brokered health insurance options.
- Additional employee benefit options include 401(k) retirement plans, commuter benefits, and free financial tools.
Top integrations: FreshBooks, QuickBooks Online, Sage Intacct, Xero, ZipBooks, QuickBooks Desktop, and Bookkeeper360.
How much does Gusto cost?
Gusto has three business payroll plans:
- Gusto Simple: $49/month + $6/employee/month.
- Gusto Plus: $89/month + $14/employee/month.
- Gusto Premium: $180/month + $22/employee/month.
If you pay contractors only, Gusto’s contractor plan costs $6 per contractor paid per month for six months, then $35 per month plus the per-contractor fee after that.
Gusto also has an international contractor payment plan that lets businesses pay independent contractors in 120+ countries. Pricing is country-specific.
Finally, Gusto recently added international payroll in the form of an employer of record (EOR) service. Contact Gusto for more information.
Learn more about Gusto by reading our in-depth Gusto payroll software review.
Visit Gusto
ALSO READ: ADP vs. Gusto: Which Payroll Software Is Better?
ADP: Best for growing organizations
Our star rating: 4.4 out of 5
Why ADP?
Whether you’re looking for a simplistic app-based payroll solution or a fully featured enterprise-level program, ADP has a payroll product for you. Its extremely versatile products are diverse enough to accommodate businesses of all sizes and in plenty of industries.
For instance, ADP TotalSource is a PEO for small businesses that want to offload hiring and payroll responsibilities. Roll by ADP is a chat-based app for businesses with fewer than five employees. ADP Workforce Now is an HCM solution for midsize businesses, while ADP GlobalView Payroll helps businesses pay employees in 40+ countries.
Pros
- Up to three months free for new users.
- Integrates with an extensive range of popular third-party software systems.
- Robust, customizable reporting capabilities.
- Comprehensive optional add-on features include retirement plans, workers’ compensation insurance, and employee health benefits.
Cons
- No transparent pricing online.
- Reporting features may have a higher learning curve for new users.
- State Unemployment Insurance management features are only available with higher-priced plans.
What are ADP’s top payroll features?
- Automated full-service payroll.
- Multi-jurisdiction payroll processing.
- Employee self-service portal access.
- Employee discounts, which provide workers with discounts on brand-name products and with local retailers.
- Exceptional reporting features, including thorough and customizable payroll and HR reports.
Top integrations: QuickBooks Online, Wave Accounting, Xero, SAP, Sage, Workday, 7shifts, ZipRecruiter, HiBob, and Microsoft Teams.
How much does ADP cost?
ADP doesn’t list the base prices for any of its payroll solutions online, including RUN Powered by ADP. Interested parties must contact ADP directly for a quote.
Learn more about ADP in our thorough RUN Powered by ADP review.
Visit ADP
Rippling: Best time-saving automations
Our star rating: 4.3 out of 5
Why Rippling?
Rippling is by far the most versatile solution on my list, and its automation capabilities will supercharge your payroll processes. I’m not even talking about the basic calculation and filing automations that most providers offer — Rippling’s payroll workflows can automate pretty much anything that touches payroll.
This could be as simple as a pay rate increase when an employee gets promoted or as complex as a referral bonus that gets added to one employee’s paycheck when another employee hits their 90-day milestone. (Like I said, supercharged.)
Rippling’s automations also extend to hundreds of third-party platforms, so you can configure automations like syncing payroll data to your general ledger or reimbursing employee expenses.
Pros
- International payroll processing available.
- Easy-to-customize plans include only the modules you want.
- Thorough integration with every product in the Rippling suite and 500+ third-party apps.
- Comprehensive, customized automations for most business processes.
- Offers EOR, global payroll, and professional employer organization (PEO) services.
Cons
- Expensive plans are outside many small and midsize businesses’ budgets.
- Workflow automations can have a high learning curve for first-time users.
What are Rippling’s top payroll features?
- Employee health insurance benefits in all 50 states.
- Built-in wage garnishment.
- Automated minimum wage, leave and overtime compliance.
- Customizable role-based permissions.
- Customizable workflow automations.
- Wage garnishment.
Top integrations: QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage, and Oracle NetSuite.
How much does Rippling cost?
Rippling doesn’t list its base price online, though its small business page shows that its monthly fees start at $8 per employee per month plus a $40 monthly base fee.
Contact Rippling to request a custom quote.
Dig deeper into Rippling’s features by reading our Rippling payroll review.
Visit Rippling
OnPay: Best industry-specific payroll
Our star rating: 4.7 out of 5
Why OnPay?
OnPay is a solid solution for any business, but it really shines when you start digging into industry-specific payroll requirements.
For example, bar and restaurant owners can manage multiple pay rates for front-of-house and back-of-house staff, as well as tipped wages and overtime costs. Clergy and nonprofit orgs also get clear guidance for tax deductions and exemptions, and farms get support for ag-specific tax forms and workers’ compensation.
The best part? These niche capabilities don’t cost extra. Gusto may offer a wider range of native HR capabilities, but OnPay immediately becomes a more affordable option when you start adding up the fees for with these specialized payroll functions.
Pros
- Industry-specific payroll plans for restaurants, farms and agriculture, nonprofits, churches and clergy, manufacturing companies, 500+ employee companies, and more.
- Simple and transparent pricing.
- Custom PTO policy creation with automatic PTO accrual, calendars, time-off requests, and manager approvals.
- Free setup support for new customers.
Cons
- Phone, chat, and email support are limited to weekdays, with only emergency email support available on weekends.
- One plan only, which may be less scalable for rapidly growing businesses.
- No international payroll options.
- Fewer built-in integrations than comparable payroll providers.
What are OnPay’s top payroll features?
- Unlimited monthly payroll runs.
- Free white-glove setup and data migration.
- Optional OnPay-brokered insurance benefits in all 50 states.
- Compliance alerts.
- Wage garnishment.
- Multi-state payroll.
- Federal, state, and local tax filing.
- Support for multiple pay schedules.
Top integrations: Xero, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Time, and Magnify.
How much does OnPay cost?
OnPay payroll has just one plan that includes all of its payroll tools plus hiring, onboarding and benefits administration. It costs $49 per month as a base fee plus $6 per month per employee.
It also offers an HR add-on if you want PTO management, org charts, onboarding workflows, equipment and software provisioning, and HR insights. This is priced at $2 per month per employee and a $15 base monthly fee.
Learn more about OnPay’s payroll system by reading our comprehensive OnPay review.
Visit OnPay
SEE: The 9 Most Common Payroll Mistakes and Ways to Avoid Them (TechRepublic)
Papaya Global: Best for international payroll
Our star rating: 4.2 out of 5
Why Papaya Global?
For fast, budget-friendly global payroll processing, it’s hard to do better than Papaya. Its contractor payroll plans start at just $5 per contractor per month, or you can also choose Papaya’s employer of record service for comprehensive employee hiring in 160+ countries.
Pros
- One of the most fully featured global payroll providers for U.S.-based companies.
- Access to payroll and benefits in more than 160 countries.
- Extensive international payroll library and compliance oversight.
Cons
- Fewer third-party integrations than some international payroll competitors.
What are Papaya Global’s top payroll features?
- Local currency payments made within 72 hours.
- Optional employee benefits.
- Country-specific tax management.
- AI-based compliance audits.
- Global finance, HR, and payroll features rolled into one package.
- Local experts with knowledge on immigration, global compliance, equity, benefits, and more.
Top integrations: NetSuite, Workday, Expensify, BambooHR, Namely, and HiBob
How much does Papaya Global cost?
Papaya offers a variety of international payroll services tailored toward businesses with diverse budgets and workforce needs:
- Payroll Plus: Starts at $29/employee/month.
- Payments OS: Starts at $3.5 per transaction.
- EOR: Starts at $499/employee/month.
- Contractor of Record: Starts at $295/contractor/month.
- Contractor solution: Starts at $5/contractor/month.
Learn more about whether Papaya Global will work for you by reading our in-depth Papaya review.
Visit Papaya
Paychex: Best HR solutions
Our star rating: 4 out of 5
Why Paychex?
While Paychex has more or less the same full-service payroll features as Gusto, it has a more robust set of HR features. In contrast to Paychex’s professional employer organization service, its payroll and HR software isn’t a total HR solution.
However, each Paychex plan has far more HR tools and support than any of Gusto’s plans, including access to a comprehensive HR library, optional financial wellness benefits for employees, and access to labor posters.
Pros
- Access to an impressive range of optional employee benefits offerings.
- Dedicated point of contact with 24/7 access to the customer support center.
- Impressive HR library resources are available with every plan.
Cons
- Time tracking, benefits, talent management, and multi-channel support cost extra.
- Non-transparent pricing.
- Additional fees to process year-end W-2s and 1099s.
- Additional fees for general ledger and accounting software integration.
What are Paychex’s top payroll features?
- Employee self-service portals.
- Basic onboarding.
- Unlimited monthly payroll runs.
- Automated new hire reporting.
- Multiple employee pay options, including direct deposit, paper checks, and pay cards.
- Employee benefits options include a financial wellness program, employee assistance programs, and insurance benefits.
- Thorough human resource features with higher-tier plans, including an employee handbook builder and learning management system.
Top integrations: BambooHR, Greenhouse, Indeed, NetSuite, SAP, Sage Intacct, QuickBooks Online, Workday, and Xero.
How much does Paychex cost?
Paychex has five different pricing tiers for its HR/payroll solutions, but all of them require a custom quote:
- Paychex Flex Select: Custom quote.
- Paychex Flex Pro: Custom quote.
- Paychex Flex Enterprise: Custom quote.
- HR Pro: Custom quote.
- HR PEO: Custom quote.
Learn more about Paychex by reading our in-depth Paychex software review.
Visit Paychex
SurePayroll by Paychex: Most affordable payroll
Our star rating: 4.7 out of 5
Why SurePayroll?
SurePayroll by Paychex is hands-down the most affordable payroll solution with the most essential payroll features. It offers the best value for the price and includes more features at no additional cost than other providers include in their base plan.
For example, SurePayroll offers free two-day direct deposit, HR advisor access, and free year-end tax form filing — other providers charge extra for these capabilities.
Businesses can also use SurePayroll by Paychex to find employee benefits like 401(k) retirement plans, health insurance, and workers’ compensation insurance. SurePayroll by Paychex also offers optional hiring tools like pre-employment screening and background checks.
Pros
- Up to six months free for new customers.
- Extended customer service hours with better-than-average response time.
- Tax-calculation guarantee with self-service plan (plus industry-standard tax-filing guarantee with full-service plan).
- Budget-friendly full-service or cheaper self-service plan options.
Cons
- Two plans can limit scalability for growing businesses.
- Fewer HR features than HR-focused competitors like Paychex and ADP.
What are SurePayroll’s top payroll features?
- Unlimited monthly payroll runs.
- Automatic new hire reporting.
- Pre-scheduled payroll runs.
- Support for multiple pay rates and bonuses.
- Wage garnishment.
- Optional health benefits backed by Paychex (SurePayroll by Paychex’s parent company).
- Workers’ compensation administration.
Top integrations: Xero, QuickBooks Online, BuddyPunch, Homebase, and Less Accounting.
How much does SurePayroll cost?
SurePayroll by Paychex has two payroll plans:
- No Tax Filing: $20 per month plus $4 per employee.
- Full Service: $29 per month plus $7 per employee.
With the first plan, SurePayroll by Paychex calculates your payroll taxes but leaves the filing up to you. With the second plan, SurePayroll also withholds and remits your payroll taxes on your behalf.
Find out if SurePayroll by Paychex is a good fit for you by reading our SurePayroll by Paychex review.
Visit SurePayroll by Paychex
QuickBooks Workforce: Best user experience
Our star rating: 4.1 out of 5
Why QuickBooks Workforce?
If you’re new to payroll, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the new processes and legal requirements. But if you already use QuickBooks Online for bookkeeping, adding QuickBooks Workforce ensures you don’t have to get used to an entirely new, confusing interface while you’re learning how to do payroll.
It’s basically a no-brainer for existing QBO users, especially if you don’t need other HR capabilities like hiring or performance management.
Pros
- Transparent online pricing.
- Multiple plan options for growing businesses.
- 24/7 live support (with pricier plans only).
- Excellent integrations with the Intuit QuickBooks suite of products and third-party software.
Cons
- No free workers’ compensation integration and administration with the cheapest plan.
- Expensive add-ons, including time-tracking software.
- Key features are limited to the priciest plans only, such as expert review and expert support.
What are QuickBooks Workforce’s top payroll features?
- Next-day or same-day direct deposit (plan dependent).
- Automatic payroll runs.
- 1099 e-filing.
- Optional 401(k) plans and healthcare benefits.
- Built-in time tracking through QuickBooks Time (additional fee with basic plan).
- HR support center (with more expensive plans only).
- Built-in workers’ compensation administration.
Top integrations: QuickBooks Online.
How much does QuickBooks Workforce cost?
Unlike some of its top competitors, QuickBooks Online Payroll lists its prices clearly and upfront:
- Workforce Payroll: $50 per month plus $6.50 per employee.
- Workforce Premium: Costs $88 per month plus $10 per employee.
- Workforce Elite: Costs $134 per month plus $12 per employee.
New customers can receive 50% off QuickBooks’ base price for their first three months of service.
Learn more about QuickBooks Workforce by reading our QuickBooks Workforce review.
Visit QuickBooks Workforce
Square Payroll: Best for automatic tax filings
Our star rating: 4.2 out of 5
Why Square Payroll?
Similar to my QB Payroll recommendation, Square Payroll is ideal if you’re already using Square for point of sale, invoicing, or banking. It’s an intuitive and affordable platform that helps you run payroll, pay taxes, and stay ahead of compliance needs.
Square Payroll will calculate, withhold, and file federal and state payroll taxes (quarterly and annually) on your behalf. But automatic filing doesn’t stop there — it’ll also handle W-2s, 1099s, and new hire reporting according to your state regulations.
Pros
- Files taxes
- Users admire the ease of onboarding
- Offers next-day deposit
- Highly intuitive mobile app
Cons
- No option to change the direct deposits label
- No free trial available
- Limited integrations
What are Square Payroll’s top payroll features?
- Create, manage, and publish schedules
- Import timecards
- Payroll automations
- Benefits administration
How much does Square Payroll cost?
Square Payroll offers two plans:
- Contractor-only payroll: $6 per month per person paid.
- Full-service payroll: $35 per month + $6 monthly fee per person paid.
Visit Square
ALSO READ: Why Does My Business Need a Payroll Service?
More payroll coverage
Our methodology
To review the best payroll software for businesses, I set up free accounts with payroll providers whenever possible to test the software for ourselves. When creating a free account wasn’t an option, I viewed demos and watched product reviews from customers detailing their experience with the software.
In all cases, I read product spec sheets, thoroughly reviewed each company’s website, and reviewed verified user reviews on trustworthy third-party sites.
After conducting this initial research, I used a proprietary in-house algorithm to calculate star ratings for each brand, determine each use case, and rank each brand according to its score.
Our algorithm weighs each criterion as follows:
- Pricing: 25%
- Payroll features: 35%
- Ease of use: 15%
- Customer service: 15%
- Expert score: 10%
Learn more about my software selection process and the criteria I used for testing: Review Methodology for Payroll Software Services
How do I choose the best payroll software for my business?
To find the right payroll software for your company, you need to first evaluate which payroll features are essential to your day-to-day business operations. Make sure to consider third-party integrations, automatic payroll processing and tax remittance, compliance checks, HR tools, employee self-service features, wage garnishment, and optional employee benefits.
It’s also crucial to consider the price. As you’re budgeting for payroll software, look at not just the monthly fixed base price you’ll pay to use the software but the per-employee fee, which will change over time as you gain employees.
Most importantly, sign up for free trials and request free software demos before fully committing to any payroll product for the long term.
Frequently asked questions
What is payroll software?
Payroll software is a (typically cloud-based) tool businesses use to pay their employees. Payroll software calculates paycheck amounts for both hourly and salaried employees, including gross paycheck amounts, payroll tax amounts, and other paycheck deductions.
Most payroll software automatically deposits employees’ net pay via direct deposit and includes features like payroll reports, optional HR features (like employee benefits administration), and time-tracking solutions for hourly employees who clock in and out.
How does payroll software simplify payroll processing?
Payroll software removes the need for business owners to calculate paycheck amounts by hand. It also simplifies record-keeping processes and helps businesses stay legally compliant with tax and labor laws.
Is payroll software good for small businesses or only for larger enterprises?
Payroll services can help business owners who want to save time on processing payroll and reduce the possibility of making a critical error with an employee’s paycheck amount or payroll taxes. Businesses in any industry and of any size can benefit from streamlining their payroll processes with payroll software.
How much does payroll software cost?
Most payroll products charge a monthly base fee along with a per-employee fee, though some payroll providers like Gusto and Square Payroll waive their base fees for business owners that pay only contractors. Most entry-level software plans charge around $20 a month as a self-service base fee and up to $50 a month as a full-service base fee. Per-employee fees for entry-level plans can range from $4 per employee to $10 per employee.
There are also free payroll software options, like Payroll4Free, which offers free payroll for businesses with up to 25 employees. Alternatively, businesses can use spreadsheet software like Excel (which costs a monthly fee) or Google Sheets (which is free) to calculate payroll by hand.
However, these more affordable payroll-processing methods aren’t feasible for businesses with dozens of employees. They’re also less ideal for businesses that want to save time on payroll while reducing the possibility of human error.
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