7 providersAll prices in USD

Compare Payroll Software in the United States

Compare payroll software for US businesses. See per-employee costs, full-service federal and state tax filing, W-2 and 1099 filing, new-hire reporting, multi-state payroll, direct deposit, and accounting integrations side by side.

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	Patriot Software	Rippling	Gusto	OnPay	QuickBooks Online	ADP	Paychex
Est. Cost /mo (USD)	$57/moCheapest	$67/mo	$73/mo	$73/mo	$74/mo	Get quote	Get quote
	Visit Patriot Software	Visit Rippling	Visit Gusto	Visit OnPay	Visit QuickBooks Online	Visit ADP	Visit Paychex

Ratings
User rating	4.8Capterra (3,500+)	4.8G2 (5,000+)	4.6Capterra (4,000+)	4.8Capterra (440+)	4.4Capterra (900+)	4.5Capterra (3,200+)	4.3Capterra (1,700+)
Costs & Pricing
Per-employee fee /mo	$5/emp/mo	~$8/emp/mo	$6/emp/mo	$6/emp/mo	$6/emp/mo	Quote	Quote
Monthly base fee	$37/mo	~$35/mo	$49/mo	$49/mo	$50/mo	Quote	Quote
Free plan	✕	✕	✕	✕	✕	✕	✕
Global/remote hiring	✕	✓	Contractors only	✕	✕	✓	✓
Employer of Record /mo	—	Quote	—	—	—	—	—
Contractor payments	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Contract required	✕	Annual	✕	✕	✕	Annual	Annual
Tax & Compliance
Full-service tax filing	✓Full Service	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Federal & state filing	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
W-2 & 1099 filing	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
New-hire reporting	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Multi-state payroll	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Workers comp	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Direct deposit	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓next-day	✓	✓
Misclassification protection	✕	✓	✕	✕	✕	✕	✕
Immigration/visa support	✕	✓	✕	✕	✕	Limited	✕
Contractor-to-employee conversion	✕	✓	Limited	✕	✕	✕	✕
AI
AI features	✕	Native (Rippling AI)	Native (Gus AI assistant, basic)	Limited (rules-based automation)	Native (Intuit Assist)	Native (ADP Assist)	Native (Paychex AI analytics)
MCP / AI agents	✕	Via 3rd-party (StackOne/community)	Via 3rd-party (Zapier)	✕	Native MCP (Intuit, early preview)	Via 3rd-party (Zapier)	API only
Features & Integrations
Employee self-service	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Benefits administration	Limited	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
Time tracking	✓add-on	✓	✓Plus	Limited	✓	✓	✓
Accounting integration	QuickBooks, Patriot	QuickBooks, Xero, more	QuickBooks, Xero	QuickBooks, Xero	QuickBooks (native)	QuickBooks, Xero, more	QuickBooks, Xero, Sage
Customer support	US support	Online	Phone + chat	US phone	Phone + chat	24/7 phone	24/7 + specialist

Estimates based on 4 employees. Best-in-row cells are highlighted in emerald. Rates can change without notice, confirm current pricing with the provider before signing on.How we calculate fees

Estimates cover the base fee plus per-employee costs at your team size. QuickBooks Payroll includes the required QuickBooks accounting subscription. ADP and Paychex are quote-only and require a sales call to confirm pricing.

Provider details

The top providers, expanded.

Same data as the table above, broken out per provider with the use cases each one fits best.

We may earn a commission when you click through to a provider. This never affects ranking or data shown. Read our terms.

Patriot Software

Low-cost US payroll for small businesses, with a Basic (self-file) and Full Service (tax-filed) tier at the lowest per-employee fees in the comparison.

Est. cost

$57/mo

Best for

Cost-conscious US small businesses wanting low-cost, straightforward payroll

Per employee: $5/emp/mo
Base fee: $37/mo
Tax filing: Yes (Full Service)
Multi-state: Yes

Visit Patriot Software View full details

Rippling

All-in-one HR, IT, and payroll platform with US payroll, strong automation, and global hiring, priced per employee on a modular base.

Est. cost

$67/mo

Best for

Growing and mid-market US businesses wanting unified HR, IT, and payroll with global hiring

Per employee: ~$8/emp/mo
Base fee: ~$35/mo
Tax filing: Yes
Multi-state: Yes

Visit Rippling View full details

Gusto

Top-rated US payroll and HR platform with transparent per-employee pricing, full-service federal and state tax filing, and built-in benefits administration.

Est. cost

$73/mo

Best for

US small and mid-sized businesses wanting transparent, full-service payroll with benefits and HR built in

Per employee: $6/emp/mo
Base fee: $49/mo
Tax filing: Yes
Multi-state: Yes

Visit Gusto View full details

OnPay

Simple, single-plan US payroll with a transparent flat base plus per-employee fee, full-service tax filing, and all features included.

Est. cost

$73/mo

Best for

US small businesses, nonprofits, and farms wanting simple, full-service payroll on one transparent plan

Per employee: $6/emp/mo
Base fee: $49/mo
Tax filing: Yes
Multi-state: Yes

Visit OnPay View full details

QuickBooks Online

Intuit's cloud accounting and the US market leader, with deep sales tax automation, built-in inventory, and a low-cost payroll add-on.

Est. cost

$74/mo

Best for

US small businesses wanting the market-leading platform with strong sales tax automation and the widest accountant network

Per employee: $6/emp/mo
Base fee: $50/mo
Tax filing: Yes
Multi-state: Yes

Visit QuickBooks Online View full details

ADP

Enterprise-grade US payroll and HR provider (ADP RUN for small business), with full-service tax filing, deep compliance, and quote-based pricing.

Best for

US businesses wanting enterprise-grade payroll and HR with deep compliance and the ability to scale

Per employee: Quote
Base fee: Quote
Tax filing: Yes
Multi-state: Yes

Visit ADP View full details

Popular Payroll Software comparisons

Independent, side by side breakdowns of the matchups merchants ask about most.

gusto vs adpAn independent US comparison of Gusto and ADP on real pricing, full-service tax filing, multi-state payroll, benefits, AI, and scale, so you can see which payroll platform fits your business and your budget.View comparison gusto vs quickbooks payrollAn independent US comparison of Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll on real pricing, full-service tax filing, multi-state payroll, benefits, AI, and accounting fit, so you can see which payroll platform fits your business and your books.View comparison

Not sure which payroll software is right for your business?

Our team can help you evaluate your options based on your team size, federal and state tax filing, multi-state payroll, and whether you want HR built in.

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