10 providersAll prices in USDPrices checked Jul 29, 2026

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.

Browse all Payroll Software in our directory

Updated

Employees

Your current cost /mo

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	Patriot Software	Rippling	Gusto	OnPay	QuickBooks Online	Deel	Papaya Global	Payoneer Workforce Management	ADP	Paychex
Est. Cost /mo (USD)	$57/moFull ServiceCheapest	$67/moPayroll	$73/moSimple	$73/moOnPay	$74/moCore	$116/moPayroll	$116/moPayroll Plus
	Visit Patriot Software	Visit Rippling	Visit Gusto	Visit OnPay	Visit QuickBooks Online	Visit Deel	Visit Papaya Global	Visit Payoneer Workforce Management	Visit ADP	Visit Paychex

Ratings
	4.8Capterra (3,500+)	4.8G2 (5,000+)	4.6Capterra (4,000+)	4.8Capterra (440+)	4.4Capterra (900+)	4.8G2 (13,922)	4.5Capterra (43)	4.6G2 (130+)	4.5Capterra (3,200+)	4.3Capterra (1,700+)
Costs & Pricing
	Best$5/emp/mo	~$8/emp/mo	$6/emp/mo	$6/emp/mo	$6/emp/mo	$29/emp/mo	$29/emp/mo (Payroll Plus)	Quote	Quote	Quote
	$37/mo	~$35/mo	$49/mo	$49/mo	$50/mo	$0	$0	Quote	Quote	Quote
	✕	✕	✕	✕	✕	✕	✕	✕	✕	✕
	✕	✓	Contractors only	✕	✕	✓global	✓global	✓global	✓	✓
	—	Quote	—	—	—	$599/emp/mo	$499/emp/mo	Best$199/emp/mo	—	—
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓from $19	✓	✓
	✕	Annual	✕	✕	✕	✕	Annual	Not stated	Annual	Annual
Tax & Compliance
	✓Full Service	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✕EOR only	✓	✓
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✕	✓	✓
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Not stated	Not stated	✓	✓
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Not stated	Not stated	✓	✓
	✓	✓	✓Plus	✓	✓	✓	✓	✕	✓	✓
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	Not stated	Not stated	✓	✓
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓next-day	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	✕	✓	✕	✕	✕	✓	✓	✓AOR	✕	✕
	✕	✓	✕	✕	✕	✓	✓	✓	Limited	✕
	✕	✓	Limited	✕	✕	✓	✓	Not stated	✕	✕
AI
	✕	Native (Rippling AI)	Native (Gus AI assistant, basic)	Limited (rules-based automation)	Native (Intuit Assist)	Native + add-ons (Deel AI, Akai agents)	Native (payroll validation)	Limited (compliance automation)	Native (ADP Assist)	Native (Paychex AI analytics)
	✕	Via 3rd-party (StackOne/community)	Via 3rd-party (Zapier)	✕	Native MCP (Intuit, early preview)	Native MCP (official)	API only	API only	Via 3rd-party (Zapier)	API only
Features & Integrations
	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	Limited	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓via EOR	✓	✓
	✓add-on	✓	✓Plus	Limited	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓
	QuickBooks, Patriot	QuickBooks, Xero, more	QuickBooks, Xero	QuickBooks, Xero	QuickBooks (native)	QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite	NetSuite, SAP, Workday	Limited	QuickBooks, Xero, more	QuickBooks, Xero, Sage
	US support	Online	Phone + chat	US phone	Phone + chat	24/7	24/7 support	24x5	24/7 phone	24/7 + specialist

Estimates based on 4 employees. Rates can change without notice, confirm current pricing with the provider before signing on. 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.

How we calculate this

Estimated cost: each provider’s published prices and rates applied to the inputs you set above (such as volume, team size, or invoices), plus any fixed monthly fees.
Providers with an incomplete cost (shown as “+ processing”) and quote-only providers are never ranked as the cheapest while a complete-cost option exists. A “+ payroll” tag means payroll is not built in, so you would run it on separate software; those providers are still ranked on cost, and you can hide them with the Payroll included filter.
These are estimates. Published rates can change and your final pricing depends on your business, so confirm current pricing with the provider before switching.

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 (Plus)

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

Deel

Global HR and payroll platform with a free HR plan up to 200 employees, native US payroll, and Employer of Record hiring in 150+ countries.

Est. cost

$116/mo

Best for

US companies with remote or international teams, and small businesses wanting free core HR with room to scale globally

Per employee: $29/emp/mo
Base fee: $0
Tax filing: Yes
Multi-state: Yes

Visit Deel View full details

Popular Payroll Software comparisons

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

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Best Payroll Software for your business

Ranked picks for specific business types, with our live cost calculator.

Best for contractorsAn independent, US ranking of the best platforms for paying contractors compliantly, comparing per-contractor pricing, country coverage and 1099 classification risk, plus a live cost calculator.Read the guide Best for small businessAn independent US ranking of the best payroll software for small business, with real base and per-employee pricing, federal and state tax filing, W-2 and 1099 handling and workers comp compared, plus a live cost calculator.Read the guide

Payroll Software pricing guides

What each provider actually charges, plan by plan, with cheaper alternatives.

Gusto pricingWhat Gusto costs: the monthly base fee, the per-employee fee, what Simple, Plus and Premium each add, and the cheaper flat-rate rivals for a small headcount.View pricing

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.

Learn more Contact us