The Best Payroll Software For Small Businesses

Gusto is a great fit for small and midsize businesses that want payroll, tax support, HR tools, benefits administration, and transparent pricing in one platform.

It supports unlimited payroll runs, automated tax filing, onboarding, benefits, time tracking, PTO, reports, employee self-service, and access to HR support on higher-tier plans. Businesses can also add tools for workers’ comp, HSAs, and international contractor payments.

ADP is a good fit for businesses that want scalable payroll software with built-in HR support.

Businesses can start with RUN Powered by ADP for payroll, tax filing, employee self-service, reporting, onboarding, and basic HR tools, then move into more advanced ADP products for workforce management, benefits, compliance support, HR outsourcing, and PEO services.

Paychex works well for businesses that want payroll software with room to add more HR support over time.

Paychex supports payroll, tax administration, employee self-service, new hire reporting, and HR tools, with add-ons for time tracking, benefits, retirement, business insurance, and HR services. Its biggest advantage is how customizable it is for businesses with growing payroll and HR needs.

Paylocity is especially useful for businesses that want payroll to connect with more of the employee experience.

Paylocity offers payroll, tax support, employee self-service, mobile access, onboarding, time tracking, scheduling, expenses, reporting, and employee communication tools. It also gives employees and managers more ways to handle everyday HR and workforce tasks without relying as heavily on manual processes.

Paycor is best for businesses that want payroll software with stronger HR analytics and workforce insights.

Paycor supports full-service payroll, HR tools, onboarding, hiring, benefits administration, employee management, and advanced reporting, with add-ons for time tracking and scheduling. Businesses can use Paycor to track labor costs, turnover, headcount, compensation, performance, and other workforce trends.

Square Payroll is a practical choice for small businesses that want easy payroll software without a steep learning curve.

Square Payroll supports employee and contractor payments, payroll tax calculation and filing, automated payroll runs, employee self-service, onboarding, benefits, and time tracking through Square Shifts or integrations. It’s especially useful for businesses already using Square POS or other Square products.

OnPay is built for small businesses that want full-service payroll without sorting through multiple plan tiers.

Its single plan includes unlimited payroll runs, federal, state, and local tax filings, W-2 and 1099 filings, multistate payroll, employee self-service, HR tools, and industry-specific setup options. Businesses get a broad payroll feature set without having to upgrade for the basics.

QuickBooks Workforce makes the most sense for businesses already using QuickBooks Online for accounting.

Businesses can manage payroll and bookkeeping in the same ecosystem, reducing duplicate data entry and keeping payroll records connected to accounting. QuickBooks Workforce also supports full-service payroll, direct deposit, payroll tax filing, reports, contractor payments, payroll AI, employee self-service, benefits, and optional time tracking.

Payroll4Free is best for very small businesses that need basic payroll tools at no base software cost.

The free plan is available for businesses paying nine or fewer employees and includes employee and contractor payments, tax calculations, vacation tracking, reports, direct deposit or paper checks, and an employee portal. Tax filing, tax deposits, and some services cost extra.

Patriot Payroll is a cost-effective option for small businesses that want more control over payroll tax support.

Businesses can choose Basic Payroll to run payroll and handle tax filings themselves, or Full Service Payroll to add federal, state, and local payroll tax filings and deposits. Patriot also includes unlimited payroll runs, multistate payroll, direct deposit, contractor payments, and an employee portal.

Wave Payroll works best for small businesses already using Wave for accounting, invoicing, or bookkeeping.

Wave connects payroll with its free accounting tools, helping businesses keep wages, payroll expenses, and tax payments tied to the books. It supports employee and contractor payments, direct deposit, tax forms, employee access, payroll journal entries, and full-service payroll.

Rippling is built for businesses managing payroll, HR, compliance, contractors, and IT across a distributed team.

Businesses can use Rippling to pay international employees and contractors, manage localized onboarding, sync employee data across systems, track time and PTO, handle tax compliance, and run custom payroll reports. It’s best for companies that need more than basic domestic payroll.

Homebase is built for businesses that need payroll connected to hourly team management.

Homebase combines payroll with scheduling, time clocks, timesheets, team communication, onboarding, and employee self-service tools. Its free Basic plan includes scheduling, time tracking, timesheets, and messaging for one location, while payroll is available as a paid add-on for businesses ready to pay employees.