The Top Cheapest Payroll Services For Businesses

When it comes to cheap and user-friendly online payroll services that still offer lots of features, Gusto reigns supreme. Gusto payroll software’s many features include a simple dashboard that displays upcoming payroll dates and deadlines, support for off-cycle payroll schedules and bonuses, and employee and contractor management to account for various deductions, earnings, and garnishments. Gusto’s four affordable plans are paid monthly. Gusto’s Contractor Only plan starts at $6 per person, while plans with W-2 employees start at $40/month plus $6/per person.

Gusto’s integrations with other popular software, such as QuickBooks Time, Xero, and QuickBooks, allow for more advanced features, including time-tracking for contractors with multiple pay rates or job-costing calculations. With over 120 integrations and an API for software developers, Gusto can cover everything from accounting and expense tracking to POS and project management. These integrations and the core features that ship with Gusto’s software are easy to set up and use for a high level of user-friendliness, which we discuss in more detail in our post on Gusto’s pricing plans and features. To keep calculations and the information it stores secure, Gusto uses 256-bit SSL encryption, firewalls, multifactor authentication, and physical security (such as anti-fraud measures) to protect its data center.

Gusto receives high praise from users and maintains a rating of 4.7/5 stars on Capterra (based on 3,500+ ratings) and 6.8/10 stars on TrustRadius (based on 270+ ratings). Among the user reviews that bring down Gusto’s average rating, complaints often center around a relative lack of reporting and time-tracking capabilities compared to other online payroll services. Other complaints cited slow-paced error resolution and difficulties troubleshooting issues through customer service.

Foodservice and retail business owners who invest in their brick-and-mortar locations, as well as their online stores, should be eyeing Square’s payroll solution with interest. Square Payroll integrates with Square POS software and its credit card processing services to create an all-in-one online payroll service that costs only $35/month with a $5 per-employee fee and no flat subscription price on its “Employees and Contractors” plan. The software’s “Contractors Only” plan costs $5 per employee with no monthly base rate. Restaurants and retailers that already use Square can look forward to an easy setup and multiple benefits from Square’s integrations and equipment, such as tip calculations, timecard syncing, and even employee management from mobile devices.

When it comes to crunching numbers, Square Payroll makes things much quicker with automation. Automated tax management means that business owners who have their hands full can sit back while Square automatically calculates withholdings and payment amounts. Square also automates its tax submissions to federal and state contacts so that businesses don’t forget deadlines and incur fees. Square Payroll takes care of quarterly and year-end filings as long as you remember to keep your business and employee information up to date in your software. The payroll software protects the information it processes with industry-leading data security and privacy standards that include HIPAA and PCI compliance.

User reviews tend to praise Square Payroll and its ease of use, especially for restaurants and retailers that already use Square, as well as its transparent and straightforward pricing. Square’s positive reception is reflected in its 4.7/5 star review on Capterra (based on 500+ reviews). Square Payroll isn’t without fault, though, and limits owners who are looking for a more expansive set of payroll functions, such as benefits administration, reporting, and schedule management for larger businesses.

OnPay offers arguably the best mobile experience for businesses that need eCommerce and in-person features. OnPay’s features, such as unlimited payroll runs, employee self-service portals, and time management options, are all available through a sole service plan that costs $36/month with a $4 monthly per-person fee.

OnPay organizes payroll processing for small businesses with its core set of multistate payroll services that come at no extra cost to business owners. It also offers QuickBooks/OnPay integrations for further consolidation of accounting and payroll tasks on multiple devices. OnPay’s online platform complements its availability on different devices with a high level of usability and easily navigable custom fields and forms that are backed up by industry-standard SSL high-grade encryption connected to a 24/7 data facility.

The high praise that Onpay receives for its mobile experience, intuitive online platform, and strong customer support contribute to its average score of 4.8/5 on Capterra (based on 390+ reviews) and why it made it into our top picks for best payroll software for small businesses. Complaints about the single service plan option and lack of scalability for larger businesses slightly bring OnPay’s rating down.

As one of the most straightforward online payroll systems, SurePayroll is the go-to choice for small businesses that don’t need a lot of bells and whistles. What SurePayroll lacks in advanced features, though, it more than makes up for with its user-friendly dashboard. Business owners can access core modules for payroll runs and reporting, pay stub management, and time tracking from the dashboard. SurePayroll also integrates easily with popular software such as Xero and QuickBooks, which augments its relatively sparse core feature set and consolidates payroll and accounting calculations for businesses.

SurePayroll makes itself a competitive option in its price range, currently $29/month and $4 per person, although this pricing can be difficult to find as SurePayroll doesn’t publish its prices online. SurePayroll gets the job done when it comes to straightforward processing with full tax support. Plus, this online payroll software ranks among the least expensive options available.

Where SurePayroll truly shines is its dedication to security. This dedication contributes to its average Capterra review of 4.1 (based on 220+ reviews). Users repeatedly cite SurePayroll’s commitment to data security, which is evident in penetration testing, annual audits, and more standard security measures, such as double encryption of data and virus and malware detection. Additional praise points to SurePayroll’s helpful customer service, making it doubly simple to run payroll and pay payroll taxes on time.

Patriot Payroll’s solid range of features aims to streamline payroll for small and growing businesses. Business owners can calculate multiple employee pay rates, track employee hours worked (as well as sick and leave days), and offer their employees direct deposit payments that don’t come at an extra cost. QuickBooks/Patriot Payroll further enhances payroll processing with advanced scheduling, time, and attendance functionality. For quickly growing small businesses, Patriot Payroll’s fast onboarding and handling of payroll setup and employee data entry are perfect for busy business owners.

Patriot Payroll is an affordable option for small businesses looking for online payroll services. It starts at $10/month with a per-person fee of $4 through its “Basic” plan. Patriot Payroll’s “Full Service” plan starts at $30/month to include options for tax filing and depositing while maintaining the same per-employee rate. However, even at its highest plan, the software lacks some typically standard features, such as benefits administration, timekeeping, and extra filing options for 1099 employees (this is only the case at the “Basic” level, though).

Overall, Patriot Payroll is highly praised on Capterra, with an average rating of 4.8 (based on 2,900 reviews) by small businesses hungry to scale their operations with a price-conscious and cheap payroll service.

As the most expensive payroll option on this list, QuickBooks Online Payroll has a lot to offer for its $45/month + $5/employee price point. QuickBooks Online Payroll is best suited to businesses already using QuickBooks or wanting to buy into a comprehensive accounting, payroll, and HR software suite.

However, new users may be drawn to the service’s easy-to-use interface, long-standing positive reputation, and range of payroll features, including benefits administration, PTO management, federal and state tax support, employee self-service portal, payroll reports, unlimited payroll runs, integrations, and much more. In short, QuickBooks Online Payroll’s higher pricing is balanced out by its wealth of features to support a wide range of payroll needs.

Intuit Online Payroll is limited to businesses paying 50 or fewer employees and contractors, so larger businesses looking for a cheaper payroll software option should look elsewhere. Fortunately, QuickBooks Desktop Payroll is designed for larger businesses and is a part of the extensive QuickBooks software suite, albeit at a much higher upfront cost. If you’re unsure whether QuickBooks Online or QuickBooks Desktop is right for your business, check out our QuickBooks Online vs. QuickBooks Desktop comparison guide.

If you’re a current QuickBooks user interested in adding payroll service to the software suite, QuickBooks Online Payroll offers a lot of bang for your buck. However, if you’re not a current QuickBooks Online user, you may find that other payroll software solutions are cheaper and offer all the basics you need.

Roll by ADP simplifies payroll to a chat-based platform on your mobile device. Businesses using Roll by ADP can download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and chat with the app’s AI to set up and manage payroll. That’s it. With Roll by ADP, you can give raises, add new employees, provide employees with access to their paystubs, record employee hours, integrate with your QuickBooks account, and much more. Roll also calculates, files, and pays your business’s payroll taxes on your behalf. You can get all this for the low price of $29/month + $5/employee.

There’s no companion desktop site to work from. Fortunately, Roll by ADP’s AI chatbot is designed to learn as you use it and is smart enough to help you walk through the onboarding and payroll process through its chat messages. Once you’re all set up in Roll by ADP, you can run payroll by texting different variations of “run payroll.” The app will get it done for you. If you’re having trouble with the service, you can live chat with customer service representatives from directly within the app.

Customers are generally happy with Roll by ADP, as the app has an App Store rating of 4.4/5 stars based on 483 reviews and 4.3/5 stars on the Play Store based on 778 reviews. Complaints about Roll by ADP concern the app’s bare-bones interface, lengthy registration process, and the software’s use of Plaid to connect bank accounts.

What’s cheaper than free? Payroll4Free is an ad-supported payroll software solution that offers free payroll services for businesses with fewer than 25 employees. Although Payroll4Free’s software doesn’t have many bells and whistles, it boasts essential payroll features that should be sufficient for businesses with basic payroll needs.

Payroll4Free’s payroll features include direct deposit and paper checks, tax calculations, vacation time tracking, payroll reports, contractor and employee payments, and an employee self-service portal. Payroll4Free also offers a Payroll Tax Service and a Direct Deposit Service (from its bank) for a combined $30 monthly fee.

Mac users should be aware that Payroll4Free is only compatible with devices using the Windows operating system. While the software can work on a Mac, the Mac must be running Windows for the software to function.