The 8 Best Payroll Software and Services of 2023

Gusto: Best small-business payroll software

Our star rating: 4.1 out of 5

Gusto’s modern payroll and HR platform offers payroll processing, employee benefits administration and talent management solutions. As one of the most popular small-business payroll providers, Gusto integrates with dozens of popular third-party applications, including accounting solutions like QuickBooks Online and Xero.

Along with third-party integrations, Gusto’s payroll service also has built-in time tracking and project tracking features for higher-priced plans. These capabilities enable users to quickly 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.

Features

• Basic hiring and onboarding tools with all plans.
• Gusto-brokered health insurance options in 37 states.
• Additional employee benefit options include 401(k) retirement plans, commuter benefits, college savings accounts and free financial tools.

Pros

• Thorough employee self-service features with employee profiles, e-signature capabilities and easy access to documentation.
• HR features including 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 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.

Pricing

Gusto offers three pricing tiers:

• Simple plan: Starts at $40 per month, plus $6 per month per employee.
• Plus plan: Starts at $80 per month, plus $12 per month per employee.
• Premium plan: Pricing for this plan is available upon request.

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 95+ countries.

Learn more about Gusto by reading our in-depth Gusto payroll software review.

ADP: Best for midsize to large organizations

Our star rating: 3.9 out of 5

With ADP’s main payroll product for small and midsize businesses, RUN Powered by ADP, business owners can run payroll automatically and pay employees using multiple pay methods. Every plan comes with HR tools like new-hire reporting, onboarding assistance, background checks and built-in time and attendance.

ADP’s other payroll products include its PEO ADP TotalSource, ADP Workforce Now for midsize and larger businesses and ADP Global Payroll for multi-country companies and enterprises. If you’re interested in a cheaper product, Roll by ADP is an ADP-backed payroll app for the smallest of small businesses. It starts at $29 a month plus $5 per employee.

Features

• Multi-jurisdiction payroll processing features.
• 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.

Pros

• Payroll management services across 140 countries.
• Integrations 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 only available with higher-priced plans.

Pricing

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.

Many of ADP’s plans and products can be completely customized, and you can also request a customized demo when deciding whether or not to purchase ADP.

Learn more about ADP in our thorough ADP Workforce Now review.

Rippling: Best for automation

Our star rating: 3.8 out of 5

Rippling’s full-service payroll solution has excellent built-in compliance support and HR tools, which makes it a solid alternative to software that focus more on payroll than they do on HR (for instance, Gusto). Its payroll plan includes workers’ compensation insurance administration, customizable reports and excellent compliance oversight. Most notably, Rippling lets businesses build custom automations, including custom policies for syncing payroll data with your general ledger.

Rippling’s other HR products include time and attendance software, benefits administration, applicant tracking and learning management. Companies can also add Rippling’s IT and finance software to its HR and payroll plan, creating a customizable package that grows with companies as they scale from startups to international enterprises.

Features

• Employee health insurance benefits in all 50 states.
• Pre-built workflow templates for easier workflow customization.
• Built-in wage garnishment.
• Integration with top accounting software including QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage, Oracle NetSuite and more.

Pros

• International payroll processing available.
• Easy-to-customize plans include only the modules you want.
• Thorough integration with every product in the Rippling suite.
• Comprehensive, customized automations for most business processes.

Cons

• Likely more expensive than many competitors, especially price-conscious payroll options like SurePayroll.
• Expensive plans are outside many small and midsize businesses’ budgets.
• Workflow automations can have a high learning curve for first-time users.

Pricing

Rippling charges $8 per employee per month on top of a standard monthly base fee. However, Rippling doesn’t list its base price online (though the site previously listed its starting price at $35 per month). Plus, each additional module costs an extra per-employee or per-month charge, which can cause package prices to add up quickly.

Dig deeper into Rippling’s features by reading our Rippling payroll review.

OnPay: Best for specialized payroll services

Our star rating: 4.2 out of 5

OnPay’s payroll software program helps businesses in all industries pay employees, offer benefits, deposit taxes and get solid HR assistance. Along with its general payroll services, OnPay also offers industry-specific payroll services tailor-made for more niche companies. For instance, OnPay’s bar and restaurant payroll solution includes features for processing tipped wages, employee onboarding and time-tracking software integrations.

All of OnPay’s payroll plans include an impressive amount of HR features (especially when compared to similar HR payroll solutions like Gusto). Features like compliance auditing and HR library access give small and midsize businesses access to HR tools they’d typically have to pay extra for. OnPay’s stellar payroll features include wage garnishment and free multi-state payroll — two services most of the other top payroll systems charge extra for.

Features

• Thorough, fee-free integration with third-party software like QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Time, Xero and more.
• Ongoing COVID-19 compliance features, including a COVID-19 dashboard for managing tax credits and forgiveness.
• Free white-glove setup and data migration.
• Optional OnPay-brokered insurance benefits in all 50 states.

Pros

• Payroll features specific to businesses in specific sectors like restaurants, farms and agriculture, nonprofits, churches and clergy, and 500+ employee companies.
• Far fewer add-on fees than other payroll providers, especially pricy competitors like Paychex.
• Custom PTO policy creation with automatic PTO accrual, calendars, time-off requests and manager approvals.

Cons

• Phone, chat and email support limited to weekdays with only emergency email support available on weekends.
• One plan only, which may be less scalable for rapidly growing businesses (compared to multi-plan competitors like Gusto and Paychex).
• No international payroll options, including international contractor payments.

Pricing

OnPay payroll has just one plan that includes all of its payroll and HR features. It costs $40 per month as a base fee plus $6 per month per employee.

Learn more about OnPay’s payroll system by reading our comprehensive OnPay review.

Papaya Global: Best for international payroll

Our star rating: 3.7 out of 5

Papaya Global is one of the best payroll software programs for international businesses. Its global payroll services let employers pay workers in 12 local currency systems in more than 160 countries. Papaya can deposit paychecks directly into employees’ bank accounts, and it can also make third-party payments on your behalf to entities like the IRS or legally mandated pension accounts around the world.

Businesses that currently use a payroll provider other than Papaya and don’t want to switch can still take advantage of Papaya’s international payroll services by paying for its payroll platform license, which costs $3 a month per employee. Plus, Papaya has a global benefits package that helps businesses offer global health insurance and provide localized benefits.

Features

• 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.
• Third-party integrations with Oracle NetSuite, Workday and more.

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

• Starting price might be outside many businesses’ budgets.
• Fewer third-party integrations than some international payroll competitors.
• Comparatively slow software setup and implementation.

Pricing

In contrast to most global payroll system providers, Papaya Global lists its starting prices upfront:

• Full-service global payroll: Starts at $12 per month per employee.
• Payroll platform licensing: Starts at $3 per month per employee.
• Employer of record services: Start at $770 per month per employee.
• International contractor management: Starts at $25 per month per employee.

Learn more about whether Papaya Global will work for you by reading our in-depth Papaya review.

Paychex: Best for HR solutions

Our star rating: 3.5 out of 5

Paychex’s all-in-one payroll software solution includes HR and payroll tools with optional add-on employee benefits. Unlike single-plan solutions (such as Square Payroll or OnPay), Paychex has four payroll plans that are designed for startups, enterprises and everything in between.

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.

Features

• Multiple employee pay options, including direct deposit, paper checks and pay cards.
• Employee benefits options, including 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.

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 available with every plan.

Cons

• Paychex is a pricier option compared to payroll services provided by other vendors, and pricing information for its higher-tier options is not available online.
• Additional fees to process year-end W-2s and 1099s.
• Additional fees for general ledger and accounting software integration.

Pricing

Paychex offers three different pricing tiers for its HR solutions:

• Paychex Flex Essentials: Costs $39 per month, plus $5 per employee.
• Paychex Flex Select: Custom quote.
• Paychex Flex Pro: Custom quote.

Learn more about Paychex by reading our in-depth Paychex software review.

SurePayroll: Most affordable payroll

Our star rating: 4.2 out of 5

SurePayroll is both the cheapest payroll provider on our list of best payroll software as well as one of the cheapest payroll providers overall. Its lower price point doesn’t prevent SurePayroll from offering extensive payroll features — in some cases, more features than its paid payroll competitors. For instance, both SurePayroll plans include new-hire reporting, free two-day direct deposit and access to HR features like labor law compliance posters.

Businesses can also use SurePayroll to find 401(k) retirement plans for employees as well as health insurance and workers’ compensation insurance. SurePayroll also offers optional hiring tools like pre-employment screening and background checks.

Features

• Optional health benefits backed by Paychex (SurePayroll’s parent company).
• Budget-friendly full-service or cheaper self-service plan options.

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).
• Optional employee benefits add-on with employee benefits administration.

Cons

• Two plans can limit scalability for growing businesses.
• Fewer HR features than HR-focused competitors like Paychex and ADP.

Pricing

SurePayroll has two plans, both with transparent pricing:

• Self-service payroll: Requires you to file payroll taxes on your own and costs $19.99 per month plus $4 per employee.
• Full-service payroll: Includes automatic payroll tax filing performed by SurePayroll and costs $29.99 per month plus $5 per employee.

SurePayroll also has a handful of optional add-on costs. For example, multi-state tax filing costs an extra $9.99 per state.

Find out if SurePayroll is a good fit for you by reading our SurePayroll review.

QuickBooks Payroll: Best user experience

Our star rating: 3.6 out of 5

QuickBooks Payroll integrates naturally with QuickBooks Online, Intuit’s leading cloud-based accounting software used by thousands of companies globally. Since Intuit’s cloud-based products were built specifically for non-accountant business owners, those who already manage their finances through QuickBooks Online should enjoy a relatively low learning curve if they add QuickBooks Payroll.

Although QuickBooks Payroll has a relatively high starting base price, its per-employee fee is notably low. As a result, regardless of its higher base price, QuickBooks Payroll is cheaper for small and midsize businesses with five or more employees compared to similar payroll programs like Gusto, ADP and OnPay.

Features

• Automatic payroll runs (available for businesses that pay salaried employees only).
• Optional 401(k) plans and healthcare benefits.
• Built-in time tracking through QuickBooks Time (additional fee).
• HR support center (with more expensive plans only).

Pros

• Transparent online pricing.
• Multiple plan options for growing businesses.
• 24/7 live support (with pricier plans only).
• Excellent integrations with Intuit QuickBooks suite of products and third-party software.

Cons

• No free workers’ compensation integration and administration with cheapest plan.
• Expensive add-ons, including time-tracking software.
• Key features limited to priciest plans only, such as expert review and expert support.

Pricing

Unlike some of its top competitors, QuickBooks Online Payroll lists its prices clearly and upfront:

• QuickBooks Payroll Core: Costs $45 per month plus $5 per employee.
• QuickBooks Payroll Premium: Costs $75 per month plus $8 per employee.
• QuickBooks Payroll Elite: Costs $125 per month plus $10 per employee.

New customers can choose between receiving 50% off QuickBooks’ base price for their first three months of service or signing up for a free trial of QuickBooks’ payroll software.

Learn more about QuickBooks Payroll by reading our QuickBooks Payroll review.