Best Payroll Software for Small Business
Payroll providers charge a monthly base fee plus a per-person fee, and promotional discounts can hide the list price. This page compares published pricing, checked on 2026-10-15, for an example team of five. Providers that do not publish prices are listed but not scored.
Who this is for
Small businesses with employees or contractors choosing payroll software. Payroll tax rules are complex; this is general information, not tax or legal advice.
How we scored this
Scores come only from what each provider publishes, using the checklist below. Commission, affiliate status and our own use of a product never change a score. Full rules are on our methodology page. Read the methodology.
A score measures what a provider publishes against this checklist. A perfect score means every checklist item had published evidence, not that the provider is right for your business. It is not a rating of product quality or service, and it does not use customer reviews.
Ranked by our scoring
#1 Gusto · 8/10
Published pricing
- Simple $49/mo + $6 per person (basic payroll in one state)
- Plus $80/mo + $12 per person
- Premium $180/mo + $22 per person
- "No contracts. Free account setup. Switch or cancel anytime."
Verified on the provider's page
- Plan prices are published. Simple $49, Plus $80, Premium $180 per month.
- The per-employee or per-person fee is stated. $6, $12 and $22 per person per month.
- Payroll tax filings and payments. "opular features Unlimited payrolls per month Tax filings and payments Basic PTO policies and holiday pay BEST VALUE Plus Confidentl"
- Direct deposit. "s per month Applicable Applicable Applicable Direct deposits or printable checks Applicable Applicable Applicable Tax filings and paym"
- Contractor payments. "g Unlimited next day pay Multi-state payroll Contractor invoice management Premium A named advisor as you scale, with built-in com"
- Benefits or 401(k) options. "Sign in Simple, transparent pricing Payroll, benefits, and HR all in one place. No hidden fees. Cancel any time. Pay My Team Pay"
- Time tracking. "2/mo per person Get started Popular features Time tracking and scheduling Unlimited next day pay Multi-state payroll Contractor invoi"
- Employee app or portal. "ilot® Applicable Applicable Applicable Gusto employee app Applicable Applicable Applicable Multiple pay rates and schedules Applicab"
- Cancel-anytime or no-contract terms are stated. "ts, and HR all in one place. No hidden fees. Cancel any time. Pay My Team Pay Myself Simple Run basic payroll in one state. $49/mo + $6"
- Promotional pricing terms are disclosed on the page. "um plan Available with Simple and Plus plans *on top of the $20 Remote I-9 add-on Priority Support Gain prioritized posit"
- A phone number is published. "Get Started Interactive Demo Contact Sales - (800) 936-0383 Services Small Business Platform Full-service payroll Employee Benefits HR"
- Expert, advisor or dedicated support is described. Premium: "A named advisor as you scale, with built-in compliance, HR guidance..." and Premium Account Support are listed.
Not found on the provider's page
No points are given for anything we could not find published. This does not mean the provider lacks it.
- Contractor-only pricing is published. Contractor-only pricing is not listed on the page text.
Visit GustoScore breakdown: Overall score 8/10
Category Weight Score Evidence Pricing transparency 30% 6.7/10 2 of 3 checks Total cost for a typical small business 25% 6.1/10 $79 → 6.1 Features 20% 10/10 6 of 6 checks Contract and fee fairness 15% 10/10 2 of 2 checks Support and reputation signals 10% 10/10 2 of 2 checks Cost input: Monthly cost of the entry full-service plan for 5 employees at list price (base fee + per-person fee; promotions excluded): $79
#2 Square Payroll · 7/10
Published pricing
- Full-service payroll $35/mo + $6 per person paid
- Contractor-only payroll $6/mo per person paid
Verified on the provider's page
- Plan prices are published. "Full-service payroll $35/mo + $6 monthly fee per person paid".
- The per-employee or per-person fee is stated. $6 per person paid.
- Contractor-only pricing is published. "Contractor-only payroll $6/mo per person paid".
- Payroll tax filings and payments. "payroll faster. Learn more about integrated payroll Taxes and compliance Get help with the hard stuff like filing taxes and staying"
- Direct deposit. "uare Team App. Automate payroll and pay with direct deposit, manual check, or Cash App. Taxes and compliance Get help with the hard st"
- Contractor payments. "ll business payroll and tax filings for you. Contractor-only No need for complicated paperwork. Square Payroll for Contractors wil"
- Cancel-anytime or no-contract terms are stated. "pay runs per month, make no commitment, and cancel anytime. Learn more about full-service payroll Set up Square Payroll See all Squar"
- A phone number is published. "es Rent Hardware Contact Customer support: 1 (855) 700-6000 Sales: 1 (833) 959-5325 Square About Press & Media Careers Referrals Partn"
Not found on the provider's page
No points are given for anything we could not find published. This does not mean the provider lacks it.
- Benefits or 401(k) options. Benefits are not described in the body text of the payroll page.
- Time tracking. Not found on the page text we read.
- Employee app or portal. Not found on the page text we read.
- Promotional pricing terms are disclosed on the page. Not found on the page text we read.
- Expert, advisor or dedicated support is described. No advisor or dedicated support is described on the page.
Score breakdown: Overall score 7/10
Category Weight Score Evidence Pricing transparency 30% 10/10 3 of 3 checks Total cost for a typical small business 25% 6.8/10 $65 → 6.8 Features 20% 5/10 3 of 6 checks Contract and fee fairness 15% 5/10 1 of 2 checks Support and reputation signals 10% 5/10 1 of 2 checks Cost input: Monthly cost of the entry full-service plan for 5 employees at list price (base fee + per-person fee; promotions excluded): $65
#3 QuickBooks Payroll · 6.4/10
Published pricing
- Simple Start $88/mo + $7 per employee (50% off for 3 months shown)
- Essentials $135/mo + $7 per employee (50% off for 3 months shown)
Verified on the provider's page
- Plan prices are published. Simple Start $88 and Essentials $135 per month at list price.
- The per-employee or per-person fee is stated. "$7/employee/mo".
- Direct deposit. "1099 E-File Expert product support Next-day direct deposit Team management tools Document upload and sharing Employee data management"
- Contractor payments. "stimates Track sales & sales tax Manage 1099 contractors Manage bills WORKFORCE PAYROLL + ESSENTIALS FAVORITE Pay your team, track"
- Benefits or 401(k) options. "checks via Checkr NEW Take care of your team Health benefits for your team 401(k) plans Workers’ comp administration Take care of track"
- Time tracking. "PAYROLL + ESSENTIALS FAVORITE Pay your team, track billable hours, and pay bills in one place. $135 + $7/employee $67.50/mo + $7/employee/mo"
- Employee app or portal. "oad and sharing Employee data management NEW Employee portal Background checks via Checkr NEW Take care of your team Health benefits fo"
- Promotional pricing terms are disclosed on the page. "and business. Buy now & save 50% for 3 months* WORKFORCE PAYROLL + SIMPLE START Pay your team and get basic accounting to"
- A phone number is published. "es Business types Resources Talk to Sales: 1-888-339-7175 Sign in QuickBooks Online QuickBooks Solopreneur QuickBooks Self-Employed"
- Expert, advisor or dedicated support is described. "Expert product support" is listed in the plan features.
Not found on the provider's page
No points are given for anything we could not find published. This does not mean the provider lacks it.
- Contractor-only pricing is published. Contractor-only pricing is not listed in the text we read.
- Payroll tax filings and payments. No explicit payroll tax filing feature in the page text we read (only "Full service payroll").
- Cancel-anytime or no-contract terms are stated. Not found on the page text we read.
Score breakdown: Overall score 6.4/10
Category Weight Score Evidence Pricing transparency 30% 6.7/10 2 of 3 checks Total cost for a typical small business 25% 3.9/10 $123 → 3.9 Features 20% 8.3/10 5 of 6 checks Contract and fee fairness 15% 5/10 1 of 2 checks Support and reputation signals 10% 10/10 2 of 2 checks Cost input: Monthly cost of the entry full-service plan for 5 employees at list price (base fee + per-person fee; promotions excluded): $123
Side-by-side checklist
| Feature | Gusto | Square Payroll | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 8/10 | 7/10 | 6.4/10 |
| Plan prices are published | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| The per-employee or per-person fee is stated | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contractor-only pricing is published | Not found | Yes | Not found |
| Payroll tax filings and payments | Yes | Yes | Not found |
| Direct deposit | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Contractor payments | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Benefits or 401(k) options | Yes | Not found | Yes |
| Time tracking | Yes | Not found | Yes |
| Employee app or portal | Yes | Not found | Yes |
| Cancel-anytime or no-contract terms are stated | Yes | Yes | Not found |
| Promotional pricing terms are disclosed on the page | Yes | Not found | Yes |
| A phone number is published | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Expert, advisor or dedicated support is described | Yes | Not found | Yes |
Not scored
We could not verify enough of these providers' published pricing today, so we do not score or rank them.
ADP Run
ADP does not publish prices on the page we read; it points to "Get pricing" and a quote phone number.
Published pricing
- "Get pricing" / "Get a quote" only
Paychex
Paychex's pricing page blocked automated access when we checked on 2026-10-15, so we could not read it.
Visit Paychex
The checklist behind the scores
Pricing transparency · 30% of the score
- Plan prices are published
- The per-employee or per-person fee is stated
- Contractor-only pricing is published
Total cost for a typical small business · 25% of the score
Cost: Monthly cost of the entry full-service plan for 5 employees at list price (base fee + per-person fee; promotions excluded). Each $20 subtracts one point from 10 (floor 0).
Features · 20% of the score
- Payroll tax filings and payments
- Direct deposit
- Contractor payments
- Benefits or 401(k) options
- Time tracking
- Employee app or portal
Contract and fee fairness · 15% of the score
- Cancel-anytime or no-contract terms are stated
- Promotional pricing terms are disclosed on the page
Support and reputation signals · 10% of the score
- A phone number is published
- Expert, advisor or dedicated support is described
Frequently asked questions
What is the best payroll software for a small business?
Compare the scores, the per-person pricing and the limitations. The right choice depends on your state count, headcount and the features you need.
Why are ADP and Paychex not scored?
ADP publishes no prices (it points to a quote), and Paychex's pricing page still blocks automated access.
Does the cost include promotions?
No. We use list prices for five employees and exclude introductory discounts.
Does payroll software handle taxes?
Many list payroll tax filings, but check each provider's terms. This is not tax advice.
How current is this?
We read each pricing page on 2026-10-15.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice.
Related tools and guides
Sources
- Gusto: pricing (checked 2026-10-15)
- QuickBooks: payroll pricing (checked 2026-10-15)
- Square: payroll (checked 2026-10-15)
- ADP: Run powered by ADP (checked 2026-10-15)
Last updated: · Prices verified: