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All 9 tools
Best for small US businesses
You are a small US business that wants payroll, tax filing and basic HR without a sales call.
Best for midsize and large employers
You have 50 or more employees and want payroll, benefits and HR from one large provider.
Best for businesses that want a payroll specialist
You want a long-established provider with phone support and optional HR and PEO services.
Best for payroll tied to HR and IT
You want payroll, HR, IT and global workers managed from one employee record.
Best for simple, predictable pricing
You want straightforward small-business payroll with one published plan.
Best for paying people in other countries
You hire contractors or employees in several countries and want one platform to pay them.
Best for QuickBooks accounting users
You already keep your books in QuickBooks Online.
Best for employee engagement tools
You want payroll plus HR, time and employee engagement features in one mobile app.
Best for small teams that want PEO benefits
You want the option to move from payroll to a PEO with group benefits.
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Best for small US businesses
Gusto runs unlimited payrolls with automatic tax filings and adds simple onboarding and benefits tools, which suits small US businesses that want payroll and basic HR in one place.
You are a small US business that wants payroll, tax filing and basic HR without a sales call.
You need multi-state payroll on the entry plan or employ people outside the US directly.
Best for midsize and large employers
ADP Workforce Now combines payroll, HR, benefits and time tracking in packages aimed at companies with roughly 50 to 1,000+ employees.
You have 50 or more employees and want payroll, benefits and HR from one large provider.
You are a very small team that wants published prices and a quick self-serve setup.
Best for businesses that want a payroll specialist
Paychex Flex offers tiered payroll and HR packages with service from payroll specialists, which suits owners who want a person to call as well as software.
You want a long-established provider with phone support and optional HR and PEO services.
You want to see the full price before talking to sales.
Best for payroll tied to HR and IT
Rippling runs payroll from the same employee record that drives HR, devices and app access, which suits growing companies that want one system for people operations.
You want payroll, HR, IT and global workers managed from one employee record.
You only need basic payroll and want a simple, fully published price.
Best for simple, predictable pricing
OnPay offers one payroll plan with tax filings and unlimited pay runs at a published price, which suits small businesses that want few pricing decisions.
You want straightforward small-business payroll with one published plan.
You need advanced HR features without paying for add-ons.
Best for paying people in other countries
Deel pays contractors and employees across many countries through contractor management, employer of record and global payroll services, which suits companies hiring internationally.
You hire contractors or employees in several countries and want one platform to pay them.
Your whole team is in one US state and you only need domestic payroll.
Best for QuickBooks accounting users
QuickBooks Payroll runs payroll inside the QuickBooks ecosystem, so pay data flows straight into the books for businesses already using QuickBooks Online.
You already keep your books in QuickBooks Online.
You do not use QuickBooks and want a payroll tool with more built-in HR.
Best for employee engagement tools
Paylocity pairs payroll with HR, time tracking and employee communication tools, which suits midsize companies that want staff to use the same app for pay and company updates.
You want payroll plus HR, time and employee engagement features in one mobile app.
You are a small team that wants published pricing and a short setup.
Best for small teams that want PEO benefits
Justworks offers standalone payroll or a PEO that adds access to group health benefits and compliance support, which suits small companies competing for hires on benefits.
You want the option to move from payroll to a PEO with group benefits.
You need deep customization or run payroll for a large enterprise.
Pay calculations, deductions, garnishments and off-cycle runs
Automatic federal, state and local filings and year-end forms
Workers in several states or countries, contractors abroad
Pay stubs, tax forms and direct deposit changes in an app
Accounting, time tracking and benefits connections
Published prices, base fees, per-person fees and add-ons
Software that calculates employee pay, withholds and files payroll taxes, and pays people by direct deposit or check. Most tools also produce pay stubs and year-end tax forms such as W-2s and 1099s.
Most US payroll tools charge a monthly base fee plus a fee per employee or contractor paid. Larger platforms often quote prices individually based on headcount and modules.
Payroll software runs pay and tax filings while you stay the sole employer. A PEO becomes a co-employer, which can give small companies access to group benefits and shared compliance support, usually at a higher per-employee price.
Some tools pay contractors abroad, and a few offer employer of record or global payroll services to employ people in other countries. US-focused tools typically handle domestic payroll only.