Best Payroll Software for Small Business: Real Pricing & Honest Reviews

You're here because you need to pay employees without screwing up taxes, and you don't want to overpay for software. Let's cut to the chase.

I've dug into the actual pricing, features, and limitations of the top payroll providers. No fluff, no "it depends" cop-outs. Here's what you need to know to pick the right tool.

Quick Comparison: Payroll Software Pricing

Before we dive deep, here's what you'll actually pay:

Gusto: The Popular Choice (For Good Reason)

Gusto has become the default recommendation for small businesses, and honestly, it deserves most of that reputation.

Gusto Pricing Breakdown

• Simple Plan: $49/month + $6/employee - Single-state payroll, basic hiring tools
• Plus Plan: $80/month + $12/employee - Multi-state payroll, next-day direct deposit, time tracking
• Premium Plan: $180/month + $22/employee - Dedicated support, HR resource center, compliance alerts
• Contractor Only: $35/month + $6/contractor

For a 10-person team on the Simple plan, you're looking at $109/month. That jumps to $200/month on Plus.

What's Actually Good

• Unlimited payroll runs on all plans
• Clean, intuitive interface that doesn't require training
• Solid benefits administration (health, 401k, HSA/FSA)
• Automatic tax calculations and filings
• Employee self-service portal that actually works

What Sucks

• The Simple plan is single-state only - hire someone remote in another state and you're forced to upgrade
• No dedicated account manager unless you're on Premium
• Price has increased significantly (Simple was $40/month not long ago)
• Add-ons can sneak up on you - time tracking, HR features, and multi-state registration each cost extra

For most small businesses with 5-50 employees who want a set-it-and-forget-it solution, Gusto is hard to beat. The interface is legitimately good, and their benefits marketplace is genuinely useful.

Try Gusto Free →

Want the full breakdown? Check out our Gusto pricing guide and detailed Gusto review.

OnPay: Best Value for Budget-Conscious Businesses

OnPay doesn't get the press that Gusto does, but it probably should. Here's why it's my top pick for cost-conscious small businesses.

OnPay Pricing

Simple: $49/month + $6/person. That's it. One plan includes everything.

No tiered pricing games. No "upgrade to unlock multi-state." You get the full feature set for one price.

What Makes OnPay Stand Out

• Multi-state payroll included at the base price
• All tax filings (federal, state, local) included - even 1099s
• Excellent customer support with consistently high ratings
• Free setup and migration assistance
• Works well for specialized industries (farms, restaurants, nonprofits)

The Downsides

• Interface looks a bit dated compared to Gusto
• No mobile app - just a mobile-responsive website
• Direct deposit takes 2-4 days (no same-day or next-day option)
• Fewer integration options than competitors

If you're running payroll for a small team and don't need fancy HR bells and whistles, OnPay gives you more value per dollar than anyone else.

ADP RUN: The Enterprise Gateway

ADP is the 800-pound gorilla of payroll. Their small business product, RUN Powered by ADP, is solid but comes with some caveats.

ADP Pricing Reality

ADP doesn't publish complete pricing online - they want you to call. But here's what we know:

• Essential: Starts around $39/month + $5/employee
• Enhanced: Custom pricing - adds ZipRecruiter integration, background checks
• Complete: Custom pricing - adds basic HR support
• HR Pro: Custom pricing - enhanced HR support and perks

For their mobile-first product Roll by ADP, pricing is $39/month + $5/employee with a three-month free trial available.

Why Consider ADP

• Over 900,000 small business clients - they know what they're doing
• Scalable path to enterprise (ADP Workforce Now) as you grow
• 24/7 customer support
• Strong compliance and tax expertise
• Multi-state payroll without extra fees

Why ADP Might Not Be For You

• Opaque pricing makes it hard to compare costs
• Time tracking and benefits administration are add-ons, not included
• Contract-based - harder to cancel than month-to-month options
• Per-pay-run fees can add up if you run payroll frequently

ADP makes sense if you're planning to scale significantly or need the credibility of a big-name provider. For a 5-person team that'll stay small, it's overkill.

We've done a detailed comparison in our Gusto vs ADP breakdown.

QuickBooks Payroll: Best for Existing QuickBooks Users

If you're already running your books on QuickBooks, their payroll add-on is a no-brainer integration. But if you're not? There are better standalone options.

QuickBooks Payroll Pricing

• Core: $50/month + $6.50/employee - Basic payroll, tax filings, next-day direct deposit
• Premium: $85/month + $9/employee - Adds time tracking, same-day direct deposit, HR support
• Elite: $130/month + $11/employee - Adds project tracking, tax penalty protection

The Integration Advantage

QuickBooks Payroll syncs directly with QuickBooks Online. Payroll data flows into your accounting automatically. No exports, no manual entries, no reconciliation headaches.

They also offer bundled pricing if you need both accounting and payroll together.

Where It Falls Short

• Core plan doesn't include local tax filings - that's a problem in cities with local taxes
• Customer support gets mediocre reviews compared to OnPay and Gusto
• Less intuitive as a standalone product
• Time tracking requires Premium or higher

Paychex: The Support-First Option

Paychex Flex Essentials starts at $39/month + $5/employee, making it price-competitive with ADP. But the real differentiator is support.

What Paychex Does Well

• 24/7/365 customer support - the only major provider offering this
• Real-time payments option (instant pay for employees)
• Strong compliance tools
• Scales from 1 to 1,000+ employees

The Catch

• Advanced features (time tracking, HR tools, benefits) are add-ons
• Higher-tier plans require custom quotes
• Some users report inconsistent support quality despite availability

Paychex makes sense if support availability is your top priority. For pure value, OnPay or Gusto still win.

See how it stacks up in our Gusto vs Paychex comparison.

SurePayroll: The Budget Pick

SurePayroll (owned by Paychex) offers a no-frills option at $29/month + $7/employee. It's the cheapest full-service option for small teams.

Good for: Businesses that just need basic payroll done right without extras.

Not good for: Anyone needing robust HR features, benefits administration, or extensive integrations.

Patriot Software: The DIY Budget Option

Patriot offers two payroll tiers:

• Basic Payroll: $17/month + $4/employee - You handle tax deposits yourself
• Full Service: $37/month + $4/employee - They handle tax filings

This is the cheapest per-employee rate you'll find. The tradeoff? Fewer features, limited HR tools, and you're trading support quality for savings.

What Actually Matters When Choosing Payroll Software

Tax Filing

Every option here handles federal taxes. The differences show up with state and local taxes:

• Full coverage (all states + local): OnPay, Gusto (Plus+), ADP
• State only, local varies: QuickBooks Core, some budget options
• DIY local: Cheapest options leave local taxes to you

If you have employees in cities with local income taxes (NYC, Philadelphia, many Ohio cities), confirm your provider handles them.

Direct Deposit Speed

• Same-day: QuickBooks Premium/Elite, Gusto (add-on)
• Next-day: Most providers on mid-tier plans
• 2-4 day: Budget options, base plans

Next-day is fine for most businesses. Same-day matters if you're frequently running last-minute payroll.

Contractor Payments

If you pay 1099 contractors, check:

• Whether contractors count toward per-person fees (usually yes)
• 1099 generation and filing (included with Gusto, OnPay; extra with some others)
• International contractor support (Gusto handles 120+ countries)

Integrations

Your payroll should talk to your other tools:

• Accounting: QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks
• Time tracking: TSheets, When I Work, Deputy
• HR: BambooHR, Rippling

OnPay and Gusto have the broadest integration options. ADP and Paychex lean toward their own ecosystem.

Real Cost Examples

Let's make this concrete. Here's what you'd actually pay monthly:

5-Person Team

15-Person Team

Note: ADP and Paychex prices are estimates based on published starting prices. Your actual quote may vary.

My Recommendations

Best Overall: Gusto

For most small businesses, Gusto hits the sweet spot of features, usability, and price. The interface is genuinely good, benefits administration is strong, and it scales reasonably well to 50+ employees.

Try Gusto →

Best Value: OnPay

If you want solid payroll without paying for features you won't use, OnPay is the answer. One price, full features, excellent support.

Best for QuickBooks Users: QuickBooks Payroll

The integration alone is worth it if you're already in the QuickBooks ecosystem. Don't switch accounting software just for payroll.

Best for Scaling: ADP

Planning to grow from 10 to 500 employees? ADP gives you a path to enterprise-grade payroll without switching providers.

Best Support: Paychex

Need 24/7 availability and dedicated support? Paychex is the only major player offering round-the-clock help.

Bottom Line

Don't overthink this. For a typical small business:

1. Already using QuickBooks? Get QuickBooks Payroll.
2. Want the best overall experience? Go with Gusto.
3. On a tight budget? OnPay gives you more for less.
4. Planning rapid growth? Consider ADP for the scalability path.

All of these handle the fundamentals well: calculating pay, withholding taxes, filing forms, paying employees. Pick based on your specific needs and budget, not feature lists you'll never use.

Need help with related tools? Check out our guides on CRM software for small business and project management tools.