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Best Payroll Software

Payroll tools for small businesses — from simple solo setups to full HR suites.

Quick Comparison

Tool Pricing Type Rating Best For Link
Gusto Top Pick $40/mo + $6/employee Paid ★★★★½ 4.5 US small businesses hiring their first employees Visit →
Rippling From $8/user/mo Paid ★★★★½ 4.5 Scaling businesses that want HR and IT unified with payroll Visit →
OnPay $40/mo + $6/employee Paid ★★★★☆ 4.4 Small businesses in agriculture, hospitality, or household e… Visit →
ADP RUN From ~$59/mo Paid ★★★★☆ 4.2 Businesses in regulated industries that need compliance conf… Visit →
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1. Gusto

★ Top Pick Paid

Modern payroll and HR built for growing small businesses

★★★★½ 4.5/5
$40/mo + $6/employee
Fresh Verified 6d ago

Gusto is the most popular modern payroll platform for US small businesses. It handles federal and state tax filing automatically, supports benefits administration, and has the cleanest interface in the category.

Pros
  • ✓ Auto tax filing for all 50 states
  • ✓ Employee onboarding built in
  • ✓ Health and 401k benefits admin
  • ✓ Very clean, easy interface
  • ✓ Contractor payments included
Cons
  • ✗ Expensive for larger teams
  • ✗ Benefits admin requires higher tier
  • ✗ Limited international payroll support
Best for US small businesses hiring their first employees Our take Gusto is the default recommendation for US small businesses running payroll. The automated tax filing alone saves hundreds of hours per year and eliminates the risk of filing penalties.
Visit Gusto → * Affiliate link — see disclosure
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2. Rippling

Paid

Payroll, HR, and IT management in one platform

★★★★½ 4.5/5
From $8/user/mo
Fresh Verified 6d ago

Rippling combines payroll with HR and IT device management — meaning you can onboard an employee, enroll them in payroll, set up their laptop, and give them software access in a single workflow.

Pros
  • ✓ Unified HR + payroll + IT platform
  • ✓ Fastest employee onboarding
  • ✓ Strong global payroll support
  • ✓ Automatic device management
  • ✓ Excellent compliance tools
Cons
  • ✗ Complex pricing structure
  • ✗ Requires a sales call to get started
  • ✗ Overkill for very small teams
Best for Scaling businesses that want HR and IT unified with payroll Our take Rippling is the most ambitious HR platform on this list. If you want to eliminate separate tools for payroll, HR, benefits, and IT provisioning, it is the best way to consolidate.
Visit Rippling → * Affiliate link — see disclosure
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3. OnPay

Paid

Full-service payroll at a flat, simple price

★★★★☆ 4.4/5
$40/mo + $6/employee
Fresh Verified 6d ago

OnPay charges a flat $40/mo base plus $6 per employee — same structure as Gusto, but with unlimited pay runs and unlimited filings included. It also covers agriculture and household workers.

Pros
  • ✓ No extra fees for additional pay runs
  • ✓ Covers agriculture and household employment
  • ✓ All-state tax filing included
  • ✓ HR documents and onboarding built in
  • ✓ No long-term contracts
Cons
  • ✗ Less polished UI than Gusto
  • ✗ Smaller integration ecosystem
  • ✗ No mobile app
Best for Small businesses in agriculture, hospitality, or household employment Our take OnPay is the best Gusto alternative if your business operates in an industry that typical payroll platforms handle poorly. The pricing is identical but the industry coverage is broader.
Visit OnPay → * Affiliate link — see disclosure
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4. ADP RUN

Paid

Enterprise payroll reliability for small business pricing

★★★★☆ 4.2/5
From ~$59/mo
Fresh Verified 6d ago

ADP is the largest payroll processor in the world. ADP RUN brings that enterprise infrastructure to small businesses with 50 employees or fewer — useful if you want the compliance confidence of a major brand.

Pros
  • ✓ Brand reliability and compliance depth
  • ✓ Strong HR compliance support
  • ✓ Workers comp integration
  • ✓ 24/7 customer support
  • ✓ Large accountant network
Cons
  • ✗ Opaque pricing — requires a quote
  • ✗ UI feels dated compared to Gusto
  • ✗ Upselling can be aggressive
  • ✗ Setup takes longer
Best for Businesses in regulated industries that need compliance confidence Our take ADP RUN is the choice when compliance is the primary concern — heavily regulated industries like healthcare or construction benefit from ADP depth. For most small businesses, Gusto is simpler and cheaper.
Visit ADP RUN → * Affiliate link — see disclosure

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