We have carefully compiled a list of payroll service providers that we feel provide the best value for your money in 2021. Read all about our thorough review methodology further down the page to find out exactly which criteria were used to evaluate these services. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Rippling is a competitively priced solution with great tax and payroll management features integrated into a first-class HR platform. Customer support is reachable only via email and the mobile app is missing some features from the desktop version, but the software is otherwise very good. Read Review
- ⦿Best tax filing system
- ⦿Great payroll management
- ⦿Excellent HR platform
Overall, its automated payroll system and robust HR solutions make this app a great addition to growing businesses. When used correctly, it can streamline the payroll process, ensuring employees are paid on time and according to regulatory standards. Read Review
- ⦿Automated Payroll system
- ⦿Intuitive interface
- ⦿Payroll compliance guidelines
OnPay is the best payroll service in the industry mainly because of its complete dedication to user satisfaction. With OnPay, you won’t have to worry about losing employee data, finding the right insurance benefits, or combining different payments into a single unlimited payroll. OnPay payroll software does so much for you that it all justifies the slightly higher price. Read Review
- ⦿Automatic company data migration
- ⦿Guaranteed tax compliance
- ⦿Unlimited payrolls
Gusto is a first-rate payroll system offering enough options to satisfy businesses of any size. It performs error-free payroll calculations and has an intuitive interface that makes running small and medium-sized businesses easy. Read Review
- ⦿Excellent payroll calculations
- ⦿Intuitive interface
- ⦿Great tax filing system
Square is one of the online payroll services that offer a budget alternative to Patriot for people who dislike filing their own taxes. It is one of two affordable software solutions on our list that provide automatic tax filing. It also features excellent customer support, but the UI could use some work. Read Review
- ⦿Best customer support
- ⦿Very good tax filing system
- ⦿Affordable prices
Established in 2016, Papaya Global quickly became a leading global payroll provider, supporting clients’ operations in 160 countries. Its payroll services cover everything employers need to know about the market they operate in, and its user-friendly interface allows finding information in a few clicks. Read Review
- ⦿The world’s leading global payroll service
- ⦿Intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface
- ⦿Personalized customer support
Patriot is a robust, highly capable payroll solution for people who don’t mind filing their own taxes. It offers excellent customer support and a lot of payroll features for the price, but HR and tax filing services may rack up the costs if you have to pay for them from another provider. Read Review
- ⦿Very affordable base package
- ⦿Excellent customer support
- ⦿Helpful setup wizard
Zenefits is a fantastic HR and benefits administration platform that offers excellent payroll processing as an additional service. It offers monthly and yearly pricing plans. Zenefits has a five-employee minimum payroll cost to subscribe. Read Review
- ⦿Excellent UI and usability
- ⦿Comprehensive HR platform
- ⦿Very good tax filing system
Quickbooks is a well-established brand in the world of payroll processing. It’s a solid and well-designed platform that becomes more affordable the more employees you have on your payroll. Read Review
- ⦿Best for larger businesses
- ⦿Excellent usability features
- ⦿Integration with industry-leading apps
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10. SurePayroll

SurePayroll is great payroll software for people on a budget who hate filing their own taxes. It has fantastic mobile apps for both employees and employers, plus a very good payroll and tax filing system. The website and customer support could be faster. Read Review
- ⦿Best for small businesses
- ⦿Fantastic mobile apps
- ⦿Great payroll and tax filing system
Related Product Categories
Our Methodology
Decisions. Life is full of them. Researchers at Cornell University estimate we make 226.7 decisions every day on food alone, about 35,000 in total. From the moment we decide whether to hit the snooze button or start the day, we’re making decisions.
Clearly, some decisions are more important than others. Payroll, for example. Employees have an annoying habit of wanting to get paid properly and in a timely way. Deciding to meet their expectations is pretty smart. And it won’t be hard to do if you make the right decision about payroll software.
We’ve compiled a list of the best payroll software for your business in 2021. Some of the solutions on our list are cheap, some are expensive. Some are best suited to small teams, others to large corporations. But all of them do one thing very well - take the tedium and time out of managing payroll so you can focus on managing your business.
Before we tell you about our picks, let’s take a look at our selection criteria so you can see how we chose our favorites.
Price
When looking for a program to manage their payroll, most people consider price first. There are many options to consider based on your budget and company size. A cheap payroll service provider might be able to provide everything that a small business needs, but larger enterprises may need the options that only more expensive payroll programs can provide.
Fees range from as little as $25 to as much as $200 per month, so it’s important to gauge the best options at each price point. This category also notes whether there are free trial options available and what you can learn from them.
Usability
The idea of automated payroll systems comes from a desire to make the process as quick and easy as possible. Ease of use is the primary concern here. Your online payroll software needs to be intuitive and easy to understand, otherwise it can create more problems than it solves.
This evaluation criterion focuses on the overall usability of the payroll service, the UI layout, and how well all of the available options are explained to the user.
Platform and Compatibility
The most intuitive payroll app in the world is of little use if it doesn’t run on your company’s systems. These days, many businesses are looking for solutions on the go, so mobile platforms are gaining in popularity. The best payroll service providers offer support for multiple desktop operating systems such as Windows and Linux, as well as the leading mobile platforms, Android and iOS. We determine which operating systems each payroll system is built for and whether it offers good mobile support.
Payroll Calculation and Benefits
Perhaps the most important consideration when it comes to a payroll program is what features it offers users. Good payroll apps can calculate an employee’s gross pay each pay cycle based on salary or hours worked. Some can automatically calculate the bonuses, commissions, and so on. The best payroll software on the market is able to extrapolate net wages after processing deductibles such as payroll taxes, healthcare insurance premiums, and other deductions. This category considers how many options are available and what benefits (healthcare, insurance, and so on) are tracked.
Tax Filing
Employers need to create and print end-of-year reports for employees - especially tax reports. Tax filing is one of the most arduous and time consuming processes so payroll processing companies generally try to have it integrated into their payroll services. This category is all about the tax filing options that the software provides and the extent to which it automates the process.
Customer Support
The last consideration when evaluating software of any kind is customer support. Ideally, things should work without hitches. In reality, you are going to have questions about software functionality and compatibility.
The best payroll services include a robust client support system. They should also have easily reachable and knowledgeable staff who can help you with problems.
This category rates payroll providers on the number and quality of support channels such as email, live chat, and telephone.
Best Payroll Software Solutions
- Rippling
- OnPay
- Gusto
- Square
- Papaya Global

Payroll Software Reviews
Rippling Review
MODERATE
GOOD
GOOD
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ iOS and Android apps available
- ⦿ Automatic tax filing option
- ⦿ Integration with a number of apps and accounting software available
Paycor Review
GOOD
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Automated Payroll system
- ⦿ Intuitive interface
- ⦿ Payroll compliance guidelines
OnPay Review
FAIR
EXCELLENT
GOOD
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ First month free
- ⦿ iOS and Android compatibility
- ⦿ Insurance brokering
- ⦿ All levels tax filing
Gusto Review
MEDIUM
EXCELLENT
GOOD
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Intuitive interface
- ⦿ Phone, email and live chat support
- ⦿ No annual contracts
- ⦿ App integration with Xero and Quickbooks
Square Review
CHEAP
FAIR
EXCELLENT
FAIR
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Syncs with Square's POS software
- ⦿ Android and iOS app available
- ⦿ Option to pay employees through Square's online app
Papaya Global Review
GOOD
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Dedicated customer success manager
- ⦿ In-country partners
- ⦿ Obtaining work permits for expatriates
Patriot Review
CHEAP BASIC PAYROLL SERVICES
FAIR
GOOD
GOOD
COSTS EXTRA
- ⦿ Setup wizard
- ⦿ Website optimized for mobile devices
- ⦿ Robust client support system
Zenefits Review
MODERATE
EXCELLENT
GOOD (FAIR ON MOBILE)
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Integrates with ADP workforce, Lever, Slack, and Expensify
- ⦿ Comprehensive HR platform
- ⦿ Automated tax filing available
Intuit Quickbooks
EXPENSIVE
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
GOOD
NONE IN THE STANDARD PACKAGES
- ⦿ Accessible on all platforms
- ⦿ Integration with industry-leading apps
- ⦿ Poster compliance service available

SurePayroll Review
SurePayroll Review
CHEAP
GOOD
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Integration with a number of apps and software available
- ⦿ Options for specialized businesses
- ⦿ Automated tax filing
Any of the options from our list, depending on your needs. Gusto and Rippling are our favorites for their overall price-to-performance ratio. Patriot is a solid option if you don’t mind filing your own taxes, and SurePayroll is an alternative if you do. Just be careful about the extra costs if you have 1099 contractors or W-2 employees. Quickbooks payroll is a great option if price isn’t a concern or you have a larger company.
It is a web- or app-based solution that handles payroll for your company. There are many options, all suited to different business types and company sizes.
You first calculate your employees’ gross pay. This is determined by multiplying the number of hours worked in a pay period by the hourly rate. You then deduct all of the state and federal taxes, as well as other deductions, such as 401(k). The best solutions handle all of these steps for you, including tax filing.
SurePayroll would be our pick, though Patriot is also a solid option if you don’t mind filing your own taxes. For small businesses, low initial startup costs are key, and these two solutions are the cheapest on our list.
Zenefits offers an intuitive platform that we liked the best out of any package we reviewed. Other well-designed software solutions are offered by Gusto and Quickbooks.