Guide
Eight widely used payroll platforms, described from their vendors' own sites, and a plain look at when software is enough and when a payroll service is the better fit.
Payroll software does three jobs: it calculates each paycheck and its withholding, it pays employees (usually by direct deposit), and in most full-service plans it deposits and files payroll taxes for you. The differences between products come down to who they are built for, what they connect to, and how much HR and benefits work they bundle in.
The products below are listed in no particular order. We describe each one only from what the vendor's own website says, and we leave out prices because they change often and vary by plan and headcount.
What to compare before you sign up:
Gusto says it calculates, files, and pays federal, state, and local payroll taxes automatically, and files W-2s and 1099s on your behalf, with electronic copies sent to employees and contractors. It also says it helps with state tax registration.
Gusto also offers benefits administration and HR tools in the same account, so employee onboarding, pay, and deductions live in one place.
ADP positions RUN for small businesses with 1 to 49 employees. The product page lists automated federal, state, and local tax filing, W-2 and 1099 generation, and several ways to pay employees: direct deposit, pay cards, or checks.
RUN also bundles HR tools such as onboarding, time tracking, and an employee handbook builder, with retirement and insurance options available through ADP and integrations with accounting and point-of-sale systems.
Paychex runs payroll through its Paychex Flex platform. The payroll page lists automated tax administration, direct deposits, tax filings, and pay stubs or checks once you approve a run, along with a mobile app for running payroll and approving time off.
Paychex offers separate plans by company size, including options aimed at one-employee businesses and at firms with 1 to 19 employees, and it also sells HR services, benefits, and a professional employer organization (PEO) arrangement.
Intuit's payroll works inside the QuickBooks ecosystem. Its payroll page lists automatic federal and state tax filing and payment, same-day direct deposit options, time tracking that syncs with payroll, and 1099 e-filing for contractors.
The main reason to choose it is the connection to QuickBooks accounting: wages, employer taxes, and deductions post to your books without a separate import. Intuit currently markets payroll under the QuickBooks Workforce name on that page.
OnPay's site says its plan includes unlimited pay runs, automated federal, state, and local tax filings (including Forms 941 and 940), garnishment deductions, and year-end W-2 and 1099 forms.
The site has solution pages for specific industries, including nonprofits, religious organizations, restaurants, and farms, and an accountant dashboard for firms that manage payroll for several clients. It also offers free data migration when you switch providers.
Square Payroll is built for businesses already using Square POS. Square says you can import timecards and tips from the POS, pay employees from the Square dashboard, and get help filing payroll taxes.
Square also offers a contractor-only option that prepares and files Form 1099-NEC, and it syncs payroll data with QuickBooks Online. It is a natural fit for restaurants, retail shops, and service businesses that already run sales through Square.
Patriot sells online payroll with an optional Full Service Payroll tier. With full service, Patriot says it handles federal, state, and local payroll tax filing and deposits, plus year-end filings such as W-2s.
The software supports unlimited payrolls, all pay frequencies, direct deposit or printed checks, and employee and contractor portals for pay stubs and tax forms. Patriot also sells its own accounting software, time and attendance, and HR add-ons.
Rippling's payroll is part of a larger platform that also covers HR, benefits administration, time and attendance, and IT. Rippling says it calculates payroll taxes and files them with federal, state, and local agencies, and that changes such as new hires and salary updates flow into payroll automatically.
It integrates with accounting systems including QuickBooks, Xero, and NetSuite, and supports paying employees and contractors in other countries. It suits a growing company that wants one system for employee records, devices, and pay.
Software handles the math and, on most full-service plans, the tax filings. What it does not do is notice that a new hire's withholding form is missing, that a contractor should really be an employee, or that payroll entries never made it into your books. Those still fall to you.
Software tends to work well when you have a few employees on a steady schedule and someone on your team who is comfortable approving each run and reviewing the reports. A service makes more sense when payroll keeps slipping, when you have tipped or hourly staff with changing hours, or when you own an S corporation and need owner salary set up correctly.
Our article on DIY payroll vs. a payroll service goes deeper. If you would rather hand it off, Elite Pro-Tax offers full-service payroll as an add-on to its bookkeeping, and runs the process for you.
Our guide to setting up payroll for a new South Carolina business walks through the registrations.
Most full-service plans do. The products on this list say they deposit and file federal and state payroll taxes on their full-service plans, but some vendors also sell basic plans that only calculate taxes and leave the filing to you. Read the plan description carefully, and confirm who is responsible if a filing is late.
Yes, most platforms let you pay contractors by direct deposit and then prepare Form 1099-NEC at year-end. Keep in mind that the reporting threshold changed for payments made after 31 December 2025, so check the current IRS instructions for Form 1099-NEC. Our article on employee vs. contractor explains how to classify workers.
QuickBooks Payroll is built into QuickBooks, so entries post automatically. Several other platforms on this list, including Square Payroll and Rippling, say they sync with QuickBooks Online. If you use a bookkeeper, ask which platform they already support so reconciliation stays simple. Our QuickBooks vs. Xero comparison covers the accounting side.
The software can run owner payroll, but it will not tell you what a reasonable salary is or how to balance salary and distributions. Many S-corp owners use software for the pay runs and get professional help setting the salary. See our article on S-corp reasonable salary for the basics.
Not the question you had? The full tax FAQ covers more ground, and our client reviews say what the work is actually like.
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