Most payroll comparisons stop at "starting at." This one does the arithmetic. We read each provider's own US pricing page on October 27, 2026, took the entry plan for full-service payroll, and applied it to three headcounts. No discounts, promotions or sales quotes are included, and nothing here comes from a hands-on trial.
Published prices
| Product | Published entry price | Free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Gusto | $49/month + $6 per personSimple planPlus $80 + $12 per person; Premium $180 + $22Vendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | No |
| OnPay | $49/month + $6 per workerPayroll Essentials planVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | No |
| RUN Powered by ADP | Quote only: no public priceFour packages, each with a “Get pricing” requestVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | No |
| QuickBooks Workforce | $88/month + $6.50 per employeeWorkforce Payroll + Simple Start planSold bundled with QuickBooks Online; promo of 50% off for 3 months shownVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | No |
| Rippling Payroll | Quote only: no public pricePlatform “starts at $8 per employee per month” plus an unpublished base fee; payroll is quotedVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | No |
| Paychex Flex | Quote only: no public price“Request Pricing”; a “Do Not Pay Until April 2027” promotion on the payroll component for new clients, other fees including setup still applyVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | No |
| Paycor | $99/month + $5 per employeeBasic planFor employers under 50 people; the page lists different per-employee rates in two placesVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | No |
| Homebase Payroll | $49/month + $6 per active employeeHomebase Payroll planVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | No |
| Square Payroll | $35/month + $6 per person paidFull-service payroll planContractor-only payroll: $6 per person paid, no base feeVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | No |
| Patriot Payroll | Not yet verified on the vendor’s own page | Not verified |
Prices are the entry list prices each vendor publishes on its own US pricing page, read on Oct 27, 2026. They exclude taxes, payment processing unless stated, hardware, add-ons and negotiated discounts; a promotion appears only in the notes, labeled as one. Prices change. No vendor paid for a place or a price in this table.
Patriot Payroll's pricing page refused our automated request that day, so its price is shown as not verified rather than guessed.
What 1, 5 and 20 employees pay each month
Base fee plus the per-person fee, at list price:
| Provider (entry plan) | Formula | 1 employee | 5 employees | 20 employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Payroll (full-service) | $35 + $6 per person paid | $41 | $65 | $155 |
| Gusto (Simple) | $49 + $6 per person | $55 | $79 | $169 |
| OnPay (Payroll Essentials) | $49 + $6 per worker | $55 | $79 | $169 |
| Homebase Payroll | $49 + $6 per active employee | $55 | $79 | $169 |
| Paycor (Basic, under 50 employees) | $99 + $5 per employee | $104 | $124 | $199 |
| QuickBooks Workforce Payroll + Simple Start | $88 + $6.50 per employee | $94.50 | $120.50 | $218 |
Read the QuickBooks row with care: it is a bundle with QuickBooks Online accounting, so it replaces two subscriptions for a business that would buy both. Ask Homebase whether a paid Homebase scheduling plan is also needed; we did not find the answer on its payroll page. Paycor's page lists different per-employee rates in two places; the table uses the plan card.
Who publishes no price
RUN Powered by ADP and Paychex Flex show a "Get pricing" or "Request Pricing" button instead of a number, and Rippling publishes only a platform-wide starting point with an unpublished base fee. For these three, the price exists only in a quote, so ask for it in writing, on the same headcount as the table above.
Our verdict
- Cheapest: Square Payroll. The lowest full-service price at every headcount in the table (Patriot Payroll not verified), and Square also publishes a contractor-only plan at $6 per person paid with no base fee.
- Best value: Gusto. For $14 a month more than Square at any size, you get the payroll we rank first for small employers, with employee records and benefits beside it. That is the trade we would make.
- Who should skip the cheapest option: an employer whose payroll is driven by an accountant (OnPay costs the same as Gusto and positions itself for accountant-managed businesses), or one that keeps its books in QuickBooks (compare the bundle against the accounting subscription you would pay for anyway).
What the list price leaves out
State unemployment and withholding registrations, year-end W-2 and 1099 filings, benefits administration, time tracking, extra state filings and premium support can all change the bill. Use the IRS catalog of employment-tax forms to ask each provider which forms it prepares and files and which stay with you. For the full model, see how to compare the total cost of payroll software; for a company of one, see payroll for an S corp owner.
For what costs nothing (EFTPS, the SSA's W-2 filing) and which free offers are only promotions, see free payroll software.
Traceable evidence
Sources for this decision
- vendorGusto official product siteGusto · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Small employers that want payroll, employee records, and benefits workflows evaluated together.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorOnPay official product siteOnPay · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Small employers and accountant-managed businesses comparing a focused payroll and HR workflow.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorRUN Powered by ADP official product siteRUN Powered by ADP · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Small employers comparing a payroll-led system backed by a broad US HR services organization.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorQuickBooks Workforce official product siteQuickBooks Workforce · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Teams that want payroll evaluated in the context of an existing QuickBooks accounting workflow.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorRippling Payroll official product siteRippling Payroll · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Growing teams comparing payroll as part of a wider HR, identity, device, and finance system.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorPaychex Flex official product sitePaychex Flex · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Growing employers assessing payroll alongside HR, benefits, and service options.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorPaycor official product sitePaycor · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Growing US employers evaluating payroll within a broader HCM and workforce workflow.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorHomebase Payroll official product siteHomebase Payroll · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Main Street employers comparing payroll with scheduling, time clocks, and hourly team operations.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorSquare Payroll official product siteSquare Payroll · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Small hourly businesses evaluating payroll beside Square point-of-sale and team workflows.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorPatriot Payroll official product sitePatriot Payroll · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: US small businesses evaluating a payroll-first workflow and optional accounting adjacency.. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorGusto pricing pageGusto · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Gusto's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Simple plan ($49/month + $6 per person) and the page details recorded with it (Plus $80 + $12 per person; Premium $180 + $22), and whether a free plan exists. It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorOnPay pricing pageOnPay · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: OnPay's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Payroll Essentials plan ($49/month + $6 per worker), and whether a free plan exists. It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorSquare Payroll pricing pageSquare Payroll · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Square Payroll's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Full-service payroll plan ($35/month + $6 per person paid) and the page details recorded with it (Contractor-only payroll: $6 per person paid, no base fee), and whether a free plan exists. It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorHomebase Payroll pricing pageHomebase Payroll · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Homebase Payroll's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Homebase Payroll plan ($49/month + $6 per active employee), and whether a free plan exists. It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorPaycor pricing pagePaycor · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Paycor's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Basic plan ($99/month + $5 per employee) and the page details recorded with it (For employers under 50 people; the page lists different per-employee rates in two places), and whether a free plan exists. It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorQuickBooks Workforce pricing pageQuickBooks Workforce · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: QuickBooks Workforce's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Workforce Payroll + Simple Start plan ($88/month + $6.50 per employee) and the page details recorded with it (Sold bundled with QuickBooks Online; promo of 50% off for 3 months shown), and whether a free plan exists. It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorRUN Powered by ADP pricing pageRUN Powered by ADP · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: RUN Powered by ADP's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting that no list price is published (quote only) and the page details recorded with it (Four packages, each with a “Get pricing” request), and whether a free plan exists. It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorPaychex Flex pricing pagePaychex Flex · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Paychex Flex's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting that no list price is published (quote only) and the page details recorded with it (“Request Pricing”; a “Do Not Pay Until April 2027” promotion on the payroll component for new clients, other fees including setup still apply), and whether a free plan exists. It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorRippling Payroll pricing pageRippling Payroll · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Rippling Payroll's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting that no list price is published (quote only) and the page details recorded with it (Platform “starts at $8 per employee per month” plus an unpublished base fee; payroll is quoted), and whether a free plan exists. It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- regulatorEmployment Tax FormsInternal Revenue Service · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: IRS catalog of current federal employment-tax forms and instructions; it does not prove filing applicability, calculations, timeliness or acceptance.Open source ↗