Instead, you pay just $6 per month per payee with unlimited payroll runs. In contrast, ADP, which outsources its insurance integrations, charges an extra fee on top of the premium. Ditto Paychex, which does have an in-house insurance team but still charges extra for insurance add-ons.

What is Payroll Software?

Justworks offers a PEO, which attracts smaller businesses and growth-minded organizations. But it doesn’t offer advanced HRIS, IT, or Spend capabilities, which limits its ability to scale with its customers. That means it may not be the right fit for enterprise organizations—or businesses with an eye toward rapid growth or expansion. Build a robust payroll framework and calculate income and expenses by exploring the 11 best accounting software to improve financial performance in 2025. Are you just starting out and looking for a simple, efficient, and cost-effective HR system to run payroll?

The best payroll software for small businesses

Its built-in OnDemand Pay or Earned Wage Access (EWA) tool is worth mentioning. It lets employees access part of their earnings before payday, with no added cost to employers. But for enterprise organizations, Paychex has drawbacks—many companies quickly outgrow Paychex because it only offers limited HR Coffee Shop Accounting capabilities and basic functionalities. It also runs on a system built decades ago that hasn’t been updated to suit many modern business needs, like employee self service portals and integrations with third-party software tools.

• Its integration within NetSuite ensures a unified platform for managing payroll and financial data, significantly reducing manual entry and enhancing data integrity.
• Deel is a comprehensive platform that offers payroll, HR, and compliance solutions for global teams.
• It is great that we can customize features to meet out company culture»- UKG Ready Review, Courtney S.
• Ensure the provider integrates smoothly with your existing HR services, accounting tools and internal workflows to minimize disruptions.
• Self-service payroll is great if you want control but don’t mind handling tax submissions yourself.

OnPay – Best for QuickBooks Users

Payroll software powered by AI is increasingly used by businesses to streamline operations, improve accuracy, and ensure compliance. These advanced systems automate routine tasks and provide insightful analytics, enabling organizations to make informed decisions. However, the best small-business payroll software for you depends on your business’s needs, including how many people you pay and what benefits you want to add. If you want thorough human resource management, you might want to try a provider like Paychex or ADP. If you’re looking to save money, Patriot Software’s $17 self-service plan might be the best payroll solution for you. Before you commit to a payroll plan, thoroughly assess your own needs and make sure they mesh with your preferred plan.

Integrating the payroll system with time-tracking and HR systems improves efficiency and accuracy. Integrated payroll software automatically fetches data on hours worked and updates employee records with calculated wages. This step reduces the hassle of manual data entry and eliminates the chances of errors. Compliance with tax laws and labor regulations while offering payroll is a major business challenge. Payroll automation software enables organizations to maintain compliance by automatically calculating taxes and other payroll-related deductions. Since the applications are regularly updated according to the latest tax laws and regulations, businesses always stay compliant, reducing the risk of penalties and legal issues.

• These applications allow businesses to limit access to authorized personnel and implement strong security protocols.
• We use it for HR tracking, recruiting, payroll, time, benefits, performance reviews, etc.
• Our payroll team was very dissatisfied with our existing vendor, Paycom.
• Justworks offers a PEO, which attracts smaller businesses and growth-minded organizations.
• For small businesses, free or low-cost payroll software might work, but as you scale, you’ll need a more robust system.
• The adoption of AI in payroll software has become necessary for businesses aiming to remain competitive as we move into 2025.
• ADP automatically syncs with many popular accounting software products, including QuickBooks™, QuickBooks™ Online, Xero™ and Wave, to ensure a seamless transition of your data.

Key Considerations When Choosing The Best Payroll Software

Irresponsive customer service was a little daunting and created hindrances in filling out employee details or updating payroll automation new compensation amounts. If I ever entered an incorrect HR value in the payroll system, I could easily pause or intervene in the automated payroll entry automation process. I was happy that most of the payroll platforms in this list didn’t require any prior training and implementation assistance and were pretty easy to set up and use. Also, I didn’t have to juggle between syncing employee details from the accounting and bookkeeping software. While it’s possible to process payroll and benefits manually, this approach is prone to human error and demands significant time and effort.

Fortunately, according recording transactions to reviewers, Gusto’s customer service has steadily improved over the course of 2022. For instance, in March 2022, Gusto’s rating on consumer review site Trustpilot was just 2.6 out of 5. We’re pleased to note that current user reviews call out helpful tech support, though a few customers are still dealing with tax-filing issues. Businesses that opt for full-service payroll may also receive professional assistance with regulatory compliance and have taxes filed on their behalf. ADP’s certified, experienced professionals are available to assist with all your payroll software needs. There are 3 plans available for Gusto, depending on the feature set your business needs.

Finally, customers note that Oracle is complex and time-consuming to implement—something to keep in mind when comparing different solutions and timelines. What convinced me about Deel was how it streamlined income statements, monthly payrolls, and revenue budgets to provide a holistic view of all HR and payroll workflows in one place. Further, I struggled with requesting confirmation codes for user authentication as well.

Easily manage your large company’s payroll with Rippling

As one of the best-known and biggest companies in the payroll and HR space, ADP is well-positioned to tackle the complex needs of large enterprises in all kinds of industries. Mid- to large-sized U.S. businesses that face the intricacies of employing and paying workers across state lines. Customer Service is so important, which is hard because I think many of these providers do not do that well. The texting feature of the recruiting tool has been a big help for us.