Compare payroll tools for small businesses, contractors, and trade teams.
Find top picks, side-by-side comparisons, payroll guides, and industry-specific recommendations. Browse payroll software by trade for a quick industry entry, or use best payroll software by use case when you know your scenario. Businesses that invoice clients may also use invoicing software like FreshBooks for billing.
View our full rankings of the best payroll software for small businesses and contractors, with detailed pros, cons, and recommendations.
Key factors when evaluating payroll tools
Payroll software automates pay runs, tax withholdings, filing, and pay stubs. Use the comparison table, then scenario-based picks when you know your situation—or guides to learn pricing and compliance first. Our full rankings and comparison hub round out product research.
Hand-picked for trade businesses. Updated monthly.
Gusto is our top pick for most small businesses and growing teams. It combines payroll, benefits, and HR in one platform with published pricing—no sales call required. Setup is straightforward, tax filing is automatic, and contractor support is built in. If you want a single place to run payroll, offer benefits, and manage onboarding, Gusto is the default choice.
QuickBooks Payroll is the obvious fit when you already run your books in QuickBooks. Payroll posts to the right accounts and jobs with no sync or export, and labor cost flows straight into job costing. Pricing is competitive at entry, and the workflow is seamless for anyone who lives in QuickBooks. If you're not on QuickBooks, other options often offer better standalone value.
OnPay stands out for value and clarity. One main plan, base-plus-per-person pricing you can see upfront, and solid payroll plus benefits without the complexity of tiered plans. It's a strong alternative to Gusto if you want similar ease of use with a simpler pricing structure. Support is included, and it works with any accounting software.
ADP is the pick when you need to scale past payroll-only tools. For most small businesses the product is RUN Powered by ADP (1–49 employees, four packages, quote required). Workforce Now is ADP’s 50+ platform. Pricing is not a public RUN dollar card. For a very small crew that only needs payroll, Gusto, OnPay, or SurePayroll are often simpler; for growing businesses that want payroll plus HR infrastructure, ADP is a top option.
Side-by-side pricing and fit.
Use the table below to compare pricing, ratings, and standout features across the most popular payroll platforms.
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto | Small trade businesses | $49/mo | 4.8 | Read review |
| QuickBooks Payroll | QuickBooks users | $30/mo | 4.6 | Read review |
| OnPay | Value-focused teams | $40/mo | 4.5 | Read review |
| ADP | Larger teams | Custom pricing | 4.4 | Read review |
 Paychex | Enterprise needs | Custom pricing | 4.3 | Read review |
 Rippling | Payroll + HR + IT in one | Quote | 4.6 | Read review |
 Square Payroll | Square ecosystem users | $35/mo | 4.3 | Read review |
 Patriot Payroll | Budget-conscious small business | $17/mo | 4.2 | Read review |
 Justworks | PEO-style payroll and benefits | Quote | 4.5 | Read review |
 Deel | Global contractors and EOR | Quote | 4.6 | Read review |
 SurePayroll | Simple payroll + full-service option | $29 + $7/EE | 4.2 | Read review |
 Wave | Free accounting + payroll add-on | Add-on | 4.3 | Read review |
Scenario-based picks—workforce mix, growth stage, and budget—not your industry label alone.
Trade businesses often pay both employees and subs. You need contractor self-service, clean 1099 workflows, and confidence filings match how you classify workers—without paying for an enterprise HR suite you won’t use.
At low headcount, you want fast onboarding, clear per-person fees, and tax filing included so payroll doesn’t become a second job. The best fit is usually straightforward software with strong support—not a platform built for 500-seat enterprises.
Retail, field, and hourly teams need time data to flow into pay correctly—overtime rules, corrections, and pay period cutoffs matter as much as the payroll engine. Evaluate time integrations before you assume “it’ll work out.”
Adding states, benefits, and HR workflows changes total cost and admin load. You want permissions, reporting, and scalability without a forced migration every year—often where ADP, Paychex, or Rippling enter the conversation.
If every dollar counts, compare published pricing at your real headcount—including year-end forms and support. Lower-cost providers can still handle full-service taxes if you validate features against your workflow.
Restaurants, retail, nonprofits, and field trades have different tip rules, seasonal staffing, or compliance quirks. Use the business-type links below when your question is “what fits my industry” rather than team size alone.
Identity-based navigation: your industry or business model—not team size alone. Different verticals have different tip rules, seasonality, and compliance quirks.
Learn how pricing, taxes, and workflows work—before you shortlist vendors.
These articles are educational: evaluation, compliance, and cost—not duplicate product picks. For recommendations by situation, use best payroll software by use case; for industry entry points, see payroll by business type.
Core concepts: pay runs, withholdings, filings, and what “full service” actually means.
Read guide →GuideBase fees, per-employee costs, add-ons, and how to estimate your real monthly bill.
Read guide →GuideFederal and state obligations, deposits, and how software keeps you out of trouble.
Read guide →GuideA practical migration checklist so you don’t miss a pay run or lose history.
Read guide →GuideWhen you pay both employees and contractors—classification, 1099 filing, and workflow.
Read guide →GuideSigns you’ve outgrown manual pay, what to automate first, and scope creep to avoid.
Read guide →Side-by-side payroll features, pricing, and recommendations.
Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll both handle W-2 and 1099 payroll with automatic tax filing, but they target different workflows. Gusto is a sta…
Compare →Gusto and OnPay both serve small businesses with payroll, tax filing, and benefits, but they take different approaches. Gusto offers more HR…
Compare →Gusto and ADP both offer payroll, tax filing, and HR, but they serve different scales. Gusto is built for small businesses with transparent…
Compare →For most small businesses comparing SurePayroll with ADP, the relevant ADP product is RUN Powered by ADP—not Workforce Now, TotalSource, or…
Compare →Gusto and Paychex both offer payroll, tax filing, and HR, but they appeal to different preferences. Gusto is the modern, self-serve option w…
Compare →Rippling and Gusto both offer payroll and HR, but they target different needs. Rippling is built for growing businesses that want payroll pl…
Compare →Square Payroll and Gusto both offer payroll and tax filing, but they target different users. Square Payroll is built for simplicity inside t…
Compare →Patriot Payroll and OnPay both serve small businesses with straightforward payroll and tax filing, but they take different approaches. Patri…
Compare →What matters when businesses choose payroll software.
Trade businesses often mix employees (W-2) and subcontractors (1099). Your payroll software should handle both, run contractor payments, and file 1099-NEC forms. Look for clear 1099 workflows and state e-file support.
Allocating labor to jobs or projects helps you track profitability. Some payroll tools integrate with job-costing or accounting software so hours and wages flow into the right job—essential for contractors who bid by project.
If you have workers in more than one state, payroll must handle state withholding, unemployment, and local taxes. Choose a provider that supports multi-state registration and filing so you stay compliant as you grow.
Quick answers to common questions.
Transparent process, contractor-focused criteria.
Our reviews are independent and updated on a regular cadence so you get current pricing and feature information.
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