Payroll software compared: what 11 companies charge

We do not convert currencies. A page we could not read is marked could not read, a page that asks for a quote is marked quote only, and the reasons are listed below the table. Pages can show different prices to visitors in different countries. A price with no currency named is shown with the sign the page used; it may be the United States version or the one for the country the page assumed we were in, so check the page you are sent to.

• 7 of the 11 charge per user, or for extra users, on at least one plan, so the price grows with the team.
• 2 of the 11 show a quote request instead of a price.
• We found no free plan among the 11, and 6 offer a time-limited trial.

Taken from what each company's own page says it is for.

• Deputy: shift-based businesses, with a separate flexible weekly plan for short-term events such as conferences and festivals.
• Xero: self-employed people, small businesses and mid-sized businesses (the page has a tab for each), with payroll for 2 to 100 people depending on the plan.
• QuickBooks: small businesses (the page heading reads all-in-one payroll processing for small businesses) that want payroll added to a QuickBooks Online plan.
• MYOB: businesses that need standalone payroll for up to 4 employees (Payroll Only), or an accounting plan with payroll added or included.
• OnPay: small business owners (the page also has a section for accountants).
• Paycor: small businesses with 1 to 49 employees (a label on Paycor's other pricing page).
• Employment Hero: teams moving away from spreadsheets and manual processes (the HR Essentials description), with payroll, rostering and other modules as add-ons or higher plans.
• ADP: small businesses (the offer banner refers to small business payroll).

• Employment Hero: HR plans need a minimum of 10 Users, and add-ons are charged per employee per month with monthly minimums ($400 for Managed Payroll, $40 for Rostering and Time and Attendance).
• ADP: Quote-only: every package has a Get pricing button and the page tells visitors to talk to sales. W-2 and 1099 forms are marked as an additional fee and contractor payments carry year-end processing fees, with no amounts shown; the FAQ says no contract has to be signed.
• Rippling: Quote-only. The FAQ says most Rippling products are billed per employee per month, some carry a monthly base fee, and the core Rippling Platform is required when buying products separately; no amounts are given.
• Deputy: Per-user pricing in AUD excluding taxes, with a minimum spend of A$30 a month per invoice on the monthly Lite, Core and Pro plans. Payroll is a separate $5 per user per month add-on, and annual plans are charged up front for the year.
• Xero: Payroll is included in each priced plan for a fixed number of people (2, 5 or 10), and the page says extra charges may apply if more people are paid, invoiced monthly with no amounts shown. New Australian customers get 80% off for the first 3 months, and all prices include GST.
• QuickBooks: Payroll is an add-on to a QuickBooks Online plan, and those plan prices are not in the text of the AU plans page. The page states no setup fee, offers free onboarding, and says there are no lock-in contracts and no forced plan changes as headcount grows.
• MYOB: Every plan shows an introductory price first and a higher regular price after the offer period. Payroll is an extra $3 per employee per month on Lite and Pro and is included on AccountRight Plus; the page says payroll prices change from 1 November 2026 without giving the new figures.
• Square Payroll: No commitment or long-term contract, and mailing paper W-2 and 1099 forms costs an annual fee of $3 per form. Workers' compensation, health insurance and 401(k) are add-ons with no prices on the page.
• Gusto: A base fee for the business plus a fee per person on every plan.

• Charges per employee, and any monthly minimum.
• Whether the government reporting you owe is included, such as Single Touch Payroll in Australia.
• Whether leave, awards or overtime rules are handled for you or you set them up.
• Support when a pay run goes wrong, because that is when you need it.

These pages did not give us a price we could read. That is a limit of how we read, not a sign that the company hides its prices.

• Paychex: its pricing page refused our request.
• Patriot Software: its pricing page refused our request.

We do not sell payroll software. The rules change by country and the stakes are other people's pay. We can connect your roster, job or stock tools to the payroll product you choose.

See also: custom software, dashboards and what we charge.