Best Affordable Payroll Software (2026): Top 9 Compared

Payroll4Free is a US payroll service operated by Payroll4Free.com, Inc., headquartered in Albany, New York. Its home page states that all basic services are free as long as the employer pays nine or fewer employees monthly, and the FAQ clarifies the condition as paying nine or fewer individuals no more than once a month. The company explains the model directly: advertisers pay to place small ads inside the software that the employer sees when processing payroll.

The free service covers payroll processing, tax calculations, filled-out tax forms, vacation and paid time off tracking, reporting, an employee portal, direct deposit through the employer's own bank or printed paper checks, and payments to 1099 contractors with year-end forms. Earnings, deductions and garnishments can be configured, payroll data can be exported to QuickBooks and other accounting packages, and hours can be imported from time clock files.

Two services are optional and paid. The Payroll Tax Service makes tax deposits and filings, including year-end processing, on the employer's behalf, and the Direct Deposit Service moves funds through Payroll4Free's bank. The fetched pages describe these fees as low or small without stating figures, and each additional state or location also carries a fee. The software requires a Windows environment and a small browser extension, so Mac users need Windows running on the machine.

The product fits very small employers that are comfortable making their own federal and state deposits and want to avoid a monthly subscription. It fits poorly for employers that pay more than nine people, run payroll more often than monthly, or want filing handled without adding a paid service.

Wave Payroll is the payroll product of Wave, a small-business finance platform that also provides invoicing and bookkeeping software. Payroll is sold as an add-on to the Wave accounting account and is available in the United States and in Canada outside Quebec.

The payroll page publishes one US price: a $40 base fee per month plus $6 per active employee and $6 per independent contractor paid. The Canadian price is a $25 CAD base fee with the same per-person structure. The page states that there are no set-up fees or hidden charges and offers a thirty-day free trial. A note explains that before April 2, 2025 the tax service was not available in every state and the base rate differed by state; Wave now offers the tax service in all fifty states at one price for customers who signed up after that date.

As part of the tax service, Wave transfers tax payments and files paperwork with state tax agencies and the IRS, excluding 1099 filings. The product generates W-2, W-3 and 1099-NEC forms, offers unlimited free direct deposits, includes an employee portal for pay stubs, W-2s and leave balances, and reports wage and tax payments alongside the rest of the business's cash flow.

The product fits sole owners and small teams that already run invoicing and bookkeeping in Wave and want payroll journal entries to appear there without an integration. It fits less well for businesses on another accounting system, where the bookkeeping link brings no benefit, and for employers with many contractors, since contractors carry the same per-person fee as employees.

SurePayroll is an online payroll service owned by Paychex and marketed to small businesses and households. It runs federal and state payroll tax calculation, deposits and filings, new hire reporting, direct deposit, online pay stubs and a mobile app for employers and employees.

The pricing page shows a small-business subscription starting at $29 per month plus $7 per worker, with unlimited payroll runs. The first state is included; multi-state payroll adds $9.99 per month, and a separate fee applies in areas that require local taxes. Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms are billed annually rather than monthly, at a $50 base fee plus $5 per form. A separate nanny and household plan starts at $39 per month and includes one employee. The page also advertises free months for new customers, subject to terms.

Included features listed on the page are live phone and chat support, free onboarding assistance, two-day direct deposit, scheduled automatic payroll, multiple pay rates and bonuses. The pricing calculator lets a buyer enter worker count and states to see the monthly figure before signing up.

The service fits single-state employers with a handful of workers who want a low monthly base and human support, and families paying a nanny or other household employee. It fits less well for employers spread across many states or local tax jurisdictions, where add-on fees accumulate, and for buyers who prefer year-end forms to be included in the monthly price rather than billed separately.

Roll by ADP is a mobile-first payroll application from Automatic Data Processing, aimed at small businesses that want to run payroll from a phone rather than through a traditional bureau relationship. It is separate from RUN Powered by ADP, which is quote-based.

The pricing page publishes a single price of $39 per month plus $5 per employee, with unlimited payroll, no long-term contracts and an advertised offer of three months free subject to separate terms. The page states that taxes are calculated, deducted and paid for the employer, and that payroll is supported in all fifty states, including workers who live and work in different states.

Included features listed on the page cover W-2 and 1099 workers, direct deposit or company checks, same-day and next-day direct deposit, garnishments, benefit and retirement deductions, new hire reporting, tipped wage support, a QuickBooks Online integration and payroll registers sent to an accountant. The interface uses GenAI chat functionality for HR and business questions, real-time error checks and deadline reminders, and employees use the same app. Support is by unlimited live chat, with phone and email listed for weekday business hours.

The product fits owners of small teams who manage the business from a phone and want a published price from a large payroll processor. It fits less well for administrators who prefer a desktop workflow with detailed reporting, and for growing employers that need HR modules such as performance management or applicant tracking, which the pricing page does not list.

Square Payroll is the payroll service in Block's Square ecosystem. It processes hourly and salaried payroll, files federal and state payroll taxes, issues W-2 and 1099 forms and imports timecards and tips recorded in Square point of sale.

The pricing page lists two plans. Full-service payroll costs $35 per month plus $6 per person paid. Contractor-only payroll has no base fee and costs $6 per month per person paid. Both plans include unlimited pay runs, simple onboarding, payment by check, direct deposit or Cash App, employee self-onboarding and a QuickBooks Online integration, and the page states there is no commitment and no long-term contract. Mailed paper copies of W-2 and 1099 forms are optional at an annual fee of $3 per form. Free seasonal inactivity and new-hire reporting are included on the full-service plan only.

Because the contractor-only plan charges only for people paid, a business with irregular contractor payments pays nothing in a month with no payments. For Square sellers, hours and tips recorded at the point of sale flow into payroll without re-entry, which removes a common error source in restaurant and retail pay.

The service fits small retail, food and personal-service businesses already using Square, and businesses that pay only contractors. It fits less well for employers on another point-of-sale system, where the timecard integration does not apply, and for teams that need HR tools beyond payroll. The broader payroll software comparison covers Square Payroll alongside quote-based bureaus and global platforms.

Zoho Payroll is the payroll application in Zoho's business software suite. The US edition calculates pay, deposits and files taxes, generates payslips and provides an employee portal. A separate edition serves India.

The US pricing page lists two plans. Standard costs $39 per organisation per month plus $6 per employee billed monthly, or $29 plus $5 per employee billed annually, and covers single-state payroll in all fifty states with weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly and quarterly pay schedules. Professional costs $59 plus $8.50 per employee monthly, or $49 plus $7 annually, and adds multi-state payroll, bonus pay runs, multiple pay rates, custom fields and reporting tags. A fourteen-day trial gives full access without a credit card.

The page also lists post-paid services and exceptional charges: next-day processing at $3 per employee for approved businesses, W-2 postal delivery at $3 per employee, wire transfers at $10, amended tax returns at $150 per filing, delayed tax filing at $150 per filing and fees for failed employer fund transfers and failed employee payments. Buyers should read these before comparing entry prices.

The application fits small, single-state employers already using Zoho Books, People or Expense, where payroll journals and reimbursements connect without extra integration work. It fits less well for multi-state employers, who need the higher Professional plan, and for businesses wanting a broad third-party integration catalogue outside the Zoho suite.

Homebase is a scheduling, time tracking and team management platform for hourly workforces in restaurants, retail and services. Payroll is an add-on that can be attached to any Homebase plan, so timesheets recorded in the Homebase time clock feed pay calculations directly.

The pricing page lists four plans priced per location. Basic is $0 per month for one location with up to ten employees and includes basic scheduling, basic time tracking and point-of-sale integration. Essentials is $30, Plus is listed at $70 and All-in-One is $120 per location per month, each with unlimited employees and progressively more scheduling, communication, onboarding and HR tools. The payroll add-on costs $49 per month plus $6 per employee paid. In October 2026 the page advertised the first six months of payroll free and a $29 monthly price for teams of up to five, both under promotional terms, and other add-ons include a tip manager at $25 per location and background checks at $30 each.

The integration argument is the main reason to consider it. Shifts, clock-ins, breaks and tips are captured in the same system that runs payroll, which reduces re-keying of hours for businesses with variable schedules.

Homebase Payroll fits small hourly businesses that already schedule staff in Homebase or want a free scheduling tool with payroll attached. It fits less well for salaried teams with no scheduling need, where the base payroll fee buys little extra, and for buyers who want promotional prices treated as permanent, since the standard price applies after the offer ends.

OnPay is a US payroll and HR service for small businesses and the accountants who serve them. The base Payroll Essentials plan provides full-service payroll for W-2 and 1099 workers, payment by direct deposit, check or prepaid debit card, custom pay items, unemployment insurance withholding, garnishment deductions, unlimited pay runs, multiple pay rates and schedules and multi-state payroll.

The pricing page lists Payroll Essentials at $49 base plus $6 per worker per month and states that there are no additional charges per pay run. Optional modules are priced on top: HR at $15 base plus $2 per worker, Time Tracking at $15 base plus $4 per worker, a Compliance Resources module at $10 base and Live HR Support at $65 base per month. Bundles combine modules at a discount, for example payroll, time tracking and HR at $70 base plus $10 per worker against $79 plus $12 bought separately. The page title advertises the first month free.

The site lists industry pages for farms and agriculture, nonprofits, restaurants, religious organisations and healthcare, and accounting firms can manage several client payrolls. Integrations cover common accounting and time tools.

OnPay fits small employers that pay workers in several states and want unlimited pay runs without per-run charges. It fits less well for buyers expecting HR and time tracking in the base price, since both are now add-ons, and for larger headcounts where the per-worker fee dominates. The payroll software comparison includes OnPay alongside quote-based providers.

Payroll Mate is Windows desktop payroll software sold through the realtaxtools.com site. It calculates gross pay, federal and state withholding, SUTA, SDI, FUTA and employee and employer Social Security and Medicare taxes, prints checks and pay stubs, and prepares Forms 941, 944, 940 and 943 along with W-2 and W-3 forms.

The vendor's site lists Payroll Mate 2026 at $219. The product page states that the price covers payroll for up to ten companies with up to seventy-five employees per company for one calendar year, with higher limits available through an extra-cost option. Other options at extra cost include ACH direct deposit file generation, MICR check printing on blank stock, 1099-MISC and 1096 forms and state forms. Free technical support runs for sixty days from purchase, after which support may be available from $65 per incident. A free trial download is offered.

The software runs on Windows 8, 10 and 11, and Mac users need Parallels Desktop or VMware. Because it is installed software, data stays on the employer's machine and can be exported to accounting packages such as QuickBooks. The fetched pages do not describe federal e-filing, so the employer should plan to make deposits and file returns independently.

Payroll Mate fits bookkeepers and employers who already handle their own tax deposits and want a fixed yearly software cost regardless of how many people are paid within the limits. It fits poorly for owners who want filings and deposits handled for them, for Mac-only offices, and for anyone expecting the annual price to include direct deposit and state forms.