Best Payroll of 2027

What separates the best payroll picks on this page?

Five services made the cut, and the scores sit close together: Gusto at 9.5, Patriot Software and ADP Run at 9.3, QuickBooks Payroll at 9.2, and OnPay at 8.9. The gap between them is mostly about price and how much you can bend the software to fit your pay rules.

Gusto leads on the strength of its test results. Setup finished in under an hour without a support call, and both W-2 and 1099 filings ran on schedule. Pricing is clear before you commit: $40 base plus $6 per person. The trade-off is that lower tiers limit customization for pay rules and deductions.

Patriot Software undercuts it at $37 plus $5 per person, with the same clear pricing, fast setup and reliable filing. ADP Run is quote-priced, so you have to ask before you can compare. QuickBooks Payroll runs $50 plus $6 per person, and OnPay matches Gusto at $40 plus $6 per person.

What should you check before buying payroll software?

The scoring criteria tell you where the weight sits: pricing transparency 25, core job done well 20, setup time 20, integrations and extras 20, support response 15. That ordering is a decent checklist.

• Price before you commit. Gusto, Patriot, QuickBooks and OnPay all publish a base fee plus a per-person rate. ADP Run only gives a quote, so get the number in writing first.
• Setup time. Gusto finished in under an hour without a support call in testing. Ask any provider how long onboarding takes for your headcount.
• Filing reliability. W-2 and 1099 filings ran on schedule for Gusto. Confirm who files and who pays penalties if something is late.
• Customization. Every pick on this page limits customization on lower tiers. If you run unusual pay rules or deductions, price the tier that lifts those limits.
• Integrations and extras. Worth 20 points here. Check your accounting stack connects before you sign.

Gusto

Best for small teams running payroll in-house. The $40 plus $6 per person pricing is published up front, and setup finished in under an hour in testing.

Patriot Software

The lowest published base on this page at $37 plus $5 per person, with clear pricing, fast setup and reliable filing.

ADP Run

Quote-priced, so it fits buyers who want to talk through their setup before committing to a number.

QuickBooks Payroll

$50 plus $6 per person. A fit if you already run your books in the same ecosystem.

OnPay

$40 plus $6 per person, matching Gusto's published rate, with the same clear pricing and reliable filing.

Gusto suits small teams running payroll in-house, with setup that finished in under an hour in testing. Patriot Software is the cheapest published base here at $37 plus $5 per person, while OnPay matches Gusto at $40 plus $6 per person. If you would rather talk through your setup first, ADP Run is quote-priced, and QuickBooks Payroll at $50 plus $6 per person fits anyone already in that ecosystem.