What are the best 401(k) providers for small business in 2026?

Ubiquity is the only provider here with $0 asset-based fees. You pay a flat price: Saver(k) from $97 a month, Custom(k) at $177 and Reserve(k) at $257, plus $6 a month per eligible employee and a $495 setup fee. Your employees don't lose a percentage of their balance to the provider each year, which matters more every year the plan grows.

For 10 eligible employees, Saver(k) costs $157 a month, $1,884 a year, plus $495 to open: $2,379 in year one, one of the highest bills of our seven. The math flips over time. On a plan holding $500,000, a 0.25% fee elsewhere costs your employees $1,250 a year; at Ubiquity it's zero.

Safe harbor comes with Custom(k), and the 3(16) fiduciary with Reserve(k). A 3(38) investment fiduciary is an option through partners, with no price on the page: ask for it in writing. For a business owner alone, Single(k) costs $19 a month billed annually, up to 2 participants, with a $285 setup. Reviewers praise the personal service; one complaint mentions Form 5500 filings not made on time after a plan closed.

Integrations and support: Ubiquity lists 100+ payroll providers (ADP, Paychex, Gusto, QuickBooks), well short of Betterment's 350+ and Human Interest's 600+, hence 3.9. Its 4.3 for support rests on the dedicated onboarding specialist the page promises each Single(k) Plus plan and on the personal service reviewers praise.

Who it's for: a company of 5 to 50 that will keep its plan for years and wants 0% on balances. Who it isn't for: the owner chasing the lowest year-one bill ($2,379 at 10 employees, the highest here). Its limit: 3(16) only on Reserve(k) at $257 a month. Tip: run the numbers over 3 to 5 years, startup credit included, before you rule it out on its starting price. Single(k) Plus, at $37.50 a month with a $350 setup, supports up to 4 participants.

Betterment includes both 3(16) and 3(38) fiduciary services on Essential, its entry plan. That's the strongest coverage at this price. Essential costs $100 a month, billed $1,200 a year, plus $5 per participant a month; Pro costs $150 a month ($1,800 a year) plus $7; Flagship is on quote.

Read the billing terms. The base is charged annually and isn't prorated, so starting mid-year doesn't lower it. Setup costs $500 for a new plan and $1,000 to take over an existing one. Employees pay a 0.25% advisory fee a year on their balances, so $500 a year on a $200,000 plan.

For 10 participants, the employer pays $1,200 plus $600 in per-head fees and $500 to open: $2,300 in year one. Betterment syncs with 350+ payroll providers, Gusto and TriNet among them. Note it bills per participant, so employees who never join don't cost you anything.

Integrations and support: 350+ payroll providers, Gusto and TriNet named on the page, hence 4.2. Essential comes with a dedicated onboarding specialist, then scheduled phone and email support; a named Plan Support team member arrives with Pro. Solid but not on demand, hence 3.9.

Who it's for: the owner who wants 3(16) and 3(38) from $100 a month. Who it isn't for: a plan launched late in the year, since the base isn't prorated. Its limit: safe harbor isn't on the pricing page. Tip: start the plan early in the year so the annual base covers twelve useful months.

Human Interest pairs a low employer base with the widest payroll coverage in this ranking. Essentials costs $80 a month plus $5 per eligible employee, Complete $180 plus $7, and Concierge $280 plus $9. On the employee side, the pricing page lists 0.05% a month for recordkeeping plus 0.01% a month for advice when Human Interest Advisors acts as 3(38) fiduciary: 0.06% a month in all, deducted monthly. Taken at face value, a $200,000 plan pays $120 a month, or $1,440 a year shared by your employees (about 0.72% a year, the highest percentage of the seven providers ranked, far above Betterment's 0.25%). That's why its value-for-money score is 3.5 and it ranks third despite its low employer base. Get Human Interest to confirm the rate and its period in writing before you sign.

The catch sits in two words: eligible employee. You pay for every W-2 employee eligible under your plan document, whether they contribute or not; contractors on a 1099 don't count. With 10 eligible employees, Essentials comes to $130 a month, $1,560 a year. A one-time $499 setup fee may apply (the page mentions it in the fine print right below the Concierge card, without tying it to a specific tier), and automatic rollovers add $10 a month.

The 3(16) administrative fiduciary is included on Complete and Concierge, not on Essentials. With 600+ payroll integrations, it's the provider most likely to plug into your current payroll. Reviewers like the setup but complain about price increases after the first year and slow support, so ask for the price grid in writing for year two.

Integrations and support: 600+ payroll integrations from Essentials, the highest count here, hence 4.6. The page promises U.S.-based support on every tier but a named account manager only on Concierge; add the reviews on price increases and slow support, and you get 3.8.

Who it's for: a company of 5 to 50 W-2 employees already running a common U.S. payroll. Who it isn't for: a team whose balances will grow fast, since the percentage grows with them. Its limit: you pay for every eligible employee, saver or not. Tip: ask in one email for the asset fee rate with its period and the year-two price.

401GO has the cheapest entry ticket: GO-Starter at $49 a month plus $6 per participant, with no setup fee. For 10 participants, that's $109 a month, $1,308 a year, the lowest employer bill of our seven. 3(16) and 3(38) fiduciary services are included on Starter and Plus.

Two limits explain the price. Starter allows no employer match, so you can't reward savers on it. And employees pay 0.3% of assets plus 0.04% for advice: 0.34% a year, or $680 on a $200,000 plan, among the highest asset fees here.

GO-Plus, at $139 a month plus $2 to $7 per participant and $500 to open, opens employer contributions: its pricing page lists safe harbor plans and profit sharing. GO-Solo costs $19 a month with a $250 setup for an owner alone. Ask in writing when you can move up to Plus before you sign.

Integrations and support: payroll integration is ticked on both plans and TRUE-360 integration on GO-Plus only, with no list of providers, hence 3.8. Support runs through phone, email, chat and a help center; a dedicated relationship manager is ticked on GO-Plus only, hence 3.7.

Who it's for: a very small business offering a plan with no employer contribution. Who it isn't for: the owner who wants to match from year one. Its limit: 0.34% a year on employee accounts. Tip: the employer contribution credit only pays if you contribute, so price GO-Plus with that credit before settling on Starter.

Fidelity Advantage 401(k) prices by the quarter. The employer pays $500 to set up and $300 a quarter for administration, so $1,200 a year whatever your headcount: $1,700 in year one. Fidelity performs most administrative duties as plan sponsor, 3(16) and 3(38) fiduciary.

Most of the cost lands on employees. The page lists $25 a quarter for recordkeeping, $100 a year, without saying whether it applies to each account, plus 0.125% of the balance a quarter for investment services, about 0.5% a year. Assuming the $25 is charged per account (confirm it in writing), 10 participants holding $200,000 pay $1,000 in account fees plus $1,000 in asset fees, the heaviest employee bill of our seven.

The flat employer fee makes it cheaper for the company as headcount grows. Owners on forums mention higher prices than the page shows; those figures aren't official, so get your quote in writing.

Integrations and support: the page doesn't mention payroll integration, hence 3.6. It does give a dedicated small business phone line and chat with a representative, and Fidelity handles most administrative duties, hence 4.0 for support.

Who it's for: the business that wants a household name and most of the admin handed off. Who it isn't for: a team with small balances, where $25 a quarter plus about 0.5% weighs heavily. Its limit: how payroll deductions reach Fidelity isn't described. Tip: ask in writing whether the $25 a quarter is charged on each account, and how deductions get to the plan.

ForUsAll keeps one plan on its page: $120 a month plus $6 per participant, and it doesn't charge setup fees. Administrative and investment fiduciary services are both listed, without separate prices. For 10 participants, that's $180 a month, $2,160 a year, with nothing to pay upfront.

Two lines change the bill. Payroll integration starts at $50 a month, which adds $600 a year if you need it. And employees pay an advisory fee of 0.20% to 0.40% of assets a year, so $400 to $800 on a $200,000 plan: ask which rate applies to your plan before you sign.

ForUsAll comes up often when owners on small business forums swap names of cost-effective providers, next to Human Interest and Guideline. Its strength is the simple single offer; its weakness is a fee range rather than a fixed rate.

Integrations and support: payroll integration covers 200+ providers but costs from $50 a month, hence 3.6. Support answers by phone Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm PT, and every employee gets access to a financial advisor, hence 3.8.

Who it's for: a team of 10 to 50 that wants no setup fee and both fiduciary roles listed. Who it isn't for: a plan whose balances will grow fast; Ubiquity, at 0%, then costs employees less. Its limit: the advisory fee is a range, not a rate. Tip: get the exact rate for your plan in writing before you compare it with Betterment's 0.25%.

Employee Fiduciary bills a flat yearly fee: $1,500 a year for up to 30 eligible employees on a new plan ($1,000 if you bring an existing plan over), then $30 per employee above 30, plus a $500 setup fee. That works out to $125 a month. Employees pay a 0.08% custody fee on plan assets.

The model rewards growth. At 30 employees the base doesn't move, while a provider charging $6 per head bills $180 more a month. For 10 employees, year one costs $2,000 with setup: more than 401GO ($1,308), Human Interest ($1,560) and Fidelity ($1,700), less than ForUsAll ($2,160), Betterment ($2,300) and Ubiquity ($2,379).

One caution: the pricing table shows $1,500 a year for a new plan, but the calculator on the same page defaults to $500 a year with a $250 setup, which are the Solo figures. Get the fee that applies to your plan in writing before you compare.

Who it's for: a company of 15 to 30 employees, or one bringing an existing plan over. Who it isn't for: the owner who wants to hand off the legal paperwork, since the pricing page mentions no 3(16) or 3(38) fiduciary role. Its limit: the page links to a payroll integration section without naming the payroll providers or a price. Tip: if you're switching providers, ask for the takeover quote: the base drops from $1,500 to $1,000 a year, and the grid shows no setup fee for an existing plan.

Integrations and support: the pricing page links to a payroll integration section without naming providers, hence 3.5. It doesn't describe its service beyond a phone number and a participant support link, hence 3.6.