Cheap payroll software: 6 low-cost picks and what they really cost in 2026

Patriot sells two payroll plans. Basic Payroll costs $17 a month plus $4 per worker paid and calculates pay, but you file and deposit the payroll taxes yourself. Full Service Payroll costs $37 a month plus $5 per worker paid, and Patriot collects, deposits and files your federal, state and local payroll taxes, including the 940, 941, W-2 and W-3, with year-end forms at no extra fee. For five employees, Full Service comes to $62 a month.

New accounts get 30 days free, then 50% off for 3 months: on Full Service with five employees, that is $31 a month during the discount and about $589 over the first year instead of $744. Payroll runs are unlimited, and you are billed in arrears each month. The catch is growth: each additional state costs $12 a month, and HR tools are a separate $6-a-month add-on (plus $2 per employee). In a month when you run no payroll, Patriot bills only the base fee, which suits seasonal businesses. Patriot also sells accounting from $20 a month, so a micro business can keep books and payroll with one vendor; compare it with accounting software for micro businesses.

SurePayroll, owned by Paychex, starts with a small base fee: Full Service starts at $29 a month plus $7 per employee, with payroll taxes filed and deposited, W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, unlimited payroll runs and free 2-day direct deposit. Its No Tax Filing plan starts at $20 a month plus $4 per employee, but you file and deposit the taxes yourself. The pricing page showed us two versions of the same grid, one with Full Service at $29 and No Tax Filing at $20, one at $39 and $29: check the price in the calculator before you sign up.

Read to the bottom of the page: year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms are billed once a year, a $50 base fee plus $5 per form, and multi-state payroll adds $9.99 a month. With $7 per employee against Patriot's $5, SurePayroll costs $36 a month for one employee where Patriot costs $42; the two meet at four employees ($57) and Patriot is cheaper from five ($62 against $64). Count the year-end forms and the switch comes sooner: over a year with two employees, SurePayroll costs $576 and Patriot $564. The sign-up promo offers 6 free months in the first year (alternating months, terms apply). In 2025 reviews its support splits owners: one calls it outstanding, another says agents overpromise and give inaccurate information.

Wave is best known for its free accounting and invoicing app, and its payroll is an add-on to it: in the US, $40 a month plus $6 per active employee and $6 per independent contractor paid. Wave now offers its tax service in all 50 states, so the price is the same everywhere; until 2025, some states were self-service only, and states that gained the tax service saw their price go up. In Canada, payroll is $25 CAD a month plus the same per-person fees, in every province and territory except Quebec.

For five employees, that is $70 a month. The trial is unusual: up to 30 days commitment-free, counted from your first payroll rather than from sign-up, so you can set everything up before the clock starts. Contractors count like employees, $6 each, as they do at Patriot ($5) and SurePayroll ($7). The catch is the year-end form: Wave generates 1099s, but its tax service files your state and IRS paperwork excluding 1099 filings. Payroll syncs straight into Wave's books, which saves the bookkeeping step a stand-alone payroll tool leaves you. For the rest of the books, see accounting software for freelancers.

OnPay sells one payroll plan, Payroll Essentials, and everything else as add-ons: $49 a month plus $6 per worker, and every plan includes federal, state and local tax filings, W-2s, 1099s and year-end filings, unlimited pay runs, workers in as many states as you need, and support by phone, chat and email. There are no implementation or integration fees, and new accounts get one month free.

For five employees in one state, OnPay costs $79 a month, $17 more than Patriot. Add a second state and the gap narrows: Patriot rises to $74 with its $12 state fee, SurePayroll to $73.99, while OnPay stays at $79. Its HR tools ($15 a month plus $2 per worker) and benefits (health insurance, workers' comp, 401(k)) are add-ons rather than built in. OnPay is the cheap plan that does not punish growth. For a fuller HR setup, see HR software for small businesses.

Gusto is the payroll several of these guides rank first, and it is not the cheapest. Its Simple plan, $49 a month plus $6 per person, runs basic payroll in one state with unlimited payrolls per month. Paying employees in a second state takes the Plus plan, $80 a month plus $12 per person: for five employees, the bill jumps from $79 to $140. Premium is $180 a month plus $22 per person.

The add-ons are where the bill grows: next-day pay costs $15 a month plus $3 per person on Simple, time tracking $6 per person after a free trial, priority support $30 a month plus $3 per person. Gusto has no long-term contract and no setup fee, and you can change plans at any time. If you already pay for Gusto and want to compare, see our guide to switching from Gusto.

Roll is ADP's app-first payroll for small businesses: you run payroll from a mobile app. Roll has one price, $59 a month plus $7 per employee, with three months free to start (terms apply). That is $94 a month for five employees, $32 more than Patriot.

Why it still makes the list: Roll publishes its price, where ADP's RUN plans are quoted on request, so it is the way to get ADP's tax filing at a known monthly cost. Roll pays W-2 employees and 1099 contractors in all 50 states, workers in several states included. Already on ADP and paying more? See our guide to switching from ADP.