Every payroll service quotes a base fee and a per-employee fee, which makes them impossible to compare at a glance. So put in your headcount and this works out what each one really costs a month, then shows exactly where per-employee pricing overtakes a low flat base.
Pricing reviewed 31 July 2026 . Indicative US published pricing in USD; some providers (ADP, Paychex, Paycor) are quote-based and shown as typical figures.
Per-employee fees multiply. Change your headcount and the ranking re-sorts by your real monthly cost.
See payroll priced beside 609 other tools and services, in one list →
| Service | Base / mo | Per employee | Cost at your size | Per employee all-in | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salary.comBest value Low-cost payroll with basic tax filing; limited HR features. | $25 | $3 | $40 | $8.00 | Budget option | Visit site |
| Zoho People + Zoho PayrollBest value Budget-friendly when bundled with other Zoho HR tools. | $25 | $3 | $40 | $8.00 | Zoho suite integration | Visit site |
| Intuit Online Payroll SimpleMoney tier with integration to QuickBooks Online; self-service option. | $30 | $4 | $50 | $10.00 | Intuit cloud payroll | Visit site |
| SurePayroll Great for very small teams and nanny/household payroll, with tax filing on the full-service plan. | $30 | $5 | $55 | $11.00 | Small & household | Visit site |
| Optic (formerly Stride Health) Combines benefits management with payroll for comprehensive coverage. | $35 | $4 | $55 | $11.00 | Benefits + payroll | Visit site |
| Patriot Low per-employee rate; a self-service tier drops the base to $17 if you file your own taxes. | $37 | $4 | $57 | $11.40 | Budget full-service | Visit site |
| Experian Employer Services Integrates credit screening with payroll for financial risk assessment. | $35 | $5 | $58 | $11.50 | Credit check + payroll | Visit site |
| Freshteam by Freshworks Integrated HR and payroll in one cloud system; affordable for scaling teams. | $35 | $5 | $60 | $12.00 | HRMS + payroll | Visit site |
| Roll by ADP Run payroll by text from your phone; flat pricing with ADP's tax engine behind it. | $39 | $5 | $64 | $12.80 | App-first, chat-based | Visit site |
| Paychex Flex Quote-based; strong compliance and a dedicated rep, but pricing is opaque and add-ons stack up. | $39 | $5 | $64 | $12.80 | Scaling SMBs | Visit site |
| Square Payroll Integrates with Square POS; a contractor-only plan drops the base to $0 + $6 per contractor. | $35 | $6 | $65 | $13.00 | Square & retail users | Visit site |
| isolved Full-service payroll with HR and benefits for growing companies. | $40 | $5 | $65 | $13.00 | Mid-market focus | Visit site |
| Homebase Payroll Pairs with Homebase scheduling and time clocks, ideal for restaurants and retail. | $39 | $6 | $69 | $13.80 | Hourly & shift teams | Visit site |
| OnPay One flat plan with full-service payroll, HR and multi-state built in, no upsell tiers or hidden add-ons. | $40 | $6 | $70 | $14.00 | Best all-in value | Visit site |
| Gusto Simple plan at $40 + $6/employee with excellent UX; higher tiers add more HR and contractor tools. | $40 | $6 | $70 | $14.00 | Popular all-rounder | Visit site |
| Wave Payroll Cheaper ($20 base) in self-service states where you file the taxes yourself. | $40 | $6 | $70 | $14.00 | Wave accounting users | Visit site |
| ChartHop Visual org planning combined with payroll processing. | $40 | $6 | $70 | $14.00 | Org chart + payroll | Visit site |
| OnPay Plus Full-service payroll with added HR tooling for growing teams. | $45 | $5 | $70 | $14.00 | HR + payroll bundle | Visit site |
Usually a $30 to $50 base plus $4 to $8 per employee, so a team of five runs about $55 to $90. PEOs charge $50+ per employee with no base, in exchange for bundled benefits. Enter your headcount above for your real figure.
For tiny teams, Patriot and SurePayroll usually win on a low base plus low per-employee rate. As you grow, whoever has the lowest per-employee fee wins, since that multiplies. Sort by cost at your size.
A low base plus a small per-employee charge suits most small businesses. Pure per-employee (PEO) pricing only pays off when the bundled benefits and HR are worth the premium. The calculator shows your crossover point.
Full-service payroll files and pays your federal, state and local payroll taxes automatically. A few cheaper self-service tiers hand that back to you. Check the plan is full-service, that is where the real value is.