Price
Base monthly fee against per-employee charges, and which one dominates at your headcount.
Worked through in OnPay vs Patriot Software (2026) and The Payroll Service Buyer's Guide (2026).
Comparison · Payroll
Four things actually separate payroll services.
Payroll services for small US businesses compared on price, tax filing, multi-state payroll and support, plus how to choose and switch providers.
Where to begin
Read these first
Guide
The Payroll Service Buyer's Guide (2026)
How much do payroll services cost for very small businesses?
Read the guide ExplainerWhat Does a Full-Service Payroll Provider Do?
Should I run payroll myself or use a payroll service?
Read the explainer ShortlistBest Payroll Services for Small Business (2026)
What's the best payroll service for a small business with one employee?
Read it How-toHow to Choose and Switch Payroll Providers (2026)
Which payroll providers have the best support for first-time employers?
Follow the steps ShortlistBest Payroll for a First-Time Employer (2026)
Which payroll providers have the best support for first-time employers?
Read it Head to headGusto vs ADP (2026)
Which payroll providers have the best support for first-time employers?
Read itThe fan
What gets compared
Filing
Whether the provider files and deposits on your behalf, and in how many states.
Worked through in Which Providers Handle Multi-State Payroll (2026) and Rippling vs Gusto (2026).
Liability
Who carries the cost when a filing is late or wrong - and what the guarantee actually covers.
Worked through in What Does a Full-Service Payroll Provider Do?
Support
How you reach a person, during which hours, and whether that changes on the cheaper plan.
Worked through in Best Payroll for a First-Time Employer (2026) and The Payroll Service Buyer's Guide (2026).
Reverse
What this site is
Scope
Payroll services for small US businesses - what separates them and where the differences stop mattering.
No scoring
No ratings out of ten, no star counts, no tier tables. Comparison is argued in words.
See Gusto vs ADP (2026).
Published
Head-to-head comparisons, shortlists and how-tos on choosing and switching a payroll service, with a FAQ and a glossary for the terms.
See Choosing a Payroll Service: Common Questions (2026) and Payroll Service Terms, Explained (2026).
Asked and answered
The questions behind the pages
- How do I handle payroll for a remote employee in another state?Shortlist
- How much do payroll services cost for very small businesses?Head to head
- What's the best payroll software that handles state tax registration too?Head to head
- What's the easiest payroll setup for a family-run business?Head to head
Where to read on
The write-ups behind this
Read on
- ADP Payroll Review for Small Business (2026)
- Best Alternatives to ADP for a Small Business (2026)
- Best Payroll for a First-Time Employer (2026)
- Best Payroll Services for Small Business (2026)
- Best Providers for Switching Payroll Mid-Year (2026)
- Gusto vs ADP (2026)
- How to Choose and Switch Payroll Providers (2026)
- OnPay vs Patriot Software (2026)
- QuickBooks Payroll vs Gusto (2026)
- Rippling vs Gusto (2026)
- The Payroll Service Buyer's Guide (2026)
- What Does a Full-Service Payroll Provider Do?
- Which Providers Handle Multi-State Payroll (2026)