The short version
Best overall
Gusto
Best all-in-one
Rippling
Best for global teams
Deel
If your team is in the US and under 100 people, Gusto is the safe default and OnPay is the cheaper twin. If you want laptops, logins, and pay provisioned together, pay for Rippling. If your people are in several countries, start with Deel. If HR data matters more than pay runs, BambooHR or HiBob, depending on size.
All ten at a glance
| # | Tool | Best for | Starting price | Pricing model |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gusto | Teams that want payroll, benefits, and basic HR in one place without a sales call | $49/mo + $6/person | Monthly base fee plus a per-person fee |
| 2 | Rippling | Teams that want HR, IT, and finance running on one employee record | From $8/user/mo, quote | Per-employee, per-module, plus platform fee |
| 3 | Deel | Companies paying employees or contractors in more than one country | $49/contractor/mo; $599/employee/mo EOR | Per-worker monthly fee by hiring type |
| 4 | BambooHR | Teams that need a proper HRIS first and payroll second | $10/employee/mo, $250/mo minimum | Per-employee monthly, add-ons priced separately |
| 5 | OnPay | Teams that want everything Gusto does for payroll at one flat price | $49/mo + $6/person | Flat monthly base plus per-person fee |
| 6 | Justworks | Teams that want big-company benefits and want someone else to be the employer of record | $50/mo + $8/employee; PEO from $79/employee | Per-employee monthly |
| 7 | QuickBooks Payroll | Businesses that keep their books in QuickBooks Online | $88/mo + $6.50/employee (bundle) | Monthly bundle base plus per-employee fee |
| 8 | RUN Powered by ADP | Companies that expect to outgrow small-business tools and want the same vendor at 200 people | Quote | Quote-based monthly base plus per-employee, by package |
| 9 | Paychex Flex | Teams that want a named payroll specialist and HR services, not only software | Quote | Quote-based monthly base plus per-employee, by package |
| 10 | HiBob | Companies of 50 to 1,000 that care about culture, engagement, and people analytics | Quote | Per-employee monthly by quote, annual contract |
1
Best overall for teams under 100
Gusto
Pricing
Simple $49/mo + $6/person, Plus $80/mo + $12/person, Premium $180/mo + $22/person; contractor-only plan $6/person
Free tier
No
Pricing model
Monthly base fee plus a per-person fee. No contract
Gusto runs full-service payroll in all 50 US states with automatic tax filing, then layers on benefits administration, onboarding, time tracking, and a clean employee app. Pricing is public, setup takes an afternoon, and most teams never need to talk to sales.
Key strengths
- Transparent, public pricing with no quote step
- Automatic federal, state, and local tax filing
- Benefits, workers comp, and 401(k) brokered inside the product
- Best-in-class employee self-service app
Limitations
- US-only payroll
- International contractors supported but not employees. Plus tier needed for multi-state and time tracking
2
Best all-in-one platform
Rippling
Pricing
From $8/user/mo per module, quote-based; most companies pay for several modules plus a platform fee
Free tier
No
Pricing model
Per-employee, per-module, plus platform fee. Annual contracts common
Rippling treats the employee record as the hub for everything: payroll, benefits, device management, app access, corporate cards, and expenses. Onboard someone once and their laptop, logins, and pay are provisioned together. It is the most ambitious product in the category and priced accordingly.
Key strengths
- Payroll, HR, IT, and spend management on one platform
- Global payroll and EOR in 50+ countries
- Deep workflow automation and 500+ integrations
- Scales from 5 to 5,000 employees without a migration
Limitations
- Quote-only pricing that adds up quickly across modules. More product than a small team needs, and a longer implementation than Gusto
3
Best for global teams
Deel
Pricing
Contractors $49/contractor/mo, US PEO $125/employee/mo, EOR $599/employee/mo; HR and global payroll quote-based
Free tier
Core HRIS only
Pricing model
Per-worker monthly fee by hiring type. Volume discounts by quote
Deel started as the way to pay international contractors and grew into a full global HR platform: employer-of-record hiring in 150+ countries, in-house payroll in many of them, compliance documents, and an HRIS that is free for the basics. If your team spans borders, it removes the entity problem entirely.
Key strengths
- Hire full-time employees abroad without opening an entity
- Contractor onboarding, contracts, and payments in one flow
- Free core HRIS for companies that only need records and time off
- Strong compliance tooling and localized contracts
Limitations
- EOR pricing is expensive at scale. US-only teams get less value than from Gusto or OnPay
4
Best core HR system
BambooHR
Pricing
Core $10/employee/mo, Pro $17, Elite $25; $250/mo minimum under 25 employees; payroll, benefits, and time tracking are add-ons
Free tier
No
Pricing model
Per-employee monthly, add-ons priced separately. 15% off when bundling payroll and benefits
BambooHR is the HR system of record that other tools plug into: employee data, hiring, onboarding, time off, performance, and reporting, with a well-liked interface. Payroll is an add-on rather than the core product, which is the right order for companies whose pain is people data, not pay runs.
Key strengths
- Cleanest HRIS interface in the category
- Applicant tracking and onboarding included in Core
- Performance management and surveys on Pro
- Large integration marketplace
Limitations
- Payroll costs extra and is US-only. The $250 monthly minimum makes it pricey under 25 people
5
Best value payroll
OnPay
Pricing
$49/mo + $6/person, one plan, first month free
Free tier
No (first month free)
Pricing model
Flat monthly base plus per-person fee
OnPay sells one plan with everything in it: unlimited pay runs, multi-state filing, W-2s and 1099s, benefits and HR tools, and phone support with real people. There are no tiers to outgrow, which is rare in this category, and it handles farms, restaurants, and nonprofits that other platforms treat as edge cases.
Key strengths
- One plan, no upsells, everything included
- Multi-state payroll at the base price
- Specialist support for agriculture, hospitality, and nonprofits
- Free setup and data migration
Limitations
- US-only. Thinner HR and no IT or spend features. Fewer integrations than Gusto or Rippling
6
Best PEO
Justworks
Pricing
Payroll $50/mo + $8/employee; PEO Basic $79/employee/mo; PEO Plus $124/employee/mo
Free tier
No
Pricing model
Per-employee monthly. PEO plans have no base fee
Justworks is a professional employer organization: it co-employs your staff, pools them with thousands of other companies for benefits buying power, and takes on payroll tax and compliance liability. Small teams get medical plans and rates normally reserved for large employers, plus 24/7 support.
Key strengths
- Access to large-group health plans at small-company size
- Compliance and payroll tax liability shift to the PEO
- Simple, predictable per-employee pricing
- Standalone payroll plan for teams that do not want the PEO
Limitations
- PEO pricing is high per head. Less flexibility over benefits carriers, and leaving a PEO takes planning
7
Best if you already run QuickBooks
QuickBooks Payroll
Pricing
Payroll + Simple Start $88/mo + $6.50/employee, + Essentials $125/mo + $6.50/employee, Premium + Plus $203/mo + $10/employee (50% off base for 3 months)
Free tier
No
Pricing model
Monthly bundle base plus per-employee fee. Promotional first three months
If the general ledger is QuickBooks Online, running payroll inside it removes a reconciliation step forever. Same-day direct deposit, automatic tax filing, and a tax-penalty guarantee on the higher tiers. The bundled pricing is the catch: you buy accounting and payroll together.
Key strengths
- Payroll posts straight to the books, no sync to break
- Same-day and next-day direct deposit
- Tax penalty protection on Premium
- Time tracking and HR support on higher tiers
Limitations
- Sold as a bundle with QuickBooks accounting. HR features are thin next to Gusto or BambooHR
8
Best for growing past 50
RUN Powered by ADP
Pricing
Quote-based across four packages (Essential, Enhanced, Complete, HR Pro); three months free is a standing promotion
Free tier
No (promo months free)
Pricing model
Quote-based monthly base plus per-employee, by package
ADP is the largest payroll provider in the world, and RUN is its small-business front end. You get the compliance depth, tax filing accuracy, and support network of the parent company, with a clear upgrade path to Workforce Now when the team grows. The trade is quote-based pricing and a heavier interface.
Key strengths
- Unmatched tax and compliance track record
- Clear upgrade path to mid-market ADP products
- HR support, handbooks, and background checks on higher packages
- Wide accountant and benefits network
Limitations
- No public pricing. Interface feels dated next to Gusto or Rippling, and add-ons stack up
9
Best for hands-on support
Paychex Flex
Pricing
Quote-based across Select, Pro, and Enterprise packages
Free tier
No
Pricing model
Quote-based monthly base plus per-employee, by package
Paychex pairs its Flex platform with people: a dedicated payroll specialist on most packages, HR advisors on the higher ones, and services like retirement plans and workers comp insurance. It suits owners who would rather call someone than read a help center, and it scales well past the small-team stage.
Key strengths
- Dedicated payroll specialist on Select and above
- HR services, retirement, and insurance from one vendor
- Strong mobile app for both admins and employees
- Scales to enterprise on the same platform
Limitations
- Quote-only pricing, and reviewers report costs rising after year one. Software alone is not the draw
10
Best HRIS for modern mid-size teams
HiBob
Pricing
Quote-based; payroll delivered through Payroll Hub partners rather than in-house in most countries
Free tier
No
Pricing model
Per-employee monthly by quote, annual contract
Bob is the HR platform for companies that have outgrown BambooHR and are not ready for Workday: engagement surveys, compensation cycles, performance, workforce planning, and a social-style employee experience. Payroll connects through a hub of partner providers by country instead of being native.
Key strengths
- Engagement, performance, and compensation in one product
- Multi-country HR with localized documents
- Excellent people analytics and reporting
- Designed for hybrid and distributed teams
Limitations
- Quote-only pricing aimed at 50+ employees. Payroll is via partners, so small teams pay for two vendors
Questions people ask
What does HR and payroll software cost per employee?
Between $6 and $12 per employee per month plus a base fee of $40 to $180 for the transparent-pricing vendors (Gusto, OnPay, QuickBooks, Justworks Payroll). PEO plans run $79 to $125 per employee. Rippling, BambooHR, ADP, Paychex, and HiBob quote per company.
Do I need a PEO or just payroll software?
Payroll software is enough if you can source your own benefits and accept the compliance liability. A PEO such as Justworks makes sense when you want large-group health plans at small-company size or want the provider to carry payroll tax and compliance risk. Expect to pay several times more per head.
Which platform works for employees in more than one country?
Deel and Rippling both run global payroll and employer-of-record hiring. Gusto, OnPay, QuickBooks Payroll, ADP RUN, and Paychex Flex are US payroll products; some pay international contractors but none employ staff abroad. HiBob handles multi-country HR and routes payroll to partners.