Top 27 Small Business Payroll Software (Oct 2022)

2023's Best 28 Small Business Payroll Systems

Shlomi LaviShlomi Lavi / Oct 20, 2022

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1. Patriot PAY

  • Best for: Small businesses and start ups
  • Price: starts at $10 per month
  • Mar 12, 2022
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Patriot PAY is a web based payroll management solution for small and medium businesses. Its capabilities include payroll tax management, wage garnishment, attendance management, and others. The software was designed and launched by Patriot Software Inc headquartered in Ohio, United State...


2. ZenPayroll

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $39 per month
  • Mar 12, 2022
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ZenPayroll is a web based payroll management solution for businesses of all sizes. It offers such capabilities as federal and state tax management, support for multiple formats, and others. The software was designed and launched by ZenPayroll Inc headquartered in California, United States.


3. Clarity Payroll

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Apr 22, 2022
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Clarity Payroll software is an integrated payroll, HR, employee self-service, time and attendance solution. The solution offers a number of features that include unlimited pay that runs per period for bonuses, vacations, terminations, and expenses.


4. Square Payroll

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $35 per month
  • Mar 22, 2022
Compare Square Payroll Vs. Patriot PAY

Square Payroll is cloud based software that handles payroll issues and is designed for employers in small and mid sized businesses. The core features include direct deposits, integrated timecards, payment processing, and automated tax filings. It offers payroll compliance and free online accounts fo...


5. Sage One Payroll

  • Best for: Small businesses and start ups
  • Price: starts at $7 per user/month
  • Mar 22, 2022
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Sage One Payroll is an online payroll solution for small businesses that can help users to pay their employees easily and record their monthly and weekly pay runs. The software is fully RTI compliant and accredited by HMRC to help users to stay fully up to date. Sage UK, the company behind Sage ...


6. Web Pay

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price:
  • Mar 25, 2022
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Web Pay is a web based payroll management solution for businesses of all sizes. Other than payroll management, is facilitates tax management, benefits administration, and other capabilities. The software was designed and launched by Paylocity headquartered in Illinois, United States.


7. BrightPay

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $59 per year
  • May 06, 2022
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BrightPay is an on premise payroll and auto enrolment software package that is built to assist small businesses and accountants in their weekly, monthly as well as monthly payroll. It is mostly used in the United Kingdom and Ireland.


8. Paycor HR Management

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $199 per month
  • May 06, 2022
Compare Paycor HR Management Vs. Patriot PAY

Paycor HR Management is a cloud-based payroll management solution as well as a human resource management solution that is provided as a suite with it containing a talent tracking system.


9. Payment Evolution Payroll

  • Best for: Small businesses and start ups
  • Price: starts at $2 per employee/month
  • Jun 30, 2022
Compare Payment Evolution Payroll Vs. Patriot PAY

Payment Evolution Payroll is a cloud-based human resource solution that is designed for small-sized and medium-sized organizations. Payment Evolution Payroll helps organizations manage their payment operations and centralizes them in one area.


10. Worklio

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Jul 01, 2022
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Worklio is a workforce management and Human resource handling software. It is developed by HR Studio. It is a cloud based tool which means that clients can access the software remotely through anywhere with the use of a simple web browser. All the need is login id and password. It is a totally scala...


Pricing Guide - Small Business Payroll Software:

Human Resources Software Products Price Range

HRIS comes with different prices, which are usually determined by either number of employees or the number of users. Either way, HR Tools pricing ranges from $5–$15 and $16–$25 per employee per month; for most providers, these prices are also set based on the robustness of the chosen package feature-wise, and they may not include fees for setup or training.

However, HR software that are priced based on the number of users may have slightly higher prices because, unlike ones with per employee prices, they do not require an organization to pay for every employee but, instead, employees that are actively using the tools. For example, Conrep is priced at around $30 per user per month, while HRnest costs around $20 per employee per month. Another instance is HRnest, which costs $1 per employee, provided its paid in bulk for 35 employees each, and 2 feature plugins, which cost $40 and $60 respectively, must be paid for alongside.

In addition, HRIS pricings are adjusted by most vendors, depending on the business size.

  • Small Businesses can expect around $5 for a single employee or nothing at all, as some software makes their basic HR features free for small workforces. Some examples are PeopleBookHR, Snappi, and IceHRM. At the same time, premium HR providers like VAIRKKO Suite costs $1 monthly per employee, Optimity pricing is around $5 monthly per user, and Attendee HRM costs $28 per year to manage 28 employees.
  • Medium Businesses that need more robust HRIS features can expect to pay between $5–$15 per employee. For instance, ICMIS Recruit costs around $6,000 per year to manage between 51–100 employees, Info:HR charges a one-time fee of $2800, and FingerCheck pricing is priced at $200 monthly for 50 employees.
  • Large Businesses can expect to pay less on a per-employee basis because the logic is the more the employee, the lesser the fee. However, the number of features and onboarding costs may cost more. For instance, FingerCheck costs $1,600 monthly for 500 employees and Britix24 $199 per month.

HRIS best of breeds and their price ranges are as follows:

  • Applicant Tracking Tools While some applicant tracking apps are priced per job posting, businesses can, however, expect to pay between $19–$28, $28–$49, and $49 upwards per user, per month. For instance, Yahoo Indeed costs around $150 per month, Monster TMS costs $5,000 per year while Manatal pricing is charged at $15 per user per month.
  • Performance Appraisal Software Like most applicant tracking solutions, performance appraisal pricing is based on a "per user, per month" basis. So, business enterprises can expect to pay between $1 to $4, $4 to $10, and $10 upwards. Note that the package type is also a determining factor for performance appraisal tool pricing, as some packages have more features than others. The pricing of some performance appraisal appls like Performly Talent starts from $2 monthly per user, Small Improvements from $5 per user per year, and AssessTEAM costs $1 monthly per user.
  • Onboarding Software Onboarding Tools are also priced on a "per user, per month" basis. Users can expect to pay between $1 and $12 upwards. However, these prices are mostly for entry-level prices found on vendor website; more robust packages may be slightly higher, depending on the number of users. For example, Boardon costs $50 per month for a bunch of active users, EmployeeConnect $6 monthly per user, and WISP pricing falls around $50 depending on company size.
  • 360 Degree Feedback 360 Degree feedback products mostly have per month pricings. In this case, companies can expect to pay between $1 and $149 and above. Again, these prices depend on the number of features the vendor is offering. Examples are Click-360 costs between $7-$55 per report, SurveyLab $29 per month, and Bloomin costs $4 monthly per user.
  • Payroll The pricing for payroll products is usually divided into three tiers and priced per user per month. Enterprises can expect to pay between $1 to $5, $5 to $12, and above $12 per user, per month and depending on the tier. For instance, Payroll Mate is priced around $120 per year ($15 per month) and Payment Evolution Payroll costs $22 monthly per user. Alternatively, some payroll products have a one-time payment; examples are Accounting Xpert costs around $1,500 for one user, and Brightpay pricing is around $300.

11. sleekr

  • Best for: Small businesses and start ups
  • Price: starts at $16.66 per month
  • Jul 07, 2022
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Sleekr is a cloud-based small business payroll software that allows administrators to organize employee databases through a central directory and updatable structures.


12. TeamPay

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Jul 12, 2022
Compare TeamPay Vs. Patriot PAY

Teampay by ADP is a payroll management software solution. It is a cloud based software, meaning that users can access it remotely from anywhere. It is operating system agnostic and requires a web browser to login into. It aims at streamlining all the payroll related needs of the client. It is a part...


13. PeopleQlik

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $20 per 2 users/month
  • Sep 29, 2022
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Peopleqlik is a human resource management software solution. It is a cloud based application that can be accessed remotely through anywhere. It only requires a web browser login and is operating system agnostic. It can assist a company in all the stages of the employment.


14. Payroll Mate

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $149 per license
  • Sep 15, 2022
Compare Payroll Mate Vs. Patriot PAY

Payroll Mate is a payroll software designed for business accountants to manage all payroll activities such as payroll preparation, tax calculation, and payroll reports.


15. PayDay!

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $25 per month
  • Jan 18, 2022
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Payday is a payroll management software solution. It is a cloud based application, which means that the users don’t need to install it on their systems. It can run simply through a web browser. The application is operating system agnostic.


16. SurePayroll Payroll Service

  • Best for: Small businesses and start ups
  • Price: starts at $20 per feature/month
  • Aug 23, 2022
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SurePayroll is a payroll management solution designed for small and medium businesses. Its capabilities include taxation management, direct deposit management, reporting, and others. The software was designed and launched by SurePayroll headquartered in Illinois, United States.


17. Wagepoint

  • Best for: Small businesses and start ups
  • Price: starts at $22 per month
  • Feb 28, 2022
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Wagepoint is a web based payroll management solution for small and medium businesses. Other than payroll management, it also offers tax management and support for multiple data formats. The software was designed and launched by Wagepoint headquartered in Ontario, Canada.


18. ADP Streamline Payroll

  • Best for: Large business
  • Price: Has a free version
  • Mar 02, 2022
Compare ADP Streamline Payroll Vs. Patriot PAY

ADP Streamline payroll is a human resource management and payroll processing software solution. It is available throughout the world and serves around 112 countries. It is a cloud based software, meaning that the clients have no need to install the system into their physical office space. It works t...


19. Fingercheck

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $5 per employee/month
  • Mar 07, 2022
Compare Fingercheck Vs. Patriot PAY

Fingercheck is a human resource, workforce solution that enables businesses to review and manage hiring, time tracking, payroll, employee onboarding, insurance, HR, and benefits. Fingercheck provides tools that help to streamline workflow for, employers, employees and everyone involved.


20. Inova Payroll

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Mar 22, 2022
Compare Inova Payroll Vs. Patriot PAY

Inova Payroll is a SaaS or cloud based human capital management solution designed to streamline the payroll and HR processes. Its core functionalities include applicant tracking, payroll, onboarding, compensation management, online benefits enrollment, and more. Inova Payroll is by Inova Payroll, a ...


21. ActivityHD Payroll

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price:
  • Apr 06, 2022
Compare ActivityHD Payroll Vs. Patriot PAY

ActivityHD Payroll is a human resources software designed to help managers or business owners take charge of their organizations pay runs and employee communication, as well as calculate the organizations deductions and payroll tax.


22. Payment Evolution

  • Best for: Small businesses and start ups
  • Price: starts at $2 per employee
  • May 20, 2022
Compare Payment Evolution Vs. Patriot PAY

Payment evolution is a cloud-based human resources software that is designed to help organizations manage payroll processes. The software takes care of payroll processes that usually prove tedious in such a way that time and resources and conserved while productivity is enhanced.


23. 1099 Pro Corporate Suite

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price:
  • Apr 20, 2022
Compare 1099 Pro Corporate Suite Vs. Patriot PAY

1099 Pro Corporate Suite is a web based tax and payroll management solution for businesses of all sizes. It offers such capabilities as tax form printing, customizable time entry, W-2 preparation, and others. The software was designed and launched by 1099 Pro Inc headquartered in California, United ...


24. foundU

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $11 per user/month
  • May 17, 2022
Compare foundU Vs. Patriot PAY

FoundU is a cloud-based human resources software that is developed to help organizations manage their recruitment process. The tool also offers payroll management to users in order to ensure an automated payment. FoundU also tracks bonuses and work hours of employees while generating payment slips.


25. Coastal Payroll Services

  • Best for: Small, medium and large size businesses
  • Price: starts at $39 per month
  • Apr 16, 2020
Compare Coastal Payroll Services Vs. Patriot PAY

Coastal Payroll Services is an award-winning cloud-based Human Resources software, it is designed to support small, medium and large size business. Coastal Payroll Services received a rating of 3.4 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (3.1/5) when compared to other solutions i...


26. ActivPR - Payroll

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price:
  • Apr 15, 2020
Compare ActivPR - Payroll Vs. Patriot PAY

ActivPR - Payroll is a fast growing cloud-based Payroll software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. ActivPR - Payroll received a rating of 3.7 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered average (3.4/5) when compared to other solutions in their category.


27. HRTrace

  • Best for: SMBs
  • Price: starts at $4 per month
  • Oct 20, 2022
Compare HRTrace Vs. Patriot PAY

HRTrace is a growing cloud-based Benefits Administration software, it is designed to support small and medium size business. HRTrace received a rating of 5 from ITQlick team. The software cost is considered affordable (1.3/5) when compared to alternative solutions.



A Buyer's Guide to Business Software Solutions

How to Evaluate and Buy Business Software
 
If you’re somehow puzzled if this article is only for a specific size of business, no, it’s not. This is for you SMEs, MNEs and start-ups software buyers. Also, we’re not talking about a specific software solution here. Whether the software solution that you’re planning to buy is for Accounting, Business Intelligence, ERP, CRM, Help Desk, Maintenance Management or other types of application, one thing is for sure; with the help of this article, you will be able to know the right process in evaluating and buying a business software solution.
 
We’ve been into the software business for years and we’re seeing a lot of nitty-gritty things that often bring confusions and hesitations to many companies looking for better software solutions. Some companies can’t afford to let go their legacy systems while a few is encountering technological snags once the new system is in place. While this is the underlying truth behind software acquisition and implementation, what’s exciting about buying a business software solution is that there is a clear and obvious proof that thousands of companies and corporations today are happy with the benefits this technology is bringing into their respective businesses.  There is a significant increase in their revenue and the growth is on-going. And it’s easy to say; many from the Fortune 500 companies are making a lot of money because of their smartly-acquired business software.
 
So, let’s get straight to the point. What should you do in order to acquire that business software that could make your organization achieve its goals? The answer to this is pretty straightforward: evaluate and buy that right business software. Yes, that’s what you need to do and here’s the best manual from ITQlick.com that could certainly help you in doing that strategically.
 
Consider the Needs of Your Organization
Let’s assume that at this point, the entire management team agreed that you are ready to invest on a certain software application. The budget has been compromised and the key persons who will be involved in the acquisition process were already identified. Therefore, it’s time to approach things the project management way.
 
Define the Project
Every business software solution is categorized base on application type, features, deployment model, market size and pricing model. Remember that our objective here is to evaluate and buy a business software product that will fit into the size and present needs of your business. So what the project management team should try to deal with first is to define the real requirements of your business exactly base on the categories set by the software industry. Moreover, by doing this activity, you are already narrowing down your search for the right solution. Now, consider bringing this list of FAQs to the project management and aim to come up with clear-cut answers.
 
  1. What type of software is needed? Is it Integrated-Suite, Best-of-Breed or Industry-Specific? Ask your CEO’s main agenda and find the perfect match from these available options.
  2. What are the core and secondary features? Are you looking for basic, advanced or hi-end features? List down the specific features per category and allow the department managers and supervisors to give their insights on this list.
  3. How are you going to deploy the system? Would it be on-premise, cloud-based, hosted, or mobile-based? Weigh these options with the help of your CIO.
  4. Are you going for Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 vendors? Their offered solutions are base on the size of their target market - SMEs, MNEs or start-ups. Seek your CFO’s advice as it is important to match your financial capacity against the cost of the solution that the providers have for you.
  5. Are you willing to pay for the perpetuity software license or a subscription-based solution is way better? How many users are there and what would be their roles in using the system? Solicit feedbacks from future end users for they know better what challenges and risks might possibly come along their way when they’re using the system.
 
Finalize the BOM or List of Requirements
After providing definite answers on the above questions, we can say that the project has already been defined. Your procurement team is now ready to do their role in the acquisition process of this solution. However, in order for them to execute their job properly, they must have the complete list of requirements - features, specifications, hardware, and the software product. In other words, the Bill-of-Materials (BOM) that is final, complete and well-prepared must be handed over to the procurement director. Needless to say, it is very important that everybody is following the company purchasing and procurement protocols at all times.  
 
Request for Proposal (RFP)
The RFP process will bring everything into formality. Since you’re more likely in a line of business that doesn’t regularly buy software products, it is of critical importance that your RFP is well-structured before you send it to your prospect solution providers.
 
Draft the RFP
An RFP that contains all the relevant information as discussed during the project management meetings will enable the providers to return back to you their proposal that is complete and substantial. Therefore, your RFP should basically contain the following:
 
Brief Introduction
  • Company Name
  • Mission and Goals
  • Purpose of the RFP (or the need for software solution)
Business Background
  • Organizational Structure
  • Current Situation (IT infrastructure, system currently in-use, system issues and desired solutions, etc.)
  • Major Objectives of the Software Purchase
Request for Specific Requirements
  • Solution Functionality
  • System Specifications
  • Vendor Company Information
  • Price Model, Service Plans, Package Options
Other Important Inquiries (if necessary)
 
Send the RFP
Well-structured RFP will bring a lot of advantages especially when the proposals from various providers are received and then subjected for review and analysis. Send your RFP to at least three to five providers (or prospects which you have already shortlisted during the project definition phase). Depending on the complexity of the solution, most vendors will send their proposal in a matter of time, which could be around 4 to 6 weeks for Integrated-Suite solution.
 
Why still send RFP?
Is there really a need for RFP if your preferred solution (like cloud-based) and the service plans or packages are already displayed on the vendor’s website? Well, yes, you still need to undergo the RFP process. For most sales people, they certainly know that those figures appearing in the vendor’s website are usually the “list price” and not the “actual price”. More importantly, the vendor’s proposal (response to RFP) will serve as your main basis for the negotiation. Therefore, sending an RFP is a strict requirement.
 
Follow up questions relevant to RFP
More often than not, questions and concerns will be raised by the vendors to whom you send the RFP. You have to entertain them with utmost professionalism. Solution providers who are seeking further clarifications relevant to the RFP are consisting of professional software experts who wants to help your organization as much as they can. Entertain them but at the same time, always be cautious when providing additional information which you know is confidential or proprietary.
 
Evaluate the Proposals
Always refer to your finalized BOM when tabulating the contents of each proposal. Part of this process is to check the features that are available from this certain vendor and to cross out those that are not. While using spreadsheet aids the tabulation process, laying down the document proposals on the table and allowing your project management team to review them one by one should always be conducted. Evaluating the proposals in full force can help strengthen your decision-making process. Have another round of brain-storming session and come with the name of your preferred solution provider.
 
When selecting the final vendor, always promote the best interest of your organization. Consider answering these questions with full sincerity.
 
  1. Which vendor can provide the long-term benefits to your organization?
  2. Which vendor can provide the best and honest service from acquisition to full implementation?
  3. Which vendor is willing to devote most of its time in better serving its client?
 
Contact this solution provider and in your own strategic approach, try to get the answers to those three important questions above. In most cases, vendor who really wants to prove its craft will offer product demos on a higher level. Others will even invite you to check their already deployed and working systems. Feel free to connect with this type of vendor. Conduct simulation and testing, be it a cloud-based or on-premise solution. Examine all aspects and angles especially those that your project management team want to really know in-depth. For as long as it could help you arrive at a better decision, consider doing all the options available – for the interest of the organization.
 
Enter the Negotiation Process
Most solutions providers can be flexible in terms of pricing. Although the final say is oftentimes on the mouth of the sales person from the vendor’s side, a good negotiation process can always deliver a win-win situation to both parties involve. While negotiation sometimes cannot be settled in one sitting session, always be honest with your intentions whenever negotiating with your provider. If it’s about your budget, justify it with clarity. If it’s about their service plans, tell them what’s lacking or missing on their solution. At the end of the day, the most important event that should happen is that both of you are shaking hands because of a well done negotiation process.
 
Seal the Contract
So what are you going to do on a contract that involves a significant amount of investment? There are three project management approaches for this.
 
  1. Pass the ball to you legal team. They know what to do and more or less they will tell you if there is something wrong with the contract. Give them enough time to review before they affix their signature and then finally seal the contract.
  2. Hire a consultant base on the technical aspect that you want to clarify in the contract. If it’s the Scope of Work (SOW), a software implementation expert is the right person. If it is related to complex legal terms and conditions, a lawyer can help. If it has something to do with money, invite an accountant to conduct a thorough review and computation if necessary.
  3. Always consider consulting your project management team. Remember that the CIO, CFO and CEO are all team members. They will be the signatories and they know what’s best for the interest of the company when signing a contract agreement.
 
From evaluation to buying stage, it is important that the project manager must take full responsibility of monitoring all the works identified and distributed among team members. This is why delegating the right project manager is also an important consideration when buying a business software solution. And again, ITQlick.com wants to emphasize that whatever the size of your company is, using the project management approach will always lead you into a better outcome – that is getting what you paid for the right business software solution. 

Finding the right business software for your business
Proper business software selections are the precursor to successful deployment and business growth. Finding the right solutions doesnít have to be complicated, and it doesnít have to take days or weeks of your time.

After researching over 5,000 systems, we can identify the best solution for companies of all shapes and sizes. ITQlick.com is 100% free for software buyers.



Auditor - Shlomi Lavi

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Shlomi Lavi is an entrepreneur and founder of ITQlick.com. He holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Information Systems Engineering from Ben Gurion University in Israel. Shlomi brings 17 years of global IT and IS management experience as a consultant and implementation expert for small, medium and large-sized (global) companies. Shlomi’s goal is to share the best knowledge and news about information systems so you can make smarter buying decisions for your business.