11 payroll providers · 3 quote-onlyPrices checked 2026-10-17
Payroll software prices for small crews
What it costs to pay a crew of 1 to 15 people, from each provider's own pricing page. Regular monthly prices first; intro offers are labelled.
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Price your exact crew
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Every payroll provider we track
Sorted by the monthly cost for 5 people on each provider's lowest-cost plan. Bundles that include accounting software and PEO plans are on the provider pages.
| Provider | Lowest-cost plan at 5 people | Regular price | Intro offer | 5 people, per month | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Payroll | Full Service Payroll | $37/mo + $5/person | $18.50/mo + $2.50/person for 3 months | $62/mo | 2026-10-17 |
| SurePayroll | Small Business payroll | $29/mo + $7/person | — | $64/mo | 2026-10-17 |
| Square Payroll | Full-service payroll | $35/mo + $6/person | — | $65/mo | 2026-10-17 |
| Gusto | Simple | $49/mo + $6/person | — | $79/mo | 2026-10-17 |
| Homebase (with Payroll) | Payroll add-on + Basic plan | $49/mo + $6/person | — | $79/mo | 2026-10-17 |
| OnPay | Payroll Essentials | $49/mo + $6/person | — | $79/mo | 2026-10-17 |
| QuickBooks Payroll (QuickBooks Workforce) | Workforce Payroll | $50/mo + $7/person | $25/mo + $7/person (per-person fee not discounted) for 3 months | $85/mo | 2026-10-17 |
| Justworks | Payroll | $50/mo + $8/person | — | $90/mo | 2026-10-17 |
| Paychex Flex | — | Quote only | — | — | 2026-10-17 |
| RUN Powered by ADP | — | Quote only | — | — | 2026-10-17 |
| Rippling | — | Quote only | — | — | 2026-10-17 |
Payroll guides
- Payroll cost calculator
- Gusto pricing: what a 1, 5 and 10-person crew pays
- Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll: monthly cost by crew size
- Gusto vs ADP RUN for a 5-person business
- Best payroll for one employee, ranked by price
- Best payroll for contractors and trades, by real price
- QuickBooks Online pricing (with payroll bundles)