Best Online Payroll Services of 2025

Gusto is our choice for the top small business online payroll solution. The intuitive design, user-friendly interface, and supportive automation make it very easy to run payroll. Gusto’s HR platform does more than just payroll, but from that perspective, it makes the entire employee lifecycle simple. As soon as you hire an employee, Gusto guides you through the process to onboard them to your payroll, takes care of new-hire reporting, and simplifies all payroll runs and federal and state tax filings.

Beyond payroll, Gusto offers benefits administration, time tracking, and hiring tools in addition to its core product. That makes it a great choice for startups and growing teams that want a single platform to manage people without the complexity of a full-service PEO.

I have used Gusto for my two small businesses. My first experience with them was acrimonious because their tax team was completely unable to file payroll taxes on time, sticking me with penalty fees every quarter. They were not helpful in resolving the issue and, ultimately, became simply non-responsive to me. I came back only through an offer from an accounting service, but can happily report that it has been a much better experience this time. It really is the product that best balances user-friendliness and robustness.

When I dropped Gusto the first time, I went to OnPay purely for the flat-rate pricing model. After incurring so many fees from Gusto’s mistakes, budget was by far my biggest consideration. OnPay isn’t as pretty as Gusto (which has a beautiful UX), but it is highly effective. There are no hidden fees or extra charges for additional payroll runs, and the intuitive platform makes it easy for business owners to run payroll in a matter of clicks.

OnPay automates all of the most complex payroll tasks, including tax filings, garnishments, and benefits deductions, making it a breeze to onboard new hires and pay them as needed. The customer support team is elite among payroll providers. OnPay is an ideal option for solopreneurs and small businesses who want a reliable payroll system and access to great service.

ADP is a global HR and payroll leader, but that doesn’t mean it’s only made for large businesses. ADP offers a comprehensive, full-service approach to payroll that can support small businesses, too. From calculating paychecks and managing direct deposits to filing all federal, state, and local taxes, ADP handles all aspects of payroll for your business.

Where ADP really excels, however, is in its wide range of HR features that you can add as your business grows, including benefits administration, time tracking, and hiring tools. For small businesses with ambitious growth plans, ADP offers the security and stability of a large, reputable partner.

You’ve probably heard of Paychex. A payroll veteran, Paychex offers a wide range of products and service options, but its core payroll product, Paychex Flex, is an outstanding option for small businesses. This customizable payroll solution offers reliable, compliance-based payroll processing and allows you to add more advanced features like HR administration, benefits, and time tracking as your business needs. You can choose the level of service that works for you.

Paychex has some of the worst customer service ratings in the entire industry, but they do have an extensive team of experts who can help you navigate complex compliance issues, which you might not get from a smaller provider. If you value options and the flexibility to choose your own path (aka, you’re a small business), Paychex is a good choice.

The only Professional Employer Organization (PEO) on this list, Rippling is a tech-forward, all-in-one platform that goes well beyond its core HR and payroll features. As a PEO, Rippling takes over your corporate HR management, outsourcing employee management, payroll, and benefits administration. But Rippling is a more modern solution, offering HR, IT, and finance tools in a truly unified platform. This makes Rippling capable of automating the entire employee lifecycle, from the moment a new hire signs their offer letter to their last day. For instance, after an employee signs their offer letter, Rippling can automatically set up their email account, order them a laptop, and enroll them in benefits without tasking a human.

Rippling’s focus on automation and efficiency makes it a great partner for tech companies or rapidly growing businesses that value an integrated and seamless approach to HR. Rippling’s core strength is automation, helping your organization save time, reduce administrative errors, and unify its operations with one powerful tool.

QuickBooks is one of the most prevalent small business accounting programs on the market, so we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention QuickBooks Payroll as a compelling option. If you’re already using QuickBooks for accounting, QuickBooks Payroll is a truly seamless fit. It’s a full-service payroll solution built directly into the QuickBooks ecosystem, so you can sync payroll and accounting data in real-time. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and keeps your books up to date.

Like other providers, QuickBooks Payroll handles all tax filings, year-end forms, and direct deposits to simplify your payroll operations. It’s not nearly as robust as more HR-focused programs like Gusto and Rippling, but it’s a seamless and convenient addition for business owners already using QuickBooks.

For any business already using QuickBooks for its accounting, QuickBooks Payroll is the most natural fit. It’s a full-service payroll solution that’s built directly into the QuickBooks ecosystem, allowing you to sync payroll and accounting data in real-time. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and ensures that your books are always up to date. QuickBooks Payroll handles all tax filings, year-end forms, and direct deposits, and it offers different tiers of service, from basic payroll to a full-service option that includes HR and benefits administration. While its feature set may not be as extensive as a dedicated HR platform like Gusto, its seamless integration with QuickBooks makes it a powerful and convenient choice for millions of small business owners.

There’s a reason you see Square point-of-sale (POS) systems at so many retail businesses. While Square is primarily known for its POS services, it integrates seamlessly with Square Payroll to make paying hourly employees and contractors incredibly simple. Square Payroll simplest time tracking and allows you to run payroll with just a few clicks. It handles all tax filings and can also manage payroll for both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors in a single, unified system.

Whether you’re already using Square’s other tools or you’re looking for a better way to pay hourly employees, Square Payroll is an excellent solution.

Square Payroll is a fantastic option for small businesses that operate in retail, food and beverage, or service industries and primarily pay hourly employees or contractors. It integrates seamlessly with other Square products like its point-of-sale system and time clock, making it incredibly easy to track hours and run payroll with just a few clicks. The pricing is straightforward and transparent, with a simple per-employee fee for each payroll run. Square Payroll handles all tax filings, and it can also manage payroll for both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors in a single, unified system. For a business that already uses Square’s other tools, this is a natural extension of its existing ecosystem.