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Blake Business Services

The Best Payroll Services

Five full-service payroll platforms for small businesses, scored on price, tax filing, ease of use, and support.

Last updated Jul 3, 2026

Running payroll in-house means tracking wages, withholdings, and constantly changing tax deadlines. A full-service payroll platform automates the pay run and files your payroll taxes for a predictable monthly fee. We compared five well-known providers on pricing and value, tax filing and compliance, ease of use, and customer support. Every commercial link on this page is disclosed and never changes the ranking.

  1. 1

    Gusto

    Our pick

    A friendly full-service payroll platform that automates tax filing and pairs well with small teams and contractors.

    8.8
    / 10

    Pros

    • + Automatic payroll tax filing at the federal, state, and local levels
    • + Clean interface with built-in benefits and employee self-onboarding
    • + Handles both employees and contractors without a separate product

    Cons

    • − Per-person pricing adds up as headcount grows
    • − Phone support hours are more limited than some enterprise rivals
    From $49.00 /month
    Visit Gusto
  2. 2

    QuickBooks Payroll

    Best for teams

    Intuit's payroll add-on that plugs directly into QuickBooks accounting and offers same-day direct deposit on higher tiers.

    8.2
    / 10

    Pros

    • + Tight, automatic sync with QuickBooks Online accounting
    • + Same-day direct deposit available on higher tiers
    • + Tax-penalty protection offered on the top tier

    Cons

    • − Best value only appears if you already use QuickBooks
    • − Top-tier features push the monthly price up quickly
    From $50.00 /month
    Visit QuickBooks Payroll
  3. 3

    OnPay

    Best value

    A straightforward full-service payroll provider with flat, transparent pricing and included tax filing.

    8.5
    / 10

    Pros

    • + Flat, transparent pricing with no surprise tiers
    • + Full-service tax filing and benefits included at the base rate
    • + Handles specialized cases like agriculture and nonprofits

    Cons

    • − Fewer third-party integrations than the largest platforms
    • − No same-day direct deposit option
    From $40.00 /month
    Visit OnPay
  4. 4

    ADP RUN

    The small-business payroll product from an enterprise HR giant, strong on compliance but priced by custom quote.

    7.6
    / 10

    Pros

    • + Deep tax-compliance expertise backed by a large enterprise vendor
    • + Extensive HR and benefits add-ons as you scale
    • + Broad support network and long track record

    Cons

    • − Pricing is by custom quote and not published upfront
    • − Add-on fees can make the total cost higher than transparent rivals
    Visit ADP RUN
  5. 5

    Square Payroll

    A low-cost payroll option built for hourly teams and businesses already using the Square ecosystem.

    8.1
    / 10

    Pros

    • + Low base price and a contractor-only plan with no monthly fee
    • + Automatic import of hours from Square POS and timecards
    • + Full-service tax filing included

    Cons

    • − Best value is tied to using the wider Square ecosystem
    • − Fewer advanced HR features than larger platforms
    From $35.00 /month
    Visit Square Payroll

Side-by-side

The Best Payroll Services — score by criterion for each product.
Product Pricing & Value Ease of Use Tax Filing & Compliance Customer Support Overall
Gusto 8.4 9.3 9.0 8.2 8.8
QuickBooks Payroll 7.8 8.4 8.6 8.0 8.2
OnPay 8.9 8.0 8.5 8.1 8.5
ADP RUN 6.5 7.2 9.1 8.4 7.6
Square Payroll 8.2 8.1 8.3 7.4 8.1
How we scored this

Each platform is scored 0-10 on four weighted criteria: pricing and value (weight 3), tax filing and compliance (2), ease of use (2), and customer support (1), with the overall standing driven by the weighted average. Ranks are our independent editorial verdict and do not depend on any affiliate or referral payout.