Best Payroll Software 2026According to Real Users
We analyzed 6,978 online forum discussions from business communities, accounting forums, and HR professional groups to rank payroll software by what users actually experience after 6+ months of use.
Payroll Software Rankings
Ranked by authentic user sentiment from online forum discussions. Scores reflect what real businesses say after using the software for months.
Gusto
Full-service payroll and benefits for small businesses
What Forum Users Say
"Been using Gusto for 3 years, actually makes payroll enjoyable" - Business Forum User
Score Comparison
Pricing
From $40/month + $6/employee
Pros
- Excellent user interface
- Great customer support
- Comprehensive benefits options
Cons
- Can be pricey for larger teams
- Some advanced features require higher tiers
Rippling
All-in-one HR, payroll, and IT management platform
What Forum Users Say
"Rippling is magic for onboarding, handles everything automatically" - Entrepreneur Forum User
Score Comparison
Pricing
From $8/month per employee
Pros
- Incredible automation
- Deep integrations
- Modern interface
Cons
- Learning curve for complex features
- Overkill for simple payroll needs
BambooHR
HR software with payroll capabilities for small to medium businesses
What Forum Users Say
"BambooHR is great for HR stuff, payroll is decent but not the main strength" - Business Forum User
Score Comparison
Pricing
From $99/month + payroll fees
Pros
- Excellent HR features
- Good user experience
- Strong employee self-service
Cons
- Payroll is secondary feature
- Can get expensive
- Limited payroll customization
Paylocity
Cloud-based payroll and HR software for mid-size companies
What Forum Users Say
"Paylocity has been solid, good balance of features and usability" - HR Forum User
Score Comparison
Pricing
Custom pricing (typically $200+/month)
Pros
- Good mid-market fit
- Reliable support
- Decent mobile app
Cons
- Can be complex
- Pricing not transparent
- Limited small business features
Square Payroll
Simple payroll solution integrated with Square ecosystem
What Forum Users Say
"Square Payroll is basic but works well for our restaurant, easy setup" - Restaurant Owner Forum
Score Comparison
Pricing
From $35/month + $5/employee
Pros
- Very easy to use
- Good for Square users
- Affordable
Cons
- Limited features
- Basic reporting
- Not great for complex needs
Paychex
Established payroll and HR services for businesses of all sizes
What Forum Users Say
"Paychex works but feels outdated, customer service hit or miss" - Accounting Forum User
Score Comparison
Pricing
Custom pricing (typically $150+ monthly)
Pros
- Very reliable
- Good for compliance
- Established reputation
Cons
- Outdated interface
- Expensive
- Slow customer support
ADP
Enterprise-grade payroll and workforce management solutions
What Forum Users Say
"ADP is powerful but complicated, takes forever to set up anything" - HR Forum User
Score Comparison
Pricing
Custom pricing (varies widely)
Pros
- Very comprehensive
- Enterprise-ready
- Good reporting
Cons
- Complex setup
- Expensive
- Not user-friendly
QuickBooks Payroll
Payroll solution integrated with QuickBooks accounting
What Forum Users Say
"QB Payroll is a money grab, constant upsells and poor support" - Business Forum User
Score Comparison
Pricing
From $45/month + $4/employee
Pros
- Integrates with QuickBooks
- Easy for existing QB users
Cons
- Limited features
- Expensive for what you get
- Poor customer service
How We Score Payroll Software
Our methodology for creating authentic, unbiased payroll software rankings.
Forum Data Collection
We analyze discussions from business forums, accounting communities, HR professional groups, and entrepreneur networks. Only comments from users with 6+ months of actual usage experience.
Sentiment Analysis
AI analyzes sentiment across thousands of mentions, weighting recent comments more heavily and filtering out obvious promotional content.
Score Calculation
Authentic scores are based purely on user sentiment. No vendor payments, sponsorships, or paid placements can influence rankings.
Transparency
We clearly label affiliate relationships and commission rates. These never affect scores - they just help fund our research.
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