Directory/Payroll
Payroll software calculates pay, withholds taxes, and files payroll tax returns. It handles direct deposits, pay stubs, and year end forms. Modern platforms also manage contractor payments, benefits deductions, and time tracking. Getting payroll right is non negotiable, since mistakes mean penalties and unhappy employees.
Tax compliance is the first filter. The software should calculate, withhold, and file federal, state, and local taxes automatically. Next, check how it handles your workforce mix. Full time employees, part time staff, and contractors have different rules, and not every platform handles all three well. Look for direct deposit speed, employee self service for pay stubs and tax forms, and integrations with your HRIS and time tracking tools.
Most vendors charge a base fee plus a per employee per month rate. Base fees often run 20 to 50 dollars per month, with 4 to 8 dollars per employee on top. Contractor only plans are cheaper. Watch for extra fees for tax filings in multiple states, off cycle runs, and year end forms.
Underestimating multi state complexity. If you have employees in several states, confirm the vendor files in all of them and handles local tax rules. Also test the support. When payroll breaks, you need a human fast, not a chatbot. The directory below lists the top tools in this category so you can compare features side by side.
Prices last checked 20 Oct 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page. How we check · Missing a Payroll tool? Suggest it
Benefits administration · HR compliance · HRIS · Payroll · Time & attendance
US mid-market HCM. Payroll plus HR for companies that already live in ADP.
Sales-quoted
Benefits administration · Engagement · HR compliance · HRIS · Payroll · Time & attendance
ANZ and UK HRIS for growing employers.
Sales-quoted
HRIS · ATS · Leave management · Payroll · Time & attendance
Cloud HR and payroll for Indian businesses with PF, ESI and TDS compliance, attendance and leave, from ₹60 per employee a month.
From ₹60/employee/mo
Benefits administration · HR compliance · HRIS · Payroll · Time & attendance
Mid-market HCM next to Paycor and Paylocity. Not a recruiting CRM.
Sales-quoted
Payroll
Transparent DIY or full-service payroll for small US employers.
From $17/mo + $4/worker
Payroll
Intuit payroll for teams already living in QuickBooks.
From $88/mo + $6.50/employee
Payroll
Full-service SMB payroll with Paychex behind it.
From $29/mo + $7/worker
Payroll
Payroll bolted onto Wave’s free small-business accounting.
From $40/mo + $6/employee
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47. Each listing records its starting price, free plan, free trial, MCP and API support the same way, so the cards can be compared line for line.
13 of the 47 list a US dollar starting price, and the median of those is about $40. Units differ by vendor (per seat, per month, per check or credit pack), so compare the unit on each card, not just the number. 28 are priced by quote, so the vendor sets the number after a call.
2 of them have a permanent free plan rather than a timed trial. 4 offer a free trial.
7 of the 47 ship a first party MCP server, and 23 publish a public API. MCP is only marked where the vendor runs the server themselves, so an agent can query the tool directly.
The tools we use ourselves are marked as picks and listed first, then everything else runs A to Z. There is no paid ranking: a sponsored slot is labelled as such and never changes a listing, its category or its position.
Counted from every published listing in this category, so the numbers move with the directory.