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The Best Payroll Software for Small Business, Based on Reviews

Rachel Blakely-Gray

Software can make payroll—and your life—much easier. But, choosing a payroll system can be overwhelming. And as a savvy business owner, you want to find the best payroll software for a small business. You can look at small business payroll software reviews to help you choose. 

Read on to learn about the best payroll for a small business using payroll software reviews from trusted sources. But first, get a brief payroll software overview. 

What is payroll software?

You need to pay employees for their hours worked by running payroll. Payroll is the process of paying employees after withholding federal, state, and local taxes and other deductions. 

The payroll process consists of:

To simplify the above process, you can use payroll software. Payroll software is a system that streamlines the process of calculating wages and taxes. Full-service payroll takes things a step further and handles tax deposits and filing. 

Although doing payroll by hand is an option, it can leave room for errors—and administrative headaches. Businesses trust software to help them automate payroll and avoid confusion.  

What is the best payroll software for a small business? 

There are several payroll software providers on the market. Compare top payroll providers to find the best software for payroll. 

You can look at the best payroll software for small business reviews—and review websites—to help compare payroll software. Reviews give you insight into other small business owners’ experiences. 

Best payroll software for small business reviews (Capterra)

Based on user reviews comparing payroll products, Patriot Software’s payroll ranked first overall, according to Capterra:

  1. Patriot Payroll
  2. Gusto (tied for 2nd)
  3. RUN Powered by ADP (tied for 2nd)
  4. Paychex Flex

Best small business payroll software reviews (Software Advice)

A Software Advice Competitive Comparison had similar findings. According to the reviews, Patriot’s payroll software again ranked first:

  1. Patriot Payroll 
  2. OnPay
  3. Square Payroll
  4. QuickBooks Online

How to find the best payroll for small business 

The software comparisons from Capterra and Software Advice focus on four categories: functionality, ease of use, value for money, and customer support. 

1. Functionality

Does the software meet other business owners’ needs? Compare features among payroll systems to find out.

So, what features should you look for in payroll software? Whether switching payroll companies or signing up for payroll for the first time, you should know what features you want.

Popular payroll software features include:

The features you need may depend on your business. Consider your company’s needs when deciding what features you can’t live without. 

Small business payroll software reviews for “Functionality”

What payroll software comes in first for functionality, according to reviews? Take a look at some notable comparisons below:

2. Ease of use

What is the easiest payroll software to use? To find out, look at how difficult it is for other business owners to use the software. 

As a business owner, your time is precious—which is why you need payroll software that’s easy to learn and use. 

When it comes to ease of use, business owners want software with:

Small business payroll software reviews for “Ease of Use”

What payroll software comes in first for ease of use? Here are the notable comparisons:

3. Value for money

How expensive is the software compared to what it can do? Most business owners want to know what is the cheapest payroll service for small businesses. But, they also want to balance cost with what the software does.

To determine the value for money, you must:

Consider what features you need. Then, compare the costs between payroll software providers that offer those services. 

Small business payroll software reviews for “Value for Money”

What payroll software comes in first for value for money? Here are the notable comparisons:

4. Customer support 

What is the best software for payroll for customer support? Even if you use an intuitive system, things happen. And when you have a question, you want to know you have access to expert support. 

So, how important is customer support, anyway? For the majority of consumers, support is essential. And when you’re dealing with something as complicated as payroll, good support is a must. 

Have a tax filing issue or calculation mistake that could result in penalties? The last thing you want is to be stranded on your own. 

You may want to ask customer support-related questions like:

You can find out more about a payroll software company’s customer support by speaking with representatives before signing up. And, you can read reviews to learn about other business owners’ experiences. 

Small business payroll software reviews for “Customer Support”

What payroll software comes in first for support according to customers? Here are the notable comparisons:

Patriot’s payroll software tops the charts

Patriot Software’s payroll is top-rated for functionality, ease of use, value for money, and customer support, according to user ratings.

Learn More About Patriot Payroll

This article has been updated from its original publication date of January 11, 2023.

This is not intended as legal advice; for more information, please click here.
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