Payroll systems side by side: list prices and state coverage
Prices read November 9, 2026Listed alphabetically, not ranked
Short answer
Of the 7 payroll systems compared here, 5 publish a price. Their lowest plans that file payroll taxes cost from $87 to $120 a month for 10 people at list price: Gusto $119, OnPay $109, Patriot Software $87, QuickBooks Payroll $120 and Square Payroll $95 (pricing pages read November 9, 2026).
ADP RUN and Paychex Flex don’t publish prices and quote by request.
For each system we’ve read help documentation covering between 8 and 28 of the 33 state paid leave and retirement programs we track.
What does each payroll system cost?
| System | Lowest plan that files payroll taxes | 10 people a month | Paid leave programs | Retirement programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADP RUN | Not published; quoted by requestTheir page, read Nov 9, 2026 | n/a | 0 | 13 |
| Gusto | Simple: $49 plus $7 per personTheir page, read Nov 9, 2026 | $119 | 14 | 14 |
| OnPay | Payroll Essentials: $49 plus $6 per workerTheir page, read Nov 9, 2026 | $109 | 8 | 0 |
| Patriot Software | Full Service Payroll: $37 plus $5 per worker paidTheir page, read Nov 9, 2026 | $87 | 14 | 0 |
| Paychex Flex | Not published; quoted by requestTheir page, read Nov 9, 2026 | n/a | 0 | 14 |
| QuickBooks Payroll | Workforce Payroll: $50 plus $7 per employeeTheir page, read Nov 9, 2026 | $120 | 10 | 13 |
| Square Payroll | Full-service payroll: $35 plus $6 per person paidTheir page, read Nov 9, 2026 | $95 | 10 | 13 |
List prices before discounts and add-ons; the 10-person figure is our arithmetic. The last two columns count the state programs we’ve read a help doc for, out of 15 paid leave and 18 retirement programs. A low count means we’ve found fewer documents. It doesn’t mean the system can’t handle a program.
Two systems side by side
Each page sets two systems’ plans, prices and state program coverage next to each other, with a link to every source.
Which system documents which state program · How to hire your first employee · How we make money