What does AI recommend for payroll software (freelancers)? Checked 2026-10-23

Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-10-23

Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

The question asked, verbatim: best payroll software for freelancers. This page records one answer on one date. It is a measurement, not a ranking and not a recommendation.

Brands named, in the order the engine gave

1. Wave mentioned
   What you actually need is bookkeeping and quarterly estimated taxes: Wave (free accounting tier) or QuickBooks Solopreneur is the right purchase.
2. QuickBooks mentioned
   What you actually need is bookkeeping and quarterly estimated taxes: Wave (free accounting tier) or QuickBooks Solopreneur is the right purchase.
3. QuickBooks Solopreneur mentioned
   What you actually need is bookkeeping and quarterly estimated taxes: Wave (free accounting tier) or QuickBooks Solopreneur is the right purchase.
4. Patriot Full Service mentioned
   Patriot Full Service - $37/mo + $5 per worker paid.
5. OnPay mentioned
   OnPay - $49/mo + $6 per person.
6. Gusto mentioned
   Gusto Simple - $49/mo + $6 per person.
7. Gusto Simple mentioned
   Gusto Simple - $49/mo + $6 per person.
8. SurePayroll mentioned
   SurePayroll is frequently cited around $36/mo for one employee and markets an S-corp-specific setup - worth a quote, though confirm the number on their own checkout, since I only saw it in secondary sources.
9. Square Payroll mentioned
   Square Payroll contractor-only - $6 per contractor paid per month, no base fee.
10. Deel mentioned
    Deel - $49 per contractor/month for international contractors, when you need contracts, local compliance and wide country coverage.
11. Remote compared
    Remote is the cheaper cross-border alternative, reportedly ~$29 per active contractor/month - verify on their own pricing page, as that figure came from a comparison site rather than Remote.
12. Wise mentioned
    Wise if you only need to send money abroad cheaply in multiple currencies.
13. Gusto Contractor mentioned
    One caveat worth stating plainly: the general listicles surfaced in search (work-club, bestreview, peerpush and similar) recycle stale pricing - the dead Gusto contractor plan being the clearest example.

Sources the engine cited

The answer, as recorded

## First, the fork that decides the answer "Payroll software for freelancers" means three different things, and most listicles blur them. Picking right saves you $400-600/year. **If you're a sole proprietor or single-member LLC with no employees: you do not need payroll software at all.** The IRS treats you as not an employee of your own business - you can't put yourself on payroll, you take owner's draws, and you report on Schedule C plus Schedule SE (15.3% self-employment tax on net earnings over $400). Buying payroll here is pure waste. What you actually need is bookkeeping and quarterly estimated taxes: **Wave** (free accounting tier) or **QuickBooks Solopreneur** is the right purchase. ([IRS: Sole proprietorships](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/sole-proprietorships), [IRS Pub 334](https://www.irs.gov/publications/p334)) ## If you're an S-corp and must pay yourself a reasonable salary This is genuine one-employee payroll, and it's the most common reason a freelancer legitimately needs this software. 1. **Patriot Full Service - $37/mo + $5 per worker paid.** Cheapest credible full-service option; includes federal, state and local filings and deposits, and only charges for workers actually paid that month. ~$42/mo for a one-person S-corp. Their Basic tier ($17 + $4) is cheaper but you file your own returns - not worth the penalty exposure for the ~$20/mo saved. ([Patriot pricing comparison](https://www.patriotsoftware.com/payroll/compare/patriot-software-vs-gusto/)) 2. **OnPay - $49/mo + $6 per person.** One single plan with nothing feature-gated, so you're never upsold as you grow; they also publish a solid S-corp payroll guide, which signals they understand this customer. ([OnPay payroll](https://onpay.com/payroll/), [OnPay S-corp guide](https://onpay.com/insights/s-corp-payroll-guide/)) 3. **Gusto Simple - $49/mo + $6 per person.** Best interface and self-onboarding of the group, and the clear pick if you'll ever add benefits or real employees. You pay a premium for polish. ([Gusto plans](https://support.gusto.com/article/106621945100000/change-your-gusto-plan-or-view-pricing)) 4. **SurePayroll** is frequently cited around $36/mo for one employee and markets an S-corp-specific setup - worth a quote, though confirm the number on their own checkout, since I only saw it in secondary sources. ([SurePayroll S-corp article](https://www.surepayroll.com/resources/article/s-corp-payroll-one-employee-yourself)) ## If you've grown and now pay *other* freelancers (1099s) 1. **Square Payroll contractor-only - $6 per contractor paid per month, no base fee.** The runaway winner on price. Unlimited pay runs per month at no extra cost, and you're only charged in months you actually pay someone - so a quiet month costs $0. Handles 1099-NECs. ([Square contractor payroll](https://squareup.com/us/en/payroll/contractors), [Square pricing](https://squareup.com/us/en/payroll/pricing)) 2. **Wave Payroll - $40/mo + $6 per contractor paid.** Worth the base fee only if you want payroll sitting inside the same ledger as your invoicing and books. Tax filing now covers all 50 states (it didn't before April 2025). ([Wave subscription pricing](https://support.waveapps.com/hc/en-us/articles/36228345826068-Wave-s-full-access-payroll-subscription-pricing)) 3. **Gusto - but note the change.** Gusto's $35 + $6 contractor-only plan was **discontinued as of October 1, 2026**; you can't sign up for it or switch to it anymore. You can still pay contractors on any plan, but entry is now Simple at $49/mo + $6. Existing contractor-only customers are grandfathered and unaffected. If you read an article recommending Gusto's cheap contractor plan, it's out of date. ([Gusto Help Center](https://support.gusto.com/article/106621945100000/change-your-gusto-plan-or-view-pricing)) 4. **Deel - $49 per contractor/month** for international contractors, when you need contracts, local compliance and wide country coverage. Expensive per head; justified by compliance risk, not convenience. Contractor-of-Record is $325/contractor/mo. ([Deel pricing](https://www.deel.com/pricing/)) 5. **Remote** is the cheaper cross-border alternative, reportedly ~$29 per active contractor/month - verify on their own pricing page, as that figure came from a comparison site rather than Remote. ([Deel vs Remote comparison](https://dupple.com/learn/deel-vs-remote)) 6. **Wise** if you only need to *send money* abroad cheaply in multiple currencies. It is not payroll and does no compliance or 1099s - don't substitute it for the above, but it beats all of them on FX fees. ## What I'd do Solo and unincorporated: skip payroll, buy bookkeeping. S-corp paying yourself: **Patriot Full Service**, or **OnPay** if you'd rather pay $7/mo more for simpler pricing and better support. Paying 1099 contractors domestically: **Square Payroll contractor-only**, which at $6/head with no base fee is hard to argue against. Paying them overseas: **Deel**. One caveat worth stating plainly: the general listicles surfaced in search (work-club, bestreview, peerpush and similar) recycle stale pricing - the dead Gusto contractor plan being the clearest example. Every number above that matters, I pulled from the provider's own pages, and I flagged the two I couldn't.

Recorded 2026-10-23 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search, model claude-opus-5. Permanent address: /answers/s/payroll-software-freelancers-2026-10-23

Sources cited across the 20 recorded answers to this question

Alphabetical. A domain with a dated record links to it; the record says how often and when. Is one of these your site? Its record lists every recorded answer that cited it and carries the alert for the next citation.

adp.com · airwallex.com · authencio.com · beltstack.com · blog.taxbandits.com · business.com · business.org · cheapestpayrollservice.com · collective.com · connectpayusa.com · costbench.com · deel.com · dupple.com · elearningindustry.com · eorhq.com · fitsmallbusiness.com · freelancer-tools-guide.com · g2.com · getapp.com · gusto.com · gustopricing.com · irs.gov · kemecon.com · launchadvisor.co · lettuce.co · nerdwallet.com · onpay.com · patriotsoftware.com · paychex.com · payrollsignal.com · peoplemanagingpeople.com · relayfi.com · remotepeople.com · research.com · resources.rework.com · selfemployed.com · softwarefinder.com · squareup.com · support.gusto.com · support.waveapps.com · surepayroll.com · technology.org · techrepublic.com · toolradar.com · tr-web.dev.trustradius.com · trustedproductscout.com · upcounsel.com · waveapps.com · wise.com · wisemonk.io · work-club.com

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Markdown edition · all recorded answers · weekly source index · AEO Watch

Answer Watch records what one AI answer engine said on one date, nothing more. Each page names the engine and the model, carries the date the question was asked, and lists the brands that appeared in the answer in the order the engine gave them, with the sources it cited. It is a measurement, not a ranking, not a recommendation and not a claim about the world. Brands that did not appear in an answer are not named on any public page. Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.