What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for payroll software (small businesses) on 2026-09-16

Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-09-16

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

The question asked, verbatim: best payroll software for small businesses

Brands named, in the order the engine gave

1. Gusto recommended
   Gusto - My default recommendation for most small businesses under ~50 employees.
2. OnPay mentioned
   OnPay - The best value pick.
3. QuickBooks mentioned
   QuickBooks Payroll - Worth it almost exclusively if your books are already in QuickBooks Online.
4. QuickBooks Online mentioned
   QuickBooks Payroll - Worth it almost exclusively if your books are already in QuickBooks Online.
5. Online mentioned
   QuickBooks Payroll - Worth it almost exclusively if your books are already in QuickBooks Online.
6. Patriot mentioned
   Patriot Software - The cheapest credible full-service option, around $37/mo + $5/person including tax filing and W-2s.
7. Square mentioned
   Square Payroll - Specifically for restaurants, cafés, and retail already on Square POS.
8. Square POS mentioned
   Square Payroll - Specifically for restaurants, cafés, and retail already on Square POS.
9. ADP mentioned
   ADP RUN or Paychex Flex - Reach for these when you're crossing ~50 employees, operating in many states, or need a dedicated rep and heavier compliance support.
10. ADP RUN mentioned
    ADP RUN or Paychex Flex - Reach for these when you're crossing ~50 employees, operating in many states, or need a dedicated rep and heavier compliance support.
11. Paychex mentioned
    ADP RUN or Paychex Flex - Reach for these when you're crossing ~50 employees, operating in many states, or need a dedicated rep and heavier compliance support.
12. Paychex Flex mentioned
    ADP RUN or Paychex Flex - Reach for these when you're crossing ~50 employees, operating in many states, or need a dedicated rep and heavier compliance support.
13. Rippling mentioned
    Rippling - If payroll is one piece of a bigger problem: you also want device management, app provisioning, and IT onboarding in the same system.
14. Justworks mentioned
    Justworks - A PEO, not just software.
15. Deel mentioned
    If you're paying only contractors: skip all of this and use Gusto's contractor-only plan, Square Payroll's contractor tier, or Deel if any of them are overseas.

Sources the engine cited

The answer, as recorded

Here's how I'd rank them for a typical US small business: **1. Gusto** - My default recommendation for most small businesses under ~50 employees. Full-service payroll (files and pays federal, state, and local taxes), unlimited runs, contractor payments, and genuinely good benefits/HR built in - health insurance, 401(k), PTO tracking, onboarding. The interface is the least painful of any of these. Roughly $49/mo + $6/person on the entry plan. ([gusto.com](https://gusto.com/product/compare/gusto-vs-quickbooks-payroll)) **2. OnPay** - The best value pick. One flat plan, no feature tiers to upsell you into, around $40-49/mo + $6/person, and it handles unusual cases well - agriculture (Form 943), restaurants with tip credits, churches/clergy, and multi-state. Pick this over Gusto if you want predictable billing and don't need the deeper HR stack. ([onpay.com](https://onpay.com/insights/best-small-business-payroll-software-picks/)) **3. QuickBooks Payroll** - Worth it almost exclusively if your books are already in QuickBooks Online. The payroll-to-accounting sync is native, so labor costs flow straight into job costing with no export step. Otherwise it's pricier (~$50/mo + $6.50/person, on top of the QBO subscription) and thinner on HR than Gusto. ([quickbooks.intuit.com](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/compare/gusto-vs-quickbooks/)) **4. Patriot Software** - The cheapest credible full-service option, around $37/mo + $5/person including tax filing and W-2s. Plain interface, no benefits administration to speak of, but if you have a handful of salaried employees and just need payroll to run correctly, it does that. ([patriotsoftware.com](https://www.patriotsoftware.com/payroll/best-payroll-software-for-small-businesses/)) **5. Square Payroll** - Specifically for restaurants, cafés, and retail already on Square POS. Timecards and tips import automatically from the register, which eliminates the most error-prone part of hourly payroll. There's also a contractor-only tier at a low per-person rate with no base fee. **6. ADP RUN or Paychex Flex** - Reach for these when you're crossing ~50 employees, operating in many states, or need a dedicated rep and heavier compliance support. Both are more expensive and quote-based rather than transparently priced, and the software feels dated next to Gusto - but the compliance depth and HR services are real. ([adp.com](https://www.adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/articles/t/the-best-payroll-software-providers-for-small-businesses.aspx)) **7. Rippling** - If payroll is one piece of a bigger problem: you also want device management, app provisioning, and IT onboarding in the same system. Powerful, modular, and priced accordingly - overkill for a 5-person shop. **8. Justworks** - A PEO, not just software. You get access to large-group health plans and they take on employer-of-record compliance risk. Higher per-person cost, but it can be net cheaper if quality health insurance is the real reason you're shopping. **If you're paying only contractors:** skip all of this and use Gusto's contractor-only plan, Square Payroll's contractor tier, or Deel if any of them are overseas. **Quick steer:** most people asking this question should just use Gusto, unless you're on QuickBooks (use QuickBooks Payroll), on Square POS (use Square Payroll), or purely cost-driven (use Patriot). One caveat: the published prices above move frequently and most of these vendors run multi-month promotional discounts, so treat the numbers as ballpark and confirm on the pricing page before you commit. Sources: - [Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll: Features, Pricing & Verdict (2026)](https://gusto.com/product/compare/gusto-vs-quickbooks-payroll) - [Best payroll software: 9 top picks for small businesses (2026) - OnPay](https://onpay.com/insights/best-small-business-payroll-software-picks/) - [Gusto vs QuickBooks: 2026 Comparison - Intuit](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/compare/gusto-vs-quickbooks/) - [Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses in 2026 - Patriot Software](https://www.patriotsoftware.com/payroll/best-payroll-software-for-small-businesses/) - [The best payroll software providers for small businesses - ADP](https://www.adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/articles/t/the-best-payroll-software-providers-for-small-businesses.aspx) - [Best Payroll Software And Services for Small Business (2026) - Forbes Advisor](https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/best-payroll-services/)

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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.