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

## In short

On 2026-09-16, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best payroll software for small businesses". It named 15 brands, in this order: Gusto, OnPay, QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online, Online, Patriot.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best payroll software for small businesses |
| Asked on | 2026-09-16 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 15 |
| Sources cited | 6 |
| Audience | small businesses |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-09-16 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/payroll-software-small-businesses-2026-09-16
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-09-16 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> 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/pers

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gusto | recommended |
| 2 | OnPay | mentioned |
| 3 | QuickBooks | mentioned |
| 4 | QuickBooks Online | mentioned |
| 5 | Online | mentioned |
| 6 | Patriot | mentioned |
| 7 | Square | mentioned |
| 8 | Square POS | mentioned |
| 9 | ADP | mentioned |
| 10 | ADP RUN | mentioned |
| 11 | Paychex | mentioned |
| 12 | Paychex Flex | mentioned |
| 13 | Rippling | mentioned |
| 14 | Justworks | mentioned |
| 15 | Deel | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://gusto.com/product/compare/gusto-vs-quickbooks-payroll (vendor)
- https://onpay.com/insights/best-small-business-payroll-software-picks/ (vendor)
- https://quickbooks.intuit.com/compare/gusto-vs-quickbooks/ (other)
- https://www.patriotsoftware.com/payroll/best-payroll-software-for-small-businesses/ (other)
- https://www.adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/articles/t/the-best-payroll-software-providers-for-small-businesses.aspx (vendor)
- https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/best-payroll-services/ (other)

The question page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/q/payroll-software/small-businesses

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.