# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for payroll software (small businesses) on 2026-09-20

## In short

On 2026-09-20, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best payroll software for small businesses". It named 13 brands; the first six, in order, were Gusto, OnPay, QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online, Online and Patriot.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best payroll software for small businesses |
| Asked on | 2026-09-20 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 13 |
| Sources cited | 5 |
| Audience | small businesses |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-09-20 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/payroll-software-small-businesses-2026-09-20
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-09-20 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 with automatic federal/state/local tax filing, benefits, onboarding, and contractor payments in one place, with a genuinely easy interface. ~$49/mo + $6/employee for the base plan; note the Simple tier is single-state only and time tracking/next-day deposit require the Plus plan (~$80/mo + $12/employee). ([gusto.com](https://gusto.com/product/compare/gusto-vs-quickbooks-payroll))
> 
> **2. OnPay** - Best pick if you want one flat, predictable price with no upsell tiers. Multi-state payroll is included at no extra cost (a real differentiator vs. Gusto's entry plan), unlimited pay runs, and it has industry-specific setups for restaurants, farms, nonprofits, churches, and dental/medical practices. Around $40/mo + per-person fee. ([onpay.com](https://onpay.com/insights/best-small-business-payroll-software-picks/))
> 
> **3. QuickBooks Payroll** - Only if you already run QuickBooks Online for accounting. The integration is seamless and the sync saves real bookkeeping time. Starts ~$45/mo + $5/employee, but you need the separate Q

## 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 | Rippling | mentioned |
| 8 | ADP | mentioned |
| 9 | ADP RUN | mentioned |
| 10 | ADP RUN / Paychex Flex | mentioned |
| 11 | Paychex | mentioned |
| 12 | Paychex Flex | mentioned |
| 13 | Paylocity | 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://gusto.com/resources/guides/best-payroll-small-business (vendor)

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.