# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for payroll software (small businesses) on 2026-10-18

## In short

On 2026-10-18, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best payroll software for small businesses". It named 9 brands; the first six, in order, were Gusto, OnPay, QuickBooks, QuickBooks Online, Patriot and ADP RUN.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best payroll software for small businesses |
| Asked on | 2026-10-18 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 9 |
| Sources cited | 6 |
| Audience | small businesses |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-10-18 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/payroll-software-small-businesses-2026-10-18
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-10-18 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> # Best payroll software for small businesses
> 
> Here's who I'd actually name, roughly in order:
> 
> **1. Gusto** - my default recommendation for most US small businesses (say 1-50 employees). Full-service payroll with automatic federal/state/local tax filing, clean interface your bookkeeper won't fight you on, unlimited payroll runs, and solid benefits/health insurance brokerage built in. $49/mo + $6/person on the Simple plan; Plus ($80 + $12) adds time tracking and multi-state payroll. Month-to-month, no contract. It's the one with the fewest regrets.
> 
> **2. OnPay** - the best value if you don't need the HR bells and whistles. One flat price (~$49/mo + $6/person) with *everything* included: multi-state payroll, unlimited runs, all tax filings, benefits - no tier gating or module upsells. Especially good for restaurants, farms (it handles Form 943), nonprofits, and anyone employing across several states.
> 
> **3. QuickBooks Payroll** - the obvious pick *only if* you already run QuickBooks Online for your books. The integration is genuinely seamless, which saves real reconciliation work. Core is $50/mo + $6.50/employee. Caveat: Core doesn't handle local tax filings, so check your city/county

## 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 | Patriot | mentioned |
| 6 | ADP RUN | mentioned |
| 7 | Paychex | mentioned |
| 8 | Paychex Flex | mentioned |
| 9 | Homebase | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://gusto.com/product/pricing (vendor)
- https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing/ (other)
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/business/software/best/payroll (review)
- https://www.patriotsoftware.com/payroll/best-payroll-software-for-small-businesses/ (other)
- https://www.joinhomebase.com/blog/best-payroll-software (other)
- https://peoplemanagingpeople.com/tools/gusto-vs-adp-run/ (other)

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

Alerts and membership: Answer Watch Pro, 79 USD per month: https://bikoosh.com/answers. Bikoosh is monitoring assistance, not complete protection.

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.