# What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for payroll software (small businesses) on 2026-10-23

## In short

On 2026-10-23, Claude (Anthropic) with web search was asked "best payroll software for small businesses". It named 16 brands; the first six, in order, were Gusto, ADP, Patriot, SurePayroll, OnPay and QuickBooks.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Question | best payroll software for small businesses |
| Asked on | 2026-10-23 |
| Engine | Claude (Anthropic) with web search |
| Model | claude-opus-5 |
| Brands named | 16 |
| Sources cited | 8 |
| Audience | small businesses |
| Coverage | Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included. |
| Last verified | 2026-10-23 |

Page: https://bikoosh.com/answers/s/payroll-software-small-businesses-2026-10-23
Coverage: Claude (Anthropic) with web search. Other engines not included.

## The answer, as recorded

Asked on 2026-10-23 through Claude (Anthropic) with web search (model claude-opus-5).

> Here's how I'd rank them for a typical small business, with the caveat that a fair bit of the comparison content out there is vendor marketing (Gusto's page on ADP, Patriot's page on SurePayroll, etc.), so treat competitors' numbers as directional and confirm on the provider's own pricing page.
> 
> **1. Gusto - the default pick for most small businesses.** Simple tier runs about $49/mo + $6/employee, with Plus at ~$80 + $12 and Premium at ~$180 + $22. It's the best all-around balance of clean interface, automatic multi-state tax filing, built-in benefits brokerage, contractor payments, and ~650 integrations. If you have a mix of salaried and hourly staff and want benefits in the same place as payroll, start here. ([Gusto pricing comparison](https://peoplemanagingpeople.com/tools/gusto-vs-adp-run/), [NerdWallet](https://www.nerdwallet.com/business/software/best/payroll))
> 
> **2. OnPay - best value, especially multi-state.** One flat plan at roughly $49/mo + $6/worker that includes multi-state payroll, unlimited pay runs, benefits, and full tax filings with no tier gating or module upsells. You don't get pushed up a pricing ladder to unlock basics, which is the main frustration with Gusto

## Brands named, in the order the engine gave

| Position | Brand | How it was named |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gusto | compared |
| 2 | ADP | compared |
| 3 | Patriot | compared |
| 4 | SurePayroll | compared |
| 5 | OnPay | mentioned |
| 6 | QuickBooks | mentioned |
| 7 | Homebase | mentioned |
| 8 | G2 | mentioned |
| 9 | Trustpilot | mentioned |
| 10 | Square | mentioned |
| 11 | Square Payroll | mentioned |
| 12 | Square POS | mentioned |
| 13 | Justworks | mentioned |
| 14 | Rippling | compared |
| 15 | ADP RUN | mentioned |
| 16 | Paychex | mentioned |

## Sources the engine cited

- https://peoplemanagingpeople.com/tools/gusto-vs-adp-run/ (other)
- https://www.nerdwallet.com/business/software/best/payroll (review)
- https://onpay.com/payroll/best-payroll-services/adp-vs-gusto/ (vendor)
- https://www.joinhomebase.com/blog/best-payroll-software (other)
- https://www.patriotsoftware.com/payroll/best-payroll-software-for-small-businesses/ (other)
- https://www.capterra.com/compare/116050-170266/Patriot-Payroll-vs-Square-Payroll (review)
- https://joinhomebase.com/blog/payroll-software-for-small-business (other)
- https://www-j.rippling.com/blog/rippling-vs-justworks-hr-payroll-peo-comparison (vendor)

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.