What Claude (Anthropic) with web search answered for payroll software (small businesses) on 2026-10-25

Claude (Anthropic) with web search claude-opus-5 asked 2026-10-25

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.
2. OnPay mentioned
   OnPay - Best if you want full-service payroll with no upselling and no feature tiers.
3. Patriot mentioned
   Patriot Software - The value pick, by a wide margin: ~$17/mo + $4/employee, roughly half of Gusto at most team sizes.
4. QuickBooks mentioned
   QuickBooks Payroll - Only worth it if you already run QuickBooks Online for bookkeeping.
5. QuickBooks Online mentioned
   QuickBooks Payroll - Only worth it if you already run QuickBooks Online for bookkeeping.
6. Square mentioned
   Square Payroll - Narrow but excellent fit: retail and restaurants already on Square POS.
7. Square Payroll mentioned
   Square Payroll - Narrow but excellent fit: retail and restaurants already on Square POS.
8. Square POS mentioned
   Square Payroll - Narrow but excellent fit: retail and restaurants already on Square POS.
9. ADP RUN mentioned
   ADP RUN - Choose this if you expect to cross 50 employees soon or you're in a heavily regulated industry.
10. Choose mentioned
    ADP RUN - Choose this if you expect to cross 50 employees soon or you're in a heavily regulated industry.
11. Homebase mentioned
    Also worth knowing: if your team is mostly hourly and scheduling is the real pain point, Homebase bundles scheduling, time tracking, and payroll in one system (~$39/mo + $6/employee) and may replace two tools.
12. Patriot Payroll mentioned
    Patriot Payroll (https://www.g2.com/compare/onpay-vs-patriot-payroll)

Sources the engine cited

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The answer, as recorded

Here's how I'd rank them for a typical US small business: **1. Gusto** - My default recommendation. Full-service payroll (files and pays federal/state/local taxes automatically), unlimited runs, and the best onboarding/employee self-service experience in the category. It's also a real HR platform: benefits administration, 401(k), offer letters, I-9s. Around $49/mo + $6/employee. Pick this unless you have a specific reason not to. **2. OnPay** - Best if you want full-service payroll with no upselling and no feature tiers. One flat price (~$49/mo + $6/employee) gets you everything, including multi-state filing, which many competitors charge extra for. Strong choice for multi-state employers and for businesses with unusual payroll needs (agriculture, nonprofits, churches - it handles clergy pay and farm workers, which most tools don't). **3. Patriot Software** - The value pick, by a wide margin: ~$17/mo + $4/employee, roughly half of Gusto at most team sizes. You give up the slick benefits/HR layer, but the payroll engine and tax filing are solid and support is well-reviewed. Good if you're under ~15 people and just need paychecks and tax filings done correctly. **4. QuickBooks Payroll** - Only worth it if you already run QuickBooks Online for bookkeeping. The integration is genuinely seamless and saves real reconciliation work. On its own merits it's more expensive (~$50/mo + $6.50/employee) and the interface is clunkier than Gusto's. **5. Square Payroll** - Narrow but excellent fit: retail and restaurants already on Square POS. Tip handling, timecards from the POS, and tipped-minimum-wage compliance work out of the box. ~$35/mo + $6/employee. **6. ADP RUN** - Choose this if you expect to cross 50 employees soon or you're in a heavily regulated industry. You get a dedicated rep and deep compliance support. Pricing is quote-only and higher, and contracts are less flexible, so I wouldn't start here at 5 people. **Also worth knowing:** if your team is mostly hourly and scheduling is the real pain point, **Homebase** bundles scheduling, time tracking, and payroll in one system (~$39/mo + $6/employee) and may replace two tools. **Short version:** Gusto if you want the best overall product, Patriot if price is the deciding factor, OnPay if you're multi-state or have an odd payroll situation, QuickBooks Payroll if you're already in the QuickBooks ecosystem. One caveat on the pricing above: these are list rates, and nearly all of these vendors run introductory discounts (often 50% off for the first few months), so verify the current number on the vendor's own pricing page before you commit. Sources: - [NerdWallet - Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses](https://www.nerdwallet.com/business/software/best/payroll) - [Homebase - Best Payroll Software for Small Business in 2026](https://www.joinhomebase.com/blog/best-payroll-software) - [Patriot Software - Best Payroll Software for Small Businesses in 2026](https://www.patriotsoftware.com/payroll/best-payroll-software-for-small-businesses/) - [G2 - OnPay vs. Patriot Payroll](https://www.g2.com/compare/onpay-vs-patriot-payroll) - [TechRepublic - Patriot Competitors and Alternatives](https://www.techrepublic.com/article/patriot-payroll-alternatives/) - [Gusto - Best Cheap Payroll Services](https://gusto.com/resources/guides/best-cheap-payroll-services)

Near this answer

The same question, recorded on other dates: 2026-10-23, 2026-10-21, 2026-10-18, 2026-10-15, 2026-10-13, 2026-10-10, 2026-10-08, 2026-10-06, 2026-10-05, 2026-10-03, 2026-10-01.

payroll software, asked for other audiences: freelancers (asked 2026-10-25), nonprofits (asked 2026-10-25).

Other categories with a recorded answer: accounting software, accounts payable automation, audit management software, bookkeeping 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.