Last month, I spent way too many late nights trying to fix a payroll disaster at my brother’s restaurant. His ancient spreadsheet system finally crashed right before payday, and I saw firsthand how the right payroll app could have prevented the whole mess.
Most small business owners I talk to absolutely dread payroll day. It’s tedious, and confusing, and the stakes are high – mess up someone’s paycheck, and you’ll hear about it immediately.
I decided to research what’s actually working for real businesses in 2025, not just what looks good on feature comparison charts. After speaking with dozens of small business owners and digging through countless Reddit threads, I’ve compiled this honest look at payroll apps that actually deliver.
The truth is, roughly a third of businesses still don’t have any formal payroll strategy. They’re winging it, and it shows in their efficiency and employee satisfaction.
Today’s best payroll apps have evolved far beyond simple check-cutting tools. I was genuinely surprised at how comprehensive these solutions have become, handling everything from tax compliance to time tracking.
Whether you’re running a food truck, a growing tech startup, or managing teams across multiple countries, there’s a payroll solution designed specifically for your situation. Let me walk you through what I found.
How We Selected the Best Payroll Apps
I didn’t just want to rehash what’s on company websites, so I took a different approach. I joined several small business owner groups, posted questions about payroll struggles, and collected real-world feedback.
The horror stories I heard about tax penalties and compliance issues made it clear that the best payroll apps need to excel at more than just calculating hours and pay rates. They need to protect business owners from costly mistakes.
Marketing Success of Payroll Apps
The apps on this list stand out not just for their features but also for their market success. Many have built strong customer bases through word of mouth and online presence.
I checked the real Product Hunt upvotes for each app to gauge user enthusiasm. Products with high upvote counts often have loyal users who actively promote the software to others.
User testimonials also helped me assess each app’s impact. Business owners consistently mentioned how these tools saved them time, reduced errors, and simplified compliance.
Social media presence revealed which companies actively engage with users and respond to feedback. The best apps maintain active support channels and implement user suggestions.
Top 10 Payroll Apps
Here are the top 10 payroll apps, each offering unique features and benefits to help you manage your payroll efficiently and effectively.
1. Gusto: The Most User-Friendly Payroll App
When I asked business owners which payroll app they’d recommend to their friends, Gusto came up consistently. One bookstore owner described it as “the only software that doesn’t make me want to throw my laptop out the window on payroll day.”
What struck me about Gusto users was their emotional connection to the product. They didn’t just find it functional; they actually enjoyed using it. The interface feels thoughtfully designed rather than just technically complete.
A dental office manager I spoke with raved about Gusto’s employee self-onboarding. “New hires complete their own paperwork before their first day. It’s saved me hours of sitting next to someone watching them fill out forms.”
The mobile experience deserves special mention. Unlike some competitors whose mobile apps feel like afterthoughts, Gusto’s app lets managers approve time off requests and run payroll from their phones without frustration.
2. OnPay: Best Payroll App for Specialized Industries
I was skeptical about OnPay’s industry specialization claims until I spoke with a farm owner in Idaho. “Other payroll apps couldn’t handle agricultural withholding properly,” she told me. “OnPay was clearly built by people who understand how farms operate.”
This wasn’t an isolated case. A pastor mentioned how OnPay correctly handled housing allowances without manual adjustments. A brewery owner praised its ability to manage tipped employees alongside production staff with different pay structures.
What makes OnPay stand out is their attention to industry-specific pain points that major competitors miss. They’ve clearly spent time understanding the workflows of businesses that don’t fit the standard office model.
Their flat-rate pricing structure ($40/month + $6/employee) includes features that competitors often place behind higher-tier paywalls. Multi-state tax filing, custom report building, and basic HR tools come standard with every plan.
3. Paychex Flex: Best All-in-One Payroll Solution
Paychex feels like it was built for businesses that are serious about scaling, a retail chain owner told me over coffee. After outgrowing two other payroll apps, she finally settled on Paychex Flex and hasn’t looked back.
What immediately jumps out about Paychex is how comprehensive it is. Several business owners mentioned appreciating the “everything under one roof” approach. The system handles not just payroll, but time tracking, benefits administration, and even retirement plans.
A construction company owner with crews across three states particularly valued the compliance features. “Paychex automatically adjusts to different state requirements for workers’ comp and overtime rules,” he explained. “That alone is worth the price.”
The mobile capabilities received mixed reviews. While most praised the employee-facing app that allows workers to view pay stubs and tax forms, a few mentioned that the admin app could use improvement. “Running payroll from my phone feels clunkier than it should in 2025,” noted one business manager.
4. ADP RUN: The Most Scalable Payroll App
ADP is like the IBM of payroll – nobody ever got fired for choosing it, joked a retail chain owner I interviewed. This sentiment came up repeatedly when discussing ADP RUN – it’s the safe, established choice with decades of experience behind it.
Several business owners mentioned switching to ADP after outgrowing smaller payroll apps. “We started with Gusto when we had 10 employees, but by employee 40, we needed something more robust,” explained a tech company founder.
The multi-state compliance handling received particular praise. A construction company with projects in five states described how ADP automatically adjusted to local tax requirements without manual intervention.
The mobile capabilities impressed long-time users who remembered ADP’s earlier, clunkier systems. “I can approve timesheets and run payroll from my phone while visiting job sites,” mentioned a manufacturing supervisor.
5. Roll by ADP: Best Mobile-First Payroll App
I run my entire business from my phone, so why should payroll be any different? This question from a food truck fleet manager perfectly captures the appeal of Roll by ADP, a mobile-first payroll app designed for on-the-go business owners.
Unlike traditional payroll systems that adapted to mobile later, Roll was built specifically for smartphone users. Several business owners who are rarely at a desk mentioned this as the deciding factor in their choice.
A wedding photographer with three part-time assistants described the experience: “I can run payroll between shoots without needing to get back to my laptop. It takes me literally two minutes once everything’s set up.”
The chat-based interface received mixed reviews. Some users loved the conversational approach to payroll tasks, finding it more intuitive than navigating traditional menus. Others found it gimmicky and occasionally frustrating when trying to perform specific actions.
6. Patriot Payroll: Best Budget-Friendly Payroll App
I was paying more for payroll software than I was putting into my own retirement account, a freelance design studio owner told me. “Switching to Patriot cut my costs by more than half with zero downside.”
This sentiment was echoed by numerous micro-business owners I interviewed. At just $17/month plus $4/employee, Patriot offers core payroll functionality at prices that make other providers seem bloated.
A food truck owner with three employees praised Patriot’s straightforward approach: “I don’t need fancy HR features or benefits administration. I just need to calculate hours, pay people correctly, and not mess up taxes. Patriot does exactly that.”
The interface won’t win design awards, but users consistently described it as “clean,” “intuitive,” and “no-nonsense.” Several mentioned being able to run their first payroll within an hour of signing up.
7. QuickBooks Payroll: Best for QuickBooks Users
It just makes sense to use their payroll when you’re already using their accounting software, a landscaping business owner told me. This pragmatic approach came up repeatedly when discussing QuickBooks Payroll with small business owners.
The seamless integration with QuickBooks accounting software is the obvious selling point. Several business owners described the time saved by having payroll data automatically flow into their accounting system without manual transfers or reconciliation.
A retail shop owner who switched from a standalone payroll app explained: “Before, I was essentially entering everything twice – once in payroll and once in QuickBooks. Now it’s all connected, and my books are always up to date.”
The tax penalty protection included with higher-tier plans received enthusiastic praise. “They guarantee they’ll pay any penalties if they make a mistake with your taxes,” a photography studio owner told me. “That peace of mind alone is worth the cost.”
8. Square Payroll: Best for Retail and Service Businesses
I already use Square for payments, so adding payroll was a no-brainer, a salon owner told me. This natural extension of the Square ecosystem is a common theme among Square Payroll users.
What sets Square Payroll apart is how seamlessly it integrates with Square’s point-of-sale system. Retail and service businesses particularly appreciate how time tracking, tip management, and sales data connect directly with payroll processing.
A restaurant manager described the workflow: “Our servers clock in and out on the same system that processes customer payments. Tips automatically flow into payroll without any manual entry.”
The contractor-only plan at just $5 per person per month received specific praise from businesses with irregular staffing needs. “I hire different contractors each month for our events, and Square makes it easy to pay them and handle 1099s without a base fee during slower months,” explained an event planner.
Square Payroll’s pricing ($35/month plus $5/employee) lands it in the mid-range of payroll apps, but several users mentioned that the integration benefits outweigh the slightly higher cost compared to budget options.
9. Remote: Best Payroll App for Global Teams
Hiring internationally used to be a legal nightmare before Remote, a software company founder told me. “Now we have team members in nine countries, and I never worry about compliance issues.”
Remote takes a completely different approach than traditional payroll apps by focusing exclusively on solving international employment challenges. Through its Employer of Record (EOR) services, it handles the complex legal requirements of employing people across borders.
A marketing agency owner described how Remote enabled her to hire specialized talent: “We found an amazing designer in Portugal, but had no idea how to legally employ someone there. Remote handled everything from contracts to local benefits requirements.”
The multi-currency payment capabilities received consistent praise. “Our team members get paid in their local currencies without weird conversion fees eating into their compensation,” explained a startup founder.
10. Rippling: Best Payroll App for Tech Companies
We used to have five different systems that didn’t talk to each other, a software company CEO told me. “Rippling consolidated everything from payroll to device management in one place.”
Tech companies consistently praised Rippling’s approach to integration and automation. The platform’s ability to connect payroll with IT systems creates workflows that would otherwise require custom development.
A startup founder described the onboarding process: “When we hire someone, Rippling automatically sets up their payroll, orders their computer, creates accounts in all our software tools, and configures access permissions. When someone leaves, it reverses the whole process.”
The Workflow Studio feature earned enthusiastic reviews from operations managers. “I’ve built custom automations that would have required hiring a developer with any other payroll system,” explained one tech company operations lead.
Choosing the Best Payroll App for Your Business
After all my conversations with business owners, one thing became clear: there’s no universal “best” payroll app. The right choice depends entirely on your specific situation.
I spoke with a restaurant owner who tried three “top-rated” payroll apps before finding one that properly handled tip calculations. A construction company struggled with job costing features that general-purpose payroll software couldn’t provide.
Industry requirements should heavily influence your decision. The payroll needs of a retail store differ dramatically from those of a law firm or manufacturing business.
Your growth trajectory matters too. Several business owners mentioned regretting choosing a system that couldn’t scale with them, forcing a disruptive switch later.
Budget obviously plays a role, but consider the full cost picture. One business owner told me, “I chose the cheapest option and ended up spending 10 hours a month fixing problems. My time is worth more than the $30/month I saved.”
The best advice I heard came from a business coach: “Don’t buy payroll software for who you are today. Buy it for who you’ll be in two years.”
Final Thoughts on Finding the Best Payroll App
After months of research and dozens of conversations, I’ve concluded that payroll software is deeply personal. What works brilliantly for one business might be completely wrong for another.
The payroll app market continues to evolve rapidly. New players are emerging with innovative approaches, while established companies are expanding their feature sets beyond traditional payroll processing.
Take advantage of free trials whenever possible. The experience of actually using the software reveals usability issues that feature comparisons miss. Several business owners mentioned how a free trial completely changed their initial impressions.
Remember that switching payroll systems is disruptive. Make your choice carefully, considering not just current needs but future requirements as your business grows.