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Let’s face it - payroll isn’t the most glamorous part of running a business, but one of the most critical.
As an individual, I may not deal with payroll directly, but I’ve worked closely with the teams that do, and I have seen how much time, energy, and stress it can take.
HR and payroll teams mostly grapple with pay input inaccuracies, tax enforcement, and dissatisfied employees taking a quiet exit. So, I set about testing and evaluating around 40+ payroll software by myself.
Out of the 40 tools, I narrowed my research to the 7 best payroll software, which provides pay scheduling, compensation adjustment, tax compliance, and benefits management to solve the problems of HR teams across various industries.
By experimenting with these best payroll software in detail, I drew a line between the basic and “must-have” features each organization should consider as it invests time and effort into the payroll process.
As my goal throughout this experiment was to test and evaluate the best payroll software that can be a useful addition to the HR teams, I hope this list gives you useful insights to make an informed decision.
These tools have also been ranked as top performers in G2 based on customer satisfaction, usability, budget-friendliness, and market relevance.
These Payroll software are top-rated in their category, according to G2 Grid Reports. I have also added their monthly pricing to make comparisons easier for you.)
A payroll software is used to automate payroll, schedule payouts, and compute tax deductions during the final payroll processing to disburse timely payouts. But, the list isn’t just limited to that.
During my experiment, I figured that payroll software now offers a complete workforce management and HR automation suite that can raise employee satisfaction levels.
While some tools were extensively equipped with built-in income tax portals and contract management, others outclassed themselves and provided self-service payroll and payroll automation to optimize the time and resources of HR teams.
I was happy that most of the payroll platforms in this list didn’t require any prior training and implementation assistance and were pretty easy to set up and use. Also, I didn’t have to juggle between syncing employee details from the accounting and bookkeeping software.
I could navigate on the payroll portal and find everything; from payroll forms to benefits requests to expense approvals, all at my disposal.
I spent weeks trying, vetting, and testing payroll software by evaluating real-time user reviews and taking custom demos to get a hands-on experience. I also collaborated with our in-house market research experts to explore parameters like pros and cons, review quality, and customer segment scores. While analyzing different payroll software, I deployed artificial intelligence to analyze product reviews on G2 and dig deeper into user sentiments and emotions. On top of that, I also referred to G2 grid reports and sorted this software list based on the proprietary G2 score.
One major part of selecting the right payroll software is having a background in traditional HR projects and operations and understanding which traditional tasks to regulate and optimize to reach HR performance efficiency.
Doesn’t matter if you are looking to implement one or more than one payroll software; below is a list of basic functionalities that I have outlined for you to make a wise decision and support your HR, accounting, and finance departments.
These features allow you to automate employee accounts, build income slips, and calculate invoices. They also ensure you attain high levels of employee engagement and sustain employee-oriented workflows to provide more employee satisfaction and experience.
After spending weeks scrutinizing around 40+ payroll software, I shortlisted the top 7 platforms equipped with all the components discussed above and have bagged high G2 scores. This payroll software manages the entire cycle from hiring to retirement, provides attendance and time tracking, compensation adjustments, bank reconciliation, wage garnishments, tax and withholding calculations, and regulatory compliance, and ensures a user-friendly and easily navigable interface.
The list below contains genuine user reviews from the best payroll software on G2. It’s important to note that in the context of this list, vendors offering a free trial are also considered free.
To be included in this category, a solution must:
*This data was pulled from G2 in 2025. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity.
I can’t get over how RUN Powered by ADP simplified employee account management and automated payroll forms and tax entries with proper accounting integrations.
The payroll dashboard is incredibly user-friendly and has an exhaustive repository of form templates for storing employee records and managing accounts. Whether managing new hires, calculating taxes, or tracking leave and attendance, RUN Powered by ADP provides an exhaustive cluster of features.
If I ever entered an incorrect HR value in the payroll system, I could easily pause or intervene in the automated payroll entry automation process.
What also surprised me was how much more it offered beyond traditional payroll management. As a cloud-based human capital management (HCM) system, it gave me tools for handling worker’s compensation, increments, accruals, tax policies, and even workplace management on one platform.
However, it wasn’t all perfect. While the basic plan included plenty of features, I noticed it might feel steep for small businesses operating on a tight budget. And despite the interface’s initial appeal, I sometimes found the dashboard overly complex due to the sheer number of digital menus and sub-menus. I got stuck in some places and had to refer to the training guide and manual to find my way
Customer support is another area where I’ve had mixed experiences. When I could get through to them, the service team was helpful. But there have been times when reaching someone took longer than I’d like. Irresponsive customer service was a little daunting and created hindrances in filling out employee details or updating new compensation amounts.
Overall, RUN Powered by ADP is a solid choice if you seek a holistic solution for your payroll and HRMS teams. However, you must organize prior training sessions before your employees use it.
“We have recently moved from one payroll provider to ADP, and we are using the RUN Powered by ADP program for processing our payroll. We have found it much more user-friendly than the previous payroll provider. It is fast, simple to use, and quickly provides totals for the various categories.”
- RUN Powered by ADP Review, Bobbie C.
“I get an invoice sent out multiple times telling me to pay when I already have paid my payroll processing fees, so that's pretty frustrating because then I get confused and feel the need to clarify multiple times with Sergio that my invoice has been paid and it's always marked as paid on his end so I am not sure why it does this. I also wish you could pay the payroll processing fee as soon as payroll has been processed instead of waiting an entire week to bill people with an invoice.”
- RUN Powered by ADP Review. Cheyenne C.
To create a seamless employee experience in your workplace, learn how to include 17 types of employee benefits as a part of your formalized payroll strategy to improve employee satisfaction and manage employee engagement.
I loved Paylocity ‘s color-coded navigational panels on the main payroll dashboard, which empowers users to automate payroll entries, manage benefits and compensation adjustments, add 401(k) reporting, monitor pay disbursement structures, and allow employee permissions and requests from a single platform.
Initially, I doubted that Paylocity might be deficient in providing HR or HCM features and a payroll platform.
But, the platform surprised me by supporting advanced integrations to accounting software, bookkeeping software, project management, and task management platforms to log cost, performance data, and time and attendance for every working professional. I love that it covers everything: account management, HR, payroll, time tracking, and reporting all in one place.
Another area where Paylocity shines is the smooth support of document management and parsing. I could customize reports and get the exact actionable metrics for tax updates, performance appraisals, employee attendance, and so on.
Let’s not forget the customer support. Anytime I have a question, they are always prompt to answer. Plus, Paylocity’s engagement with local communities is a nice touch; it gave me the experience of collaborating with larger, like-minded communities.
Although I could create custom reports, I couldn’t share them easily with my team members. I also encountered compatibility issues while uploading invoices or documents onto the employee portal.
As it provides a dropdown view of payroll editing, I had to click several times to navigate to the right employee account and edit the details.
I couldn’t sync the time and labor module with timesheets or project management tools, which clock in users' working hours and provide a rundown of active time allocation to personal tasks. It also lacked intuitive visuals and graphics, which made the overall experience redundant and unfriendly.
Lastly, while the platform supports effortless payroll management and employee self-service, I could not spot the same accuracy and personalization in report generation. Reports lacked deep customization regarding tax policies, expense reimbursements, loan approvals, HRA and DA deductions, arrears management, and increments or compensation adjustments.
If you are looking for an extensible and comprehensive accounting and payroll solution to manage your general ledgers, benefit administration, and payroll effectively, Paylocity is an ideal choice. But no system’s perfect.
The sale and contract process were easy; Mike Vezzoli was knowledgeable, not hard sales. He checked in throughout the implementation, too. The implementation team, Sergio, Sam & Andrea, have been helpful. Sergio is very knowledgeable and quick to reply to emails. They provide both assistance in making edits and the knowledge to fix it in the future. The weekly checkpoints were critical to getting everything done. Integrating with Google was challenging, but the customer support team stayed with us through all the issues until they were fixed.
What you see is what you get. It's easy to find the tools I need. When I click on something, I get exactly what I'm looking for and then some. All of the modules talk to each other (for example, in my old system, recruiting didn't talk to onboarding, and stipends didn't talk to payroll).
- Paylocity Review, Theresa M.
"Maybe because I do not have any experience using any other payroll systems, Paylocity is great, and I therefore cannot think of any obvious dislikes. I do feel that there could be better report options as sometimes I'm trying to pull a report for something I think would be simple to generate but cannot find the exact report, or Paylocity doesn't have a good report to give me all of what I want without providing too much extra or too little details.”
- Paylocity Review, Caleb D.
Are you just starting out and looking for a simple, efficient, and cost-effective HR system to run payroll? Check out these free core HR solutions to ease your employee hassles.
What sold me on Gusto was how easy it was to set up and configure a payroll dashboard and direct alignment with auto-saved payroll forms with pre-set employee identification details. It is one of the easiest and most user-friendly payroll software I ever used, and it greatly simplified pay generation processes.
I liked how Gusto provides compatible integrations for HR and accounting teams, such as general ledger handling, benefits administration, accruals, time tracking, and core HR processing.
One of Gusto's coolest features is that its capabilities extend beyond general payroll management. It also evaluates taxes, wage garnishment, withholdings, TDS, and compliance auditing features to simplify the job of HR teams.
I could experiment with the new-hire onboarding module and documentation upload process until the end e-signature, and I found no glitches or gripes throughout that process.
Gusto automates everything, from filing taxes to automated payment reprocessing, direct deposits, and exit interviews. Further, I noticed the integration options with my favorite team apps, such as workforce management apps, task management, accounting and finance software, and applicant tracking tools (ATS), to compute costs at the beginning of the new hire induction process.
The cherry on top was the availability of the mobile app, which offered self-service to employees or users to access and manage payroll on the go.
Another big thing is tax filings. Gusto handles all the state and federal tax filings for you, so you don’t have to spend hours drowning in forms and numbers. I also noted the role-based access control (RBAC) authentication, which shortlists select officials to log in and access the payroll system.
That being said, I found Gusto’s expensive pricing to be an overshot for small business budgets.
While the payroll system is a strategic shift from a traditional salary transfer, I still got stuck at places. Gusto doesn’t accommodate report builders or editors to automate employee payroll entries or modify inaccurate HR processing errors.
I couldn't find the cost calculator for employee login hours on the main HR portal. The tax portal isn’t updated regularly with national tax and compliance announcements. Gusto integrates with popular productivity tools, but it restricts the use cases or functionalities accepted within the software.
While Gusto has dominated the payroll category in providing error-free and seamless payroll administration, there are some areas to precheck before you test it.
"There are so many things that I like about Gusto. One, it's very affordable for all their work to ensure my taxes are handled. Through them, I was connected with Human Interest and activated a 401K. Three, the financial incentives from referring someone are awesome. I already received benefits from one referral. Fourth, it's very easy to use the dashboard. Five, the customer support is stellar. I can call, email, or chat with a representative. As a solopreneur and owner of an S Corp company, the last thing I want to stress myself out is regarding taxes.
- Gusto Review, Patricia H.
“Gusto's geofencing feature with time tracking is problematic; someone can be right in the middle of the geo-zone and be told via the app that they are not in a designated area."
- Gusto Review, Penny G.
Employees strive to progress and continue acquiring education while working. Be on their radar as a " people-sensitive brand” by offering tuition reimbursement and streamlining the employee approval process.
Using UKG Ready completely transformed how I tested HR and payroll solutions earlier. This cloud-based HRMS platform provided HR cloud services and payroll automation in a user-friendly format, which gave me confidence to experiment with more employee forms and store more data.
It automated basic HR tasks, streamlined talent acquisition and reporting, and offered an intuitive employee self-service portal. It also provided me with a variety of HRMS features, such as tax compliance and benefits administration.
What impressed me the most about UKG Ready was its sleek, well-designed graphical user interface with a calming green color scheme. When I entered payroll information, I didn’t have to strain my eyes or zoom in to focus on employee details—everything was clear, comprehensive, and easy to read. It also integrated 401(k) reporting and general ledger with payroll software.
In addition, the UKG Ready mobile app was a game changer. It allowed me to remotely administer payroll accounts, publish reports, and even set expense reimbursement approvals when I wasn’t active. UKG Ready truly made payroll self-efficient and seamless.
One of the most basic issues I encountered with UKG Ready was inaccurate timing displayed on their platform. The tool couldn’t get a direct call from TimeClock and punched incorrect clock-in and out hours, which led to inaccurate and wrong payroll processing.
While this grave mistake shouldn’t be ignored, employers must watch for it during final pay disbursement. As I opened multiple forms and summarized reports, there were performance glitches, and the system wasn’t accepting any external user action. I assumed that the server was processing multiple reports, which led to a temporary halt of the platform. You can observe these lags mostly during peak hours of HR activity.
Overall, UKG provides a solid platform for workforce management, hire enrollment, and resume screening and automates end-to-end payroll workflow for domestic and international employees.
“I use UKG Ready daily to update employee information and track applications for our open positions. I love being able to customize every report and screen to my needs.
I appreciate having an app version to check information while not at my desk and the ability to clock in/out at a time clock or on the website (my company disabled clocking in/out from the app platform). It is great that we can customize features to meet out company culture"
- UKG Ready Review, Courtney S.
"I find some of the search engines and sub-menus a little choppy. I just feel like some calendars and search mechanisms could be a little more straightforward. For example, when I'm in "the Time Off Calendar," I have to manually select a date range instead of being able to cycle through the calendar like I can when I'm on the "My Time Off" page. Minor inconveniences."
- UKG Ready Review, RIcky B.
When I started using Rippling, I acknowledged how it brought everything I needed—payroll, wage garnishment, tax and withholding, and company updates—into one centralized location. Signing up and configuring the payroll system was straightforward and effortless, and their dedicated customer service team was always just a call away.
Whether I was handling onboarding documentation, job descriptions, generating payroll, calculating taxes, or approving holiday leaves, Rippling made everything smooth for me. I could automate HR entries and ensure the latest data compliance audits with ease. It gave me the confidence to go ahead and compute salary statements on my own, even for the international staff.
With Rippling, you can run global HR and accounting workflows from a centralized server. I found its onboarding and implementation process to be time-efficient and self-explanatory. Whether running payroll, organizing employee surveys, uploading documents, or generating performance summaries, Rippling consolidates employee details and provides timely scheduled payouts.
But, to ensure you use Rippling to its full potential, I’d say do some digging into the platform. Understanding the key features in detail is the first call that would give you an idea of the compatibility and efficiency of the payroll platform. One area it lacked was the increased number of clicks in the user interface. Rippling offers many HR and payroll administration features, but it is hard to find them. You must take a prior trial and demonstration to get the hang of the user interface.
Further, I struggled with requesting confirmation codes for user authentication as well. The server doesn’t approve the authentication request in one go and takes multiple rounds of generating authentication codes to log in to the system. Requesting access multiple times can slow down your operational speed and extend the turnaround time of pay generation.
Even though Ripplinh is a fast and efficient payroll management and HRMS system, users find it difficult to integrate it into standard payroll operations until they acclimate themselves to the platform’s functional graphics.
“All the automated aspects of Payroll are allowing you to be super efficient and provide a rather automated approach with less involvement from the team. Also Rippling is super intuitive with a great notification process to allow us to always be up-to-speed and up-to-date with the latest issues and happenings.”
- Rippling Review, Eddie D.
“One aspect of Rippling that I find frustrating is the limited customization options for its reporting tools. Although the standard reports address most needs, it can be challenging when I can't easily tailor reports to specific metrics unique to my organization. Additionally, while the mobile app is functional, it sometimes lacks the intuitiveness of the desktop version. If these issues were addressed, it would enhance the overall experience of the platform. However, despite these concerns, the core functionality of Rippling remains strong, and these limitations do not significantly detract from its overall benefits.”
- Rippling Review, Jalene D.
I am here to tell you that Paycom isn’t just a payroll automation tool but a unified interface that handles loan approvals, tax credits, withholding, wage garnishment, and attendance and leave management.
I didn’t find the platform lacking core HR functionalities as it offered tax computation, W099 delivery, attendance and time tracking, wage garnishment, compensation adjustments, and benefits administration that centralizes major workforce operations.
That’s not where Paycom stops at. I could download Paycom’s mobile app, which gave me a dropdown of employee details and bank processes on the go. It also helped me manage the privacy of employee details as it demanded an authentication code when I tried to access employee cloud data.
Besides this, I could control the entire payroll lifecycle, from new hire recruitment to candidate assessment to onboarding documentation to digital signatory, to maintain transparency with new employees. I could also set designated payroll agents who were responsible to handle individual payroll accounts and take necessary actions and approvals.
Paycom certainly ticked all the boxes in terms of employee efficiency and HR management, but the platform's slow page load speed irked me. I struggled with customizing and downloading payroll reports, and it overshot my scheduled deadline. I also felt the authentication and access management was outdated and limited my collaboration with peers.
I also struggled to make worker compensation adjustments and deliver pay summaries to accounting teams. It was hard for me to make changes in payroll as the features were too broad, and there were no payroll personalization options for employers.
I also felt the user interface could have been slightly better because the employee bank details were hard to locate and sync with the payroll form. With these recurring issues, I concluded that employers need proper training to unravel the true potential of this platform.
“Designated Payroll Representative, robust features, automated payroll processing, the system calculates, files & processes payroll taxes at all levels, including garnishments. Integration capabilities and Employee Self-Service Portal.”
- Paycom Review, Christine A.
“I feel like the applicant process is a bit clumsy and not as intuitive as I've seen in other programs. I also don't like how difficult it is to find an offer letter once an applicant has been onboarded. It seems like that should be one of the documents in their file, but the only place it can be found is on their application, even once they're a current employee.”
- Paycom Review, Kaitlyn L.
What convinced me about Deel was how it streamlined income statements, monthly payrolls, and revenue budgets to provide a holistic view of all HR and payroll workflows in one place.
Whether I am setting up contracts, onboarding new employees, or managing payments, everything is laid out cleanly. I loved how the system has separate one-click features for accounting, holiday management, payroll administration, compliance, and tax calculations.
Whether I am creating payroll summaries for employees or contractors, Deel ensures I follow the latest local, state, and federal laws and aggregate accurate data. Speaking of pay summaries, Deel’s global payment system was also a lifesaver. I can pay contractors in any currency, and the tool generates updates and alerts on international transactions on both platforms and via emails.
While Deel offers global payroll, it does charge for things like card creation and currency conversion. If I don’t monitor service charges, they can add additional expenses for my team.
I also found that uploading and editing new documents on the platform took time. Sometimes, document approvals took longer than expected, which delayed the employee onboarding process.
Also, while Deel is great for employees, I would have loved to see more perks for contractors. Besides benefits and insurance, contractors deserve rewards and increments to improve their productivity and efficiency.
“I have been using it daily for over a month now. I work in a different country, yet the exchange and conversions are seamless. It integrates all the features in an easy-to-understand UI. I can freely receive contracts from anywhere in the world without worrying about payments or currency conversions, and the rates are also fair. It has good help/support features. believe the currency conversions and bank transfers are implemented very well here.”
- Deel Review, Gaurav Y.
“One aspect I dislike about Deel is the potential for high fees associated with some of its services, particularly when dealing with specific countries or payment methods. While the platform offers a range of functionalities, these fees can add up and impact the overall cost-effectiveness for businesses. Additionally, the customer support response times can sometimes be slower than expected, frustrating when urgent issues arise.”
- Deel Review, Kelli M.
In addition to sharing my experience, here are some frequently asked questions about payroll software that you should know
For small businesses, the best and most cost-effective payroll software is OnPay, Patriot Payroll, QuickBooks, and Gusto, which contain all required features like direct deposit, tax calculation, employee expense reimbursements, and so on.
The best payroll software for employees is Rippling, Paycom, Gusto, and Sage Payroll, which offer a user-friendly and convenient employee portal to simplify and automate employee requests and operations.
Yes, payroll software can manage the complete hire-to-retire process of contractors via the contract management platform. This platform outlines job expectations, hourly or day-based compensation, and currency conversion policies to regularize pay cycles for contractors worldwide.
The best payroll software integrates seamlessly with your existing tools. Common integrations include accounting platforms (like QuickBooks payroll, OnPay, or Zero), attendance and time-tracking systems, project management software, HRMS, and benefits administration software.
The best payroll software for payslip generation includes QuickBooks, Sage Payroll, Keka HR, greytHR, and Paychex Flex. These software programs help you maintain accurate employee and payment records and upload monthly-due payslips.
After trying and testing multiple payroll software, I concluded that there are some features that you cannot compromise in whichever solution you choose.
Given the sensitivity of payroll data, systems that offer robust data security, platform compatibility, and legal and compliance updates have great potential to scale your employee growth.
While experimenting with these payroll software, I concluded that different features would suit different businesses. To know which payroll software suits you the best, do your own specific research, gather the necessary resources, and refer to this in-depth list to make the best call for your business.
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