25 Best Online Payroll Software of 2026

Rippling is an online payroll platform that helps global organizations pay their remote workers in local currencies.

Why I picked Rippling: Rippling allows you to deposit wages directly into local bank accounts around the world without having to rely on third-party service providers or suffer expensive conversion fees. The software also calculates and files payroll taxes for your remote workers, and allows you to automate many of your administrative tasks.

Rippling’s Time & Attendance feature helps your team members keep track of their billable hours with ease. The software allows employees to clock in and out of work and automatically syncs their approved hours with your payroll, accounting, and HR software. The platform is also highly configurable, allowing you to tailor your payroll processes to your business' needs.

Rippling Standout Features and Integrations

Features include domestic and international payrolls, an organization chart, expense management, talent management, local tax filing, country-specific compliance, and international benefits programs.

Integrations include 1Password, 15Five, Asana, Brex, Checkr, GitHub, Google Workspace, Human Interest, Slack, Zoom, and others.

Deel is built for companies that need to hire and pay global employees or contractors without setting up local entities or managing multiple in-country payroll providers.

Why I Picked Deel

I picked Deel because it handles fully managed payroll across 90+ countries—so you don’t have to coordinate with local accountants, tax firms, or government offices.

Your team can run payroll, manage filings, and issue compliant contracts directly from one dashboard, with Deel taking on the heavy compliance lift and acting as the legal employer where needed. I also like that Deel gives you market-specific salary benchmarks and localized insights, which help you make fair and competitive compensation decisions in every region.

Its onboarding tools let you activate new hires or contractors in over 150 countries without extra setup, and the combination of 24/7 support and built-in guidance makes it a strong fit for teams expanding into new markets for the first time.

Deel Key Features

Here are some key features worth highlighting:

• Automated Multi-Country Payroll: Calculates pay, taxes, and filings across supported countries with Deel handling local compliance.
• Global Workforce Reporting: Breaks down payroll costs by country to support budgeting and cross-market planning.
• Contractor Management Tools: Offers fixed, milestone, or usage-based payment setups with integrated payout methods.
• Security Controls: Includes two-factor authentication and role-based permissions to safeguard sensitive payroll data.

Deel Integrations

Integrations include BambooHR, Greenhouse, HiBob, Workday, Ashby, Lever, NetSuite, QuickBooks, Slack, and Xero.

Gusto is built for small and midsize businesses that want payroll they can run as often as needed without paying extra fees. Its unlimited payroll runs make it a great fit for teams with variable schedules, bonuses, or frequent adjustments, while still giving you automated tax filing and a simple experience for employees and contractors.

Why I Picked Gusto

I picked Gusto because it gives you unlimited payroll runs at no additional cost, which is especially useful if your team needs off-cycle, bonus, or last-minute payments. It automatically calculates deductions and files federal, state, and local payroll taxes, removing the manual work most small teams struggle with.

I also like that you can pay both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors in the same workflow, and workers get lifetime access to paystubs and tax forms, so you spend less time handling record requests. For small teams without dedicated payroll staff, these built-in safeguards help reduce errors, missed deadlines, and back-and-forth admin work.

Gusto Key Features

Here are some key features worth highlighting:

• Multiple Pay Schedules: Set different pay cycles for full-time, part-time, or contractor groups.
• Next-Day or Same-Day Payroll: Useful for urgent off-cycle payments and last-minute changes.
• Employee Self-Service Portal: Lets your team access pay history, tax forms, and personal details anytime.
• Integrated Time Tracking: Syncs hours and time off directly into payroll for accurate payouts.

Gusto Integrations

Integrations include QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, FreshBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, Shopify, Hubstaff, Expensify, Greenhouse, Lattice, Zoom, and Slack.

RUN Powered by ADP is built for small businesses that want payroll done accurately with minimal manual work. It handles core payroll tasks while giving you access to HR guidance, compliance tools, and built-in tax support—all in one place.

Why I Picked RUN Powered by ADP

I picked RUN by ADP because it handles payroll taxes for you, calculating and filing them automatically so you don’t have to track deadlines or rule changes. Your team also gets step-by-step hiring and onboarding tools, which help new employees get set up quickly.

I like that RUN provides proactive compliance alerts and real-time updates on tax and labor laws, giving small businesses peace of mind without needing an in-house specialist. You also get access to HR experts when you need guidance on policies or employee issues. For teams that want reliable payroll with strong compliance oversight, this combination is hard to beat.

RUN Powered by ADP Key Features

Here are some key features worth highlighting:

• Employee Self-Service Portal: Lets employees view pay stubs, update info, and access tax forms without admin help.
• Time & Attendance Sync: Pulls approved hours directly into payroll to reduce data entry and errors.
• Garnishment Payment Services: Manages wage garnishments and ensures correct and timely disbursements.
• Workers’ Compensation Management: Calculates premiums and supports pay-as-you-go plans to avoid large upfront costs.

RUN Powered by ADP Integrations

Integrations include QuickBooks, Wave, Xero, ClockShark, JazzHR, SmartRecruiters, 7Shifts, Wex, and Absorb LMS.

Paylocity is a good fit for mid-sized businesses that need payroll software with built-in expense tracking and reimbursement tools. It helps your team manage payroll, taxes, and employee payments while keeping all expenses organized in one place.

Why I Picked Paylocity

I picked Paylocity because it gives you accurate payroll runs while reducing the manual work around expense tracking. You can capture expenses through mobile uploads, categorize them automatically, and reimburse employees directly through payroll.

I also like that you can customize reports and accruals, which helps if your team needs precise visibility into labor costs, and the platform handles all payroll tax filing—state and local. Plus, its on-demand pay feature lets employees access wages early without disrupting your payroll cycle.

Paylocity Key Features

Here are some additional features worth highlighting:

• Garnishment Management: Handles garnishment calculations and payments so your team doesn’t have to manage them manually.
• Global Payroll Support: Helps you manage multi-country payroll from a single platform.
• Time & Attendance Tracking: Syncs hours and shifts directly into payroll for accurate calculations.
• On-Demand Payments: Gives employees access to earned wages between paydays.

Paylocity Integrations

Integrations include 7Shifts, Clover, Expensify, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle NetSuite, QuickBooks Online, Sage, Square, and Xero.

OnPay is built for small businesses that want payroll and basic HR tools in one place without dealing with unnecessary complexity. It’s especially useful if you manage hourly teams or mixed worker types and need a system that helps you stay compliant while keeping pay runs predictable.

Why I Picked OnPay

I picked OnPay because it gives your team a clear, guided setup that walks you through each step of payroll, tax handling, and employee onboarding. You can adjust pay rates, manage hours, and update tax settings with helpful prompts so nothing gets missed.

I also like that OnPay alerts you when holidays may affect processing times or when automated payrolls need approval, helping you avoid late paychecks. Its built-in notifications make day-to-day tasks—like signing HR documents or reviewing pending items—easy to stay on top of.

OnPay Key Features

Here are some key features worth highlighting:

• Employee Self-Service: Workers can access pay stubs, update personal details, and complete onboarding forms on their own.
• Benefits Management: Connect payroll with health, dental, and retirement plans so deductions stay accurate.
• PTO Tracking: Set accrual rules and approve requests while ensuring balances stay updated automatically.
• Direct Messaging: Send reminders or documents to employees directly within the platform.

OnPay Integrations

Integrations include QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Time, Xero, When I Work, Deputy, Mineral, Guideline, Vestwell, and PosterElite.

Remofirst is a global employment services platform that enables businesses to hire and manage remote teams internationally.

Why I picked Remofirst: Remofirst provides an employer of record (EOR) service, which allows companies to legally employ staff in over 170 countries without establishing a local entity, thus handling payroll, taxes, and benefits on their behalf. This service is particularly beneficial for online payroll software, as it simplifies the complexities associated with international payroll compliance and tax regulations.

Additionally, Remofirst manages international contractors, ensuring that contract creation, payment processing, and compliance with local laws are streamlined. Furthermore, Remofirst's workforce management capabilities integrate with online payroll systems to maintain accurate employee records and streamline administrative processes.

Remofirst Standout Features and Integrations

Features include invoice management, benefits management, onboarding and offboarding, time and attendance tracking, garnishment processing, RemoHealth health insurance, and an employee cost calculator.

Integrations include ADP.

Paychex Flex is a payroll software solution that helps startups run payroll and manage their workforce with a single solution.  

Why I picked Paychex Flex: Paychex Flex enables you to track your team’s daily hours, manage time sheets, approve PTO, and oversee benefits in one place. The solution offers a self-service portal where employees can access digital copies of their pay stubs, see their contributions, and manage their retirement accounts, making it easy for them to access their data. 

With Paychex Flex, you can schedule your payrolls and approve them before payday with ease. You can schedule multiple runs in the same pay period, and you can oversee your work on the mobile app. The solution also gives you access to extra HR features as add-ons for additional fees. 

Paychex Flex Standout Features and Integrations

Features include payroll processing, payroll tax filing, a garnishment payment service, paycheck preview and approval, new-hire reporting, and a mobile app. 

Integrations include Ashby, BambooHR, Clover, Deputy, HIREtech, iCIMS, Indeed, Oracle Netsuite, QuickBooks Payroll, and others.

TimeTrex is a workforce management software that integrates multiple functions such as time and attendance tracking, scheduling, payroll processing, and HR management into a single platform.

Why I picked TimeTrex: The software’s advanced payroll engine automatically calculates wages, taxes, and deductions, including custom deductions like benefits, insurance, garnishments, and vacation/sick leave accruals. This makes it particularly well-suited for businesses with complex payroll requirements. 

TimeTrex also supports direct deposits, allowing employers to configure electronic transfers for each employee, with the flexibility to debit from multiple bank accounts. The system even has automated tax management, including the generation of essential tax forms like W-2s, 940s, and 941s.

TimeTrex Standout Features and Integrations

Features include time and attendance tracking, job costing, employee scheduling, geolocation tracking, biometric time clocks, mobile access, customizable alerts and notifications, and comprehensive reporting and analytics. 

Integrations include QuickBooks, ADP, Paychex, Ceridian, Sage, and other popular HR, payroll, and accounting systems. 

Patriot is an online payroll service and accounting software that enables companies to include freelancers and contractors in their payroll. 

Why I picked Patriot: Patriot deducts and remits all unemployment, social security, medical, and related deductions to state and federal authorities, making each deduction easy to track. The solution handles all tax calculations and tax filings, so you don’t have to worry about missing something. 

With Patriot, you can include independent contractors in your payroll, making it ideal for companies outsourcing work to freelancers. Using their direct deposit feature, you can streamline your payroll operations and pay your contractors and employees simultaneously.  

Patriot Standout Features and Integrations

Features include an employee portal, unlimited payroll runs, time and attendance tracking, 1099 e-filing, tax filing, PTO management, and employee information tracking. 

Integrations include GoCo, Plaid, QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Time, WorkfoceHub, and others.

Remote offers online payroll software as part of its global HR solutions, allowing businesses to manage payroll, team management, recruitment, and HR data consolidation all in one place.

Why I picked Remote: I like that Remote's payroll features are designed to ensure accurate and timely payments in local currencies, eliminating the complexity of manual conversions and reducing errors. The platform also offers comprehensive compliance support, which adapts to the evolving tax laws and regulations worldwide. 

Furthermore, Remote offers in-house local payroll support, which helps businesses navigate international payroll. Their team of experts provides guidance tailored to the specific regulatory environments of different countries, helping businesses avoid compliance issues and penalties. This support includes managing tax withholdings, benefits, and other payroll-related requirements.

Remote Standout Features and Integrations

Features include watchtower HR compliance, contractor invoicing and management, payroll and expense management, Employer of Record (EOR), global benefits, time and attendance tracker, employee self-service, global hiring planner, remote job boards, and employee immigration and relocation support.

Integrations include Gusto Global, HiBob, Personio, BambooHR, Greenhouse, Sequoia, Easop, Zelt, Xero, Vanta, Gifted, and Workday.

Square Payroll is a cloud-based payroll software solution built to simplify payment processing for small businesses and field-based teams. Designed by the makers of Square POS, it centralizes payroll, tax filing, and team management in a single, mobile-friendly system—ideal for companies with hourly or mobile workforces such as contractors, service providers, and retail or hospitality teams.

Why I picked Square Payroll:

Square Payroll stands out as the best online payroll software for field teams thanks to its seamless integration with Square’s time-tracking and POS ecosystem. It’s built for businesses with hourly employees, enabling automatic syncing of work hours, tips, and commissions directly into payroll—eliminating manual data entry.

The platform is designed to handle payroll for both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, making it highly flexible for mixed workforces. You can automate payroll runs, handle tax filings at the federal, state, and local levels, and ensure timely direct deposits—all from desktop or mobile.

Square Payroll’s mobile-first approach is particularly valuable for businesses managing remote or field-based teams. Employees can clock in and out directly from the Square Team App, view their pay stubs, and manage tax forms digitally—no paper required. This ensures payroll accuracy and transparency for on-the-go teams.

Square also manages automatic tax filings and year-end reports (W-2s and 1099s), reducing compliance risk and administrative burden. For small business owners, its clear pricing, ease of setup, and ability to integrate tightly with Square POS make it a powerful, user-friendly payroll solution.

Square Payroll Standout Features & Integrations:

Features include automated payroll runs, timecard syncing, tip and commission management, automatic tax filings, and direct deposit support. The platform also supports multi-state payroll, allowing businesses operating across different regions to stay compliant with state tax laws and wage requirements.

For contractors, Square Payroll enables fast, secure digital payments via direct deposit or Cash App. It automatically generates 1099 forms, helping ensure accurate year-end reporting.

Integrations include Square’s Team Management, Timecards, and Scheduling tools, as well as accounting software such as QuickBooks Online and Xero. API access is available for businesses that need custom workflows or data syncs.

Paycom is a cloud-based payroll and HR platform best known for its streamlined process for straightforward payroll runs. It centralizes payroll, tax filing, time & attendance, and employee self-service in a single system—ideal for businesses that want to simplify payroll processing without juggling multiple tools. 

Why I picked Paycom: Paycom is designed to make payroll processing as efficient and error-free as possible. With its feature called Beti®, the employee-managed payroll experience, employees can review and correct their own payroll inputs before submission, reducing administrative burden and improving accuracy. 

The platform automates tax calculations and filings, direct deposits, and ensures compliance across jurisdictions—making it a solid choice for organizations that just need reliable, consistent payroll runs rather than a highly complex HR suite. 

Paycom Standout Features & Integrations:

Features include automated payroll entries, tax payment and filing automation, direct deposit and wage garnishment support, and a single-database architecture that ensures payroll data is consistent and official across the system. 

Employees benefit from self-service access to their pay stubs, tax forms, and time & attendance through mobile/desktop portals. Managers and payroll admins have real-time dashboards showing payroll status, GL export tools, and error-checking workflows. 

Integrations include accounting and ERP software via configurable General Ledger export tools (GL Concierge) and API options for deeper connectivity.

Ceridian Dayforce is a comprehensive cloud-based payroll and human capital management (HCM) platform designed to help organizations manage complex payroll needs, workforce data, and compliance in real time. Built for medium to large enterprises, it centralizes payroll, HR, time tracking, and benefits into a single, AI-driven platform that ensures accuracy and transparency across the entire employee lifecycle.

Why I picked Ceridian Dayforce: Ceridian Dayforce stands out as the best online payroll software for on-demand pay, thanks to its continuous calculation engine, which updates pay and tax data in real time. Unlike traditional systems that process payroll in batches, Dayforce continuously calculates earnings, deductions, and taxes as changes occur—ensuring employees always have up-to-date pay information.

One of Dayforce’s most innovative features is Dayforce Wallet, a built-in on-demand pay solution that allows employees to access their earned wages anytime, without waiting for payday. This flexibility improves employee financial well-being, reduces turnover, and enhances satisfaction—especially among hourly or shift-based workforces.

The platform is also known for its strong compliance and regulatory support, helping employers stay up to date with labor and tax laws across multiple jurisdictions. This makes it ideal for companies operating across multiple states or countries.

In addition to payroll, Dayforce offers advanced tools for workforce management, talent optimization, and analytics, making it a powerful all-in-one HCM platform that scales with growing organizations.

Ceridian Dayforce Standout Features & Integrations:

Features include continuous payroll calculation, on-demand pay via Dayforce Wallet, real-time tax and compliance updates, and automated pay adjustments. The system supports both hourly and salaried employees, allowing seamless handling of complex pay scenarios such as overtime, bonuses, and multi-state taxation.

Dayforce also provides employee self-service access for viewing pay stubs, updating personal details, and managing tax forms digitally. Managers can monitor payroll data, time sheets, and compliance metrics from one unified dashboard.

Integrations include major HR, ERP, and accounting systems such as Workday, SAP, Oracle, ADP, QuickBooks, and Microsoft Dynamics, as well as collaboration platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams. These integrations help organizations maintain data consistency and streamline workforce operations.

PrimePay is a cloud-based payroll and HR platform best known for its robust employee self-service (ESS) capabilities. It centralizes payroll, tax filing, time and attendance, benefits enrollment, and self-service tools in a single system—ideal for businesses that want to empower employees and streamline HR operations.

Why I picked PrimePay: PrimePay stands out as the best online payroll software for employee self-service because its ESS portal gives employees direct access to manage their pay stubs, tax forms, benefits, and personal information from any device. This reduces the administrative workload for HR teams and enhances transparency and engagement across the workforce.

The platform’s on-demand pay option allows employees to access earned wages before payday, offering flexibility that helps boost satisfaction and retention. PrimePay also automates tax calculations, filings, and payroll runs, ensuring compliance across multiple states and jurisdictions while maintaining payroll accuracy.

PrimePay Standout Features & Integrations:

Features include employee self-service portals for payroll and HR data, automated payroll runs, tax filing and payment automation, earned wage access, time and attendance tracking with geofencing, and PTO management. The platform’s built-in compliance alerts and unlimited payroll cycles make it ideal for growing teams managing complex pay structures.

Integrations include a range of HR, accounting, and timekeeping systems through open API connections and middleware tools. Data syncs automatically across payroll, benefits, and HR modules, eliminating manual data entry and maintaining accuracy across systems.

Namely is an online human resources and payroll solution that enables managers to track employee compensation and easily update it.

Why I picked Namely: Namely’s interface is easy to navigate for both administrators and employees. The solution’s benefits wizard makes it easy to set up health benefits for your team members, regardless of their location.

Namely is great at tracking employee compensation and updating it based on the available data, so you can rest assured that the payment is handled correctly. The payroll processing feature is straightforward, allowing you to double-check and validate each report for increased accuracy.

Namely Standout Features and Integrations

Features include payroll reports, time management, benefits management, garnishment administration, state and federal tax calculations, tax filing, and automated salaried proration.

Integrations include Breezy, Greenhouse, Google Suite, JazzHR, Jobvite, Lever, Onelogin, Oracle Netsuite, Workable, and others.

Papaya Global is an online payroll platform that helps international organizations save time when running payroll with the help of AI.

Why I picked Papaya Global: Papaya Global enables you to double-check your payroll information with AI. The software’s algorithm tracks your budget, detects anomalies, and automatically executes some tasks, saving you time in the process.

Papaya Global offers payroll and compliance support in over 160 countries, including immigration and visa requirements. Their solution also enables your employees to view their payroll data in their local currency.

Papaya Global Standout Features and Integrations

Features include global payroll, expense management, benefits administration, onboarding, compliance, analytics, and reporting.

Integrations include BambooHR, Expensify, Google Workspace, HiBob, Okta, OneLogin, Oracle NetSuite, SAP SuccessFactors, Workday, and others.

QuickBooks Payroll is an all-in-one online payroll software that makes it easy for employees to fill in their timesheets and keep track of their work hours. 

Why I picked QuickBooks Payroll: QuickBooks Payroll offers a time clock mobile app that enables your team members to clock in and out of work with a single click. Each employee can keep track of their breaks, change job codes, and add timesheets, and managers can use the app to approve employee time from anywhere. 

QuickBooks Payroll allows you to run payroll automatically for team members who work the same hours each period. The software automatically tracks workers’ compensation and calculates your tax rates, so you can save time when running payroll. 

QuickBooks Payroll Standout Features and Integrations

Features include payroll, invoicing, invoice templates, payment processing, direct deposit, year-end tax forms, time tracking, an employee portal, and other HR tools. 

Integrations include Amazon Business Purchases, BigTime, Bill, Extensify, Float, Gusto, Human Interest, PayPal, Shopify, Square, and others.

Paycor is an online payroll solution that helps companies with small HR teams pay and manage their workforce with automation.

Why I picked Paycor: Paycor allows you to store and update all employee information. The solution calculates pay totals and enables you to manage employee benefits using desktop computers or mobile devices. The solution’s reporting and analytics tool helps you interpret your payroll.

Paycor allows you to partially automate your payroll process, so a small number of HR specialists can use it to manage a large workforce. The software’s time and attendance tracking feature updates your team’s billable hours, simplifying the payroll process.

Paycor Standout Features and Integrations

Features include a self-service portal, time & attendance tracking, recruitment and onboarding, performance management, tax filing, PTO management, automation, and analytics.

Integrations include Aetna, Beacon, iCIMS, CloudPay, Epicor, Fidelity, Indeed, LinkedIn, MassMutual, TurboTax, and others.

ADP Workforce Now is designed for midsize organizations that need accurate payroll and real-time workforce visibility. It brings payroll, HR, and time tracking into one system so your team can manage labor costs and operational needs without jumping between tools.

Why I Picked ADP Workforce Now

I picked ADP Workforce Now because it gives you real-time insights into labor spending through customizable dashboards that update as time and attendance data changes.

You can centralize payroll, benefits, and employee records in one system, which reduces manual work and helps your team stay compliant. I also like that its time-tracking tools tie directly into payroll calculations, giving you more confidence in pay accuracy.

Lastly, ADP’s forecasting features help you prepare for busy or slow periods by highlighting workforce trends you might otherwise miss.

ADP Workforce Now Key Features

Here are some key features worth highlighting:

• Benefits Administration: Manage enrollments and eligibility while giving employees self-service access to their benefit choices.
• Tax Management: Automates tax calculations and filings, reducing the risk of errors during each payroll run.
• Talent Acquisition Tools: Track applicants, manage job postings, and centralize candidate data in the same system.
• Reporting & Insights: Build custom reports that show payroll totals, workforce costs, and employee activity.

ADP Workforce Now Integrations

Integrations include 7Shifts, DailyPay, Greenhouse, Lever, QuickBooks, Sage, SAP SuccessFactors, Wave, Workday, and Xero.