20 Best Payroll and Timekeeping Software Reviewed in 2026

Deel Payroll is a global payroll and timekeeping platform that handles international payroll processing, compliance management, contractor payments, and time tracking for distributed teams.

Who Is Deel Payroll Best For?

Deel Payroll is a strong fit for HR and finance teams at mid-size to enterprise companies managing payroll across multiple countries and currencies.

Why I Picked Deel Payroll

I shortlisted Deel Payroll because it handles compliance across 150+ countries without requiring you to set up local entities. What I find most useful is the built-in Compliance Hub, which proactively monitors regulatory changes—tax law updates, labor law shifts, new filing requirements—so my team isn't scrambling to catch up. I also like the single gross-to-net calculation engine, which gives real-time visibility into payroll costs as changes are made, rather than waiting until month-end to catch errors. Additionally, the AI-powered anomaly detection flags payroll discrepancies before they're processed, a useful safeguard when you're running payroll across multiple jurisdictions.

Deel Payroll Key Features

• Multi-currency payment support: Pay employees and contractors in 120+ currencies using payment methods including direct deposit, online transfers, and crypto.
• Employee self-service portal: Workers upload their own bank details, permits, and compliance documents directly, reducing manual data collection for HR teams.
• Customizable payroll dashboards: View and compare employer costs, bonuses, taxes, and headcount trends across entities and countries in real time.
• Automated tax filings: Deel handles W-2, W-4, 1099, and local tax filings automatically across all 50 US states and international jurisdictions.

Deel Payroll Integrations

Deel Payroll offers native integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, BambooHR, HiBob, Expensify, Greenhouse, and Workable. An API is available for custom integrations.

Justworks is a payroll and timekeeping platform that combines payroll processing, time tracking, compliance management, and benefits administration for businesses managing distributed teams.

Who Is Justworks Best For?

Justworks is a strong fit for small to mid-sized businesses that need to manage payroll, benefits, and compliance across remote or geographically dispersed teams.

Why I Picked Justworks

Justworks earns its spot on my shortlist because of how well its geo-fencing feature handles the real-world complexity of location-based timekeeping. I like that admins can set the geofence radius anywhere from 250 feet to 10 miles, and apply it to check-in only or both check-in and check-out. That flexibility matters when you have field teams who start their day at a job site but wrap up somewhere else. You can also assign specific locations to specific employees, so the geofence applies only where it makes sense. Additionally, Justworks Time Tracking syncs approved shifts directly to payroll, which reduces the manual reconciliation step that often creates errors.

Justworks Key Features

• Automated payroll tax filing: Justworks files your 940s, 941s, W-2s, and 1099s automatically at no additional charge.
• Custom overtime alerts: Set overtime thresholds that trigger alerts before employees exceed their scheduled hours.
• PTO management: Set up vacation and sick leave policies, track accruals, and approve PTO requests from within the platform.
• Shift notes and reporting: Employees can add notes to individual shifts, and admins can generate detailed timesheet and payroll reports.

Justworks Integrations

Justworks offers native integrations with QuickBooks Online and Xero for accounting, and provides an API for custom integrations.

Paylocity is a payroll and timekeeping platform for HR teams that combines automated payroll processing, time tracking, expense management, and compliance tools in one system.

Who Is Paylocity Best For?

Paylocity is a good fit for mid-sized businesses looking for an all-in-one HR and payroll platform with built-in time tracking and expense management.

Why I Picked Paylocity

I picked Paylocity as one of the best because of how far its AI-powered expense management goes beyond basic receipt tracking. The Touchless Expense Reports feature uses AI to capture and categorize expenses from a photo snap—no manual entry, no coding. I also like the Direct Card Expenses feature, which automatically links Visa and Mastercard corporate card transactions to expense reports with real-time categorization and automated receipt matching. The built-in policy enforcement tools let you set budget limits by role and expense type, and include blocking and warning rules that flag non-compliant submissions before they reach an approver.

Paylocity Key Features

• Payroll Readiness Dashboard: Highlights outstanding tasks before processing day and runs 40+ audits to flag potential errors like unexpected pay spikes before payroll is submitted.
• AI-powered shift recommendations: Generates shift suggestions based on historical company trends and employee data to reduce manual scheduling work.
• Time card approval workflow: Lets managers review, edit, and approve time cards from mobile or desktop, with data flowing directly into payroll for accurate paychecks.
• Labor compliance rule configuration: Lets you set overtime, break, and premium rules aligned to specific state and federal labor laws, with automatic rate and overtime calculations.

Paylocity Integrations

Paylocity offers native integrations with QuickBooks, NetSuite, ADP, and SAP Concur, and provides an API for custom integrations.

Homebase is a payroll and timekeeping platform designed for businesses that need integrated employee scheduling, time tracking, and payroll processing in one system.

Who Is Homebase Best For?

Homebase is a good fit for small to mid-sized businesses in retail, hospitality, and food service that rely heavily on hourly workers.

Why I Picked Homebase

Homebase earns its spot on my shortlist because it's one of the few platforms built from the ground up for hourly workforce management—not adapted from a salaried-employee model. I like how the time clock automatically flags late clock-ins, takes a photo at clock-in to prevent buddy punching, and syncs hours directly to payroll without any manual data transfer. The labor cost controls are also genuinely useful: you can set labor-to-sales targets and see real-time cost projections right on the schedule, which matters when managing shift workers across multiple roles. The payroll add-on then handles wages, tips, overtime, and breaks after timesheets and files taxes on your behalf.

Homebase Key Features

• Employee self-onboarding: New hires complete and e-sign their W-4, I-9, direct deposit, and W-9 forms digitally before their first shift.
• PTO and time-off controls: Set blackout dates, manage time-off requests, and automatically track PTO balances and accruals against your policies.
• Built-in team messaging: Send shift reminders, notes, and direct messages to employees through the app without needing a separate communication tool.
• HR compliance alerts: Homebase's HR Pro team sends alerts for upcoming labor law changes—like minimum wage increases—and gives you access to certified HR advisors.

Homebase Integrations

Homebase offers native integrations with QuickBooks, Square, Toast, Gusto, ADP, Paychex, Shopify, Clover, and Heartland. An API is available for custom integrations.

Gusto offers a practical solution for small- to mid-sized businesses to manage payroll and timekeeping. Its intuitive platform addresses the challenges of payroll and time tracking by automating tasks and reducing manual effort and potential errors. Whether you're in retail, tech, or any industry with diverse scheduling needs, Gusto's integration of payroll and timekeeping functionalities helps you maintain accuracy and compliance, freeing you up to focus on growing your business.

Why I Picked Gusto

I picked Gusto for its automated payroll processing, which is crucial for those seeking to improve payroll and timekeeping efficiency. With Gusto's Payroll on AutoPilot®, you can run payroll automatically each pay period, minimizing manual intervention. It also supports flexible payment schedules and multiple pay rates, catering to both hourly and salaried employees. These features are particularly beneficial for businesses looking to manage operations and ensure accurate payroll management without the hassle of manual calculations.

Gusto Key Features

In addition to its automated payroll capabilities, Gusto offers:

• Time Kiosk: Allows employees to clock in and out using a tablet, making it easy to track hours worked.
• AI-Assisted Scheduling: Helps managers create and share schedules, reducing the likelihood of conflicts and overtime.
• Automated Time-Off Requests: Simplifies the process of requesting and managing PTO, ensuring compliance with state laws.
• Project Tracking: Enables tracking of hours spent on specific projects, offering insights into workforce costs and productivity.

Gusto Integrations

Integrations include Brightwheel, ClockShark, Hubstaff, Deputy, eBillity, Homebase, QuickBooks Time, 7Shifts, AttendanceBot, and Hour Timesheet.

RUN (by ADP) is a payroll and timekeeping platform for small businesses that combines automated payroll processing, tax filing, and time tracking in one system.

Who Is RUN Best For?

RUN is a strong fit for small business owners who need a dedicated payroll solution with built-in tax compliance support.

Why I Picked RUN 

I picked RUN as one of the best because it handles tax filing with minimal effort on your part. RUN calculates, deposits, and files your federal, state, and local payroll taxes automatically—and if ADP makes a filing error, they cover the resulting fines and penalties. I also like that it handles W-2 and 1099 creation and e-files those forms directly with the IRS on your behalf. The multi-jurisdiction payroll feature means you can pay employees who work across multiple states in the same pay period, with tax filing handled for each jurisdiction automatically.

RUN Key Features

• RUN & DONE automated payroll: Schedule recurring payroll runs to process automatically on a set cadence without manual input each pay period.
• AI-enabled error flagging: RUN scans payroll data before processing and surfaces potential errors so you can catch and fix mistakes before they affect your employees.
• Employee self-service mobile app: Employees can access pay history, personal information, and HR documents directly from the RUN mobile app.
• Salary benchmarking: Pull data-driven salary insights to compare your compensation against market rates when hiring or reviewing pay.

RUN Integrations

RUN offers native integrations with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Wave, and Clover, and provides an API for custom integrations.

TimeTrex is a payroll and timekeeping platform that combines employee scheduling, attendance tracking, payroll processing, and support for biometric time clocks in one system.

Who Is TimeTrex Best For?

TimeTrex is a good fit for mid-sized businesses in industries like manufacturing, retail, and healthcare that need to track hourly workers across multiple locations.

Why I Picked TimeTrex

I chose TimeTrex because it handles biometric time clock integration without requiring expensive proprietary hardware. I like that it turns any off-the-shelf tablet or phone into a facial recognition time clock—so if you're managing a warehouse floor or a healthcare facility with multiple entry points, you're not locked into costly dedicated devices. The facial recognition handles hats, glasses, and facial hair, which matters in real-world environments where workers' appearances vary. It also captures GPS location and an optional photo with each punch, giving you a clear, timestamped record that's hard to dispute.

TimeTrex Key Features

• Payroll processing: Automate wage calculations, tax filings, direct deposit, and deductions including garnishments and 401(k) contributions.
• AI-powered shift scheduling: Build and adjust employee schedules based on availability, skills, and demand, with real-time conflict detection.
• Leave management: Employees submit time-off requests through a self-service portal, and approvals automatically update schedules and payroll records.
• Multi-state and multi-country payroll: Process payroll across different states and countries while automatically applying the relevant tax laws and labor regulations.

TimeTrex Integrations

TimeTrex's native integrations include ADP, QuickBooks, Sage, Paychex, and Surepay. TimeTrex provides an API for custom integrations.

Rippling is a workforce management platform that combines payroll, time tracking, HR, and compliance tools in one system for businesses managing employee pay and attendance.

Who Is Rippling Best For?

Rippling is a good fit for mid-sized and scaling businesses that need payroll, time tracking, and HR managed together in one connected platform.

Why I Picked Rippling

Rippling is on my shortlist because its time tracking and payroll are tightly connected in a single system. Approved hours from time and attendance flow directly into each pay run—no manual data entry, no syncing between separate tools. I also like the automated workflow triggers, like alerts for employees who forget to clock out or reminders for managers with unapproved time cards. Rippling automatically applies the correct overtime and break policies based on employee location, reducing compliance guesswork when running payroll.

Rippling Key Features

• Job and project time tracking: Log employee hours against specific jobs, tasks, and projects directly within the time tracking module.
• Pay run comparison tool: Compare your current pay run against previous ones to spot discrepancies in gross pay, taxes, and deductions before approving.
• Employee self-service portal: Let employees clock in, request time off, view timesheets, and access pay stubs from a single mobile app.
• Off-cycle payroll processing: Run payroll as often as needed—at no extra charge—to handle bonuses, corrections, or contractor payments outside the regular schedule.

Rippling Integrations

Rippling offers native integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite, Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Okta, Greenhouse, Lever, and DocuSign. An API is available for custom integrations.

BusyBusy is a payroll and timekeeping software platform designed for construction and field service teams, offering mobile time tracking, GPS location verification, job costing, and payroll reporting tools.

Who Is BusyBusy Best For?

BusyBusy is a strong fit for construction companies and field service businesses that need to track time, labor costs, and crew locations across multiple job sites.

Why I Picked BusyBusy

BusyBusy earns its spot on my shortlist because it's built specifically for construction, not adapted from a generic time tracking tool. I particularly like the job costing features—you can filter labor data by project, cost code, employee, and equipment, then compare estimated hours against actual hours in real time. The GPS breadcrumbing is another feature I find genuinely useful: it tracks crew movement throughout the day without draining phone batteries, so I can verify that workers are on the right job site without micromanaging. The geofencing "Required Onsite" feature also means employees can only clock in once they're physically within the job site boundary, which cuts down on early clock-ins.

BusyBusy Key Features

• Scheduling: Create and publish crew schedules with location pins and job instructions that employees receive directly on their phones.
• Custom overtime calculations: Set weekly, daily, and weekend overtime rates at 1.5x or 2x pay, with the ability to assign different settings per individual employee.
• Timecard signatures: Send employees a notification to sign their timecard from their phone, with supervisors able to co-sign from their own device.
• Offline mode: Track time without cell service, with all data automatically syncing to the cloud once a connection is restored.

BusyBusy Integrations

BusyBusy offers native integrations with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Sage Intacct, Sage 100, Sage 300, Viewpoint Spectrum, Viewpoint Vista, Procore, ADP, Paychex, Foundation Software, ComputerEase, Explorer, FreshBooks, Ceridian, CMIC, Microsoft Dynamics, and Protiv. It also connects with Zapier and provides an API for custom integrations.

Clockify is a timekeeping and attendance platform that lets teams track work hours, manage timesheets, monitor attendance, and generate reports for payroll processing.

Who Is Clockify Best For?

Clockify is a strong fit for growing businesses and agencies that need to track time across large or expanding teams without paying per seat.

Why I Picked Clockify

Clockify earns its spot on my shortlist because it's one of the few timekeeping tools that supports unlimited users on its free plan—no seat caps, no per-user fees at the base tier. I've used the kiosk feature with larger field teams, where employees clock in using a personal PIN or QR code from a shared device, removing the need for individual logins across a large workforce. I also like the timesheet approval workflow, where team members submit their hours and managers approve them on a weekly or monthly basis before payroll runs. That approval trail is useful when managing time data for large teams.

Clockify Key Features

• Time off management: Create time off policies, define holidays, and let employees submit leave requests that managers can approve directly in the platform.
• GPS location tracking: Monitor visited job sites and review team routes, with screenshot capture and privacy controls over what data is collected.
• Expense tracking: Record billable and non-billable expenses by sum or unit, attach receipts, and export expense reports for payroll or client billing.
• Invoicing: Pull tracked time directly into invoices, customize them with your company logo, and export as PDF to send to clients.

Clockify Integrations

Clockify offers native integrations with QuickBooks, Jira, Google Calendar, Outlook, Pumble, Asana, Trello, GitHub, GitLab, and Salesforce, and connects with Zapier. An API is available for custom integrations.