Best HR & Payroll by Use Case
4 curated guides ranking 7 hr & payroll products by audience and use case. Each guide picks winners against criteria that actually matter for the buyer — not vendor commission rate.
What to know about hr & payroll before picking a winner
HR and payroll pricing in 2026 splits into two worlds: domestic US platforms (Gusto, OnPay, Paychex) and global platforms (Deel, Rippling). For a 20-person US team, costs range from $98.80/mo (Buddy Punch, time tracking only) to $300+/mo (BambooHR with payroll add-on). Gusto and OnPay charge identical rates: $49 base + $6/person. Paychex undercuts both at $39 + $5/person but strips features from its entry tier. The global side is more expensive by design — Deel's EOR service at $599/employee/mo and Rippling's quote-based pricing reflect the complexity of multi-country employment law. Deel disrupted the market with free HR for up to 200 people, making it the most generous free tier in any SaaS category we track.
Buying criteria by use case
Two questions determine your shortlist. First: do you hire internationally? If yes, only Deel and Rippling handle global payroll and contractor payments. Everyone else is US-only, and bolting a second platform onto your domestic payroll creates operational overhead. Second: what do you actually need? If it's just payroll and tax filing, OnPay's single $49 + $6/person plan covers everything with no upsells. If you need HR workflows (performance reviews, PTO management, onboarding), BambooHR and Rippling offer deeper tools. If you need time tracking for field workers, Buddy Punch's GPS and geofencing solve a specific problem no one else addresses. Also compare integration ecosystems: Rippling has 500+, Gusto has 250+, OnPay has just 40 — that gap matters if your accounting software needs to sync automatically.
Curated 4 picks by audience
Best HR & Payroll Software for Small Business
Affordable per-employee pricing, easy setup, automated tax filing, benefits administration
7 products comparedBest HR & Payroll for Remote Teams
Global payroll, contractor payments, multi-currency, compliance across jurisdictions
7 products comparedBest Contractor Payment Software
1099/international contractor payments, compliance docs, multi-currency payouts, low per-payment fees
7 products comparedBest HR & Payroll for Startups
Fast onboarding, low per-employee cost, benefits bundling, scales from first hire to 50+
7 products compared