Payroll Cost Calculator
Enter how many employees you pay and see the estimated monthly cost of the top small-business payroll platforms, ranked cheapest first.
For 5 employees, the cheapest option is Patriot Payroll at about $37/month. See Patriot Payroll →
| Provider | Base/mo | Per employee | Est. monthly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Payroll | $17 | $4 | $37 | Visit |
| OnPay | $40 | $6 | $70 | Visit |
| Gusto | $49 | $6 | $79 | Visit |
| QuickBooks Payroll | $50 | $6 | $80 | Visit |
| ADP RUN | $79 | $4 | $99 | Visit |
Estimates based on published list prices (2026). Actual cost varies by plan, add-ons, state, and promotions — get a quote to confirm. ADP pricing is not public; its figure is an estimate.
How payroll software pricing works
Almost every provider charges a flat monthly base fee plus a per-employee fee. So your cost scales with headcount, not with how often you run payroll — running weekly instead of monthly usually does not change the SaaS fee. Tax filing, benefits, and time tracking may cost extra on lower tiers.
Affiliate disclosure: some links above are affiliate links and may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This tool is editorial and not financial advice.