-
Rippling: Best for remote employees
-
Gusto: Best for global payroll
-
ADP: Best for businesses that need customized plans
-
Paychex: Best for large businesses
-
QuickBooks Payroll: Best for QuickBooks users
-
Patriot Payroll: Best for small businesses
Square Payroll is a capable payroll solution offering excellent functionality. It is ideal for businesses using other Square products or needing payroll software with simple payroll functionality.
SEE: Check out our comprehensive list of the top payroll solutions of 2023 and beyond.
However, Square Payroll may not be a good fit for some businesses, especially those looking for advanced features or a more comprehensive payroll solution. You can continue reading to learn about the top Square payroll competitors and alternatives for 2023.
Jump to:
- Top Square Payroll competitors and alternatives: Comparison table
- Rippling: Best for remote employees
- Gusto: Best for global payroll
- ADP: Best for businesses that need customized plans
- Paychex: Best for large businesses
- QuickBooks Payroll: Best for QuickBooks users
- Patriot Payroll: Best for small businesses
- Is Square Payroll worth it?
- Square Payroll pros and cons
- Do you need an alternative to Square Payroll?
- Review methodology
Top Square Payroll competitors and alternatives: Comparison table
| Tax filing and payment | Time tracking | Employee self-service | International payroll | Starting price (per month) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Square Payroll | Yes | Third-party integration | Yes | No | $29 plus $5 per employee |
| Rippling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | $8 per employee |
| Gusto | Yes | Yes | Yes | Only for contractors | $40 plus $6 per employee |
| ADP | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Custom quote |
| Paychex | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | $39 plus $5 per employee |
| QuickBooks Payroll | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | $37.50 plus $5 per employee |
| Patriot Payroll | Yes | Third-party integration | Yes | No | $17 plus $4 per employee |
Top competitors
Rippling: Best for remote employees
Rippling offers a comprehensive Human Resources solution that includes payroll, benefits administration, learning management and more. The versatility offered by Rippling makes it suitable for businesses of all sizes. The user interface is well organized and intuitive. Rippling supports local and global payments and makes it easy to manage remote employees.
Key features
- Over 500 integrations.
- High-growth companies can use Rippling as their professional employer organization.
- Built-in tools for remote employees, such as an automatic setting for employee home address and device shipping.
- High automated payroll management to help minimize input needed by HR.
Use cases
- Payroll: Rippling is a full-service payroll system that includes automated payroll, direct deposits, multiple payment options, pay-on-demand, compliance support, international payment and more.
- Hiring and onboarding: From a comprehensive onboarding checklist to professional guidance from HR experts, you get a variety of hiring and onboarding services with Rippling.
- Benefits administration: You can use Rippling to manage employee benefits packaging, including their insurance, 401(k) plan, HSAs and more.
Check out our full review of Rippling’s payroll software.
Feature graph
| Square Payroll | Rippling | |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Tax filing and payment | Yes | Yes |
| Time tracking | Third-party integration | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | Not available |
| Employee self-service | Yes | Yes |
| International payroll | No | Yes |
| Direct deposit | Yes | Yes |
Gusto: Best for global payroll
Gusto is one of the leading payroll software packages on the market for small to medium-sized businesses. Even the most basic plan includes features such as wage garnishment, third-party integrations and unlimited payroll runs. Full-time employees on Gusto can take advantage of high-yield savings accounts to grow earnings and a checking account to get paid up to two days earlier.
Key features
- Gusto Wallet app helps employees track and access their pay.
- Highly customizable.
- Access to free checking and high-yield savings accounts.
- Full-service multi-state payroll, including W-2s and 1099s.
Use cases
- Contractor-only plan: Ideal option for small businesses without W-2 employees.
- Unlimited payroll: An unlimited payroll is a useful tool for startups and small businesses that need to make multiple payments.
- Global payments: You can pay employees and contractors around the globe with only a currency exchange fee.
- Payroll automation: You can automate several payroll tasks to get significant time and cost savings.
Check out our full review of Gusto’s payroll software.
Feature graph
| Square Payroll | Gusto | |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Tax filing and payment | Yes | Yes |
| Time tracking | Third-party integration | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days |
| Employee self-service | Yes | Yes |
| International payroll | No | Yes |
| Direct deposit | Yes | Yes |
ADP: Best for businesses that need customized plans
ADP is one of the most well-established brands in the HR software and services industry. The payroll solution offered by ADP offers a full range of features, including time tracking, tax filing and payment, direct deposit, international payroll and more. The customized pricing of ADP means they can tailor the software according to the needs of the client.
Key features
- All ADP packages come with onboarding assistance.
- Extensive list of account integrations.
- Comprehensive new hire reporting based on state laws.
- Time and attendance system that automatically syncs with payroll service.
Use cases
- Separate plan designed for small businesses: ADP offers a separate solution named RUN by ADP that is built just for small businesses.
- Automatic and manual payroll runs: Businesses can choose to automate or manually run payroll.
- Outsourcing: Employees that want to outsource payroll completely can enter a PEO with ADP.
- Payroll reports and analytics: You can use ADP to get a wide range of payroll reports such as tax liability, payroll details, benefits, deductions and more.
Check out our full review of ADP’s payroll software.
Feature graph
| Square Payroll | ADP | |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Tax filing and payment | Yes | Yes |
| Time tracking | Third-party integration | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days |
| Employee self-service | Yes | Yes |
| International payroll | No | Yes |
| Direct deposit | Yes | Yes |
Paychex: Best for large businesses
Paychex is a payroll solution built with larger businesses in mind. However, it also offers basic plans most suited for self-employed people or small businesses. The customizable plans can be tailored according to customer needs. Paychex offers productivity tools, a highly rated mobile app, employee onboarding, PEO, priority support on HR compliance, business insurance and more.
Key features
- Outstanding scalability through four service plans.
- 24/7 multi-channel support.
- Highly rated mobile app that provides access to payroll processing and reports on the go.
- Productivity enhancing tools such as the ability to have employees precheck their scheduled pay or voice-activated command to managers to run payroll.
Use cases
- Large business and enterprises: The comprehensive set of payroll tools and customized plans makes Paychex ideal for large businesses and enterprises.
- Hiring and onboarding: Paychex services cover every step of the new-hire reporting.
Check out our full review of Paychex’s payroll software.
Feature graph
| Square Payroll | Paychex | |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Tax filing and payment | Yes | Yes |
| Time tracking | Third-party integration | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days |
| Employee self-service | Yes | Yes |
| International payroll | No | No |
| Direct deposit | Yes | Yes |
QuickBooks Payroll: Best for QuickBooks users
QuickBooks Payroll is a subscription to access payroll features of the full QuickBooks software by Intuit. The payroll features are designed to simplify the process of managing payroll through payroll automation, employee self-service, time tracking, automatic tax filing and a variety of other tools. You also get a handy mobile app to view employee information, run payroll, request time off and other functions. The QuickBooks Payroll solution is ideal for customers already using QuickBooks accounting software.
Key features
- Online invoicing and billing.
- Automatic compliance updates for tax rates and regulations.
- Automated bookkeeping.
- Customizable reports.
- Native time tracking and integrates with several third-party time-tracking applications.
Use cases
- Customizable pay types and deductions: Businesses can create customer pay types and deductions, allowing them to track employee benefits such as health insurance premiums.
- Deep integration with QuickBooks accounting: You get seamless integration between payroll and accounting features of QuickBooks. This helps to streamline invoicing and payments and accurate financial reporting.
- Reporting: You get a range of customizable reports, including employee earnings reports and tax liability reports.
Check out our full review of QuickBooks’ payroll software.
Feature graph
| Square Payroll | QuickBooks Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Tax filing and payment | Yes | Yes |
| Time tracking | Third-party integration | Yes |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days |
| Employee self-service | Yes | Yes |
| International payroll | No | No |
| Direct deposit | Yes | Yes |
Patriot Payroll: Best for small businesses
Patriot payroll is a cloud-based payroll solution designed for small businesses to streamline their payroll, tax deductions and compliance tasks. Compared to other Square Payroll alternatives, Patriot Payroll is the most affordable option. You can do unlimited payroll runs and automatic tax filing using Patriot Payroll. However, you won’t get benefits administration or customizable reports with this software.
Key features
- You get access to demo software, training videos and other learning content.
- Transparent pricing structure, unlike some other solutions that require customized quotes.
- Multi-state payments and tax-filing services for employees and contractors.
Use cases
- Tax compliance: You get automatic tax deductions and filing services to ensure tax compliance with local, state and federal laws.
- Customizable reports: Patriot Payroll can generate a range of customizable reports, including payroll summary and tax liability reports.
- Employee self-service: Employees can access their tax forms, pay stubs, and other payroll information through the self-service portal. Some of this functionality extends to the mobile app.
Check out our full review of Patriot’s payroll software.
Feature graph
| Square Payroll | Patriot Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Tax filing and payment | Yes | Yes |
| Time tracking | Third-party integration | Third-party integration |
| Free trial | 30 days | 30 days |
| Employee self-service | Yes | Yes |
| International payroll | No | No |
| Direct deposit | Yes | Yes |
Is Square Payroll worth it?
Whether Square Payroll is worth it or not depends on the specific needs of the business. If your business already uses Square software, then Square Payroll would fit nicely into the ecosystem. Square Payroll is also good for businesses or solo users with a limited budget, as it’s more affordable than other payroll solutions on the market. The user interface is simple enough for all types of users, so getting started on the software shouldn’t be an issue. You also get decent features, including automation tools and separate payroll for contractors.
Square Payroll pros and cons
Square Payroll pros
- Excellent automation tools.
- Separate payroll for contractors.
- Simple to use.
- Deep integration with other Square applications.
- Straightforward pricing.
Square Payroll cons
- Limited to four pre-scheduled payrolls.
- Lacking advanced features needed by large or enterprise-level businesses.
- Limited reports.
Do you need an alternative to Square Payroll?
A primary drawback of Square Payroll is that it doesn’t offer the advanced features offered by some alternatives. For example, you don’t get international payroll, benefits administrations, or native time-tracking tools in Square Payroll. There are also limited integrations with Square payroll, which is a significant drawback for businesses looking to connect their tech stack. If you need any of these features, you must consider other alternatives. To help you get started, we have shared the top Square payroll alternatives on this page.
Review methodology
To pick the best alternatives to Square Payroll, we analyzed several software options for usability, core functions, pricing, advanced functions and customer support. We analyzed how the alternatives can fulfill needs that aren’t met with Square Payroll. In addition, we wanted to provide our readers with a variety of top alternatives to Square Payroll, so we picked solutions that offered different use cases.
Cybersecurity Insider Newsletter
Strengthen your organization's IT security defenses by keeping abreast of the latest cybersecurity news, solutions, and best practices.
Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays
