Best Payroll Software for 6 to 25 Employees (2026)
At 10 employees: Gusto Simple runs $109/month, OnPay $100, QuickBooks Core $110, Patriot Full-Service $87. This is the most common small-business range. Here is the honest cost breakdown.
Monthly Cost at Every Team Size: 6-25 Employees
| Provider | 6 emp. | 10 emp. | 15 emp. | 20 emp. | 25 emp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Full-Service | $67 | $87 | $112 | $137 | $162 |
| OnPay | $76 | $100 | $130 | $160 | $190 |
| Top PickGusto Simple | $85 | $109 | $139 | $169 | $199 |
| QuickBooks Core | $86 | $110 | $140 | $170 | $200 |
| Square (W-2) | $71 | $95 | $125 | $155 | $185 |
| Gusto Plus | $152 | $200 | $260 | $320 | $380 |
| QuickBooks Premium | $139 | $175 | $220 | $265 | $310 |
| ADP RUN (est.) | $103 | $119 | $139 | $159 | $179 |
| Paychex Flex (est.) | $69 | $89 | $114 | $139 | $164 |
Last verified April 2026. Single-state pricing. ADP and Paychex figures are estimates. Patriot multi-state: +$12/state/month.
When to Upgrade from Gusto Simple to Gusto Plus
Gusto Simple ($49 + $6) covers payroll, direct deposit, tax filing, W-2s, and basic employee self-service. Gusto Plus ($80 + $12) adds health and dental benefits administration, multi-state payroll, unlimited PTO policies, time tracking, next-day direct deposit, and HR document management.
The monthly upgrade cost from Simple to Plus at 10 employees is $100 per month ($200 vs $109). For teams offering health benefits, this is typically worthwhile because the benefits administration alone eliminates 3-5 hours per month of HR admin. For payroll-only teams with no benefits, stick with Simple.
| Gusto Plan | 10 emp. | 15 emp. | 25 emp. | When to upgrade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple ($49 + $6) | $109 | $139 | $199 | Payroll-only, 1 state, no benefits |
| Plus ($80 + $12) | $200 | $260 | $380 | Offering benefits, multi-state, time tracking needed |
| Upgrade premium | +$91 | +$121 | +$181 | Worth it if saving 3+ hrs/month HR admin |
Benefits-Heavy Teams: The Decision Shifts
When health insurance enters the picture, the comparison set changes. Standalone payroll providers (Patriot, OnPay at the base tier) require you to administer benefits through a separate broker, which adds cost and administrative complexity. The relevant comparison becomes Gusto Plus, Rippling, Justworks PEO, and standalone payroll plus a separate benefits broker.
For a 15-person team offering health, dental, and vision, a rough cost comparison looks like this:
| Option | Monthly cost (15 emp.) | Benefits admin |
|---|---|---|
| Gusto Plus | $260 | Included in plan |
| OnPay + broker | $130 + $75 broker = $205 | Via separate broker |
| Justworks PEO | $885 ($59/emp) | Included (access to large-group rates) |
| Rippling (est.) | $300-450 | Module add-on |
Integrations That Matter at This Size
At 6-25 employees, three integrations become genuinely important:
- 1.Accounting sync: Reconciling payroll journal entries manually at 15 employees takes 1-2 hours per payroll run. A native sync (Gusto-QBO, QuickBooks Payroll-QBO, Gusto-Xero) reduces this to seconds. This is the single most valuable integration at this size.
- 2.401k integration: At 10-15 employees, a company 401k becomes a realistic hiring benefit. Gusto integrates natively with Guideline, Human Interest, and Vestwell. QuickBooks Payroll integrates with Guideline. OnPay has 401k integrations. Patriot does not.
- 3.Time tracking: For hourly employees, integrated time tracking eliminates manual hour entry. Gusto Plus includes built-in time tracking. QuickBooks has QuickBooks Time (add-on). Homebase and Deputy integrate with several providers.
See detailed coverage: payroll integrations guide | scaling to 26+ employees | cost calculator