HR and payroll tools
HR and payroll software runs pay for a small business: it calculates wages, withholds and files payroll taxes, pays employees and contractors by direct deposit, and keeps records such as time off, benefits and documents. Some also employ people in other countries for you, as an employer of record, so you can hire abroad without opening a local company.
Rippling
HR, payroll, IT and finance modules on one employee database, priced per employee on a custom quote
Deel
Global hiring and payroll platform for contractors, employer of record and US PEO, priced per worker
BambooHR
HR software with employee records, hiring and reviews, plus a US-only payroll add-on
OnPay
US small-business payroll with a base fee plus a per-worker fee, and add-on HR, time tracking and benefits
Remote
Global employment platform with employer of record, payroll, contractors and a US PEO, priced per person
Justworks
Payroll from $8 per employee a month plus a $50 base fee, or PEO plans with benefits and HR support, for US small businesses
Gusto
US payroll, benefits and HR for small businesses
Side by side
How to choose
- 1
Which countries and states do you pay people in? Many payroll tools cover only the US, and hiring abroad usually needs an employer-of-record service priced per person.
- 2
How is it priced: a monthly base fee plus a fee per person paid? Work out the total for your real headcount, contractors included.
- 3
Are tax filings, year-end forms and multi-state payroll included, or extra?
- 4
Do you need benefits, time tracking, onboarding or performance reviews from the same tool, or only payroll?
Questions
What are HR and payroll tools?
HR and payroll software runs pay for a small business: it calculates wages, withholds and files payroll taxes, pays employees and contractors by direct deposit, and keeps records such as time off, benefits and documents. Some also employ people in other countries for you, as an employer of record, so you can hire abroad without opening a local company.
Which of these HR and payroll tools costs least to start?
Of the tools here with a published price, the lowest entry price is Justworks's Payroll plan at $8/mo, as published on its pricing page on 7 November 2026. The cheapest plan is not always the best value: check what each plan includes.