Gusto vs OnPay vs Justworks vs Rippling
Four payroll services we review. Each publishes a starting price made of a monthly base fee plus a fee per person.
Updated Oct 23, 2026. Prices are copied from each vendor's pricing page on the date shown. Software reviews only, not financial or accounting advice.
At a glance
| Gusto | OnPay | Justworks | Rippling | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it does | Payroll, tax filings, benefits and HR for small businesses, with integrations for QuickBooks, Xero and FreshBooks. | Payroll with W-2s, 1099s and year-end filings included, unlimited pay runs and multi-state support, plus optional HR and time tracking. | Payroll software or a full PEO that adds benefits, compliance and HR support. | Modular HR and payroll platform priced per employee, where you add products as you need them. |
| Published price | Simple $49/month + $6/person. Plus $80/month + $12/person. Premium $180/month + $22/person.Vendor pricing page, checked | Payroll Essentials $49/month base + $6 per worker.Vendor pricing page, checked | Payroll $8/employee/month + $50/month base. PEO Basic $79/employee/month. PEO Plus $124/employee/month.Vendor pricing page, checked | From $8 per employee per month plus a monthly base fee. Full quote on request.Vendor pricing page, checked |
| Pricing | Paid | Paid | Paid | Paid |
| Works with | QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks (per the vendor) | None listed in our review | None listed in our review | None listed in our review |
| Our rankings | ||||
| Website | gusto.com | onpay.com | justworks.com | rippling.com |
| Visit Gusto | Visit OnPay | Visit Justworks | Visit Rippling |
Gusto
- What it does
- Payroll, tax filings, benefits and HR for small businesses, with integrations for QuickBooks, Xero and FreshBooks.
- Published price
- Simple $49/month + $6/person. Plus $80/month + $12/person. Premium $180/month + $22/person.Vendor pricing page, checked
- Pricing
- Paid
- Works with
- QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks (per the vendor)
- Our rankings
- Website
- gusto.com
OnPay
- What it does
- Payroll with W-2s, 1099s and year-end filings included, unlimited pay runs and multi-state support, plus optional HR and time tracking.
- Published price
- Payroll Essentials $49/month base + $6 per worker.Vendor pricing page, checked
- Pricing
- Paid
- Works with
- None listed in our review
- Website
- onpay.com
Justworks
- What it does
- Payroll software or a full PEO that adds benefits, compliance and HR support.
- Published price
- Payroll $8/employee/month + $50/month base. PEO Basic $79/employee/month. PEO Plus $124/employee/month.Vendor pricing page, checked
- Pricing
- Paid
- Works with
- None listed in our review
- Website
- justworks.com
Rippling
- What it does
- Modular HR and payroll platform priced per employee, where you add products as you need them.
- Published price
- From $8 per employee per month plus a monthly base fee. Full quote on request.Vendor pricing page, checked
- Pricing
- Paid
- Works with
- None listed in our review
- Website
- rippling.com
Which one to pick
Our verdict on each, from its review.
Gusto
Best all-round payroll for a small team, and a favorite of bookkeepers.
OnPay
Best simple, single-plan payroll at a low base price.
Justworks
Best if you want payroll plus big-company benefits through a PEO.
Rippling
Best for growing teams that want payroll and HR in one system they can add to later.
Where they rank
Rankings that include more than one of these tools. Position is in the full ranking.
- Best payroll software for small businessesNo. 1 Gusto · No. 2 OnPay · No. 4 Justworks · No. 5 Rippling