Payroll software lets you pay employees, generate reports and view crucial tax documents — and the best payroll software should let you do so on the go as well as at your computer, either through a mobile app or a secure, mobile-friendly browser interface. Ideally, your payroll software also includes an app for employees so they can clock in and out, see their pay stubs and request time off from their phones.
Generally speaking, Paychex has the best payroll apps for employers and employees alike. Its app is notably user friendly and can tackle any task the browser-based software can. However, if Paychex isn’t a good fit for you, don’t worry — we explore Paychex and six other payroll app options to help you find the right fit.
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| Free trial | Starting base cost | Starting per-payee cost | App for employers | App for employees | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paychex | None | $39/mo. | $5/mo. | Yes | Yes | Try Paychex |
| ADP | 3 months | Custom | Custom | Yes | Yes | Try ADP |
| SurePayroll | 6 months | $19.99/mo. | $4/mo. | Yes | Yes | Try SurePayroll |
| Papaya Global | None | None | $12/mo. | No | Yes | Try Papaya |
| Rippling | None | Custom | $8/mo. | No | Yes | Try Rippling |
| Gusto | None | $40/mo. | $6/mo. | No | Yes | Try Gusto |
| Justworks | None | $0 | $59/mo. | No | Yes | Try Justworks |
Plan and pricing information up to date as of 7/20/2023.
Our star rating: 3.5 out of 5
Paychex’s user-friendliness, thorough automation and comprehensive HR tools ensure it stands out as one of the top payroll services for small businesses. Even better, while most payroll providers have one payroll app for employees only, Paychex sets the gold standard in payroll apps that work exceptionally well for both employees and employers.
Employees can use the Paychex Flex app to clock in and out, view pay stubs and update their personal and tax information. Meanwhile, employers can use the same app to view, approve and submit payroll while verifying any essential employee information.
While the iOS payroll app has a near-perfect star rating, Android users report that the app has been buggy since its most recent update. In mid-July of 2023, Paychex released a new version of the app on Google Play that will hopefully fix any lingering user issues.
To learn more about Paychex, read our comprehensive Paychex review.
While Paychex has multiple payroll software plans, only its cheapest plan has upfront pricing online:
Our star rating: 3.9 out of 5
As one of the most popular payroll companies across the globe, ADP has extensive resources to create an exceptional app that supports its many payroll products. Whether you use RUN Powered by ADP to pay small-business employees or outsource your payroll to ADP TotalSource, employees can access the ADP Mobile Solutions app to see pay information, contact co-workers, request time off and clock in or out.
Managers can also use the app to approve time-off requests, see team calendars and get high-level executive updates.
While the app has most of the same features regardless of which ADP product you’re using, each ADP product offers distinct benefits tailor-made for different business types and sizes. For instance, ADP Workforce Now is an all-in-one payroll and HR program for small and midsize businesses while ADP Vantage HCM helps international U.S.-based businesses manage their global workforces.
To learn more about ADP, read our comprehensive ADP review.
Unfortunately, ADP doesn’t list its starting prices online. Potential customers must reach out to ADP directly for a tailored quote.
The one exception is ADP’s newest product, Roll by ADP. This streamlined, chatbot-based app for micro-businesses starts at $29 per month plus $5 per person paid.
Our star rating: 4.2 out of 5
SurePayroll’s affordable payroll solution is tailored toward small-business owners running payroll on a budget. While it isn’t a free payroll tool, its six-month free trial ensures that employers can get a firm grasp on the software before paying a monthly fee.
Luckily, SurePayroll’s low cost doesn’t stop the payroll company from offering some of the best, most comprehensive payroll apps in the business, including apps for both employers and employees.
With the SurePayroll for Employers app, business owners can enter hours worked, preview and approve payroll, see compliance alerts and reach out directly to SurePayroll’s live customer service team. Using the SurePayroll for Employees app, both W-2 employees and 1099-contractors can see their paychecks and check rates of pay. W-2 employees can also view their time-off accruals.
To learn more about SurePayroll, read our comprehensive SurePayroll review.
SurePayroll has two plans that differ only in terms of their tax service:
With the self-service plan, SurePayroll calculates payroll tax amounts and draws up tax documents, but it leaves actual tax filing up to the individual business owner. With the full-service plan, SurePayroll calculates, deducts and files payroll taxes on your behalf, which includes making quarterly tax payments and submitting end-of-year tax paperwork.
Our star rating: 3.7 out of 5
Papaya Global’s international payroll software lets employers pay workers — including both contractors and regular employees — in more than 160 countries. While it lacks an employer-facing app, Papaya’s recently introduced self-service employee app lets global workers view their paychecks in real time.
While the self-service app, Papaya Personal, shows workers their pay stubs, it also functions as a company connection tool. Employees can receive company-wide alerts right from the app. They can also view and upload tax documents and request help from Papaya’s customer service center.
To learn more about Papaya Global, read our comprehensive Papaya Global review.
Papaya Global doesn’t aim to be a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, it offers a variety of different payroll tools at different price points so customers can affordably access Papaya’s global PEO services:
Our star rating: 3.8 out of 5
Like Papaya Global, Rippling’s international payroll software lets employers pay workers across the globe. Employees can download Rippling’s app to check pay stubs, request time off and connect with team members via an employee directory. Managers can also use the app to approve time off and manage employee expenses.
Additionally, the Rippling app serves as a single sign-on for every third-party business app your team uses, such as Slack and Salesforce. You can also use Rippling’s secure password manager, RPass, to safely share passwords across the company directly from the app.
To learn more about Rippling, read our comprehensive Rippling review.
Rippling’s payroll software starts at $8 per payee per month. The per-employee fee is on top of a base fee for Rippling Unity, which is Rippling’s software platform. While Rippling no longer lists its base price online, the site previously listed its base price as $35 a month.
Our star rating: 4.1 out of 5
Although Gusto doesn’t have a mobile payroll app for employers, its site is optimized for mobile. As long as employers have access to the web, they can run payroll on the go. Gusto’s autopilot feature also conveniently lets you schedule payroll in advance so you never have to worry about missing a payroll run, whether you’re at the office or away.
Employees can also access the mobile-friendly employee portal from their phones, but they also have the option of using Gusto’s app for employees, Gusto Wallet. The app doubles as a time-tracking app and mode of on-demand payment: Employees can use the app to get paid up to two days early.
To learn more about Gusto, read our comprehensive Gusto review.
Gusto has three full-service payroll plans, each of which includes Gusto’s free app for employees:
Our star rating: 3.7 out of 5
Justworks is a professional employer organization (PEO), meaning it’s an outsourced payroll solution that takes most aspects of payroll and HR off employers’ hands. While it doesn’t offer an employer-based payroll app, its extremely comprehensive employee-facing apps are intuitive, user-friendly and fully featured.
Via the Justworks mobile app, employees can view pay stubs, manage their benefits, request time off, see critical tax documents and chat directly with Justworks’ customer service team. Justworks’ time-tracking app, Justworks Hours, is similarly well reviewed by both iOS and Android users. The Justworks customer service team responds promptly to reviews and, according to users, works quickly to resolve bugs and log-in problems.
To learn more about Justworks, read our comprehensive Justworks review.
Justworks is one of the few PEOs with transparent pricing. It has two plans for small businesses:
The per-employee pricing for both plans drops by $10 a month starting with your 50th employee.
Instead of including built-in time tracking, Justworks’ time-and-attendance tool, Justworks Hours, is available only as a separate plan. Justworks Hours costs $8 per user per month.
To determine the best payroll apps for businesses, we assessed the most popular payroll software according to the following criteria:
Our star rating for each brand is based on an internal algorithm that ranks payroll software according to the following categories:
Our expert’s opinion and hands-on testing experience comprises the remaining 10% of our star rating system.
In general, Paychex has the best payroll app for small and midsize businesses that prioritize mobile functionality. Plus, at $39 a month plus $5 per person paid, the software itself has one of the lower payroll starting prices, though it’s worth noting Paychex has more add-on fees than many of its top competitors.
If Paychex’s pricing or features don’t work for you, check out one of the following recommendations:
If you’ve already tested the options we review here and haven’t yet found the best payroll app for your business, check out our list of the year’s best payroll software. Most — though not all — other payroll software also offer apps for employees, if not for employers. As you shop around for the ideal payroll provider, make sure to download apps as part of your free trial: Hands-on testing is the best way to figure out if a product is right for you or not.
Read next: The 8 Best Enterprise Accounting Software
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Designed for today’s needs and tomorrow’s ambitions, our adaptable solutions will elevate your operations & provide the tools for your business to thrive.
Payroll and HR that move you in the right direction. We give you everything you need to navigate payroll, HR, and benefits — so you can keep running your business smoothly.
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Paychex is a cloud-based payroll management system offering payroll, HR, and benefits management systems for small to large businesses. Paychex covers payroll and taxes, employee 401(k) retirement services, benefits, insurance, HR, accounting, finance and Professional Employer Organization (PEO).
