Top 10 payroll companies to streamline payroll management

Choosing the best payroll software for your company can feel like navigating a maze. From staying on top of HR paperwork to making smooth and timely direct deposits for your employees and handling complex payroll taxes, it’s easy for even the most experienced HR managers to become overwhelmed. That’s where payroll providers come in. Payroll processing software can not only help you run payroll efficiently but also handle other HR tasks and integrations like benefits administration, time tracking, and tax filing needs.

The right payroll solution can transform payroll processing from a painful chore into a seamless, automated workflow. The top payroll companies on this list offer features like easy onboarding, time tracking integration, and employee self service capabilities, so your employees can access their pay stubs, tax forms, and deductions information in just a few clicks. But with so many payroll services on the market, it’s important to find the right one for your business needs, whether you’re a startup, a mid-sized firm, or a large enterprise. After all, the right payroll system helps ensure compliance with tax laws, provides HR support, and scales with your businesses needs as you grow.

Below, we’ll walk through the top payroll providers in 2025, so you can compare payroll services like Rippling, ADP—including its popular ADP Run product—Gusto, Paychex, and more. These providers can help you handle payroll taxes, generate payroll reports, and integrate with accounting software tools. It’s time to simplify managing payroll, reduce errors, and gain peace of mind so your HR team can focus on strategic initiatives. Let’s dive in.

What is a payroll company?

A payroll company is a service provider that specializes in payroll solutions, designed to simplify the way HR and finance teams manage and run payroll for their businesses.

Payroll service providers focus first and foremost on payroll tasks: helping you pay your workforce accurately and on time. But they can often help you with a variety of other HR and administrative tasks: calculating payroll taxes, maintaining compliance with federal and state regulations, providing benefits administration, managing tax filings, and preparing pay stubs for your employees. Many payroll providers also integrate time tracking tools, allowing them to pull in time and attendance data, track deductions, and help ensure error-free tax calculations.

For both large and small businesses, payroll providers can act as a convenient HR extension, often offering employee self service features so your employees can handle their tax forms, review their pay stubs, enroll in employee benefits, and update their personal information. They also facilitate payments—often via direct deposit—making payroll processing seamless.

Full service payroll software can help make small business payroll operations more streamlined and automated, minimizing mistakes and reducing the need for manual intervention. Whether you want to integrate with accounting software, improve your onboarding flow, or streamline time tracking, a good payroll service provider can meet your business needs, offering flexible payroll options and scalability as you grow.

Top 10 payroll companies in 2025

Below are our picks for the top payroll providers in 2025. Each one offers specialized payroll services and unique HR features, ranging from compliance management to benefits administration and more. Whether you’re a large enterprise or one of many small businesses just getting started, these providers will likely have something to fit your business needs.

1. Rippling

Rippling offers versatile payroll software alongside an all-in-one HR platform that unifies HR, IT, and finance. With Rippling’s comprehensive workforce management tools, you don’t just get a payroll provider—you also get automated onboarding, time tracking, benefits administration, compliance support, and more creating a unified solution that’s especially helpful for small businesses.

Rippling automates key workflows like tax filing and payment, so you can breathe easy knowing you’ll stay in compliance. With robust employee self service tools via a modern and intuitive employee portal, Rippling makes managing payroll effortless.

Key features:

• Automated payroll runs for employees and contractors
• Integrated onboarding and time and attendance tools
• Easy direct deposit setup for employees
• Built-in payroll tax management, including automated tax calculations and multi-state tax filing
• Customizable deductions, garnishments, and payroll reports
• Comprehensive HR support and employee benefits management

2. ADP

ADP is one of the longest-running providers in the payroll services industry, used by countless small businesses and enterprises alike. It offers an HR platform as well as ADP Run, a simple, payroll-only product geared toward small businesses. ADP Run offers automated payroll processing, compliance management for tax forms, and easy onboarding for new hires. Its HR platform integrates with accounting software, supports benefits administration, and provides a user-friendly employee portal.

Key features:

• Adaptable payroll system with flexible payroll options, including ADP Run for small businesses payroll and HR platform for scalability
• Full service payroll, including deductions and payroll tax filing
• Employee self service portal for pay history, pay stubs, and benefits
• Built-in time tracking tools
• Integrated HR tools like employee onboarding and benefits administration

3. Paychex

Paychex offers Paychex Flex, a payroll solution for small businesses and medium-sized companies. Paychex handles tax filing and compliance, offers direct deposits, integrates with a built-in time tracking tool, and offers employee self service features, while HR managers get strong reporting tools.

Key features:

• Paychex Flex for flexible HR and payroll services
• Full service payroll processing, including deductions and payroll tax calculations
• Employee portal for accessing pay stubs, tax forms, and benefits
• New hire onboarding
• Integrations with accounting software and time tracking tools
• Compliance support
• Outsourced payroll plans

4. Gusto

Gusto is a favorite among small businesses, offering user-friendly payroll software that automates payroll processing alongside features like onboarding and comprehensive benefits administration. It also provides direct deposits, time tracking, and a simple, streamlined approach to payroll tax filings.

Key features:

• Intuitive payroll system geared toward small businesses
• Integrated HR tools like onboarding, benefits administration, and employee self service tools
• Full service payroll options, including automated payroll, direct deposit, and easy deductions setup
• Compliance support for tax forms and payroll tax filing

5. Intuit Quickbooks

Intuit’s QuickBooks payroll integrates directly with the popular accounting software, making it popular among small businesses. With QuickBooks payroll, you get automated payroll processing, employee onboarding tools, time tracking, direct deposit, and tax calculation and filing. QuickBooks also simplifies deductions and helps with compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.

Key features:

• Seamless link between Quickbooks Payroll and accounting software for small businesses
• Automates tasks like payroll tax filing and pay stub generation
• Includes direct deposits
• Built in time tracking
• Employee self service features

6. Deel

Deel specialized in international HR management, outsourced payroll, and other solutions for global and remote teams. It allows for hiring global employees, remote onboarding, and handling payroll taxes across borders, streamlining certain payroll operations for distributed teams.

Key features:

• HR compliance features
• Outsourced payroll plans and processing
• Onboarding tools and employee self service features
• Multiple currency direct deposit options
• Integrations with various third party time tracking tools

7. Paylocity

Paylocity’s payroll software handles compliance and payroll tax filing, plus payroll reports, deductions, and garnishments. Paylocity also offers a more holistic HR platform with features for employee onboarding, time tracking, benefits administration, and employee self-service.

Key features:

• Full service payroll with direct deposit and tax filing
• Tax forms and pay stubs available in an employee portal
• Compliance support
• Scalable for small businesses to larger enterprises
• HR platform available with more comprehensive features

8. OnPay

OnPay targets small businesses by offering a budget-friendly, automated payroll software solution with streamlined payroll tax filing, compliance, direct deposit, and more. It also integrates with popular accounting software to help HR and finance teams save time.

Key features:

• Affordable payroll services for small businesses
• Direct deposit, payroll reports, and easy pay stubs generation
• Integrations with popular accounting software
• Outsourced payroll solutions

9. Paycor

Paycor empowers finance and HR teams in small businesses and larger organizations with automated payroll processing, benefits administration, and onboarding features. Its payroll software can help organizations pay their workforce with direct deposits, calculate payroll taxes, and manage compliance.

Key features:

• Payroll services that can scale for small businesses up to large organizations
• Onboarding, time tracking, and employee self service features
• Handles payroll tax filing, deductions, and garnishments
• Built-in payroll reporting

10. FreshBooks

FreshBooks is known for its user-friendly accounting software, which pairs well with its outsourced payroll solutions. While not as feature-rich as giants like ADP or Paychex, FreshBooks simplifies payroll processing for small businesses, offering direct deposits, time tracking integration, and employee self service features. It can be a good choice if your business needs straightforward payroll services integrated with your accounting.

Key features:

• Small businesses payroll integrated with FreshBooks accounting software
• Automated payroll processing
• Basic HR tools and employee self service portal
• Direct deposits
• Basic compliance support

Best payroll companies for small businesses

Small businesses often have unique business needs when it comes to payroll processing. They need a payroll system that’s easy to use, provides HR tools without complexity, and offers reliable compliance.

The following payroll providers excel at serving small businesses:

1. Rippling

Rippling’s automated payroll software is great for small businesses looking for an all-in-one HR and payroll solution. It unifies HR, IT, and finance tools in one platform, making it easy to run payroll and manage all your workforce needs at any scale.

2. ADP

ADP’s ADP Run platform is specifically designed for small businesses. ADP Run offers full service payroll with automated tax calculations and filings for a painless small business payroll experience.

3. OnPay

OnPay provides affordable outsourced payroll for smaller businesses. With OnPay, you get a full service payroll system that easily adapts as your business needs evolve.

4. SurePayroll

SurePayroll is another payroll service provider that caters well to small businesses. It offers automated payroll processing with direct deposit and basic HR features. SurePayroll simplifies tax filing, reduces errors, and helps maintain compliance for growing small businesses.

5. Gusto

Gusto’s intuitive interface and employee self service tools make it a top choice for small business payroll. It provides automated payroll services alongside HR tools like benefits administration, time tracking, and compliance support. Gusto also integrates easily with accounting software.

4 benefits of partnering with a payroll company

Save time and reduce errors

By outsourcing payroll to a dedicated payroll service provider, HR teams no longer waste hours manually doing tax calculations, wrestling with deductions, or generating pay stubs. Automated payroll software reduces human error, speeds up payroll processing, and frees up your HR staff for strategic tasks.

Ensure compliance with tax laws

Compliance with payroll tax laws is critical. Payroll providers handle tax forms and monitor changes in tax legislation so you don’t have to. They often integrate with time and attendance tools to monitor your time tracked and sync it to payroll, and they make sure your employee data stays accurate and up-to-date.

Access to employee benefits management

Many payroll service providers offer benefits administration, so you can give your employees access to healthcare, retirement plans, and other perks. High-quality employee benefits make you a more competitive employer, helping you attract and retain the best talent. They also improve employee retention, loyalty, and engagement.

Streamlined reporting and analytics

The best payroll software can generate detailed payroll reports, helping HR and finance leaders spot trends and make informed decisions. With actionable insights at your fingertips, you can refine HR strategies as your business needs evolve.

Why does your business need a payroll software provider?

Managing payroll processing manually is fraught with risks. HR teams face constant challenges in maintaining compliance, juggling tax forms, handling deductions, and ensuring accurate pay for all employees. Small businesses especially can struggle to handle all these tasks without outsourced payroll help.

A professional payroll service provider brings automated efficiency to the table. In addition to payroll services, they often integrate with other HR tools to streamline many workforce management tasks. The right payroll software provider supports scalable growth at every stage and helps you focus on what matters: growing your company and engaging with your employees.

Rippling: The payroll solution you need

If you’re looking for a payroll solution that can help you pay your workforce accurately and on time, no matter the size of your business, you need Rippling.

Rippling Payroll is intuitive, easy to use, and has a 100% error-free guarantee on every pay run. It also offers 500+ integrations, automatic and accurate tax registration and filing, and a dedicated mobile app where your employees can view their W-2s and paystubs, submit expenses directly, and more. With Rippling, you can: 

• Pay employees and contractors in the same platform
•  Manage time and attendance natively 
• Run unlimited off-cycle pay runs at no extra cost 
• Set up multiple pay schedules, pay rates, and pay types in just a few clicks 
• Add recurring reimbursements (like cell phone payments, gym memberships, etc.) that are automatically paid out every pay period, monthly, or at whatever interval you choose
• Automatically calculate prorated pay runs for new or promoted employees 
• Manage all currency conversions, including payroll adjustments 
• Automatically calculate overtime for every country 
• Make changes after submitting payroll

This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of December 23, 2024.

Disclaimer: Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.