Payroll, PEO and EOR comparisons
Our 31 comparisons put two providers or two hiring models side by side on dated prices, contract terms and published scores: Gusto scores 69 out of 100 against ADP RUN's 32, Justworks 67 against TriNet's 50, and Remote 62 against Deel's 54 (October 2026 scores, prices checked October 16, 2026).
Each row below carries the verdict from its page. Click through for costs at 5, 10 and 25 employees, contract and exit terms, and what buyers complain about.
On this page
Payroll comparisons for small businesses
Gusto appears in most of these because it is the provider buyers most often weigh against the others, and it publishes its prices. For the whole field in one ranked list, see the best payroll services and what payroll costs at every team size.
| Comparison | Verdict (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Gusto vs ADP | Gusto (69) over ADP RUN (32): $109 a month for 10 employees on Gusto Simple against an estimated $119 on ADP RUN. ADP can come in lower at 25 people if the $79 plus $4 estimate holds, but only a quote will tell you. |
| Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll | Gusto (69) over QuickBooks (52): $109 against $153 for 10 employees. QuickBooks earns its higher price when you also need QuickBooks Online accounting. |
| Gusto vs Paychex | Gusto (69) over Paychex (25): a posted price, a tax penalty promise and an online exit, against a quote and a promotion tied to a one-year agreement. |
| OnPay vs Gusto | Gusto (69) narrowly over OnPay (67). Both start at $49 plus $6; OnPay is cheaper from the second state, while Gusto registers new states for you and lets you leave online. |
| Gusto vs Rippling | Gusto (69) over Rippling (21): posted prices for a US-only team, against a quoted system that adds HR, IT and overseas staff. |
| Gusto vs SurePayroll | Gusto (69) over SurePayroll (56). For 10 employees in one state they cost about the same; SurePayroll is cheaper for a second state and suits household employers. |
| Gusto vs Square Payroll | Gusto (69) over Square (55) on published terms, but Square is cheaper: $95 against $109 a month for 10, and $6 per contractor with no base fee. |
| ADP vs Paychex | ADP RUN (32) over Paychex (25). Both quote only; ADP publishes more of its terms, Paychex has the bigger promotion with a one-year lock-in. |
| ADP vs QuickBooks Payroll | QuickBooks (52) over ADP RUN (32): $153 for 10 employees with accounting included, against an estimated $119 by quote with 30 days' written notice to leave. |
| Rippling vs ADP | ADP RUN (32) over Rippling (21). Both quote only; ADP for US payroll with published guarantee and exit terms, Rippling for one system covering HR, IT and overseas staff. |
Scores are HRPricing scores out of 100 (config dated Oct 17, 2026). Prices are from provider pricing pages checked Oct 16, 2026; estimates are labeled on each comparison page.
Payroll and HR suites for midsize companies
All of these providers quote only, so the comparisons work from dated third-party estimates and the terms each vendor does publish. Read enterprise payroll software for an RFP checklist and HR and payroll software ranked for the all-in-one view.
| Comparison | Verdict (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Paycom vs Paylocity | Tied at 12. Neither posts prices or terms, so choose on fit and get contract length, implementation fee, price caps and exit terms in writing. |
| Paycor vs Paylocity | Paylocity (12) just over Paycor (10). Quote both for the same headcount and modules and ask for the year-two price. |
| ADP vs Paylocity | ADP (32) over Paylocity (12), because ADP publishes its tax filing and cancellation terms. Paylocity fits teams of 20 or more that want a full HR suite. |
| Rippling vs Paylocity | Rippling (21) over Paylocity (12). Rippling if you want HR, IT and global staff in one system; Paylocity for an HR suite with an employee app. |
| Paylocity vs Paychex | Paychex (25) over Paylocity (12). Paylocity is estimated at $18 to $22 per employee per month (OutSail, July 2026); Paychex has no current estimate but up to six free months on a one-year agreement. |
| Rippling vs BambooHR | BambooHR (54) over Rippling (30) on our HR software scores: $10 to $25 per employee, or a flat $250 to $650 a month for 25 or fewer, against a quote. |
Scores are HRPricing scores out of 100 (config dated Oct 17, 2026). Prices are from provider pricing pages checked Oct 16, 2026; estimates are labeled on each comparison page.
PEO comparisons
Justworks is the only traditional PEO with a posted fee (Deel and Remote also list a US PEO price), so it is the benchmark for every PEO quote. Health premiums usually move the bill more than the admin fee; see what a PEO costs in 2026 and PEO companies ranked.
| Comparison | Verdict (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Justworks vs TriNet | Justworks (67) over TriNet (50), mainly because Justworks posts its $79 or $124 fee. Get a TriNet quote if its support hours or industry benefit bundles matter to you. |
| Rippling vs Justworks | Justworks (67) over Rippling PEO (11): $79 or $124 per employee per month posted, against a quote-only PEO whose term, exit terms and certifying entity you must get in writing. |
| TriNet vs Insperity | TriNet (50) over Insperity (33). Neither publishes a price; compare the second-year cost after Insperity's credit runs out. |
Scores are HRPricing scores out of 100 (config dated Oct 17, 2026). Prices are from provider pricing pages checked Oct 16, 2026; estimates are labeled on each comparison page.
Employer of record comparisons
EOR list prices cluster at $399, $599 and $699, so deposits, FX, renewal clauses and entity ownership decide most matchups. All 13 providers are scored in the best employer of record services, and every published fee is in EOR pricing.
| Comparison | Verdict (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Deel vs Remote | Remote (62) over Deel (54). Both list $599, but Remote's own help article says $699 and its terms auto-renew for 12 months with at least 8% added; Deel publishes no deposit, FX or notice terms. |
| Deel vs Oyster | Oyster (64) over Deel (54) on our EOR scores. Oyster charges $699 flat with a published deposit and 30 days' notice; Deel charges $599 and publishes no deposit or FX terms. |
| Deel vs Rippling | Deel (54) over Rippling EOR (18): Deel posts $599 per EOR employee, $49 per contractor and $125 per US PEO employee; Rippling EOR is quote only, with a $499 third-party reference. |
Scores are HRPricing scores out of 100 (config dated Oct 17, 2026). Prices are from provider pricing pages checked Oct 16, 2026; estimates are labeled on each comparison page.
Hiring and outsourcing models
Before you compare providers, make sure you are comparing the right kind of service. These pages put two ways of employing or paying people side by side.
| Comparison | Verdict (October 2026) |
|---|---|
| PEO vs payroll service | Justworks PEO costs $79 to $124 per employee a month against $50 plus $8 per employee for its payroll plan. The PEO has to save about $98 to $107 per employee a month, mostly on health premiums, to break even. |
| PEO vs ASO | A PEO co-employs your staff and brings its own health plans; an ASO runs payroll and HR while you stay the only employer with your own plans. No ASO in our research publishes a price. |
| PEO vs EOR | A PEO for US staff of your US company ($79 to $125 per employee a month); an EOR for a country where you have no entity ($199 to $699). |
| In-house vs outsourced payroll | Doing payroll yourself costs $57 a month in software for 10 people on Patriot Basic but leaves every deposit and filing to you; full-service payroll for 10 costs $87 to $400. |
| W-2 vs 1099 | The IRS, the Department of Labor and states decide, not you. A $60,000 W-2 employee in Texas costs $4,875 a year in employer taxes; contractors paid $2,000 or more for 2026 work need a 1099-NEC. |
| EOR vs global payroll | An EOR at $399 to $699 per employee lends you an employer in the country; global payroll at $10 to $29 per employee only works for an entity you already own. |
| EOR vs your own entity | With $30,000 a year of entity overhead, your own entity beats a $599 EOR at about 5 employees, and a $399 EOR at about 8. |
| EOR vs AOR | An agent of record at $99 to $199 per contractor keeps the worker a contractor; an EOR at $199 to $699 makes them an employee. |
| EOR vs staffing agency | For a USD 40,000 worker, the EOR route equals a 49.77% markup on pay in Mexico and 39.55% in Germany. Hold agency quotes against those numbers. |
Prices from provider pricing pages checked Oct 16, 2026, and tax figures from IRS and state sources, as worked on each comparison page.
How the verdicts are made
Each verdict follows our published scores, not a commission. A provider scores higher when it publishes its price, its tax guarantee and its exit terms, and lower when buyers document the same complaint again and again. The criteria and weights are on how we score and rank providers, and which providers pay us is on how we make money.
A higher score does not mean the cheaper bill. Square Payroll is $14 a month cheaper than Gusto for 10 employees and still scores lower, because Gusto publishes more of its terms. Use the verdict and the cost table on each page together.
Every comparison page
Provider-against-provider pages, listed by name. The PEO and EOR model comparisons above sit in their own sections of the site.
- ADP vs PaychexTwo quote-only giants compared on estimates, promotions, guarantees and how hard they are to leave.
- ADP vs PaylocityADP RUN's estimated $79 + $4 and free-months offer against Paylocity's per-employee suite pricing.
- ADP vs QuickBooks PayrollQuickBooks' posted payroll bundles against ADP RUN's quote-only packages, with penalty and cancellation terms.
- Deel vs OysterDeel's lower EOR price against Oyster's published deposit, fee and exit terms, with India and Brazil costs.
- Deel vs RemoteSame $599 headline, different terms: deposits, FX, renewals, entity ownership and real India and Brazil costs.
- Deel vs RipplingDeel's posted EOR, contractor and US PEO prices against Rippling's quote-only EOR and platform.
- Gusto vs ADPPublished Gusto prices against ADP RUN estimates, with costs for 5, 10 and 25 employees.
- Gusto vs PaychexGusto's posted prices against Paychex quotes, promotion terms and the fees buyers report.
- Gusto vs QuickBooksPayroll-only Gusto against QuickBooks' bundled payroll and accounting, priced for 5, 10 and 25 employees.
- Gusto vs RipplingGusto's posted prices against Rippling's $8 floor and modules, for 5, 10 and 25 employees.
- Gusto vs Square PayrollSquare's lower posted price against Gusto's published terms, multi-state support and state registration.
- Gusto vs SurePayrollTwo posted-price payroll services, with year-end form fees, multi-state costs and exit terms.
- In-house vs outsourced payrollA fill-in formula for your staff time, published outsourcing prices, and the risks on each side.
- Justworks vs TriNetA posted $79 to $124 PEO fee against TriNet's quote, minimum headcount and longer support hours.
- OnPay vs GustoSame $49 plus $6 entry price; different multi-state, cancellation and add-on terms.
- PEO vs ASOCo-employment or administration only: who carries the tax liability, who owns the health plan, and what each costs.
- Paycom vs PaylocityTwo quote-only HR suites: dated third-party price estimates, first-year math and the terms neither publishes.
- Paycor vs PaylocityTwo quote-only HR suites compared on dated estimates, unpublished terms and a Gusto price check.
- Paylocity vs PaychexTwo quote-only providers: dated estimates, the October 2026 Paychex promo, and what to get in writing.
- Rippling vs ADPTwo quote-only providers: estimated costs, PEO paths, overseas hiring and exit terms.
- Rippling vs BambooHRBambooHR's posted HR plan prices against Rippling's quote-only platform, with payroll and contract terms.
- Rippling vs JustworksJustworks' posted $79 to $124 PEO fee against Rippling's quote-only PEO and modules.
- Rippling vs PaylocityRippling's $8 floor and modules against Paylocity's estimated $18 to $22 per employee suite.
- TriNet vs InsperityTwo quote-only PEOs: TriNet's per-employee fee against Insperity's fixed HR charge and $425 credit.
- W2 vs 1099The three tests that decide it, the cost gap on a $60,000 worker, and what happens if you guess wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gusto or ADP cheaper for a small business?
Should I use a PEO or a payroll service?
Is Deel or Remote better for an employer of record?
Which payroll providers publish their prices?
Sources (16)
- Gusto: Gusto pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Square: Square Payroll pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Intuit: QuickBooks Payroll (Workforce) pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Patriot Software: Patriot payroll pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- ADP: RUN Powered by ADP product page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Tech.co: ADP pricing guide (third-party estimate, updated Jan 7, 2026) (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Paychex: Small business payroll page and promotion footnote (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- OutSail: How much does Paylocity cost in 2026 (Jul 24, 2026) (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- BambooHR: BambooHR pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Justworks: Justworks pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- TriNet: TriNet PEO pricing (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Deel: Deel pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Remote: Remote pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Remote: Remote order form terms and conditions (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- Oyster: Oyster pricing page (checked Oct 16, 2026)
- IRS: Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC (checked Oct 16, 2026)
This page is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rules and rates change, so check the official source linked above before you file or sign a contract. Read our disclaimer.