Congrats, your payroll match is ready.

We matched providers based on the answers you gave us, including what you need your payroll service to handle, your priorities, business size, contractor needs, industry, and other details about your business. Your top match is the provider that aligns most closely with the needs you selected.

Your match score shows how many of the needs you told us were important are covered by a provider.

For example, 5 out of 5 means your top match covers all five needs you selected. A lower score means the provider covers fewer of your stated needs. It reflects your fit with the provider, not an overall rating of how good the provider is.

Your estimated cost depends on the provider, your number of employees, and the pricing structure of the plan.

Where upfront pricing is available, we use the provider’s listed monthly base fee and per-person price to give you an estimate. Your final cost may vary depending on your specific setup, plan, and any additional services or fees.

Where a provider publishes a base fee and per-person price, we calculate an estimate using:

Monthly base fee + (number of employees × per-person price)

For example, if a provider charges $49/month + $6 per person, a business with 25 employees would have a starting estimate of $199/month.

This is an estimate based on the listed starting pricing, not a guaranteed quote. Actual pricing may vary.

There may be. Some providers charge additional fees for certain services, features, HR capabilities, contractors, or other requirements.

Where additional costs are identified in the available provider information, we’ll surface them in your comparison. If pricing isn’t fully available upfront, we’ll make that clear rather than implying that the estimate represents your final cost.

This is particularly important because hidden or unexpected fees were the #1 deal-breaker in the consumer research, selected by 29 of 50 respondents.

What’s included depends on the provider and plan.

The comparison highlights the key capabilities identified for each provider — such as payroll processing, tax filings, employee and contractor payments, onboarding, HR support, benefits, or international capabilities — so you can understand what you’re getting for the stated price.

Some capabilities may only be available on specific plans or may cost extra.

Many of the providers offer payroll tax and filing capabilities, but the exact coverage can vary by provider and plan.

Your comparison should show the relevant tax and compliance capabilities for each provider rather than assuming they are included in every plan.

This is particularly important because accuracy and compliance was the strongest single forced-choice factor in the consumer research, with 18 of 50 respondents selecting it as their most important consideration.

Support options vary by provider and plan.

Human support was a significant consideration in the research: 46 of 50 respondents rated human support as essential or very important, while phone support was expected by 43 of 50 respondents.

Where the provider information identifies dedicated onboarding, specialist support, phone support, or other human assistance, this should be surfaced in the comparison.

The difficulty depends on your current setup, business complexity, and the provider you choose.

Some providers offer dedicated onboarding or setup support, while others are designed around self-service setup. For example, the provider research identifies dedicated onboarding support for certain Gusto plans and dedicated SurePayroll specialist onboarding at no additional cost.

The consumer research also found that difficult setup/onboarding was one of the most common current frustrations, affecting 26 of 50 respondents.

It depends on the provider and your business needs.

Providers differ in the employee sizes they are designed to support, as well as their ability to handle additional states, contractors, HR, benefits, international employees, and business expansion.

For example, the provider research identifies Gusto as supporting businesses from 10–50 employees with packages extending to 250, Justworks at 10–200 employees, and Rippling at 20–500 employees.

Your comparison should therefore consider not only what fits your business today, but what capabilities you may need as it changes.