Free payroll tools can help with a narrow setup or early research, but payroll accuracy, tax filing, and support requirements deserve a careful check before relying on any free tier.
TL;DR
Free payroll tools range from genuinely free options (like HR.my’s free-forever plan for any headcount) to limited trials or feature-gated versions of paid platforms like Gusto and ADP. Some tools blur the line: Homebase’s scheduling and time-tracking are free, but payroll itself is always a separate paid add-on there, never included free. The article evaluates 20 tools, flagging that “free” often caps employee counts, tax filing, or integrations — Patriot Payroll, for example, has no free tier at all — just a 30-day free trial. The most practical verdict: pick the narrowest tool that answers your specific payroll decision, then verify current terms on the official site before relying on any quota.
For most small teams looking for payroll specifically (not just scheduling), HR.my’s free-forever plan or Square Payroll’s no-base-fee contractor option offer the most genuine free functionality, but no single tool fits all — match the access model to your payroll complexity.
Free tools are most useful when they turn a payroll question into evidence and a next action. “Free” can mean a public utility, a limited quota, a verification-gated plan, or a trial, so this comparison makes the access model visible.
Each card states the best-fit job, the likely limitation, and the point at which a paid workflow may become useful. Verify current terms at the official source before relying on a quota or purchasing decision.
How to choose a free payroll tool
Direct answer: Start with the decision you need to make, then choose the narrowest tool that can answer it. Validate important findings against first-party data or official documentation before changing a high-value workflow.
Payroll4Free
Best for: ad-supported free payroll under 10 employees
Free, ad-supported payroll engine for small businesses that calculates federal/state/local payroll taxes and prints checks or runs direct deposit; it does not file taxes for you, and its "free" model is entirely funded by in-software advertising.
- Access model
- Free for businesses paying 9 or fewer employees per month; 11-25 employees costs $10 per payroll posting and 25+ costs $35 per posting per additional 25-employee bracket, and tax filing is a separate paid add-on.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
HR.my
Best for: genuinely free-forever payroll and HR
Cloud HR and payroll system (66 languages, multi-currency) covering leave, attendance, basic payroll, and employee self-service, funded by community crowdfunding rather than subscriptions or ads-as-primary-revenue.
- Access model
- Genuinely free forever with unlimited employees and unlimited storage, no per-head pricing; a $5/month optional sponsorship removes ads and adds storage/roles, free accounts are capped at 3 administrators, and it has no US payroll tax compliance/filing support.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Patriot Payroll
Best for: self-file or full-service SMB payroll
Small-business payroll software with a self-file "Basic" tier or a "Full Service" tier that also files and deposits federal/state/local taxes, both with unlimited payroll runs.
- Access model
- No free tier — 30-day free trial only; Basic is $17/mo + $4/employee and Full Service is $37/mo + $5/employee, with a common 50%-off-for-3-months new-customer promo.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Gusto
Best for: full-service payroll with benefits and HR
Full-service payroll, benefits, and HR platform for small businesses that runs tax filing, direct deposit, and multi-state compliance.
- Access model
- No real free plan or trial — you can set up and explore an account free of charge, but billing begins the moment you run your first payroll; Simple is $49/mo + $6/employee, Plus is $80/mo + $12/employee, and the separate Contractor-only plan is $35/mo + $6/contractor after an intro period.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
OnPay
Best for: full-service payroll with a free first month
Full-service payroll and HR platform with automated tax filing, W-2/1099 processing, and unlimited pay runs aimed at small businesses.
- Access model
- First month is free for new customers (no credit card, but a bank account must be linked), then pricing is $49/mo + $6/employee; HR add-ons cost extra.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Homebase
Best for: hourly scheduling with payroll as an add-on
Employee scheduling and time-tracking tool for hourly teams, with payroll sold as a bolt-on rather than a core feature.
- Access model
- Free "Basic" plan is capped at one location and 10 employees and excludes payroll; paid plans start around $24-30/mo per location for unlimited employees, and payroll itself is always a separate $39/mo + $6/employee add-on regardless of plan.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Square Payroll
Best for: contractor-only payroll with no base fee
Payroll processing built into the Square ecosystem, split into a contractor-only plan and a full-service W-2 plan.
- Access model
- No free plan for W-2 employees; the Contractor-Only plan has no base fee and costs just $6 per contractor actually paid that month (so it's effectively free/unused-cost until you pay someone), while Full-Service is $35/mo + $6/person.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
ADP
Best for: enterprise payroll for 1-49 employees
Enterprise payroll/HR vendor whose RUN product targets businesses with 1-49 employees, bundling tax filing, background checks, and tiered HR support.
- Access model
- No standing free plan; pricing is quote-only (roughly from $79/mo + $4/employee) with periodic 3-month-free promotional trials; ADP's separate low-cost product, Roll by ADP, is $39/mo + $5/employee and also offers a 3-month free trial.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Paychex
Best for: outsourced payroll and HR administration
Enterprise payroll/HR outsourcing vendor (Paychex Flex) with tiers ranging from basic payroll to full HR and benefits administration.
- Access model
- No free trial or free plan; only the entry Essentials tier ($39/mo + $5/employee) is publicly priced, higher tiers require a custom quote, and Paychex occasionally substitutes a 3-6 month "free payroll processing" promotion instead of a trial.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Rippling
Best for: modular payroll bundled with IT and HR
Modular workforce platform where customers assemble payroll, HR, IT device management, and finance modules a la carte.
- Access model
- No free trial for payroll (only its separate IT product gets a 14-day trial); listed from $8/employee/month for the base platform layer, but a mandatory $35-40/month base fee applies and most customers end up paying $20-35/employee/month once real modules are added; demo-only otherwise, with eligible early-stage startups sometimes getting 6 months free.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Deel
Best for: global contractor payments and EOR payroll
Global payroll/HR platform covering contractor payments, Employer-of-Record hiring, and multi-country payroll.
- Access model
- No free trial and no free tier for paid use — Contractor Management is $49/contractor/month and Employer-of-Record starts at $599/employee/month (often negotiated to $400-500 at higher headcount) plus a one-month-salary deposit; the one free component is Deel HR/Core HR for companies under 200 employees.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Remote
Best for: free HRIS with paid global payroll
Global employment platform offering HRIS, contractor management, global payroll, and Employer-of-Record services.
- Access model
- The HRIS plan (employee records, time-off, self-service) is genuinely free but excludes payroll; actual payroll costs extra — Contractor Management is $29/contractor/month, Global Payroll is roughly $29-50/employee/month, and Employer-of-Record is $599-699/employee/month.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Zoho Payroll
Best for: India-only free payroll, paid elsewhere
Payroll software integrated with the Zoho suite for salary processing, statutory compliance, and payslips.
- Access model
- A genuine free plan exists only in India, capped at 10 employees; in the US, Canada, and GCC there is no free plan, only a 14-day free trial, with US pricing from $29/mo + $5/employee (annual) or $39/mo + $6/employee (monthly).
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
QuickBooks Payroll
Best for: payroll add-on for QuickBooks users
Payroll add-on to QuickBooks Online/Workforce for pay runs, tax filing, and W-2/1099 processing.
- Access model
- No standing free plan; the 30-day free trial covers only the base monthly price (not per-employee or state-filing fees) and cannot be combined with QuickBooks' frequent 50%-off-for-3-months promotions — new customers must choose one offer or the other.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Wagepoint
Best for: Canadian small-business payroll compliance
Payroll software built specifically for Canadian small businesses, handling CRA remittances, T4s/T4As, and ROEs; not built for US-only or cross-border payroll.
- Access model
- No free plan — 14-day free trial (no credit card), then Solo is $20/mo CAD + $4/employee (one pay group/month) or Unlimited is $40/mo CAD + $6/employee for unlimited pay runs.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Xero Payroll
Best for: UK-only payroll inside Xero
Payroll module built into Xero's UK accounting product for RTI submissions and auto-enrolment; it is not a native US payroll product, and Xero instead refers US customers to Gusto.
- Access model
- No free plan; UK add-on pricing starts around £1.50/employee/month with a 200-employee hard cap and GBP-only support, a 30-day free trial, and sometimes 2 extra free months of payroll for up to 5 employees.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Sage Payroll
Best for: UK cloud payroll for under 150 staff
UK-focused cloud payroll product (Essentials/Standard/Premium tiers) for businesses up to roughly 150 employees, plus a separate Sage 50 Payroll desktop product tied to Sage's accounting ecosystem.
- Access model
- No free plan; UK cloud pricing starts at £12/mo for 5 employees with a 1-month free trial (or a promotional 90% off for 3 months); the older "Sage Instant Payroll" free/entry product has been discontinued and is no longer sold.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
BrightPay
Best for: UK/Ireland PAYE and RTI payroll
Desktop/cloud payroll software for UK and Ireland employers handling PAYE/RTI submissions and payslips, with a separate Bureau license for accountants managing multiple employers.
- Access model
- No permanent free plan in the UK (60-day free trial, then £49-199 per tax year for a Standard license); Ireland uniquely offers a genuinely free version limited to single-employee companies for PAYE Modernisation compliance.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Paylocity
Best for: mid-market HR and payroll, quote-only
Mid-market HR and payroll platform priced per-employee-per-month, covering payroll, benefits, and workforce management.
- Access model
- No free trial and no published pricing — access is via demo and custom sales quote only; third-party estimates put costs around $22-33 per employee/month plus $10,000-20,000 in implementation fees.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
Paycor
Best for: small-to-mid-size HCM and payroll
HR and payroll platform for small-to-mid-size businesses with a basic payroll-only plan and higher HCM tiers.
- Access model
- No free trial and no public pricing (quote-only via sales call); third-party estimates cite small-business plans around $99/mo + $6/employee. Note: Paycor was acquired by Paychex in 2025 and now operates as a separate brand under the Paychex umbrella.
- Research check
- Official product source linked
- Evaluate next
- Category fit, limits, integrations, and governance
A practical payroll workflow
- Define one operational question and the evidence that would change your decision.
- Run the smallest free check that can answer it.
- Record the source URL, access model, date checked, and material limitation.
- Validate important findings with a second source before implementation.
- Prioritize by risk, time saved, and business impact—not by warning count.
Category research: we screened relevant software-directory categories on G2, used Product Hunt to surface newer products, and then linked each card to the product’s official source. BuiltWith is used only where technology-stack signals are relevant, such as competitive intelligence and prospecting. Listings are not paid placements, and inclusion is not an endorsement.
Research methodology
Direct answer: This comparison groups tools by use case and links every card to an official product or documentation page. We distinguish free public utilities, free tiers, verification-gated access, and trials. The order reflects practical usefulness for a lean team: evidence quality, access friction, relevance to payroll, clarity of limits, and how easily a result becomes a next action.
We do not treat an automated score as a guarantee of savings, compliance, reliability, or business results. Product names, quotas, pricing, and capabilities change, so recheck the official source before relying on a current limit. Research checked August 2, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Are these payroll tools completely free?
Not always. This list includes public utilities, free plans, limited quotas, verification-gated access, and trials. Check the official source linked on each card for current access terms.
Is a free payroll tool enough for a small team?
Often, yes for a focused first workflow or a small data set. Teams usually need a paid plan when they require larger limits, history, automation, permissions, exports, or support.
How should I compare two payroll tools?
Compare the job each tool performs, the evidence it produces, the data it can export, its integrations, privacy terms, and the limit that will matter first—not only the headline feature list.
What should I verify before adopting one?
Confirm the current pricing page, quota, retention policy, security terms, cancellation process, and whether the free tier permits the workflow you intend to run. Validate important outputs before using them for a high-impact decision.
Conclusion
Direct answer: The best free payroll stack is small and explicit. Choose tools based on the question at hand, preserve the evidence trail, and upgrade only when scale, history, automation, or collaboration justifies the additional cost.
A payroll tool may bundle payroll runs with a free paycheck calculator, paystub creation, or time tracking, so compare the specific tasks and employee limits before choosing one.
Some payroll tools also bundle a free paycheck calculator or online paystub maker, while others focus on payroll runs; if you need a free payroll calculator, free time worked calculator, or a branded option such as Asure Payroll, check whether the utility is included or separate.
