HR & Payroll Pricing Comparison 2026
7 products · dataset dated April 21, 2026 · Prices may have changed
Compare the service first: HR, payroll, time tracking, contractor management and employer-of-record plans are not interchangeable. Listed totals include the base fee for one billed worker on each product’s lowest known monthly plan. See each plan’s unit and features; request a quote where complete costs are unavailable.
Affiliate links on this page
These vendor links may earn us a commission. They do not determine the comparison order.
HR & Payroll in 2026: What the Data Shows
Market Overview
Compare the service as well as the headline price. Gusto Simple and OnPay Payroll Essentials each cost $169/month for 20 people at their published $49 base plus $6 per-person rates. Buddy Punch Starter time tracking costs $138.80/month for 20 users on monthly billing; payroll is a separate add-on. Deel Core HR starts at $5 per employee per month, while contractor management and EOR are separate services. Selected prices and terms were checked on October 2, 2026 UTC; this is a partial refresh of the older category snapshot, and feature coverage remains incomplete.
Key Buying Criteria
Start with worker locations and required services: domestic payroll, international contractor management, EOR, HR records or time tracking. Then add every base fee, per-worker charge and required module. Gusto Simple is single-state; Plus and Premium support multi-state payroll. OnPay offers native time tracking as an add-on, and Buddy Punch offers payroll as an add-on. Compare a like-for-like set of services before treating a lower headline rate as a saving.
Comparison notes
For a small US team, compare Gusto and OnPay using the features and states you need: their entry prices match, but their plan structures differ. For international hiring, separate Deel contractor management from EOR and confirm the country-specific total. For time tracking, calculate Buddy Punch with its $19 base fee and add payroll only if required. Request itemized Paychex and Rippling quotes before comparing them with published-price plans.
What to Watch Out For
Deel Core HR is no longer the free tier described in the older copy. Paychex now requests pricing for every package on its comparison page, so the former $39 + $5/employee figure cannot establish a cheapest option. BambooHR has conflicting Core and Pro per-employee figures on its official page; confirm a quote. Buddy Punch annual rates require annual billing, and OnPay add-ons can change the total materially. OnPay's free month is the 30-day trial, not an additional month.
| | | | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | |||||||
| Starting Price | Price unavailable | $24.99/mo for 1 user (Starter; time tracking) | $5/mo for 1 employee (Deel HR (Core); hr) | $55/mo for 1 worker (Simple; payroll) | $55/mo for 1 worker (Payroll Essentials; payroll) | Price unavailable | Price unavailable |
| Renewal Price | -- | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | -- | -- |
| Free Plan | Not established | Not established | Not established | Not established | Not established | Not established | Not established |
| Free Trial | Not established | 14 days | Not established | Not established | 30 days | Not established | Not established |
| Pricing Model | Per user | time tracking; per user + base | hr; per employee + base | payroll; per worker + base | payroll; per worker + base | Per user | Per user |
| Plans | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| | | | | | | | |
| Features | |||||||
| Payroll Processing | Add-on | Payroll add-on | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tax Filing | Add-on | Payroll add-on | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Direct Deposit | Add-on | Payroll add-on | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Benefits Administration | Add-on | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Quote-dependent | ✓ |
| Time Tracking | Not recorded | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Add-on | Add-on | ✓ |
| Employee Onboarding | ✓ | Advanced workflows; payroll self-onboarding | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Quote-dependent | ✓ |
| Global Payroll | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | EOR via Remote; separate service | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Contractor Payments | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Compliance Management | Not assessed by StackScored; verify scope, vendor terms, and your obligations. | Not assessed by StackScored; verify scope, vendor terms, and your obligations. | Not assessed by StackScored; verify scope, vendor terms, and your obligations. | Not assessed by StackScored; verify scope, vendor terms, and your obligations. | Not assessed by StackScored; verify scope, vendor terms, and your obligations. | Not assessed by StackScored; verify scope, vendor terms, and your obligations. | Not assessed by StackScored; verify scope, vendor terms, and your obligations. |
| Integrations | 125 | 30 | 100 | 250 | 40 | 80 | 500 |
| API Access | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mobile App | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| | | | | | | | |
How We Track Prices
This comparison uses a category snapshot dated 2026-04-21. Prices and terms may have changed. Check each vendor's current offer before buying.
Each amount uses its recorded currency; no currency conversion is applied. Prices in your region may differ due to local pricing and taxes. We show the lowest recorded paid tier unless otherwise noted. Billing units and plan limits differ; confirm current terms before buying. Some products offer introductory pricing that increases on renewal - we show both where applicable.
Affiliate links may earn us a commission. Product order is not a recommendation.
Head-to-Head Comparisons
See how hr & payroll products stack up against each other - plans, pricing, and features side by side.
Explore Alternatives
Explore Individual Product Pricing
Deep dive into each hr & payroll product - full plan breakdowns, renewal prices, features, and comparison notes.
More Ways to Explore HR & Payroll
Quick Pricing Summary
| Product | From | Free Plan | Pricing check |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5/mo for 1 employee (Deel HR (Core); hr) | Not established | 2026-04-21 | |
| $24.99/mo for 1 user (Starter; time tracking) | Not established | 2026-04-21 | |
| $55/mo for 1 worker (Simple; payroll) | Not established | 2026-04-21 | |
| $55/mo for 1 worker (Payroll Essentials; payroll) | Not established | 2026-04-21 | |
| Price unavailable | Not established | 2026-04-21 | |
| Price unavailable | Not established | 2026-04-21 | |
| Price unavailable | Not established | 2026-04-21 |
HR & Payroll analysis on the StackScored blog
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons:
Frequently Asked Questions
- How should I compare hr & payroll prices?
- Compare the same service and billing unit first. HR software, payroll, time tracking, contractor management and employer-of-record services cover different work; one category average or cheapest vendor would be misleading.
- How much does hr & payroll cost for a team of 5?
- Deel: $25/mo for 5 employees (Deel HR (Core); hr). Gusto: $79/mo for 5 workers (Simple; payroll). OnPay: $79/mo for 5 workers (Payroll Essentials; payroll). Buddy Punch: $48.95/mo for 5 users (Starter; time tracking). These are lowest known monthly-billed plans for each product, not equivalent service bundles. Optional add-ons and taxes are excluded.
- How are base fees and per-person charges calculated?
- Monthly total equals the fixed monthly base fee plus the per-employee, per-user or per-contractor rate multiplied by the billed quantity. Each plan shows its service and unit. A base fee is charged once, not once per worker.
- Are annual prices and custom quotes included?
- Annual prices are shown only when explicit annual components are available and are monthly equivalents billed annually. Missing terms require a vendor quote; monthly prices are not assumed to be annual prices. Check current vendor terms before buying.