Patriot Software vs Gusto on Price (2026)

Quick answer

On published prices, the cheapest payroll software for a tiny business is Patriot Software. As of 2026-10-06, its Basic Payroll plan costs $17 a month plus $4 per employee, and its Full Service plan costs $37 a month plus $5 per employee. Gusto's cheapest plan, Simple, costs $49 a month plus $6 per person, so it costs more than either Patriot plan at every headcount.

The fair comparison is Patriot Full Service against Gusto Simple, because both handle payroll taxes for you. At one employee that is $42 against $55 a month, a difference of $156 a year. None of these plans can run a paycheck until the business has an EIN. If you have not formed the business or registered as an employer yet, start with that step, which is covered further down.

What does Patriot Software cost?

Patriot Software sells two payroll plans. Each one charges a monthly base fee plus a fee for every employee you pay. As of 2026-10-06, Basic Payroll is $17 a month plus $4 per employee, and Full Service Payroll is $37 a month plus $5 per employee. These are the ongoing published rates, not first-term offers.

The difference between the plans is who handles payroll taxes. According to Patriot's own plan descriptions, Full Service handles tax deposits and filings, and Basic leaves them with the employer. Basic is therefore the cheapest way to calculate and issue pay. Full Service is the cheapest plan on this page that also takes the tax work off your hands.

What does Gusto cost?

Gusto has three plans, each priced as a base fee plus a per-person fee. As of 2026-10-06, Simple is $49 a month plus $6 per person, Plus is $80 a month plus $12, and Premium is $180 a month plus $22. Gusto's pricing page presents all three as full-service payroll, so tax filing is part of the entry plan rather than an upgrade.

The higher Gusto tiers raise both the base fee and the per-person fee. For a business that just needs to pay a few people correctly, Simple is the Gusto plan to set against Patriot.

Patriot vs Gusto at 1, 3, 5 and 10 employees

The table shows monthly costs built from each provider's published base fee and per-person fee as of 2026-10-06. It leaves out payroll taxes, benefits and state add-ons.

Gusto Simple's base fee is $12 higher than Patriot Full Service's, and its per-person fee is $1 higher. So the gap is $12 plus $1 for each person you pay. That works out to $13 a month at one employee, $17 at five and $22 at ten, or $156, $204 and $264 a year. On published prices, Gusto Simple never drops below Patriot Full Service at any headcount.

The gap between Patriot's two plans is larger than the gap between Patriot and Gusto. At one employee, Full Service costs $21 a month more than Basic, which is $252 a year. That $252 buys the tax deposits and filings. Whether Basic is really cheaper depends on how confident you are doing that part yourself.

How do the other options compare on price?

Patriot and Gusto are not the only names a tiny business will weigh. The table lists every option this page covers in alphabetical order, which is not a ranking. All figures are as of 2026-10-06.

The entries below are also in alphabetical order. Gusto and Patriot Software are covered above.

ADP

ADP does not publish payroll pricing. It quotes each business individually. That makes ADP impossible to rank on price from the outside, and any page that gives you a confident ADP number is reporting someone else's quote. To compare ADP with the published prices above, request a quote using your actual headcount and pay schedule.

OnPay

OnPay publishes a single price of $49 a month plus $6 per worker as of 2026-10-06. Its public page shows a starting price of $55 a month, which is that formula with one worker. On published figures, OnPay costs exactly the same as Gusto Simple at every headcount and more than both Patriot plans.

QuickBooks Payroll

QuickBooks Payroll is sold bundled with QuickBooks accounting. As of 2026-10-06, the ongoing prices are:

• Workforce Payroll plus Simple Start: $88 a month plus $6.50 per employee.
• Workforce Payroll plus Essentials: $125 a month plus $6.50 per employee.
• Workforce Premium plus Plus: $203 a month plus $10 per employee.

The promotional rate is 50% off the base fee for three months. With Simple Start, for example, the base is $44 for three months and then returns to $88. QuickBooks Payroll makes the most sense for a business already keeping its books in QuickBooks.

SurePayroll

SurePayroll starts at $29 a month plus $7 per worker as of 2026-10-06. A multi-state add-on costs $9.99 a month, and household payroll starts at $39 a month.

Its lower base fee means its starting price beats Patriot Full Service at one to three workers. The two are equal at four workers ($57), and Patriot is cheaper from five upward. Before relying on that comparison, check exactly what SurePayroll's starting tier includes.

ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness does not run payroll, and it is not trying to compete with Patriot on a per-employee fee. It is the place where the earlier steps of the job happen: forming the business, the registered agent, the EIN, bookkeeping and a website. Payroll is handed to a partner, ADP. As of 2026-10-06:

• Formation is Starter at $0 plus state fees, Pro at $199 and Premium at $299. Pro and Premium renew at their annual prices.
• The EIN and operating agreement are included from Pro up and cost $99 each on Starter.
• The registered agent service is $199 a year, the Money Pro bookkeeping service is $30 a month, and the website is $129 a year.

The state fee is set by your state, varies, and is separate from ZenBusiness's price. None of these figures is the cost of payroll.

What has to be in place before any of these prices apply?

Payroll software pays the employees of an employer, and the employer is the business. The IRS's guidance on getting an Employer Identification Number lists having employees as a reason a business needs one. The SBA's guide to hiring and managing employees lists getting an EIN as the first step in setting up payroll. No plan in the tables above can run a paycheck without it.

The IRS also recommends opening a separate business checking account early. It says so in Publication 583, its guide to starting a business and keeping records. Payroll then draws from that account, and a business still running wages through a personal account has an earlier problem to fix than which software to choose.

For a reader who is starting out, this is where the costs begin, and ZenBusiness covers that sequence. The EIN costs $99 on its own, or comes included in the $199 Pro plan along with the operating agreement. Customers who form with ZenBusiness are also offered a free accounting consultation. One provider handles formation, the registered agent, the EIN and bookkeeping, which removes several separate errands before the first payroll run.

ZenBusiness documents its payroll route in its help center. It recommends RUN Powered by ADP, which is built for businesses with 1 to 49 employees. A ZenBusiness customer requests the connection from the ZenBusiness dashboard. An ADP representative then follows up to discuss employee count and pay schedule, and ADP provides the quote.

The scope matters. In ZenBusiness's own words, "No - ADP is a separate service with its own platform, billing, and support." Payroll runs in ADP's system, not inside ZenBusiness, and the dashboard is only where you ask for the connection.

ZenBusiness customers may be eligible for promotional pricing from ADP, but that is not guaranteed. Any offer is confirmed in the consultation and generally excludes state filing fees and add-ons.

If you run an S corporation, the owner is usually on payroll too. The IRS's guidance on S corporation compensation says the corporation must pay reasonable compensation to a shareholder-employee for their services before taking non-wage distributions. The IRS can also reclassify distributions as wages. So a one-owner S corporation with no other staff still pays a base fee plus one per-person fee: $42 a month on Patriot Full Service or $55 on Gusto Simple.

What costs does even the cheapest plan leave with you?

A lower monthly fee does not change what the law requires of an employer. The IRS's Hiring Employees page sets out obligations that apply whichever plan you choose:

• Form I-9: every U.S. employer must complete one for each person it hires.
• Form W-4: new employees should give you a signed W-4 when they start, and it takes effect with the first wage payment. A W-4 stays in effect until the employee gives you a new one. When they do, the new withholding must begin no later than the first payroll period ending on or after the 30th day after you receive it.
• Name and Social Security number: you need both for each employee to complete Form W-2.

Recordkeeping is another ongoing cost. The Department of Labor's Fact Sheet #21 says payroll records under the Fair Labor Standards Act must be kept for three years. The records that wage calculations are based on, such as time cards and wage rate tables, must be kept for two years. Keeping them is the employer's responsibility whichever plan you choose.

Classification can cost more than any subscription. The IRS's guidance on independent contractors versus employees looks at three categories of evidence: behavioral control, financial control, and the type of relationship. It is explicit that no single factor decides the question and that there is no fixed number of factors that settles it.

A label or a contract does not decide it either. An employer who treats an employee as a contractor without a reasonable basis may be liable for that worker's employment taxes. Form SS-8 asks the IRS to rule on a worker's status, but a determination can take six months or more.

Pay frequency is set by the states, and the rules vary widely. The Department of Labor's summary of state payday requirements gives examples:

• California requires pay at least twice each calendar month, on days set in advance.
• Colorado requires monthly pay.
• Connecticut requires weekly pay unless the labor commissioner approves a longer interval.

The DOL also tells readers to check with their state labor office for official information. The prices above are monthly, so if your state requires frequent pay days, confirm with the provider that more payroll runs do not add charges.

Workers' compensation is governed by state law and the rules differ sharply from state to state. Check your own state's requirements rather than assuming a payroll plan covers them.

So which payroll software is cheapest for a tiny business?

On published prices, Patriot Software is the cheapest, and the gap with Gusto is consistent: $12 a month plus $1 per person between Full Service and Simple. Gusto's case rests on what its higher tiers add, not on price. Choosing between them by cost alone is straightforward.

Best for, by situation (listed alphabetically by provider, not ranked):

• Need a quote-based provider: ADP, with a quote in hand before you compare it to anything.
• Lowest price, and you will file payroll taxes yourself: Patriot Basic, at $17 a month plus $4 per employee.
• Lowest price with tax filing handled: Patriot Full Service, at $37 a month plus $5 per employee. SurePayroll's starting price is lower at one to three workers, so check what that tier includes.
• Already keeping books in QuickBooks: QuickBooks Payroll, judged at its ongoing price rather than the three-month promotion.
• Not yet formed, or no EIN: ZenBusiness for the formation, EIN and business setup, then a payroll provider, either through its ADP partnership or one of the published-price options above.

This is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice, and requirements vary by state and change over time.