Est. 2023 · Independent since day one No email · No signup · We show what we get paid →
Payroll counter — open 5 providers on the shelf

We didn't rank them. We ruled them out.

Ten thousand combinations. One that fits yours.

Tell us your state, your headcount, how you pay people, and what you already run. We name the one payroll provider that fits — and the one thing it's better than. Not a top-ten list. An answer.

Four questions. Then the answer → No email. No signup. Results on the next screen.

Why the top-ten list doesn't fit you

A list ranks the market. It can't rule things out for your setup.

~40
Payroll providers
50
States · own filing & comp rules
3+
Ways you pay: W-2, 1099, both
×
Whatever accounting tool you run

That's tens of thousands of combinations. No writer at a comparison site is holding that in their head — which is why they wrote you a list instead of an answer.

Your answers run against every provider's actual plan rules, state by state. We check the ones that don't fit off the shelf, and hand you what's left.

How the counter works

You ask. We spec it. You walk out with one part.

01

Answer four

State, headcount, how you pay, what you already use. Sixty seconds, no account.

02

We rule out

We eliminate the providers that don't fit your setup — and show you which, and why.

03

One fits

One primary pick, one alternate, and the reason for the split. Not five cards.

04

We show the pay

What we earn sits next to every option we name. Above the answer, not in the footer.

The shelf

We cover five payroll providers. On purpose.

Why only five →

A comparison site brags about covering forty. For a specifier, forty is the problem. We carry five we can spec against every state and pay structure — and we tell you what each one is bad at.

Gusto
W-2 · contractor-only · full filing
OnPay
Flat price · multi-state · lean
QuickBooks
Native if you keep books in QB
ADP RUN
Heavier · HR · growing headcount
Roll by ADP
Phone-first · flat price · very small

Before you start

Four questions about your setup.
Results on the next screen — no email.

We earn a commission from some of these. We'll show you which, and how much, right next to the pick. Everyone else hides it. We don't.

Spec my payroll →

Field notes

What we've had to figure out at the counter

All field notes →
The house rules
We don't

Rank the whole market. Gate the answer behind your email. Bury what we earn in the footer. Say "best," "#1," or "ultimate guide."

We do

Rule things out in front of you. Name one pick and one alternate. Print the commission next to it. Tell you what each provider is bad at.