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Managing payroll can pose a significant challenge for business owners, especially those in the early stages of their ventures. The Best Free Payroll Software, on the other hand, is a cost-effective way to handle important payroll tasks without adding extra overhead costs. Even though these tools may not have a lot of features, their main purpose is to make sure your workers are paid on time and correctly.
Check out my in-depth review to learn more about the Best Free Payroll Software choices that are currently on the market. Each software tool on this list has a short explanation and a list of its most important features. We’ve also listed the pros and cons of each option so that you can make an informed choice that fits the needs of your business. To make it easier for you to choose, We’ve included a comparison chart so you can look at all of these payroll software options at once and choose the one that works best for your business.
What is Free Payroll Software?
Payroll software suppliers typically provide free versions of their products to small firms as part of their “starter plans.” Any company that is operating on a limited budget but yet needs to perform the fundamental payroll functions can benefit from this choice.
Free payroll software allows you to take care of the fundamentals of payroll, including calculating taxes and employee deductions, generating pay stubs, and making direct transfers. However, there is a possibility that it will have a cap on the number of employees or transactions that it can manage. Even so, it’s a good idea to look into it if your payroll needs are straightforward and your staff is quite modest in size.
Best Free Payroll Software Comparison Table
Security is an important thing to think about. Even though reputable free payroll software providers have security measures in place, you still need to do your research to make sure that your private payroll data is safe. Choose software from companies you know and trust and whose security methods are strong.
Feature | Deel | TimeTrex | Payroll4Free | OnPay | HR.my |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pricing | Starts at $39/month | Starts at $20/month | Starts at $0 | Starts at $29/month | Starts at $15/month |
Features | Global payroll, time tracking, expense management, benefits administration | Time tracking, invoicing, project management, expense management | Payroll, tax filing, W-2s, 1099s | Payroll, tax filing, HR support, benefits administration | Payroll, time tracking, employee self-service, benefits administration |
Compliance | Supports over 150 countries | Supports over 100 countries | Supports US and Canada | Supports US and Canada | Supports Malaysia |
Support | 24/7 support | 24/7 support | 24/7 support | 24/7 support | 24/7 support |
Website Link | Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website | Visit Website |
List of the Best Free Payroll Software
Some free payroll software may offer additional premium features or charge fees for services such as tax filing, direct deposit, or customer support. Other free payroll software may not offer these additional charged features or services. It is absolutely necessary to thoroughly examine the terms and conditions of the program in order to gain an understanding of any potential hidden fees.
Deel

Feature | Description |
---|---|
Global Payments | Facilitates payments to international team members |
Compliance Tools | Helps maintain compliance with local labor regulations |
Onboarding | Streamlines the onboarding process for remote workers |
Time Tracking | Tracks working hours and automates payroll calculations |
Contract Management | Creates and manages employment contracts electronically |
Visit Website |
Deel is an all-in-one global HR tool that has advanced payroll features for multiple countries. Their platform lets companies hire and pay remote team members or workers from anywhere in the world. There are checks and balances in place to make sure that everything is legal.
Small businesses should use Deel’s platform because they offer their services for free to companies with less than 200 workers. Compared to their paid plans, the free plan doesn’t have as many payroll features, but it still has enough to help small businesses handle their payroll.
The Good
- Simplifies global payments
- Comprehensive compliance tools
- Efficient onboarding
The Bad
- Pricing may not be suitable for very small businesses
TimeTrex

Feature | Description |
---|---|
Time and Attendance | Tracks employee working hours and attendance |
Payroll Processing | Automates payroll calculations and tax deductions |
Scheduling | Creates employee schedules and manages shifts |
HR Management | Handles HR tasks such as employee records and benefits |
Mobile Access | Allows access to features via mobile apps |
We suggest TimeTrex as the best free payroll software for a small business because it lets you track time, make schedules, keep track of paid time off (PTO), and manage HR for no cost. You also get an online time clock that your workers can use to clock in and out through their web computers. It does not, however, file payroll taxes. If this is something you need, you might want to look into Payroll4Free, which does charge a small fee.
With an overall score of 4.06 out of 5, TimeTrex got the best scores for pricing, popularity, and payment options. But it got a lower score because it doesn’t pay taxes. Users and our experts both thought it was harder to understand than the other things on our list. Like the other free options on our list, it doesn’t have a lot of integration choices.
The Good
- Robust time and attendance tracking
- Comprehensive payroll processing
- Efficient scheduling
The Bad
- Advanced features may be complex for small businesses
Payroll4Free

Feature | Description |
---|---|
Free Payroll | Offers free payroll processing for small businesses |
Tax Calculations | Calculates taxes and handles tax filings |
Direct Deposit | Facilitates direct deposit payments to employees |
Reporting | Generates various payroll and tax reports |
Employee Portal | Provides employees with access to pay stubs and forms |
Payroll4Free is by far the best free payroll software for small businesses in terms of how many features it has. It takes care of basic payroll jobs like figuring out how much hourly, salaried, and contract workers should get paid. On top of that, it has features like detailed reports, tracking of paid time off, and tax forms that are already filled out. These are things that many paid payroll plans don’t give without an extra fee.
Payroll4Free is completely free for small companies with 25 employees or less. One of its extra paid payroll services is a payroll tax service that costs $25 a month and handles filing federal and state taxes. Paying workers through Payroll4Free’s bank costs $25 per month. If you want both paid services, you’ll pay $30 a month (or $300 a year if you pay once a year) instead of $50 a month.
The Good
- Completely free for small businesses
- Accurate tax calculations
- Easy direct deposit setup
The Bad
- Limited advanced features
OnPay

Feature | Description |
---|---|
Full-Service Payroll | Offers full-service payroll processing with tax filings |
Benefits Administration | Manages employee benefits, including health insurance |
HR Tools | Includes HR features like employee records and onboarding |
Time Tracking | Tracks employee working hours and integrates with payroll |
Integration | Integrates with accounting and time tracking software |
OnPay is a comprehensive payroll and human resources (HR) software solution that was developed to assist owners of small businesses in saving time while managing their businesses. Users are able to schedule and manage payroll, as well as automate their tax and payroll computations, thanks to the solution’s streamlined layout and straightforward navigation, which makes it very user-friendly.
You may easily keep tabs on both your spending and the activity of your staff by utilizing the software’s assistance in generating individualized payroll reports. Your employees will be able to view and update their information when they are on the road thanks to the mobile-friendly self-service portal that this product provides. Among the features offered are unlimited pay runs, tax filings and payments, employee self-service, automatic onboarding, direct messaging, management of paid time off and benefits, and more.
The Good
- Full-service payroll with tax compliance
- Comprehensive benefits administration
- HR tools for streamlined management
The Bad
- Pricing may not be budget-friendly for very small businesses
HR.my

Feature | Description |
---|---|
HR Management | Offers a range of HR functions, from attendance to leave |
Employee Self-Service | Allows employees to access and manage their information |
Reports and Analytics | Generates HR reports and provides insights |
Document Management | Stores and manages HR-related documents |
Mobile Accessibility | Provides access to HR tools via mobile devices |
HR.my is free, crowd-funded HR software that can be used in more than one language. It also comes with free salary software for small businesses. People who want to translate the program into other languages can work with the company. As of this writing, it supports 66 different languages, which is more than the free solutions we looked at and more than most paid payroll software. It has basic payroll and HR tools that you can use for free, like managing employee information, tracking time, and claiming expenses.
Overall, it got 3.48 out of 5 points from us, and the price was great. Its lack of custom reporting and salary tax filing services is what brought down its score. It also doesn’t have a support team or phone service. If you need help with a function, you can go to the community forum or use the online user guide, which is similar to a Frequently Asked Questions page but has less information.
The Good
- Comprehensive HR management features
- Employee self-service portal
- Detailed reports and analytics
The Bad
- May lack some advanced payroll features
Questions and Answers
Free payroll software is a type of software that helps businesses handle their payroll without having to pay a subscription or license fee. It takes care of things like figuring out employee wages, expenses, and taxes, as well as making paychecks and tax forms.
Businesses choose free payroll software to save money while still making sure their payroll processing is correct and in line with the law. It’s a cheap way to keep track of employee pay, taxes, and compliance without having to buy expensive software.
Most free payroll software has limits, like how many workers you can have or how often you can pay them. It might not have some of the more advanced features that come with paid choices, such as automated benefits administration or detailed reports. Also, customer service may not be as good in free forms.