There are many payroll software for Mac and Windows, but some of them come with a price (as in exceeded $20). Good thing there are Mac users there who have created a number of payroll system. Here is the list of Best Free Payroll Software for Mac and Windows that you can use at NO COST. Each payroll software reviewed here will help you calculate payroll for your employees easily – the ideal solution for small business owners with limited budget.
This program is best free payroll software for mac and have a cutting edge technology for easy payroll software. You can run this program and use it to maintain employee or student paystub.
Gusto: Best Overall Payroll Software for Mac Users
Overall Score: 4.54 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Affordable plans with an inexpensive contractor-only payroll tier
- Multiple payment options, including payroll card and on-demand pay
- Unlimited pay runs with payroll tax filings and year-end reporting
- Not ideal for businesses planning to scale to enterprise level
- Health insurance coverage limited to 39 states
- Next-day direct deposits, employee onboarding, and time tracking available only in higher tiers
Gusto Pricing
- Core: $39 per month + $6 per employee monthly
- Complete: $39 per month + $12 per employee monthly
- Concierge: $149 per month + $12 per employee monthly
- Contractor-only plan: $6 per contractor monthly
Gusto is a cloud-based payroll software that works well for both Mac and Windows computers. Given its affordability and user-friendly online payroll tools, Gusto is an ideal pay processing solution for small business Mac users. Aside from automatic and unlimited pay runs, you get tax filings and payments for federal, state, and local taxes, including year-end W-2 and 1099 reporting. It also offers employee benefits plans and basic HR tools to help you onboard new hires and track staff attendance.
With an overall rating of 4.54 out of 5 in our evaluation, Gusto scored perfect marks in pricing, reporting capabilities, and popularity among users. Many find its online tools easy to use, allowing them to compute and remit employee payments with just a few clicks. However, it lost points due to its limited customizability and health insurance coverage (available in 39 states as of this writing).
Gusto’s affordability and solid payroll tools are just some of the reasons it ranks well in our buyer’s guides. It’s our top choice for small business payroll software. We also recommend it to those looking for the best HR payroll software and contractor payroll services.
Gusto Pricing
- Software fees: Gusto offers a Core plan ($39 plus $6 per employee monthly) that comes with unlimited pay runs, wage garnishments, benefits administration, automated payroll taxes, paid time off (PTO) tracking, and new hire reporting. It also has a Complete tier ($39 plus $12 per employee monthly) and a Concierge option ($149 plus $12 per employee monthly) that include additional features like time tracking, next-day direct deposits, and access to certified HR experts.
- Contractor-only plan: If you have only contractors in your workforce, Gusto lets you process payroll for them for $6 per person, per month.
- Add-on costs: Gusto doesn’t charge administration fees for its health insurance and pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation plans, but you have to pay the applicable premium costs. You also have to pay participation fees for the following:
- Retirement plans: Starts at $49 monthly, plus $8 per participating employee
- Commuter benefits: $4 per participant, per month (with a $20 monthly minimum)
- 529 college savings: $6 per participant, per month (with an $18 monthly minimum)
- Health savings account (HSA): $2.50 per participant, per month
- Flexible spending account (FSA): $4 per participant, per month (with a $20 monthly minimum)
Gusto Features
- Multiple direct deposit and pay options: Apart from pay card and pay-on-demand, Gusto offers four- and two-day direct deposits. While it has a next-day option, this is available only in its higher tiers. If you require fast payments, consider QuickBooks Payroll since it offers next- and same-day direct deposits. For instant payouts, we recommend Square Payroll, although you need to have a Square Payments account to pay employees instantly.
- Employee benefits: For small businesses that don’t have an in-house HR team to handle benefits, the provider’s licensed brokers can help you select health insurance plans for your staff and manage online employee enrollments. Gusto offers commuter benefits, health insurance, retirement, college savings, life and disability, HSA, FSA, and pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation options. Note, however, its health benefits, life and disability, FSA, and HSA, are not available in 11 states (Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Wyoming). For benefits coverage that includes all US states, consider any of the providers in this list, except Aatrix (it doesn’t offer employee benefits).
- Hiring and time tracking tools: Gusto offers basic hiring tools and services that include offer letter templates, electronic signatures, onboarding checklists, new hire reporting, and online document storage. Like QuickBooks Payroll, if you subscribe to Gusto’s higher tiers, you get additional tools for monitoring PTO and tracking your workers’ actual work hours. Aatrix doesn’t have this capability, while ADP Run, Paycor, and Rippling offer this as a paid add-on. With Square Payroll, you need to use its Square Team App (for iOS/Android devices) to capture employee clock-ins/outs and import it into its payroll solution.
- Third-party software integrations: Gusto integrates with several software like accounting, expense management, performance, collaboration, time tracking, and point-of-sale (POS) systems. However, if you want a robust integration network, Rippling is a good choice as it connects with more than 400 apps.
RUN Powered by ADP
Nearly everyone knows of, has heard of, or has been paid by ADP. RUN Powered by ADP was created specifically for businesses with up to 49 employees, with other ADP payroll options available for larger businesses.
RUN Powered by ADP offers four plans, with all four plans offering full-service payroll.
RUN Powered by ADP offers easy navigation from the payroll dashboard. Source: RUN Powered by ADP software.
The General Ledger feature in RUN Powered by ADP allows you to easily create a G/L file, which can be exported into your accounting software, eliminating the need to process payroll journal entries manually.
RUN Powered by ADP handles all tax filing and payment remittance, including year-end employee forms such as W-2s and 1099s.
Pricing for RUN Powered by ADP varies widely, depending on the plan and add-ons purchased, with pricing for 10 employees generally running between $150/month to $180/month. If interested, be sure to contact ADP for a more accurate quote.
Patriot Payroll for Accountants: Best for Accounting Firms Servicing Clients With Mostly Hourly Staff
Overall Score: 4.04 OUT OF 5
What We Like
- Affordably-priced plans
- Wholesale pricing with up to 50% discount
- Free access to its payroll solution if you have 6+ clients
- Co-branding throughout its software
- Limited HR tools
- Interface is not customizable
- Multi-state filings cost extra
Patriot Payroll for Accountants Pricing
- Software fees: Three full-service payroll options with monthly base fees of $30–$42 plus $4–$8 per employee
- Accountant perks: Wholesale pricing with discounts of 20%–50%; free payroll software for your firm if you have at least six clients; preferential pricing for its accounting tool
- Client discounts: N/A
Read Patriot Payroll ReviewVisit Patriot Payroll for Accountants
Patriot Payroll not only lets you handle client payroll efficiently, but it comes with integrated time tracking and basic HR solutions—provided you sign up for its highest tier. This makes it ideal for your clients who employ mostly hourly workers as they can easily monitor their staff’s work hours, create custom overtime rules, and maintain an online employee database.
In our evaluation, Patriot Payroll earned 4.04 out of 5 with perfect marks with reporting, pricing, and popularity among users. It also received high scores in accountant-specific and pay processing tools given its helpful client dashboard, seamless integration with its accounting software (including QuickBooks), and the ease of running payroll with Patriot. It scored the lowest in HR features because it lacks onboarding, state new hire reporting, and benefits options.
Patriot Payroll for Accountant Pricing
Patriot Payroll offers three full-service payroll options, wherein one comes with a basic HR/employee information software and another with both HR and time tracking solutions. Retail pricing starts at $30 per month plus $4 per employee, and you have to pay extra for multi-state filings ($12 monthly for each additional state). Its accounting and time and attendance solutions are also available as paid add-ons, costing $25 per month and $6 plus $2 per employee monthly, respectively.
Patriot Payroll Plans
- Full Service Payroll: $30 per month + $4 per employee
- Full Service Payroll + HR Software: $36 per month + $6 per employee
- Full Service Payroll + HR + Time and Attendance: $42 per month + $8 per employee
- Add-ons: Multi-state filings ($12 monthly for each additional state); accounting ($25 per month), and time and attendance ($6 plus $2 per employee monthly)
Accounting firms that join Patriot Payroll’s partner program enjoy discounted rates based on the number of clients they have. What makes this program stand out from the rest of the providers in this guide is its wholesale pricing that includes discounts of up to 50% for its payroll product and preferential rates for its accounting software. While you can’t pass the discount to your customers, paying Patriot Payroll’s subscription fees on behalf of your clients lets you set your own price for your services—regardless of the discount you enjoy.
Patriot Payroll Discounts for Accountants
| Silver | Gold | Platinum | Diamond | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numbers of Client Accounts | 1–5 | 6–20 | 21–50 | 51+ |
| Payroll Software for Clients | 20% discount | 30% discount | 40% discount | 50% discount |
| Payroll Software for your Firm | 20% discount | Free | Free | Free |
| Accounting Software for Clients | 10% discount | 15% discount | 20% discount | 25% discount |
| Accounting Software for your Firm | 10% discount | Free | Free | Free |
| Co-branding | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Time and Attendance Add-On | 20% discount | 30% discount | 40% discount | 50% discount |
Patriot Payroll for Accountants Features
- Payroll: Pay hourly and salaried employees with ease, including contractors. You can run payroll as many times as you want without having to pay extra, and you can set Patriot Payroll to run automatically—provided you have already processed a successful payroll and don’t expect any changes to it. In addition to pay checks and direct deposits, it supports PTO accrual tracking, multiple pay rates, and customizable hours, earnings, and deduction types.
- Tax filing services: Depositing and filing your federal, state, and local taxes are part of Patriot Payroll’s tax services. The provider will even submit your year-end payroll tax filings to the appropriate agencies at no cost (ADP, SurePayroll, and Paychex charge extra for this).
- Accountant-specific tools: With Patriot Payroll’s client dashboard, you can add and manage your customers’ payroll information with ease. If you enroll in its partner program, Patriot offers a co-branding service where your firm’s branding will appear throughout its software.
- HR features: Patriot offers a time tracking solution with customizable overtime rules and a basic HR software for managing employee information and documents online. However, both of these tools are available only in Patriot Payroll’s highest tier. If you want affordably-priced payroll software to help your clients onboard new hires, consider Gusto as it offers helpful checklists, offer letters, and payroll onboarding tools.
Patriot Payroll for Accountants Drawbacks
- Lacks employee benefits options: For your clients who only require payroll and automated tax filing solutions, Patriot Payroll is a great choice as it is affordably priced and offers full-payroll services. However, if you want to provide your clients access to employee benefits, the other providers on this list are better options since they have benefits offerings that include health, workers’ compensation, and retirement options—although Gusto’s health insurance coverage is limited to 39 states.
- Very basic HR features: Patriot Payroll has very limited HR features. Even if you sign up for its payroll plan that comes with HR software, you only get employee information and document management functionalities. And while its reporting tool can help you generate new hire reports, you have to file this to the state yourself. If you or your client require a robust suite of HR tools, consider ADP, Rippling, or Paychex.
Conclusion
We have gathered a list of new and useful payroll software for Mac. These top-notch payroll software are easy to use and will help you manage your payroll on the Mac computer. They are suitable for many types of businesses and employers.