The short answer
OnPay sells one payroll plan, Payroll Essentials, for $49 a month plus $6 per worker, with tax filings, unlimited pay runs and multi-state payroll included. QuickBooks Payroll starts at $50 a month plus $7 per employee and rises to $134 plus $17 on Workforce Elite.
LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.
OnPay wins 1QuickBooks Payroll wins 11 tie
| Dimension | OnPay | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| PricingOnPay Payroll Essentials costs $49 a month plus $6 per worker; QuickBooks Workforce Payroll costs $50 plus $7 per employee. At 10 employees that is $109 against $120 a month at list price. OnPay sells HR and time tracking as add-ons from $15 a month each. HR: +$15 base and $2 per worker a month, Time Tracking: +$15 base and $4 per worker a month, Compliance Resources: +$10 base a month, Live HR Support: +$65 base a month, Benefits: you pay plan premiums only | $49/mo + $6/employee/mo (Payroll Essentials plan) | $50/mo + $7/employee/mo |
| CapabilitiesBoth file payroll taxes and pay W-2 employees and 1099 contractors. QuickBooks Payroll adds time tracking, hiring and onboarding, time off and HR workflows on its higher plans. OnPay adds HR, time tracking and benefits administration. Yes | 10 of 12 core capabilities | 9 of 12 core capabilities |
| SecurityIntuit states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. OnPay states SOC 2 Type II. Yes | SOC 2 | SOC 2, ISO 27001 |
| Attribute | OnPay | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Support channels | Phone, email, chat | Phone, chat, online support hub and community |
| Founded | 2011 | 1984 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia | Mountain View, California, US |
| Ownership | Private | Publicly traded |
| Attribute | OnPay | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Base fee + per employee | Base fee + per employee |
| Price transparency | Published | Published |
| Free trial | ||
| Best for | Small businesses, mid-market companies | Small businesses, mid-market companies |
| SOC 2 Type II | ||
| Automatic tax filing | ||
| Contractor payments |
| Employees | OnPay Payroll Essentials | QuickBooks Payroll Workforce Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $109/mo (lowest) | $120/mo |
| 50 | $349/mo (lowest) | $400/mo |
| 200 | $1,249/mo (lowest) | $1,450/mo |
Monthly list price of each product’s entry plan with published per-employee pricing.
Pricing. OnPay Payroll Essentials costs $49 a month plus $6 per worker; QuickBooks Workforce Payroll costs $50 plus $7 per employee. At 10 employees that is $109 against $120 a month at list price. OnPay sells HR and time tracking as add-ons from $15 a month each.
Capabilities. Both file payroll taxes and pay W-2 employees and 1099 contractors. QuickBooks Payroll adds time tracking, hiring and onboarding, time off and HR workflows on its higher plans. OnPay adds HR, time tracking and benefits administration.
Integrations. QuickBooks Payroll documents a GraphQL API and webhooks. OnPay lists 9 integrations, including QuickBooks Online, Xero and JazzHR.
Fit and support. OnPay answers by phone from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET on weekdays, as well as by email and chat. QuickBooks Payroll offers phone and chat support in business hours, with weekend support on its higher plans.
Security. Intuit states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. OnPay states SOC 2 Type II.
Patriot Payroll has the highest LeadChange Score in Payroll Software after excluding these two (9.3/10).
From $17/mo + $4/employee/mo
OnPay Payroll Essentials costs $49 a month plus $6 per worker, with unlimited pay runs and tax filings included. Bundles with time tracking and HR start at $70 a month plus $10 per worker.
Yes, at list price. At 10 employees OnPay comes to $109 a month and QuickBooks Workforce Payroll to $120.
No. Intuit sells QuickBooks Payroll today as three plans, Workforce Payroll, Workforce Premium and Workforce Elite, from $50 a month plus $7 per employee.
Yes. QuickBooks Online is among OnPay's integrations, along with Xero.
Yes, both offer a free trial. Neither charges a setup fee.
Both OnPay and QuickBooks Payroll state SOC 2 Type II. Only QuickBooks Payroll states ISO 27001 and HIPAA (BAA).
Your team size, what matters most and your role: see which one fits more of your answers, from verified facts and list prices. Then, if you like, ask to hear from both.
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What the LeadChange Score means
A 0–10 editorial assessment built only from verified facts, across six weighted dimensions: capabilities, pricing, integrations, security, fit and support, and data confidence.
Payments, commissions and lead fees are never inputs.
