Check vs OnPay (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Check if

• Fits if you run a software platform and want to offer US payroll inside it
• Works for engineering teams that want payroll as an API

Look elsewhere if

• Not for you if you only want to run payroll for your own staff
• Skip it if you are outside the US, as its pages describe US payroll terms only
• Skip it if you want to see a price, as none is published and /pricing is a dead page
• Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed

Pick OnPay if

• Fits if you want to know the price without talking to a salesperson
• Works for paying employees and contractors across several states

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you run an hourly team, as the time and HR bundle is $70 plus $10 a worker
• Not for you if you pay anyone outside the US, which its pages don't mention
• Tight if you want live HR advice, at $65 a month on top
• Watch out: health insurance, workers' comp and 401(k) premiums are paid on top of the subscription
• Watch out: there's no free plan, and the listing doesn't say if the free month needs a card

Check

• No pricing is published; the site directs visitors to contact the team, and /pricing returns a not-found page.
• Check sells to platforms, so a business that only needs payroll for its own staff would use a product built on Check, not Check itself.
• The pages read describe US payroll terms such as tax filing and 401(k); other countries are not mentioned.
• Payments are handled by Check Payments LLC, shown in the site footer with an NMLS number.

OnPay

• Add-ons bought alone cost $15 plus $2 per worker (HR), $15 plus $4 per worker (Time Tracking), $10 (Compliance Resources) and $65 a month (Live HR Support).
• Runs payroll in all 50 US states at no extra charge per state; the pages read mention no other countries.
• Health insurance, workers' comp and 401(k) plans are paid at their premiums on top of the OnPay subscription.

Check

Embedded payroll

Software companies build a native payroll product on Check's infrastructure instead of writing payroll themselves.

Tax calculation and filing

Handles tax calculation, tax filing and tax notices, according to the product pages.

Money movement

Includes real-time payments, voids, deductions and garnishments, plus custom pay rates.

Configurable experience

Partners can configure the payroll experience and choose how much of the onboarding and support Check handles.

Benefits and extras

Health benefits, 401(k), workers' comp and accounting connections can be added beside payroll.

Credit, risk and fraud tools

The platform menu lists credit, risk and fraud protection among the services it provides to partners.

OnPay

Full-service payroll

Pay W-2 employees and 1099 contractors by direct deposit, check or prepaid debit card, with unlimited pay runs and garnishment deductions.

Taxes in all 50 states

Files and pays federal, state and local taxes and year-end W-2s and 1099s, registers for state taxes, and backs its filings with an error-free guarantee.

Hiring and onboarding

Send offer letters for e-signature, have new hires sign I-9s and W-4s and onboard themselves, and file state new-hire reports automatically.

Accounting sync

Syncs the general ledger to QuickBooks Online or Xero after every pay run, with line items mapped to your chart of accounts.

Benefits administration

Health, dental and vision plans chosen with licensed in-house agents, with open enrollment and payroll deductions; you pay only the premiums.

Time Tracking add-on

Time clocks for each worksite, overtime and break rules, supervisor approval and approved hours sent straight to payroll.

Check

Pricing could not be confirmed. See checkhq.com.

OnPay

• Payroll Essentials$49

  per month, plus $6 per worker paid

  Full-service payroll and tax filing in all 50 states, onboarding with e-signatures, accounting sync, reports and benefits administration.

• Payroll, Time Tracking and HR$70

  per month, plus $10 per worker paid

  Bundle for hourly teams: Payroll Essentials with the Time Tracking and HR add-ons, against $79 plus $12 per worker bought separately.

• Payroll, HR and HR Support$120

  per month, plus $7 per worker paid

  Bundle for salaried teams: Payroll Essentials, HR, Compliance Resources and Live HR Support.

• Everything bundle$130

  per month, plus $10 per worker paid

  Payroll Essentials with Time Tracking, HR, Compliance Resources and Live HR Support.