Patriot Payroll vs Poppins Payroll (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Patriot Payroll grades higher than Poppins Payroll: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Patriot Payroll grades higher on value for money, the free plan and platforms. They get the same grade on features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Patriot Payroll
Low-cost online payroll for small US businesses
Poppins Payroll
Household payroll and tax filing for nannies and caregivers
Which one is for you
Pick Patriot Payroll if
- Fits if you're happy filing payroll taxes yourself and want the lowest price here
- Works for firms that don't pay staff every month, since quiet months cost only the base fee
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to run payroll from an app, as there isn't one
- Tight if your staff work in several states, at $12 a month for each state after the first
- Too light for teams that want HR and time tracking built in, as each is $6 a month plus $2 a person
- Watch out: Basic doesn't file or deposit payroll taxes, and the half-price start lasts only 3 months
- Not for you if you pay anyone outside the US, as it runs US payroll only
Pick Poppins Payroll if
- Fits if you pay one nanny or caregiver and want someone else to file the household taxes
- Makes sense if you manage payroll for a parent's carer and just want it handled
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you run a business, as the site does not pitch it as business payroll
- Pricey if you have several employees, at $10 more per head on top of $49
- Watch out: closing before quarter-end costs $49, and before December costs $110 for year-end filings
- Watch out: state registration fees, late payroll revisions and prior wages are billed on top
- Tight if you want a long free try, because the trial ends with the calendar month
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAPatriot PayrollGood | 1.8GPAPoppins PayrollWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ABasic is $17 a month plus $4 a worker, $37 for five, the lowest in this category and under 60% of the figure for its lowest-priced quarter. Full Service, which files your taxes, is $62 for five, still the lowest price for that. Each extra state is $12. | C$49 a month for one employee, plus $10 for each extra, sits at the dearer end of what payroll tools start at ($20 cheaper quarter, $29 middle, $49 dearer quarter). |
| Free plan and trial | CA 30-day free trial, then half price for 3 months. No free plan, and the listing doesn't say whether the trial needs a card. | DFree only until the end of the calendar month you sign up in, which can be a few days, and a bank account is needed at sign-up. |
| Features | CPayroll done fully on Full Service, with federal, state and most local filing and year-end forms. It's a smaller job, though: Basic leaves the taxes to you, and time tracking and HR are add-ons at $6 a month plus $2 a person each. | CRegisters the employer, runs weekly to monthly pay, files federal and state taxes, makes Schedule H and W-2 forms. It does that job fully, but it is a small job: household employers only. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record, and no app to rate. Payroll can run itself on a schedule once it's set up, but there's bank and tax setup first, as with any payroll. | CNo rating on record. You set up employer tax accounts and a bank link before the first pay run. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only: you run payroll in a phone or computer browser. It does link to Patriot Accounting, QuickBooks Online and Desktop, Vestwell, SimplyInsured and ERGO NEXT. | CWeb only, and the listing shows no integrations. |
| Best for | very small US businesses watching every dollar | paying a nanny or home caregiver and filing the taxes |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Patriot Payroll and Poppins Payroll. How we grade
Price against what you get
Patriot Payroll starts at $17 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Poppins Payroll starts at $49 a month for each person and scores 2.0.
Patriot Payroll scores higher and starts $32 a month lower. Of the other payroll services on the chart, 2 score higher than Patriot Payroll for less, and 16 score higher than Poppins Payroll for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Patriot Payroll also covers time tracking and reports.
- Poppins Payroll also covers time off.
At a glance
| Patriot Payroll | Poppins Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free trial |
| Starts at | $17 per month, plus $4 per worker paid (half price for the first 3 months) | $49 per month for one employee |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, then 50% off for 3 months | Free through the end of the calendar month in which you sign up; billing starts the first of the next month. |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Patriot Software LLC | Poppins Payroll |
| Price read from | patriotsoftware.com | poppinspayroll.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Patriot Payroll
- Runs payroll in the US only; Full Service files in all 50 states, at $12 a month for each state after the first.
- Basic Payroll does not file or deposit payroll taxes; that needs Full Service.
- Time & Attendance and HR Software cost $6 a month plus $2 per employee each.
- There is no mobile app: payroll is run in a phone's or computer's browser.
Poppins Payroll
- Closing an account before the end of a quarter costs $49 for quarter-end filings, and before December $110 for year-end filings and documents.
- State registration fees, where a state charges them, are billed separately, as are non-standard services such as late payroll revisions and manual tax preparation.
- Built for household employers; the site does not present it as a payroll service for businesses.
- A bank account is required at sign-up and the plan renews monthly until canceled.
Key features
Patriot Payroll
- Unlimited and automatic payroll
- Run as many payrolls as needed for the same monthly fee, or set payroll to run itself on schedule. Months without a payroll cost only the base fee.
- Tax filing on Full Service
- Full Service collects, files and deposits federal, state and most local payroll taxes and files Forms 940, 941, W-2 and W-3 at no extra fee.
- Free direct deposit
- Standard 4-day direct deposit is free, with 2-day deposit for qualifying customers; checks can also be printed from the software.
- Employee and contractor portals
- Staff see pay stubs, pay history, time-off balances and W-2s online, and 1099 contractors can be paid in the same payroll and get their own portal.
- Benefits and insurance links
- Free integrations connect 401(k) plans through Vestwell, health insurance through SimplyInsured and pay-as-you-go workers' comp through ERGO NEXT.
- Time & Attendance and HR add-ons
- Time tracking and HR software can each be added for $6 a month plus $2 per employee, and payroll syncs to Patriot's own accounting software.
Poppins Payroll
- Employer setup
- Registers the household as an employer with the IRS, sets up federal and state tax accounts where possible and files new-hire paperwork with the state.
- Payroll on your schedule
- Weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly pay, subject to state rules, paid by direct deposit or by the employer's own check.
- Tax filings
- Files federal, state and local payroll taxes online where possible, with year-end Schedule H and W-2 documents for active customers.
- Leave tracking
- Tracks PTO and sick time once the employer sets the policies.
- Prior wages
- Can record payments made outside Poppins and file the related taxes, for an additional fee.
Plans
Patriot Payroll
Basic Payroll$17
per month, plus $4 per worker paid
Unlimited payrolls, free direct deposit, employee and contractor portals and payroll reports; you file taxes. Advertised at $8.50 plus $2 for 3 months.
Full Service Payroll$37
per month, plus $5 per worker paid
Adds federal, state and local tax filings and deposits and year-end forms. Each extra state is $12 a month. Advertised at $18.50 plus $2.50 for 3 months.
Poppins Payroll
Household payroll$49
per month, plus $10 per additional employee
The only plan. Covers employer tax account setup, new-hire reporting, direct deposit or your own checks, quarterly and year-end filings, and PTO and sick leave tracking.
Ways to pay less
Patriot Payroll
- Other savings
50% off for 3 months after the free trial
After the 30-day trial, new customers pay half the listed price for 3 months: $8.50 plus $2 per worker on Basic and $18.50 plus $2.50 on Full Service.
- Other savings
Partner pricing for accountants
Accountants and bookkeepers who join Patriot's Partner Program get discounted pricing for the businesses they manage.
Poppins Payroll
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Patriot Payroll or Poppins Payroll?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Patriot Payroll starts at $17 per month, plus $4 per worker paid (half price for the first 3 months), and Poppins Payroll starts at $49 per month for one employee. One is priced for each person and the other is not, so which costs less depends on how many of you use it.
Which has a free plan, Patriot Payroll or Poppins Payroll?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Patriot Payroll nor Poppins Payroll has a free plan. Both have a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.