Patriot Payroll vs Square Payroll
We give Patriot Payroll a 2.6 GPA and Square Payroll a 2.4, out of 4.0. Patriot Payroll grades higher on value for money and the free plan. Square Payroll grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
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
Square Payroll
Payroll for Square sellers, with timecards from Square POS
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAPatriot PayrollGood | 2.4GPASquare PayrollFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ABasic is $17 a month plus $4 a worker, $37 for five, the cheapest in this category and under 60% of its cheapest quarter. Full Service, which files your taxes, is $62 for five, still the lowest price for that. Each extra state is $12. | BFull-service payroll is $35 a month plus $6 a person, $65 for five, inside the cheapest quarter of this category. Paying only contractors is $6 a person, $30 for five, though that plan files no taxes. |
| 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. | FNo free plan or trial on record. There is no long-term contract, so you pay month by month, but you pay from the start. |
| 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. | CPayroll done fully, with tax filing for each state you pay in, tips and hours pulled from Square POS, overtime and scheduling. It's a smaller job, though: no HR tools, and health insurance and 401(k) are paid add-ons. |
| 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. | A4.7 from about 41,000 App Store ratings for the Square Team app, where owners run payroll and staff onboard themselves. If you're on Square already, the hours are already there. |
| 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. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with Square Point of Sale, Cash App and QuickBooks Online. No desktop app, and it's sold on Square's US site only. |
| Best for | very small US businesses watching every dollar | shops and cafes already selling with Square |
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 Square 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. Square Payroll starts at $6 a month for each person and scores 3.0.
Square Payroll scores higher and starts $11 a month lower. Of the other payroll services on the chart, 1 scores higher than Patriot Payroll for less, and none scores higher than Square 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 starts at $17 per month, plus $4 per worker paid (half price for the first 3 months). Square Payroll starts at $6 per person paid / month, contractor-only payroll.
- Only Square Payroll lists iOS and Android apps.
At a glance
| Patriot Payroll | Square Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | $17 per month, plus $4 per worker paid (half price for the first 3 months) | $6 per person paid / month, contractor-only payroll |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 30-day free trial, then 50% off for 3 months | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Patriot Software LLC | Block, Inc. |
| Price read from | patriotsoftware.com | squareup.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Patriot Payroll
- Very small US businesses that want a low monthly base fee
- Owners comfortable filing their own payroll taxes, on Basic
- Patriot Accounting users who want payroll in the same account
Square Payroll
- Restaurants, shops and salons already taking payments with Square
- Businesses with tipped hourly staff
- Owners who pay only contractors and want a per-person price
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.
Square Payroll
- Contractor-only payroll leaves out tax filings, auto payroll, off-cycle payments, multistate payroll and garnishments.
- Mailed paper W-2s and 1099s cost $3 per form a year; workers' comp, health insurance and 401(k) are paid add-ons.
- Scheduling, tip import, overtime and labor-cost reports come only with full-service payroll.
- It runs US payroll, filing federal and state taxes, and is sold on Square's US site.
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.
Square Payroll
- Full-service payroll
- Unlimited pay runs, auto payroll, off-cycle payments and multiple pay rates, with no long-term contract.
- Payroll tax filing
- Calculates, withholds and files federal payroll taxes and state taxes, including state unemployment, for each state or locality you pay in.
- Timecards, tips and overtime
- Imports hours from Square POS or the Team App, tracks direct tips, calculates overtime and schedules staff up to 10 days out.
- Pay by deposit, check or Cash App
- Next-day or two-day direct deposit, paper checks, or Cash App, where team members can get paid instantly.
- Square Team App
- Owners run payroll and manage the team from a phone, and employees onboard themselves and see their pay stubs.
- Reports and QuickBooks
- Custom reports on paychecks, employee and company totals, labor-cost reports, and a QuickBooks Online integration.
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.
Square Payroll
Contractor-only payroll$6
per person paid / month, contractors only
Pay contractors from the Square Dashboard by direct deposit, check or Cash App, with 1099s delivered digitally. No tax filings or auto payroll.
Full-service payroll$35
per month, plus $6 per person paid
Unlimited and auto payroll, federal and state tax filings, multistate payroll, scheduling, tip import, labor-cost reports and next-day deposit.
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.
Square Payroll
No public discounts listed.
