Payroll
Running payroll — heavily regional, with OSS modules inside ERPs and SaaS free trials.
Payroll is the most regional category in this section: the "best" tool depends on which country / state you're paying employees in. For broader HRIS see HR & HRMS. For accounting see Accounting.
The honest reality
There is no truly free, fully-OSS payroll that handles tax filing in any meaningful jurisdiction. Tax tables, year-end forms (W-2 / P60 / etc.), and direct-deposit ACH all require either a paid service or significant DIY. Most teams pay for a SaaS payroll or run it inside an ERP module.
Inside an ERP (calculation, not always filing)
- ★ ERPNext Payroll — strong; salary structures, components, leave-linked payslips; calculates net pay, generates payslip PDFs. You still need a regional service to file taxes / send ACH in most countries. India, UAE, and a few others have community-maintained tax modules that get close.
- Odoo Payroll — Community has the engine; tax computation rules for specific countries sit in Enterprise (paid). Belgian / French / German / Indian payrolls are most mature.
- Dolibarr Payroll — limited; basic salary records.
- iDempiere / OFBiz — payroll modules exist; expect to build a lot.
US-focused SaaS
- ★ Gusto — the modern startup default; full-service payroll + benefits + filing. Paid; no free tier; free trial.
- ★ Rippling — HR + payroll + IT in one; paid.
- OnPay — competitively priced.
- Patriot Payroll — cheap; basic.
- Wave Payroll — pairs with Wave; inexpensive.
- Paychex, ADP — incumbents; expensive.
- QuickBooks Payroll — bundled with QuickBooks Online.
- Square Payroll — fine for restaurants / hourly.
Global / multi-country
- ★ Deel — global payroll + EOR + contractor payments; paid; free quote. Default for "we hire in 10 countries."
- ★ Remote.com — competitor; same niche.
- Oyster — same.
- Papaya Global — enterprise multi-country payroll.
- Multiplier, Plane — newer EORs.
Contractor-focused
- ★ Deel Contractors — pay 1099 / international contractors; free for some volumes.
- Wise Business — multi-currency payouts; cheap FX; not a payroll system but covers a lot of contractor cases.
- Upwork Payroll — if your contractors are already there.
- Stripe Connect — pay marketplace creators; not a payroll system but covers payouts.
Regional incumbents (illustrative, not exhaustive)
- UK: Xero Payroll, BrightPay, IRIS, FreeAgent.
- EU: Personio (DE / NL), Payfit (FR), Factorial (ES / IT).
- AU / NZ: Xero Payroll, Employment Hero.
- CA: Wagepoint, Payworks, ADP Canada.
- IN: RazorpayX Payroll, Zoho Payroll, greytHR.
- BR: Sólides, Pontotel, Convenia.
Equity / cap table (often paired with payroll)
- ★ Pulley — modern, cap-table + 409A; free trial.
- Carta — incumbent; paid.
- Cake Equity, Capbase, AngelList Stack — alternatives.
- Vestd — UK-flavored.
Pick this if…
- Default US startup: Gusto or Rippling.
- Hiring globally, no local entity: Deel or Remote.com.
- You're already on ERPNext / Odoo and your country is supported: that ERP's payroll module + a regional ACH / filing service.
- Just paying contractors: Deel Contractors or Wise Business.
- You think "I'll roll my own payroll": don't. The penalty for filing taxes wrong is bigger than any subscription.