Pricing verified on onpay.com on September 3, 2026.

OnPay review

OnPay sells exactly one plan: $49 a month plus $6 per worker, with federal, state, and local tax filing and multi-state payroll included. No tiers, no upgrade pressure, no quote call. For a small team spread across two or more states, that flat structure makes it the best value in full-service payroll right now.

What OnPay includes at $49 + $6

Pulled from OnPay's own pricing materials: W-2s, 1099s, and year-end filings; unlimited pay runs and schedules; federal, state, and local filings; pay workers in as many states as you need; expert support by phone, chat, and email; no implementation or integration fees. That list is the pitch, and it is unusually concrete — most competitors split the same features across three tiers.

Where OnPay wins

The math at multi-state headcounts is where it runs away from Gusto. Ten people in two states: OnPay $109 a month. Gusto needs Plus for multi-state: $200 a month. Over a year that is a $1,092 difference for materially similar payroll output. Accountants like it too — OnPay's partner program gives firms free payroll for their own books, which is why bookkeepers recommend it so often.

Where it doesn't

One plan cuts both ways. There is no bare-bones cheap tier, so a one-person shop pays the same $49 base as a 40-person firm — Patriot undercuts it badly at that size. The web app is competent rather than delightful. And if you want the deepest HR stack (performance reviews, applicant tracking, LMS), OnPay is not that product; check the current feature list before committing rather than taking my summary.

Bottom line

Multi-state small business, want-it-done-for-you, hate sales calls: OnPay. Single-state team under 10 people, price sensitive: compare Patriot first. Want the fullest benefits-and-HR bundle: read the Gusto review. The verified cost table puts all three side by side, and best payroll software for small business ranks the field.

Frequently asked questions

How much does OnPay cost?

One plan: $49 a month plus $6 per worker paid. Federal, state, and local tax filings, year-end W-2s and 1099s, unlimited pay runs, and multi-state payroll are included at that price with no implementation fees.

Is OnPay cheaper than Gusto?

At the same headcount, the base math is identical: $49 + $6 per person. OnPay gets cheaper in practice for multi-state teams, because Gusto moves to an $80 + $12 plan for multi-state payroll while OnPay stays flat.

What are OnPay's weaknesses?

There is only one plan, so there is no cheap entry tier for tiny teams, and owners wanting deep HR suites — performance management, applicant tracking — should confirm coverage before committing. The interface is functional rather than flashy.