OnPay vs. Square Payroll

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
OnPay
Score 9.8 out of 10
N/A
OnPay's payroll and HR is designed for people who want to spend more time running their business, and less on back-office tasks. The application aims to enable users to: • Run payroll • Automate taxes • Let employees do more themselves • Simplify HR processes • Offer benefits in any state OnPay is $49 plus $6 per person each month. The monthly fee includes integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, and time-tracking software, as well as all quarterly and year-end…N/A
Square Payroll
Score 6.1 out of 10
N/A
Square Payroll is a payroll solution for hourly employees, from Square headquartered in San Francisco, California.
$0
per month
Pricing
OnPaySquare Payroll
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Free
$0
per month
Plus
$29
per month
Premium
Custom
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
OnPaySquare Payroll
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsFirst month free, then $49 + $6 per employee each month.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
OnPaySquare Payroll
Considered Both Products
OnPay
Chose OnPay
Totally buried ADP Run in every way....
Chose OnPay
We used TriNet for over 2 years then they did away with our product and tried to add a bunch of bells and whistles that we didn't need. It wasn't about the money, it was about how awful their sales and support approach was on why we left. That and they had "issues" and missed …
Chose OnPay
Overall OnPay was the best bang for my buck. Had a lot to offer and was cheaper than the rest of the people we looked into
Chose OnPay
OnPay is just a lot more user friendly. It isn't bogged down by a million different features, it really just has everything you need and nothing you don't. It just makes everything really simple and efficient. It's my favorite payroll processing system to use out of several …
Chose OnPay
OnPay was less expensive and easier to learn than QB Payroll.
Chose OnPay
OnPay had everything I would have gotten from ADP for a much better price. Ultimately, the price is what made me choose OnPay. I've stayed because of the quality of the product.
Chose OnPay
We used to use Intuit Online Payroll a while back before they stopped their service. We switched to OnPay and it's been smooth sailing ever since.
Chose OnPay
OnPay is far superior. I would not recommend Gusto. It was a problem from the start. After only a few months we realized Gusto was unable to provide us with a payroll service we could use. Switching to OnPay has been an excellent move. With Gusto it was one major problem after …
Chose OnPay
I've also used 3py payroll/staffing companies. I found those competitors clunky, slower in support, overly complicated, and overpriced. OnPay has been my favorite experience in payroll over the past 20 years.
Chose OnPay
OnPay is the first payroll service we have used, but there has been no reason to justify us looking for a comparable product to make the switch. OnPay has the services we need. It has additional services that we do not currently need, but perhaps in the future if our company …
Chose OnPay
While different payroll software options cater to various business needs, OnPay's standout features in terms of usability, affordability, accuracy, scalability, and support often place it favorably among businesses seeking a reliable and user-friendly payroll solution.
Chose OnPay
ADP Total Source is a way bigger offering and a lot more expensive overall its probably too much for most businesses. OnPay gives you most of the items you need. You will pay a little more for benefits and workers comp insurance but at the end of the day its still significantly …
Chose OnPay
I personally did not like Paychex. I found their reporting antiquated, cumbersome, and not easily readable. Reporting is very important to me as it serves as a marketing tool. I can highlight the quality of our services by providing informative and easy-to-read reports. The …
Chose OnPay
SurePayroll led to fewer errors. OnPay was less expensive monthly cost (although more expensive once you account for penalties and interest charged by state governments)
Chose OnPay
OnPay is tremendously less expensive and technically superior to Quickbooks in my opinion. OnPay is less expensive and offered the ease of managing a restaurant payroll that was better in my opinion than When I Work. My experience when evaluating all of the payroll products …
Chose OnPay
Great value and easy to use without a masters degree in payroll. Great customer service, not having to wait on hold or chat for hours in the hope someone can help you.
Square Payroll
Chose Square Payroll
ADP is much too expensive. Gusto was great for us but we found Square Payroll to be more cost effective, though the difference is not very much.
Chose Square Payroll
We used Quickbooks for a long time. Our payroll/HR person for the past 20+ years retired around the time our company was sold and bought. Her replacement had experience in using Square Payroll. We gave it a shot and liked it. We went live rather quickly and it did take some …
Chose Square Payroll
We have tested the QuickBooks Online platform. Before using Square, we tried QuickBooks, but the experience we had was not to our liking. QuickBooks Online is a much more complicated platform to use, the interface is much larger and has complexity in the configuration of the …
Chose Square Payroll
I would say that Square Payroll has a step up in comparison to the competition. It is a great platform for small companies that don't need the resources and expense that bigger systems might offer. Square is the exact thing I was looking for.
Chose Square Payroll
I liked patriot, but I found it to be more confusing than Square and took me too much time to setup. I setup Square Payroll in about an hour. I would also say the Square interface made more sense to me. I also like how Square offers more things like benefits, etc. that can be …
Chose Square Payroll
Cheaper and easier to implement Square payroll versus the competition. Accessible to the small business. Doesn't have a learning curve. Quick deployment to usage/adoption. The other options don't compare when looked at feature for feature vs. price.
Features
OnPaySquare Payroll
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
OnPay
9.9
Ratings
18% above category average
Square Payroll
7.8
Ratings
5% below category average
Pay calculation9.80 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Benefit plan administration9.80 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.90 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management10.00 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.70 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings4.40 Ratings
Best Alternatives
OnPaySquare Payroll
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
OnPaySquare Payroll
Likelihood to Recommend
9.8
(0 ratings)
4.7
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.2
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.8
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
OnPaySquare Payroll
Likelihood to Recommend
I'd say if you had someone who wasn't educated on how Payroll should be setup and function OnPay is less ideal. But even then you've got things so well setup and cost efficient, they could afford to put some focus on training. In my mind I imagine OnPay is the best solution for small to mid, even early large, company Payroll processing. We're a small company so I'm unaware of the options provided to streamline importing of large group payrolls, but that might be an area where the interface could provide challenges.
Read full review
I would say that Square Payroll is perfect for companies that don't exceed 100 employees. The multistate payroll system allows for us to be able to handle business with ease when we go do work in Mississippi or Arkansas. The multiple payout options are great for our particular business. We might deal with a multimillion dollar contract one day and a $120 order the next.
Read full review
Pros
  • It is easy to add new employees.
  • It is easy to inactivate employees who leave the company.
  • All quarterly and annual reports are completed and filed on a timely basis.
  • Employees have direct online access to their paycheck as well as their W-2.
Read full review
  • 1099 contractor payments are easy, and they provide you with the IRS filing as part of the service.
  • Direct deposit/debit from your already connected account to the employee.
  • Reporting and management features are simple yet inclusive.
  • Low cost compared to alternative solutions.
Read full review
Cons
  • I would like to enter some payroll information in advance of the current payroll runs
  • Adding and changing administrators was a bit cumbersome and took several days
  • It works fine for a small number of people being paid if they can be seen on one screen but it might be cumbersome with more than about 10 people. Probably needs a better or different procedure with more people.
Read full review
  • [In my experience] they can cancel your service at any time, without warning or explanation. When they do this your funds are held by them for up to 90 days, at which time they are presumably accruing interest on your money. This could take a small business under very quickly and there is nothing you can do about it.
  • [I believe] getting verified is complex and not customer friendly. Until you are verified you can't talk to payroll customer service, which is paradoxical. Even getting a hold of account services for this purpose is tricky and exceedingly time-consuming, plus they can not answer most questions directly.
  • [I feel] they don't communicate well, closed my account with no notice whatsoever. The only notification I had about the need to verify my account was one easily lost email. Not having responded to this email fast enough created months of stress and difficulty in the setup process, only to find in the end I would need to start from scratch to attempt to sign up again.
  • [In my experience] if they close your account you can never reopen it. You have to start a new account from scratch.
  • [In my experience] they can hold your money and not deposit funds if your account is "under review". This can happen without explanation. No customer service is directly available for this. I was told I had to wait for them to call me.
  • [I believe] they are either lying, or the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing to such an extent that they give a great deal of misinformation.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
We have used OnPay for a few years now and we do continue to renew our annual use of OnPay. We are only a small organization and although OnPay provides a lot of additional services that larger organizations might ind useful, OnPay still meets our limited requirements of running bi-weekly payroll and submitting our quarterly state and federal tax documents, and at a price that we still find affordable.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Usability
OnPay is very easy to use. The computer interface is setup very well. You can quickly add people, enter your Payroll, print reports, etc. If your Payroll doesn't change from pay period to pay period (example, salaried employees) it takes mere seconds to enter in your Payroll.
Read full review
It could use a mobile-friendly interface. Other than that it's a simple layout and non-cluttered which allows you to get done what you need to get done. No unnecessary dodads or distractions.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
OnPay immediately responds to any of my inquiries.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Performance
No complaints on OnPay's integration with Xero.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
I've only had to call a couple of times, and each time the customer service rep is extremely thorough and helpful. I've never had the experience, like I do with some other companies, of feeling stressed or irritated with the reps. They are competent, educated, and easily walk me through the system
Read full review
I think they have quick and helpful customer service reps, however, I give them a 9 because I have had to wait on hold for long periods of time before.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Easy to implement and easy to convert any other payroll reports to the OnPay system when making the switch
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
OnPay is tremendously less expensive and technically superior to Quickbooks in my opinion. OnPay is less expensive and offered the ease of managing a restaurant payroll that was better in my opinion than When I Work. My experience when evaluating all of the payroll products that I felt the company could afford was that OnPay had a superior staff of professionals who knew their product and could explain how to use it most clearly.
Read full review
We have tested the QuickBooks Online platform. Before using Square, we tried QuickBooks, but the experience we had was not to our liking. QuickBooks Online is a much more complicated platform to use, the interface is much larger and has complexity in the configuration of the collection of hours of work of the employees. In addition, QuickBooks technical support does not respond in time to users' doubts, on several occasions we had several doubts about the operation of the platform and the response was too late and inconsistent. We decided to use Square Payroll because it offered us a much more accessible UI, a simpler but more precise interface for what we needed in our company, to be able to make payroll payments and make detailed reports on the workers.
Read full review
Scalability
OnPay works.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Reduces payroll processing time
  • Ability for full electronic employee files
  • The overall cost is the best in the industry, saving us money
  • Ability for on/off-boarding ensures our files our complete
  • There are a few limitations but they work with programmers to get those features setup
Read full review
  • Square Payroll has dramatically reduced the time it takes to process payroll.
  • We could have a faster payroll with the Square POS integration for commission, but that is not something we've implemented yet.
Read full review
ScreenShots

OnPay Screenshots

Screenshot of full-service payrollScreenshot of multiple pay rates and schedulesScreenshot of employee self-onboarding and org charts, which are built-inScreenshot of an e-signable offer lettersScreenshot of calendars, where PTO is managed and approvedScreenshot of centralized finances, viewed with over 20 reports for analyzing employment-related expenses