OnPay vs Payroll4Free

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Our analysts compared OnPay vs Payroll4Free based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Payroll Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Payroll4Free Software Tool

Product Basics

OnPay is designed to address core payroll needs for small businesses and handles basic HR functions as well. It integrates with a variety of other HR systems to enhance HR processes that include time tracking, accounting, benefits and compliance software integrations.

It requires no more than a few minutes to set up and features an easy-to-use interface. It also offers assistance with data migration for new users, making the transition even easier.
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Payroll4Free offers online payroll services and professional support to small businesses. It is easy-to-use, secure and was built to handle both simple and complex payroll requirements. It tackles all payroll matters for businesses, including direct deposits, employee and contractor payments and tax form calculations.

Its basic features are available free of charge for small businesses with less than 25 employees. It helps businesses pay employees via paper check, direct deposit or a combination of both. Companies can use it to make payments to contractors and file year-end taxes. It also calculates federal, state and local taxes and grants access to filled out tax forms.

It offers an employee portal that helps staff members edit or access their personal information from anywhere. It can be used to generate reports that offer insight into a company’s taxes, earnings, benefits and more.
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$46 Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
$35 Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Insights

  • Automation: Automates calculation for state and federal payroll taxes and withholdings. Can also file tax forms and make tax payments. 
  • Accuracy: Guarantees tax filing accuracy and pledges to cover any fees that result from an error in tax calculation or filing. 
  • Saves Time: Eliminate the need for time-consuming tasks like data entry by integrating with other software and offering employee self-service functions. 
  • Ease of Operations: Offers health and dental benefits in all 50 states, access to major providers, integration of 401(k) retirement plans, quick employee census and the option to keep existing plans. Additionally provides life, vision, disability and more. 
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  • Quick Setup: Businesses opting for Payroll4Free can get it up and running quickly and easily. It comes with a guided, step-by-step account set-up tool for prompt installation. 
  • Easy-to-Use: It is easy to navigate and requires minimal training to get the hang of its offerings. Its interface has a menu bar at the top of the screen and a number of tiles to perform payroll-related functions. Hitting a relevant tile takes users to a grid-style data-entry screen. Administrators can add employees, log their working hours and process payroll on this grid screen. All employee details are visible on the grid screen, and businesses have the option to pay them via checks or direct deposits. 
  • Integrations: Payroll4Free allows its users to export their payroll data to third-party accounting programs like Quickbooks, banks, benefit companies and more. It lets users import employee working hours from a time clock file. 
  • Affordable: It offers free payroll services to businesses with less than 25 employees who are on a tight budget. It simplifies payroll for new companies, and it can also be used by companies with more than 25 employees for a minimal subscription fee. 
  • Friendly Assistance:  It offers additional support from experienced payroll and tax professionals, who can be contacted for payroll-related advice in tricky scenarios. 
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  • Payroll: Automate payroll processing, schedule unlimited pay runs, customize pay runs to match business functions, make corrections and cancel pay runs when necessary. 
  • Employee Management: Provides self-service to employees. They can go through self-onboarding, enter personal details, make changes, and access pay stubs and tax forms. 
  • Multiple Pay Rates: Supports direct deposit, check and debit card payments. Allows payment to different types of employees, including salaried employees, hourly workers and contractors. 
  • Tax Filing: Processes tax filings, including special tax filings for clergy and nonprofits. OnPay assists users with taxes by calculating, paying and filing tax forms automatically. 
  • Integrations: Connects with a variety of other systems that enable the system to complete tasks such as time tracking, benefits management, accounting and other core HR functions. 
  • Org Charts: Offers detailed employee profiles and contact info, along with a company directory and a visual org chart. Automatically updates details based on changes, organizes employees by location, department or teams. 
  • PTO Management: Provides custom paid time off policies, up to three accrual tiers, automated accrual tracking, a PTO calendar, and reminders and email notification. In-app requests and approvals are also available. 
  • Integrated Workers’ Comp: Aids in administration and includes pay-as-you-go policies and low up-front costs. Automatically updates during team changes and offers support from experienced brokers. 
  • COVID-19 Compliance: Tracks FFCRA sick or medical leaves, automated FFCRA tax credits, and PPP expenses and forgiveness. 
  • Additional HR Tools: Includes onboarding workflows, e-signing, in-app offer letters, new hire reporting and custom personnel checklists. Also offers: 
    • Online I-9 and W-4 forms.
    • Delegation and tracking of non-HR requests (like IT).
    • Built-in document templates, document storage and personnel files.
    • Direct messaging, compliance audits and an HR resource library.
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  • Pay Employees and Contractors: Payroll4Free lets businesses make payments to contractors and pay salaries to their employees. It gives users the option to clear contractor payments from the new employee setup screen. Businesses can choose to process a 1099 form end at the end of the year for newly hired contractors rather than using a W-2. 
  • Tax Forms and Calculations: It takes care of all tax preparations and filings for businesses. It computes all federal, state and local taxes for its users and provides access to completed tax forms. It also makes all requisite deposits and tax filings, including W-2, at the end of the year. 
  • Paper Checks or Direct Deposits: It facilitates payments to employees and contractors through paper checks or direct deposits. Businesses can also choose to make payments using a combination of both methods according to their convenience. 
  • Employee Portal: Payroll4Free comes with an employee portal that gives staff members access to their personal information online, using any device. Employees have access to previous and current salary slips and year-end tax forms like W-2s. Employees can also edit their personal information, review leave statuses and manage their vacation time and requests. 
  • Track Employee Time-Offs: It gives businesses numerous options to track employee vacations, sick leave and PTO. It calculates the total number of working hours per employee based on their time spent with the company. This data can then be used to compute remuneration and overtime payments, if any. 
  • Detailed Reporting: Payroll4Free offers detailed reporting options to keep businesses updated on their payroll information. It provides detailed reports on earnings, benefits, taxes, accrued time off and a payroll journal. These reports offer deep insights into a company’s performance and help users make smart business decisions. 
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Product Ranking

#20

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Payroll Software

#45

among all
Payroll Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

OnPay
Payroll4Free
+ Add Product + Add Product
Benefits Management Dashboard And Reporting Expense Management Mobile Capabilities Payroll And Tax Management Platform Capabilities Security And Compliance Time And Attendance Management 89 60 40 69 88 83 100 52 73 40 0 0 71 41 60 20 0 25 50 75 100
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Analyst Ratings for Technical Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

43%
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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 616 reviews
Fair User Sentiment 9 reviews
98%
of users recommend this product

OnPay has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 98% when considering 616 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

64%
of users recommend this product

Payroll4Free has a 'fair' User Satisfaction Rating of 64% when considering 9 user reviews from 1 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (16)
n/a
4.9 (195)
n/a
4.9 (377)
3.2 (9)
4.6 (28)
n/a

Awards

OnPay stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Customer Support: The service team is well-versed with the product and responds quickly, as noted by 93% of users referencing support.
Budget-Friendly: OnPay’s cost has good value against the features offered, according to 91% of users mentioning price.
User-Friendly: The application is easy to adapt to and use, suggested 82% of users who reviewed usage and interface.
Payroll Updates: Gantt Charts provide management with a rich visualization of project workflows and data depiction that helps solve scheduling problems, as observed by approximately 100% of users who talk about its visualizer tool.
Workflow Management: Of users mentioning workflow management, 85% suggested the platform simplifies and organizes workflows to make operations easy.
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Easy to Use: Users praise Payroll4Free for its intuitive design and ease of use, making payroll processing straightforward even for those without prior experience.
Affordable Pricing: Many users appreciate the cost-effectiveness of Payroll4Free, especially smaller businesses or startups with limited budgets.
Reliable Customer Support: Users highlight the responsive and helpful customer support provided by Payroll4Free, ensuring any issues or questions are addressed promptly.
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Unstable Mobile App: The mobile app doesn’t offer optimum usage and lacks functionality compared to the web and desktop versions, according to 66% of reviews referring to this feature.
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Limited Customer Support: Users have reported difficulties reaching customer support and receiving timely assistance when encountering issues.
Occasional System Glitches: Some users have experienced occasional system errors or glitches that disrupt their payroll processing.
Basic Feature Set: Payroll4Free is generally considered suitable for businesses with straightforward payroll needs, as it may lack some advanced features found in other payroll software.
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OnPay is a payroll and HR management software ideal for small businesses. It offers various robust features such as workflow management, automated payroll updates, taxations and billings. It’s also easy to use and good for small budgets. The one notable drawback users cited was the mobile app’s functionality and speed. Overall, small businesses looking for an economic payroll solution with plenty of functionality should consider OnPay.

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Is Payroll4Free truly free, or is there a hidden cost? User reviews from the past year suggest Payroll4Free delivers on its promise of a free and easy-to-use payroll solution, particularly for small businesses with 25 or fewer employees. Users praise its intuitive interface, highlighting the guided account setup wizard and straightforward navigation. They appreciate the software's ability to handle both employee and contractor payments, simplifying the payment process. The automatic tax calculations are a major plus, easing the burden of payroll tax compliance. Some users even compared their manual calculations to Payroll4Free's reports, finding them to be spot-on. However, the "free" aspect comes with caveats. The software is ad-supported, which some users find intrusive. While the free version allows for 12 pay runs per year, exceeding this limit requires an upgrade. Additional fees apply for features like direct deposit, contractor payments, and multi-state employee payments. Users also point out limitations in functionality, noting that Payroll4Free is best suited for basic payroll needs. Larger companies or those requiring advanced features like robust reporting, automation, and analytics might find Payroll4Free lacking. Alternatives like OnPay, with its base price of $40 per month plus $6 per employee, offer more comprehensive features. In conclusion, Payroll4Free is a viable option for startups and small businesses with limited budgets and straightforward payroll requirements. Its ease of use, free basic features, and accurate tax calculations make it an attractive choice for those seeking a no-frills payroll solution. However, businesses with more complex needs or a larger workforce might find themselves outgrowing Payroll4Free's capabilities and needing to consider paid alternatives.

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