Contractor-only payroll cost: Square $18, Gusto $53, Remote $87, Deel $147 a month for three contractors, and contractor-of-record plans from $597
Last updated: 2026-10-03
Short version
- A company with no W-2 employees that pays contractors only has ten plans to choose from in this site's US data: nine contractor-specific plans plus Wave, which counts contractors at the same rate as employees. Seven are payment tools, three are contractor-of-record services. Only Gusto ($35 + $6) and Wave ($40 + $6) carry a base fee.
- At three contractors the list prices are Square $18, Gusto $53, Wave $58, Remote $87, Deel $147 and Remote Plus $297. Papaya's "from $5" is a starting price behind a quote, so $15 and up at three.
- Two different products share the word "contractor". One pays people and produces 1099s (the seven above). The other, contractor of record, has the vendor take on the engagement itself: Papaya from $199, Deel and Remote from $325 per contractor, so $597 to $975 for three.
- At one contractor Remote ($29) is below Gusto ($41); at two the order flips, and at three it is Gusto $53 against Remote $87. A $0-base plan grows in a straight line with headcount.
- How billing works when you pay employees and contractors in the same month is in article-33. This page is for companies with no employees, and leaves the tax side to that one.
Two products sold under one word
Plans labeled "contractor" on a pricing page fall into two groups.
The first is a payment tool. It moves the money and produces the 1099 at year end. Square's Contractor Only Payroll, Gusto's Contractor Only, Remote's and Deel's Contractor Management, Papaya's Contractor solution (the page says "invoice management and payments only") and Wave, which bills contractors at its employee rate, all sit here. Your company remains the party to the contract.
The second is contractor of record (COR), where the vendor takes on the engagement. Deel and Remote print "from $325 per contractor per month"; Papaya prints "from $199". All three are starting prices, and every Papaya card ends in "Get a Quote". Papaya describes its COR as covering 160+ countries. The prices are an order of magnitude apart because the thing being bought is different, so the tables below keep them apart.
Payment tools: the monthly bill at 1, 3, 10 and 25 contractors
Ordered by the cost at three contractors. Every figure was re-read on 2026-10-03 except Gusto's, which is the 2026-09-27 reading (the page could not be re-read).
| Vendor | Plan | Price shape | 1 | 3 | 10 | 25 | What the page adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papaya Global | Contractor solution | from $5 per contractor (starting price, quote) | from $5 | from $15 | from $50 | from $125 | "Invoice management and payments only" |
| Square Payroll | Contractor Only Payroll | $6 per person paid, no base | $6 | $18 | $60 | $150 | No commitment, no long-term contract |
| Gusto | Contractor Only | $35 + $6 per person | $41 | $53 | $95 | $185 | Limited-time promo shows the $35 base as $0 (terms apply) |
| Wave Payroll | Wave Payroll (US) | $40 + $6 per person | $46 | $58 | $100 | $190 | Same $6 for employees and contractors |
| Remote | Contractor Management | $29 per contractor | $29 | $87 | $290 | $725 | "No platform, onboarding, or setup fees"; "Only pay for contractors you actively work with" |
| Deel | Contractor Management | $49 per contractor | $49 | $147 | $490 | $1,225 | Month-to-month, no long-term commitment |
| Remote | Contractor Management Plus | $99 per contractor | $99 | $297 | $990 | $2,475 | As above |
Scroll sideways on a phone.
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Apply Gusto's promotional $0 base and three contractors cost $18, level with Square; the table uses the list price. Wave has no contractor-only plan. It is here because its single $40 + $6 plan counts a paid contractor exactly like a paid employee.
Contractor of record: three starting prices
| Vendor | Plan | Rate | 1 | 3 | 10 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papaya Global | Contractor of Record (COR) | from $199 | $199 | $597 | $1,990 | $4,975 |
| Deel | Contractor of Record | from $325 | $325 | $975 | $3,250 | $8,125 |
| Remote | Contractor of Record | from $325 | $325 | $975 | $3,250 | $8,125 |
Scroll sideways on a phone.
All three are "from" prices, so these totals are floors. Deel and Remote match each other here; where their other plans differ (EOR at $599 against $699, for one) is laid out in the Deel vs Remote page.
Where the order changes between one contractor and three
The two plans with a base fee, Gusto and Wave, are expensive for one person and get cheaper per head as the count rises. The $0-base plans, Remote and Deel, cost the same per head at any count.
- One contractor: Square $6, Remote $29, Gusto $41, Wave $46, Deel $49.
- Two: Gusto $47 ($35 + $12) against Remote $58. This is where Gusto drops below Remote.
- Three: Gusto $53, Wave $58, Remote $87.
- Ten: Gusto $95, Wave $100, Remote $290, Deel $490.
Square's $6 simply scales with headcount and stays below every other row up to 25 (leaving aside Papaya's starting price). The cost calculator rebuilds this order at whatever number you enter.
Employee plans that count contractors at the worker rate
Some vendors have no contractor-only plan and bill contractors through the employee plan at the same rate. For three contractors and no employees, at list price:
| Vendor | Plan | Price shape | 3 contractors | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Software | Basic Payroll | $17 + $4 per worker | $29 | 2026-10-03 |
| Patriot Software | Full Service Payroll | $37 + $5 per worker | $52 | 2026-10-03 |
| Wave Payroll | Wave Payroll (US) | $40 + $6 per person | $58 | 2026-10-03 |
| OnPay | Payroll Essentials | $49 + $6 per worker | $67 | 2026-10-03 |
Patriot bills per "worker paid" and a contractor counts as one. OnPay bills contractors at the employee rate. How the bill behaves in a month where employees and contractors are both paid (counting only the months a contractor is paid, and so on) is worked through for four vendors in article-33 and is not repeated here.
What each pricing page says is included
- Square Contractor Only: digital delivery of year-end forms is included; mailed paper copies are $3 per form per year, opt-in. The page lists tax filing, multi-state and off-cycle runs as not included.
- Gusto Contractor Only: every inclusion field in this site's record reads "not stated" (pricing page as of 2026-09-27).
- Remote: "No platform, onboarding, or setup fees"; "Only pay for contractors you actively work with" (2026-10-03).
- Deel: month-to-month, no long-term commitment (2026-10-03).
- Papaya Contractor solution: "invoice management and payments only", starting price only (2026-10-03).
The dollar line above which a 1099 has to be issued is explained in article-33 and is left out of this page.
Who this is not for
This is a price list. It does not say which plan is easier to run or whether a contractor-of-record service is the right call; this site has not used any of these products. The figures are published prices (starting prices for COR and Papaya), not quotes. The scope is a US company paying contractors; foreign-exchange and transfer fees on payments abroad are not in these tables. If the people are to be hired as employees instead, the employer cost is the subject of the Employer of Record section.
Sources
- https://squareup.com/us/en/payroll/pricing (checked 2026-10-03)
- https://gusto.com/pricing (checked 2026-09-27; the page could not be re-read 2026-10-03)
- https://remote.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-03)
- https://www.deel.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-03)
- https://www.papayaglobal.com/pricing/ (checked 2026-10-03; starting prices only)
- https://www.waveapps.com/payroll (checked 2026-10-03)
- https://www.patriotsoftware.com/pricing/ (checked 2026-10-03)
- https://onpay.com/payroll/software/costs-pricing/ (checked 2026-10-03)
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/article-33 (billing when you pay employees and contractors in the same month)
Related on this site
- Paying employees and contractors in the same month: who bills for both
- What is actually inside a published payroll price
- Square Payroll plans and prices
- Remote plans and prices
- Deel vs Remote, side by side
- Employer of Record: the cost on top of salary
- The calculator, at your headcount
Written by Kaz (pen name). Figures are copied from vendors' published pricing pages on the dates shown. We have not used these products.
Written by Kaz, independent publisher. No commercial relationship with the companies named unless it is listed on the disclosure page.
Published September 27, 2026. The figures above come from the government and vendor pages listed under Sources.
I have not used these products. Nothing here is a personal test result.
Corrections: contact form.