United States
Patriot Software vs Square Payroll: the cost difference at your headcount
At 10 employees on each vendor's cheapest published plan, Patriot Software costs $57 a month and Square Payroll costs $95 — a difference of $38 a month, or $456 a year.
That gap changes with headcount, because the two split their base fee and per-employee fee differently. The table below shows where.
| Vendor | Cheapest published plan | Monthly at 10 | Who it fits | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Software | Basic Payroll | $57 $5.70/employee | smaller teams, because the base fee is lower | Full figures |
| Square Payroll | Full-Service Payroll | $95 $9.50/employee | larger teams, because the per-employee fee is lower | Full figures |
| Neither, for now | — | — | you have not yet counted seasonal or part-time staff, or your headcount is about to change | Run your own number |
What changes the answer
- If you have fewer than 5 people, the base fee decides it. Patriot Software charges $17 against $35, and at that size the base fee is most of the bill.
- If you are growing past 25 people, the per-employee fee decides it. Patriot Software charges $4.00 against $6.00 per person.
- A stale figure for either vendor makes the comparison stale. Both were read on their own pricing pages and neither vendor tells us when they change. Confirm before you sign.
The same comparison at every size
| Vendor | 1 | 5 | 10 | 25 | 50 | 100 | 250 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Software | $21 | $37 | $57 | $117 | $217 | $417 | $1,017 |
| Square Payroll | $41 | $65 | $95 | $185 | $335 | $635 | $1,535 |
| Difference | $20 | $28 | $38 | $68 | $118 | $218 | $518 |
Columns are employee counts. Scroll sideways on a phone.
No other adjustment is applied. We do not add estimated tax-filing fees, discounts, or promotional pricing. The full method is at Method.
What this comparison does not tell you
Price only. We have not used either product, so nothing here is a judgment about how well they run payroll, how good the support is, or whether the tax filings come out right. Two products at the same price are not the same product. Use this to rule options out on cost, then judge the rest somewhere that has actually used them.
Related
- Patriot Software pricing in full
- Square Payroll pricing in full
- Other options besides Patriot Software
- Put your own headcount in
Written by Kaz, independent publisher. No commercial relationship with the companies named unless it is listed on the disclosure page.
Page last updated: 2026-09-06. Sources: vendor pricing pages only. Figures checked between 2026-08-20 and 2026-09-06. I have not used these products. Nothing here is a personal test result.
Ranking method and formulas: Method. Listing position on this site is not for sale.
Corrections: contact form.