Payroll software: 7 vendors compared
Payroll has become a platform business. Deel and Rippling both passed $1 billion in revenue in 2026 by selling payroll as one module of a workforce platform; Remote and Deel own employer-of-record hiring; PayFit and Ordio serve European SMEs; Check runs payroll behind other companies' products; Warp is the AI-native challenger to all of them. Every vendor below has a full profile.
The vendors
Startups first, ordered by funding raised, then the established vendors they compete with
DeelStartup · $979m raisedGlobal payroll, employer of record and contractor payments in 150-plus countries, grown from a contractor tool in 2019 to a $1.4bn revenue company preparing to list.→
RemoteStartup · $506m raisedGlobal employer of record and payroll platform that owns its local entities in more than 80 countries, founded by two former GitLab executives and one of the first companies to reach unicorn status in the category.→
CheckStartup · $119m raisedEmbedded payroll infrastructure: APIs that let software platforms build and run payroll inside their own products, powering payroll for more than 250,000 businesses and four million employees across all US states.→
WarpStartup · $85m raisedAI-native payroll, HR, benefits, compliance and IT for companies from a handful of staff to 5,000, positioned against ADP, Rippling and Workday.→
OrdioStartup · $15m raisedCologne workforce platform for shift-based businesses: scheduling, time tracking, absence and, since 2025, fully automated payroll for hospitality, healthcare, retail and manufacturing.→
PayFitParis payroll and HR software for small and mid-sized companies in France, Spain and the UK, with about 5,000 customers, $155m in recurring revenue and a $2.1bn valuation from its 2022 round.→
RipplingWorkforce platform combining payroll, HR, IT and spend management on one employee record, past $1bn in annualised revenue in 2026 and valued at $16.8bn, with more than 20,000 customers.→Common questions
What is the difference between Deel and Rippling?+
Deel started with international contractors and employer of record and grew into payroll and HR; Rippling started with US payroll and HR and grew into IT and spend. Both now overlap heavily and are in open rivalry.
What is embedded payroll?+
Payroll run inside another product under that product's brand, using infrastructure from a company such as Check. Vertical software, banks and HR platforms use it to add payroll without building it.
Which payroll software do accounting firms recommend?+
Gusto and Rippling for US clients, Deel or Remote for international staff, PayFit and Xero Payroll in Europe, with Warp and Ordio as newer options for startups and shift-based businesses.
Related
Updated September 2026 · Part of Accountio’s accounting technology coverage
