--- title: "Square Payroll: search popularity in the United States" description: "Payroll software from Square. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time." canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/square-payroll" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Square Payroll: search popularity in the United States Payroll software from Square. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time. ## Key facts - **Brand**: Square Payroll - **Owned by**: Block - **Market**: United States - **Measured month**: Sep 2026 - **Share of Search among payroll software**: 3.2% ## Where the brand sits | Competitive set | Rank | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Payroll software | 6 | 3.2% | 9.9K | - [Payroll software](/demand/us/categories/us-payroll-software) ## Top payroll software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Square Payroll was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Square Payroll is the seventh most recommended of the nine. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Gusto | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | OnPay | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | QuickBooks Payroll | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Patriot Software | 4th | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | RUN Powered by ADP | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Rippling | 6th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Square Payroll | 7th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Paychex | 8th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Deel | 9th | 1 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 1 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about payroll software - Asked ChatGPT "Which payroll software should I use in the US?": 1. Gusto, 2. QuickBooks Payroll, 3. RUN Powered by ADP, 4. OnPay, 5. Rippling, 6. Patriot Software - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best payroll software options in the US?": 1. Gusto, 2. RUN Powered by ADP, 3. QuickBooks Payroll, 4. OnPay, 5. Rippling, 6. Paychex, 7. Square Payroll, 8. Patriot Software, 9. Deel - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best payroll software in the US for a small business?": 1. Gusto, 2. OnPay, 3. QuickBooks Payroll, 4. Patriot Software, 5. Square Payroll - Searched Google, AI Overview "payroll software": 1. Gusto, 2. OnPay, 3. Patriot Software - Searched Google, AI Overview "small business payroll": 1. Gusto, 2. QuickBooks Payroll, 3. OnPay, 4. Patriot Software, 5. Square Payroll, 6. Paychex Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in United States on October 19, 2026. ## How has branded search demand for Square Payroll changed in the United States over the last 12 months? - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Square Payroll in the United States held steady at 9.9K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Square Payroll’s share of searches among payroll software in the United States held steady, from 3.1% to 3.2%. ## How did search popularity change for United States payroll software in September 2026? - In September 2026, Patriot Software overtook OnPay to rank 3rd among payroll software in the United States, with 9% of the searches. - In September 2026, RUN Powered by ADP gained share of searches among payroll software in the United States, from 56.4% to 57.4%. - In September 2026, Gusto lost share of searches among payroll software in the United States, from 14.6% to 12.8%. - In September 2026, QuickBooks Payroll lost share of searches among payroll software in the United States, from 7% to 5.8%. - OnPay’s share of searches among payroll software in the United States has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 7% to 7.5% in September 2026. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Paychex in the United States fell 60.7% over 12 measured months, from 6.3K to 2.5K in September 2026. ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Competitive set | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Payroll software | 9.9K | 3.1% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | Payroll software | 9.9K | 3.2% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | Payroll software | 9.9K | 2.7% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | Payroll software | 12.1K | 3% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | Payroll software | 12.1K | 3.5% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | Payroll software | 12.1K | 3.3% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | Payroll software | 12.1K | 3.4% | 6 | | May 2026 | Payroll software | 9.9K | 2.9% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | Payroll software | 9.9K | 2.9% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | Payroll software | 9.9K | 3% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | Payroll software | 9.9K | 3.1% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | Payroll software | 9.9K | 3.2% | 6 | ## How are Square Payroll’s branded searches counted? Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Square Payroll’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for this branded term can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading. - “square payroll” ## Which payroll software compete with Square Payroll? - [RUN Powered by ADP](/demand/us/brands/adp-run) - [Gusto](/demand/us/brands/gusto) - [Patriot Software](/demand/us/brands/patriot-software): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/patriot-software-vs-square-payroll - [OnPay](/demand/us/brands/onpay): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/onpay-vs-square-payroll - [QuickBooks Payroll](/demand/us/brands/quickbooks-payroll): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/quickbooks-payroll-vs-square-payroll - [Rippling](/demand/us/brands/rippling): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/rippling-vs-square-payroll - [Deel](/demand/us/brands/deel): Head-to-head: /demand/us/compare/deel-vs-square-payroll - [Paychex](/demand/us/brands/paychex) ## Who owns Square Payroll? Square Payroll is owned by Block. Brandwave also tracks Afterpay, owned by the same company, in the United States. - [Block](/demand/us/companies/block): Owns 6 tracked brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Who owns Square Payroll? Square Payroll is owned by Block. Brandwave also tracks Afterpay, owned by the same company, in the United States. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Square Payroll: search popularity in the United States". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/square-payroll This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/us/brands/square-payroll. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.