Brandwave

OnPay vs QuickBooks Payroll:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, OnPay had more branded searches than QuickBooks Payroll among payroll software in the United States. OnPay had about 23,500 branded searches, while QuickBooks Payroll had 18,100. OnPay made up 7.5% of all payroll software searches we track, and QuickBooks Payroll accounted for 5.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about payroll software, OnPay appeared in all five answers and QuickBooks Payroll in four. QuickBooks Payroll was mentioned before OnPay in three out of five answers.

Among payroll software in the United States in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

OnPay, about 30% more searches than QuickBooks Payroll

OnPay 23.5K searchesQuickBooks Payroll 18.1K searches

Who does AI mention more?

OnPay, mentioned in every answer we collected

OnPay in 5 of 5QuickBooks Payroll in 4 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

QuickBooks Payroll, named ahead of OnPay in 3 of 5 answers

QuickBooks Payroll first in 3OnPay first in 2

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Top payroll software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, OnPay appeared in all five answers. QuickBooks Payroll was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. QuickBooks Payroll was listed before OnPay in three out of five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Gusto1st
  2. OnPay2nd
  3. QuickBooks Payroll3rd
  4. Patriot Software4th
  5. RUN Powered by ADP5th
  6. Rippling6th
  7. Square Payroll7th
  8. Paychex8th
  9. Deel9th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Gusto5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Patriot Software5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • OnPay5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • QuickBooks Payroll4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Square Payroll3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • RUN Powered by ADP2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Rippling2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Paychex2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Deel1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about payroll software

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in United States on October 19, 2026.

Is OnPay or QuickBooks Payroll more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for OnPay and QuickBooks Payroll by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine payroll software we track, month by month, from searches in United States.

OnPay and QuickBooks Payroll among payroll software in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for OnPay, QuickBooks Payroll. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthRUN Powered by ADPGustoPatriot SoftwareOnPayQuickBooks PayrollSquare PayrollRipplingDeelPaychex
Oct 202555.6%15.1%6.6%7.3%6.9%3.1%2.5%0.91%1.9%
Nov 202558.1%15.2%5.7%7.5%5.9%3.2%2.3%0.91%1.2%
Dec 202559.3%13.5%6.7%7.8%6%2.7%2.3%0.8%0.92%
Jan 202655.1%17.3%7.5%7.2%5.5%3%2.6%0.75%1%
Feb 202652.9%19%7.2%7%5.3%3.5%2.8%1.1%1.2%
Mar 202652.2%19.3%7.6%6.4%6%3.3%2.8%1.1%1.1%
Apr 202651.3%19.3%8%6.8%6.3%3.4%2.8%1%1.2%
May 202652.9%18.1%7.7%6.9%6.6%2.9%2.7%1.4%0.79%
Jun 202655.8%17.5%7.3%7%5.3%2.9%2.6%0.92%0.73%
Jul 202656.3%15.2%7.5%7.1%6.7%3%2.5%0.95%0.78%
Aug 202656.4%14.6%7.2%7.4%7%3.1%2.3%1.1%0.78%
Sep 202657.4%12.8%9%7.5%5.8%3.2%2.6%0.99%0.79%

How has the OnPay and QuickBooks Payroll comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

How did search popularity change for United States payroll software in September 2026?

3 changes

  1. In September 2026, Patriot Software overtook OnPay to rank 3rd among payroll software in the United States, with 9% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, QuickBooks Payroll lost share of searches among payroll software in the United States, from 7% to 5.8%.

  3. 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.

How are branded searches counted?

3 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using OnPay’s and QuickBooks Payroll’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

OnPay

2 branded search terms

  • onpay
  • onpay payroll

QuickBooks Payroll

1 branded search term

  • quickbooks payroll

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among payroll software

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