Brandwave

Paychex vs QuickBooks Payroll:Which is searched more in the United States?

In September 2026, QuickBooks Payroll had more branded searches than Paychex among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States. QuickBooks Payroll had about 18,100 branded searches, while Paychex had 2,470. QuickBooks Payroll made up 5.4% of all HR and payroll software for small and midsize business searches we track, and Paychex accounted for 0.73%.

Share of searches among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States in September 2026Is Paychex or QuickBooks Payroll more popular in search?
Paychex0.73%2.5K searches
vs
QuickBooks Payroll5.4%18.1K searches

Follow Paychex vs QuickBooks Payroll and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand against a rival →

Is Paychex or QuickBooks Payroll more popular in search?

Compare HR, payroll, and people-management software sold to small and midsize businesses, measured through worldwide English-language branded search demand. 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.

Paychex and QuickBooks Payroll among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States, by month

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

View monthly share of searches table
MonthRUN Powered by ADPGustoBambooHRPatriot SoftwareOnPayQuickBooks PayrollRipplingPaychexJustworksHiBob
Oct 202550.4%13.7%12.1%6%6.6%6.2%2.3%1.8%0.63%0.27%
Nov 202553.6%14.1%10.5%5.2%6.9%5.4%2.1%1.1%0.63%0.26%
Dec 202555.6%12.6%8.9%6.3%7.3%5.6%2.2%0.86%0.46%0.18%
Jan 202651.1%16%10%7%6.7%5.1%2.4%0.92%0.52%0.21%
Feb 202649.5%17.7%10%6.8%6.5%5%2.6%1.1%0.56%0.24%
Mar 202649%18.1%9.5%7.2%6%5.7%2.7%1.1%0.57%0.27%
Apr 202647.8%18%10%7.4%6.3%5.9%2.6%1.1%0.58%0.27%
May 202649.2%16.9%10.1%7.2%6.5%6.1%2.5%0.73%0.66%0.24%
Jun 202651.7%16.2%10.1%6.7%6.5%4.9%2.4%0.67%0.64%0.24%
Jul 202651.8%14%10.7%6.9%6.6%6.2%2.3%0.72%0.69%0.24%
Aug 202651%13.2%12.6%6.5%6.7%6.3%2.1%0.7%0.65%0.22%
Sep 202653%11.8%10.7%8.3%6.9%5.4%2.4%0.73%0.65%0.25%

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

3 findings

How did search popularity change for United States HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, QuickBooks Payroll lost share of searches among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses in the United States, from 6.3% to 5.4%.

  2. 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.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Paychex’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.

Paychex

3 branded search terms

  • paychex hr
  • paychex payroll
  • paychex payroll services

QuickBooks Payroll

1 branded search term

  • quickbooks payroll

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among HR and payroll software for small and midsize businesses

Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Put your own brand in this comparison

Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.

Start free