Paychex vs Square Payroll:Which is searched more in the United States?
In September 2026, Square Payroll had more branded searches than Paychex among payroll software in the United States. Square Payroll had about 9,900 branded searches, while Paychex had 2,470. Square Payroll made up 3.2% of all payroll software searches we track, and Paychex accounted for 0.79%.
Follow Paychex vs Square 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
Is Paychex or Square Payroll more popular in search?
Compare the platforms businesses run payroll with. 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.
Share of searches by month for Square Payroll, Paychex. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | RUN Powered by ADP | Gusto | Patriot Software | OnPay | QuickBooks Payroll | Square Payroll | Rippling | Deel | Paychex |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 55.6% | 15.1% | 6.6% | 7.3% | 6.9% | 3.1% | 2.5% | 0.91% | 1.9% |
| Nov 2025 | 58.1% | 15.2% | 5.7% | 7.5% | 5.9% | 3.2% | 2.3% | 0.91% | 1.2% |
| Dec 2025 | 59.3% | 13.5% | 6.7% | 7.8% | 6% | 2.7% | 2.3% | 0.8% | 0.92% |
| Jan 2026 | 55.1% | 17.3% | 7.5% | 7.2% | 5.5% | 3% | 2.6% | 0.75% | 1% |
| Feb 2026 | 52.9% | 19% | 7.2% | 7% | 5.3% | 3.5% | 2.8% | 1.1% | 1.2% |
| Mar 2026 | 52.2% | 19.3% | 7.6% | 6.4% | 6% | 3.3% | 2.8% | 1.1% | 1.1% |
| Apr 2026 | 51.3% | 19.3% | 8% | 6.8% | 6.3% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 1% | 1.2% |
| May 2026 | 52.9% | 18.1% | 7.7% | 6.9% | 6.6% | 2.9% | 2.7% | 1.4% | 0.79% |
| Jun 2026 | 55.8% | 17.5% | 7.3% | 7% | 5.3% | 2.9% | 2.6% | 0.92% | 0.73% |
| Jul 2026 | 56.3% | 15.2% | 7.5% | 7.1% | 6.7% | 3% | 2.5% | 0.95% | 0.78% |
| Aug 2026 | 56.4% | 14.6% | 7.2% | 7.4% | 7% | 3.1% | 2.3% | 1.1% | 0.78% |
| Sep 2026 | 57.4% | 12.8% | 9% | 7.5% | 5.8% | 3.2% | 2.6% | 0.99% | 0.79% |
How has the Paychex and Square Payroll comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Square Payroll was ahead of Paychex in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Paychex’s share of searches among payroll software in the United States moved from 1.9% to 0.79%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.3K to 2.5K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Square Payroll’s share of searches among payroll software in the United States moved from 3.1% to 3.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 9.9K.
How did search popularity change for United States payroll software in September 2026?
1 change
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 Square 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
Square Payroll
1 branded search term
- square payroll
Other head-to-heads among payroll software
RUN Powered by ADP vs Gusto: compare search popularity
RUN Powered by ADP vs Patriot Software: compare search popularity
RUN Powered by ADP vs OnPay: compare search popularity
RUN Powered by ADP vs QuickBooks Payroll: compare search popularity- Gusto vs Patriot Software: compare search popularity
- Gusto vs OnPay: compare search popularity
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.