NEWJoin 2M+ software buyers|Get Weekly Insights, Trends & Expert PicksSubscribe free →

Spotsaas logo
Last updated:

10 Best Free Goodbook Alternatives in 2026

Explore 10 alternatives to Goodbook — vetted by our editors with real user reviews, pricing, and feature comparisons.

A side-by-side look at 10 free Goodbook alternatives

Quick answer

For a quick answer, the leading Goodbook alternatives are Gusto, Freshbooks and Paycor. Gusto ranks highest with a SpotScore of 9.7 and a 4.38★ rating. The table below lines up all 10 on score, rating, and price.

Outgrown Goodbook, or never quite settled in? These 10 payroll software free alternatives are the strongest alternatives, ranked by SpotScore, which fuses verified user satisfaction with market presence, plus star ratings and pricing. We vet each one. The table below sums them up; the sections after go deeper.

ProductSpotScoreRatingPricingBest for
GustoModern HR for Growing Businesses9.7★★★★ 4.38(947)Freefrom $49 /user/monthsmall & mid-size businesses
FreshbooksInvoicing made easy. Anytime, anywhere.9.6★★★★★ 4.58(1379)Freefrom $8/mosmall & mid-size businesses
PaycorTransform your workforce with Paycor.9.6★★★★ 3.9(552)FreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
OnPayStreamline your payroll process and save time and money.9.4★★★★★ 4.96(447)Freefrom $40/moteams of all sizes
QuickBooks PayrollStreamline your payroll process with ease.9.2★★★★ 4.4(56)Freefrom $49/mosmall businesses
PaybooksEffortlessly manage payroll with Paybooks.8.5★★★★★ 5(3)FreeFree Trial · Quotation Based · Subscriptionteams of all sizes
PaymentEvolutionEffortlessly manage your payroll with ease.8.2Not yet ratedFreefrom $2 /employee/runsmall businesses
Hive PayrollStreamlining payroll management, one click at a time.7.8★★★★★ 5(1)Freefrom $17/mosmall & mid-size businesses
PayFitStreamline your payroll with ease.7.8Not yet ratedFreeFree Trial · Quotation Basedteams of all sizes
RemofirstEffortlessly hire, manage, and grow your remote team.7.3★★★★★ 4.55(50)Freefrom $25 per person/monthteams of all sizes

9.7

SpotScore

Gusto - Payroll Software

Gusto

Modern HR for Growing Businesses

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is Gusto?

Gusto is a comprehensive HR platform designed to help businesses of all sizes thrive. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling rapidly, Gusto provides the tools and guidance you need to grow and nurture your team. Trusted by over 300,000 businesses across the U.S., Gusto combines payroll, ...

Read more about Gusto
Free TrialTry Free →·

Gusto offers custom pricing plan

9.6

SpotScore

Freshbooks

Freshbooks

RECOMMENDED

Invoicing made easy. Anytime, anywhere.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Add to compare

What is Freshbooks?

FreshBooks is cloud accounting software for freelancers, small agencies, and service businesses with under 10 employees who handle their own books. It automates invoicing, expense categorization, and time-to-invoice workflows so owners can bill clients and track billable hours without a ...

Read more about Freshbooks
Free TrialTry Free →·

Freshbooks offers custom pricing plan

9.6

SpotScore

Paycor - HR Software

Paycor

RECOMMENDED

Transform your workforce with Paycor.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Add to compare

watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is Paycor?

Paycor is a human capital management platform for mid-size businesses and nonprofits that need payroll processing, time tracking, benefits administration, and employee onboarding managed in a single system. It eliminates the need for separate payroll and HR tools by centralizing people ...

Read more about Paycor
Free TrialTry Free →·

Paycor offers custom pricing plan

9.4

SpotScore

OnPay - Payroll Software

OnPay

Streamline your payroll process and save time and money.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is OnPay?

OnPay is an intuitive online payroll software designed to meet the needs of supervisors, managers, payroll specialists and people who manage pay for hourly or salaried staff. OnPay helps companies of all sizes reduce costs for processing payroll checks, making tax reports, tracking down pay ...

Read more about OnPay
Free TrialTry Free →

Spotsaas Ads

Want your product up here? Put it in front of buyers the moment they're comparing your category.

Reach in-market buyersRank above rivals2M+ buyers a year

9.2

SpotScore

QuickBooks Payroll - Payroll Software

QuickBooks Payroll

Streamline your payroll process with ease.

Best for: SMB teams

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is QuickBooks Payroll?

QuickBooks Payroll makes it easy to stay on top of your HR needs. It’s payroll software that gives you the power to handle all the payroll processing you need, from modeling an employee’s paycheck to tracking deductions and taxes. Whether you need a few employees or thousands, QuickBooks ...

Read more about QuickBooks Payroll
Free TrialTry Free →

8.5

SpotScore

Paybooks - Payroll Software

Paybooks

Effortlessly manage payroll with Paybooks.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is Paybooks?

Paybooks is payroll software for HR teams in mid-sized to large companies managing payroll across multiple business units or tax jurisdictions. It handles salary calculation, statutory compliance, and supports both cloud and on-premise deployment depending on IT policy. Setup requires ...

Read more about Paybooks
Free TrialTry Free →·

Paybooks offers custom pricing plan

8.2

SpotScore

PaymentEvolution

PaymentEvolution

Effortlessly manage your payroll with ease.

Best for: SMB teams

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is PaymentEvolution?

PaymentEvolution is a cloud-based payroll software solution that helps businesses manage and streamline their payroll operations. The innovative software is designed to help businesses reduce time spent on manual data entry, while also offering advanced features such as electronic filing to the

Read more about PaymentEvolution
Free TrialTry Free →·

PaymentEvolution offers custom pricing plan

7.8

SpotScore

Hive Payroll

Hive Payroll

Streamlining payroll management, one click at a time.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is Hive Payroll?

Hive Payroll is payroll software for single-site and multi-site businesses that need payslip generation, deductions management, and statutory compliance handled without separate tools for each function. It consolidates pay calculations and compliance tracking into one interface, reducing the ...

Read more about Hive Payroll
Free TrialTry Free →

7.8

SpotScore

PayFit

PayFit

Streamline your payroll with ease.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

What is PayFit?

PayFit payroll Software is designed to make the lives of Payroll department easier and simple. It is a powerful solution offering all the key functionality required by an organization tracking the wages (including gratuities), taxes and deductions of their employees. It comes with flexible ...

Read more about PayFit
Free TrialTry Free →·

PayFit offers custom pricing plan

7.3

SpotScore

Remofirst - Payroll Software

Remofirst

Effortlessly hire, manage, and grow your remote team.

Best for: SMB teams · Mid-market · Enterprise

Start Free Trial

Add to compare

watch-demo

Watch Demo

What is Remofirst?

Remofirst is a comprehensive platform designed to simplify the process of hiring, onboarding, and managing remote teams across the globe. With its all-in-one software, businesses can efficiently onboard new employees while ensuring compliance with international labor laws. The platform offers ...

Read more about Remofirst
Free TrialTry Free →

Why each Goodbook alternative is here

Gusto9.7Best for small & mid-size businesses

Handles payroll processing and tax compliance without requiring accounting expertise.

Watch for: Occasional reports of errors in support communication or inconsistencies in handling complex account issues.

Freshbooks9.6Best for small & mid-size businesses

User-friendly interface, making it simple to set up and use even for non-accounting experts.

Watch for: Reporting functionalities and customizations are less capable compared to industry giants, limiting advanced financial analysis.

Paycor9.6Best for teams of all sizes

Covers payroll, recruiting, onboarding, performance management, and benefits administration in one platform.

Watch for: Customer service response times are consistently slow, with no assigned representatives and frequent case mismanagement.

OnPay9.4Best for teams of all sizes

OnPay stands out for its intuitive design, making it easy for supervisors, managers, and payroll specialists to navigate and execute payroll tasks efficiently

Watch for: While great for SMBs, larger companies might find customization options less robust for complex payroll needs.

QuickBooks Payroll9.2Best for small businesses

Automates tax filing, paycheck generation, and sends real-time notifications to reduce manual effort.

Watch for: Steeper pricing compared to alternative payroll systems, especially for smaller businesses or limited payroll needs.

Paybooks8.5Best for teams of all sizes

Paybooks offers a robust suite of payroll functionalities that can handle end-to-end payroll processing, making it suitable for a wide range of organizational needs.

Watch for: Due to its high level of customization, setting up Paybooks to suit specific business structures and jurisdictions can be time-consuming without expert assistance.

PaymentEvolution8.2Best for small businesses

Supports businesses of all sizes, adapting to growing payroll needs without compromising performance.

Watch for: Users unfamiliar with payroll software may require time to fully adapt to the system's features.

Hive Payroll7.8Best for small & mid-size businesses

Hive Payroll is intuitively laid out, allowing even non-tech-savvy users to process payroll without a steep learning curve.

Watch for: The visual layout could use modernization to enhance the overall user experience.

PayFit7.8Best for teams of all sizes

PayFit covers the full payroll spectrum—wages, taxes, deductions, and gratuities—making it a comprehensive solution for HR and payroll teams.

Watch for: While strong on payroll, the platform doesn’t seem to offer additional HR modules like employee onboarding, leave management, or benefits tracking.

Remofirst7.3Best for teams of all sizes

Easy-to-navigate and user-friendly platform, ensuring smooth use for administrators and employees alike.

Watch for: Initial setup process can be tricky or confusing for some users without prior experience in EOR operations.

Why teams look for a Goodbook alternative

There are a few common reasons buyers start shopping for a Goodbook alternative:

  • Doesn't appear to connect with major accounting or HR platforms.
  • May lack in-depth tools needed for more complex payroll scenarios or enterprise use.
  • Better suited for small operations; may not meet the demands of growing companies.

How to pick the right Goodbook replacement

Side by side, the 10 free alternatives break down like this: 10 offer a free tier; paid plans run $2–$49, with PaymentEvolution the cheapest entry point; and Paybooks is the highest rated at 5 across 3 reviews.

How we score these.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Stuck on something? We're here to help with all the questions and answers in one place.

The top-rated alternatives to Goodbook are Paybooks (5.0★), Hive Payroll (5.0★), OnPay (5.0★). Compare all 10 alternatives side-by-side above.

When evaluating alternatives to Goodbook, prioritize: Self Service Portal, Check Printing, transparent pricing, free trial availability, and integrations with your existing tools. Use the filters above to compare by feature, budget, and team size.

Migration difficulty depends on how deeply Goodbook is integrated into your workflows. Most alternatives offer data export/import tools and dedicated onboarding support. We recommend shortlisting 2–3 options, running a free trial, and checking each vendor's migration guides before committing.

Finding the right Goodbook alternative for your team

  • On a budget / just exploring: start with a free tier — Gusto, Freshbooks and Paycor let you evaluate without paying upfront.
  • If real-user ratings matter most: Paybooks has the strongest star rating (5★) among the options with verified reviews.
  • Want the safest pick: Gusto has the highest Spotsaas Score (9.7) in this list — a strong default if you're unsure.

Planning your switch from Goodbook

Leaving Goodbook is mostly about avoiding surprises. Export your data, check the new tool can import it, and confirm feature parity for what you actually use. Run a pilot before the full switch, and keep your Goodbook account open until migration wraps. The free tiers above let you trial without spending.

Disclaimer: This research has been collated from a variety of authoritative sources. We welcome your feedback at [email protected].