Best Nonprofit Payroll Software in 2026
Updated
In short: Wave is ranked #1 of 33 as of 7 October 2026, ahead of Payroll4Free and Homebase. The best-ranked option with a free plan is Payroll4Free. The lowest first paid tier on this page is Justworks Benefits at $8/mo.
Nonprofit payroll software can be assessed against the needs of an organization’s staff, contractors, and tax workflows. Compare contractor payments and employee limits, along with multi-state payroll and nonprofit tax support. Check whether tax filing is included and whether time tracking is available among the listed criteria. Free-plan availability and paid-from pricing add cost considerations. The entries include Wave, Payroll4Free, and PayFWDs, with other providers also represented. Weigh these details against the workforce your organization manages and the payroll tasks it needs to handle.
33 nonprofit payroll software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
2 of the 25 here have a free tier you can use, 0 have open-source code on record, and 0 have full bars: free, open, on most of your devices and documented.
| # | App | Signal | Free tier | Open code | Devices | From | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | WaveWeb · Android · iPhone · API | Three bars | — | 3 of 6 | $15.83/mo | 6.5 | |
| 2 | Payroll4FreeWeb · Windows · Extension | Two bars | — | 2 of 6 | $35,350/mo | 6.4 | |
| 3 | HomebaseWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $13/mo | 5.6 |
| 4 | PayFWDsWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 5 | RipplingWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 6 | RUN Powered by ADPWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.5 |
| 7 | CDM+Web · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone · API | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | $25/mo | 5.4 |
| 8 | MIP PayrollWeb · Windows · Self-hosted | One bar | — | — | 2 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 9 | Workday BenefitsWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.4 |
| 10 | JustworksWeb | One bar | — | — | 1 of 6 | — | 5.3 |
| 11 | ADP Workforce NowWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 12 | Dayforce SchedulingWeb · Android · iPhone · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 13 | Employment HeroWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 14 | GustoWeb · Android · iPhone · API | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $49/mo | 5.1 |
| 15 | Justworks BenefitsWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $8/mo | 5.1 |
| 16 | OnPayWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $49/mo | 5.1 |
| 17 | Patriot PayrollWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $8.50/mo | 5.1 |
| 18 | PaycomWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 19 | PaycorWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 20 | PaylocityWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 21 | QuickBooks Contractor PaymentsWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $12.50/mo | 5.1 |
| 22 | Sage PayrollWeb · Windows · Mac · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 5 of 6 | — | 5.1 |
| 23 | SurePayrollWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | $20/mo | 5.1 |
| 24 | APS PayrollWeb · Android · iPhone | Two bars | — | — | 3 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
| 25 | Dayforce Workforce ManagementNo platforms listed | No signal | — | — | 0 of 6 | — | 5.0 |
Compare all 25 in a table
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Free plan | Paid from | Tax filing included | Nonprofit tax support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wave | 6.5 | Free plan | $15.83/mo | Yes | 19 /mo | — | — |
| 2 | Payroll4Free | 6.4 | Free plan | $35,350/mo | Yes | 15 /mo | Yes | — |
| 3 | Homebase | 5.6 | No | $13/mo | Yes | 30 /mo | — | — |
| 4 | PayFWDs | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | Rippling | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 | RUN Powered by ADP | 5.5 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 | CDM+ | 5.4 | No | $25/mo | No | 25 /mo | — | — |
| 8 | MIP Payroll | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | Yes | Yes |
| 9 | Workday Benefits | 5.4 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | Justworks | 5.3 | No | — | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 11 | ADP Workforce Now | 5.1 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | Dayforce Scheduling | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 13 | Employment Hero | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 14 | Gusto | 5.1 | No | $49/mo | No | — | — | — |
| 15 | Justworks Benefits | 5.1 | No | $8/mo | No | — | Yes | Yes |
| 16 | OnPay | 5.1 | No | $49/mo | No | 49 /mo | Yes | — |
| 17 | Patriot Payroll | 5.1 | No | $8.50/mo | No | 17 /mo | Yes | Yes |
| 18 | Paycom | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 19 | Paycor | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 20 | Paylocity | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | — | — |
| 21 | QuickBooks Contractor Payments | 5.1 | No | $12.50/mo | No | 50 /mo | Yes | — |
| 22 | Sage Payroll | 5.1 | No | — | No | — | Yes | — |
| 23 | SurePayroll | 5.1 | No | $20/mo | No | 20 /mo | Yes | — |
| 24 | APS Payroll | 5.0 | No | — | No | — | Yes | — |
| 25 | Dayforce Workforce Management | 5.0 | No | — | — | — | — | — |
Is your app on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored, and a sponsored row is labelled as paid.
Questions about this list
Which nonprofit payroll software is ranked first on Freedom251?
Wave is ranked #1 of 33 with a score of 6.5. Payroll4Free is second and Homebase third.
How many of these have a free plan?
2 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Justworks Benefits has the lowest first paid tier we found: $8/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked free-and-open first: a usable free tier and open-source code, then the platforms it runs on and its documentation.