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Samsung S85F review: two minute review

The Samsung S85F, the company’s entry-level OLED TV for 2025, could easily get overshadowed by its step-up siblings and more premium OLED competition. However, the S85F offers a good range of features and great performance at a more affordable price, with the 65-inch model I tested available for $1,499.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$1,999.99 several months after its release.

One thing to note in this review: I tested the 65-inch Samsung S85F, which in the UK, where I am based, uses a W-OLED panel. In the US, the 55- and 65-inch models instead use a QD-OLED panel.

The S85F boasts a feature list that rivals the best TVs, particularly in terms of smart TV and gaming capabilities. That list also includes AI-based picture enhancement tools such as 4K AI Upscaling and Real Depth Enhancer, as well as an improved Tizen 9.0 smart TV platform.

Picture quality on the S85F comes close to rivaling the best OLED TVs. Colors are vibrant, and it delivers strong contrast with deep blacks and refined shadow detail. Textures are realistic with both 4K and HD sources, giving people and objects a 3D-like quality. Motion does require some setup, but once this is done, the picture is smooth and responsive. Brightness is lower than that of flagship OLEDs such as the Samsung S95F and LG G5, and even mid-range OLEDs like the LG C5, but that’s the one area where it falls short.

The S85F’s two 2-channel, 20W speaker array delivers decent bass and clear speech, and it accurately maps sound effects to the action on screen, but is otherwise just average. Some may find the S85F’s sound fine for day-to-day viewing, but I’d recommend adding one of the best soundbars.

The S85F carries a gaming feature set to match the best gaming TVs, and it has the performance to match. Its four HDMI 2.1 ports support 4K 120Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, ALLM, and HDR10+ gaming. Samsung’s Gaming Hub has access to tons of cloud gaming apps, and an ultra-low 9.4ms input lag time ensures responsive performance, regardless of the game.

Tizen 9.0, the latest version of Samsung’s smart TV platform, is arguably the best one to date. Navigation is smooth, there are AI-based tools for content recommendation, and there are plenty of settings to adjust the picture. Those settings can be a pain to find at times, but that doesn’t make Tizen 9.0 any less of a success.

The S85F is great value for money. It has a comprehensive list of features, strong performance for gaming and movies, and is affordably priced for an OLED TV. While step-up models such as the Samsung S90F and LG C5 can be had for a bit more money, the S85F is still a great value overall.

Samsung S85F review: Prices & release date

(Image credit: Future)

• Release date: May 2025
• 55-inch: $1,399.99 / £1,399.99 / AU$2,499
• 65-inch: $1,999.99 / £2,099.99 / AU$3,299
• 77-inch: $2,799.99 / £2,799.99 / AU$4,999
• 83-inch: $4,499.99 / £3,799.99 / AU$6,999

The Samsung S85F is the entry-level OLED model in Samsung’s 2025 TV lineup, sitting below the mid-range Samsung S90F and flagship Samsung S95F. It is available in sizes ranging from 55 to 83 inches. The 65-inch model I tested launched at $1,999.99 / £2,099.99 / AU$3,299.

All models have dropped in price since launch. At the time of writing, the 65-inch model is selling for as low as $1,499.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$1,999.99, putting it in the same region as its closest rival, the LG B5 (65-inch priced at $1,399.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$2,695). I expect those prices to continue dropping throughout 2025.

Samsung S85F review: Specs

Screen type:

OLED

Refresh rate:

Up to 120Hz

HDR support:

HDR10+, HDR10, HLG

Audio support:

Dolby Atmos

Smart TV:

Tizen

HDMI ports:

4 x HDMI 2.1

Built-in tuner (US):

ATSC 1.0

Samsung S85F review: Benchmark resultsSamsung S85F review: Features

The Samsung Gaming Hub (pictured) is one of the Samsung S85F's strongest features (Image credit: Future)

• NQ4 AI Gen 2 Processor and W-OLED panel
• 4K 120Hz, AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync
• Vision AI tools

US models of the S85F use QD-OLED panels exclusively in the 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes. In every other region, the S85F uses standard W-OLED panels across all sizes. Since I’m in the UK, I tested a 65-inch model with a W-OLED panel.

The S85F features Samsung’s NQ4 AI Gen 2 processor, which has picture enhancements such as 4K AI Upscaling and Real Depth Enhancer. Like all Samsung TVs, there is support for HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range formats, but not Dolby Vision.

A two-channel, 20W speaker array on the S85F supports Dolby Atmos, and there are sound-based AI tools such as Adaptive Sound and Active Voice Amplifier Pro. The S85F also supports Q-Symphony, which enables its speakers to be used in conjunction with compatible Samsung soundbars when connected.

Gaming is well supported on the S85F. The TV’s four HDMI 2.1 ports support 4K 120Hz, ALLM, HDR10+ gaming, and both AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync. The S85F also features the Samsung Gaming Hub, a portal for cloud-based gaming services.

The S85F features Samsung’s Tizen smart TV platform, now on version 9.0. This provides AI tools for picture and sound enhancement, plus other features such as click to search and AI content recommendations. Tizen provides access to pretty much all major streaming apps, such as Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and, in the UK, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and other major UK-based streaming apps.

• Features score: 5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Picture quality

Colors and textures look great on the Samsung S85F, as shown here with Wicked (Image credit: Universal Pictures / Future)

• Rich colors
• Strong contrast and shadow detail
• Middling brightness compared to other OLEDs

Measuring the S85F’s peak HDR brightness on a 10% white window pattern, it hit 777 nits in Filmmaker Mode and 818 nits in Standard mode. While that result is lower than mid-range OLED TVs such as the Samsung S90F, it was higher than the LG B5 (668 nits in Movie mode and 637 nits in Standard mode), which uses a similar panel.

The S85F’s fullscreen HDR brightness was just average, topping at 147 nits in Filmmaker Mode and 150 nits in Standard mode. This is again in the same region as the B5 (170 nits in Standard and 131 nits in Filmmaker), but much lower than what you’ll get with recent flagship OLEDs, which average around 300-plus nits on this test.

The S85F does an impressive job upscaling HD-quality movies and TV shows. A stream of Fight Club on Disney+ benefited from upscaled textures and showed good contrast. The same can’t be said for standard-definition content from apps like Samsung TV Plus and YouTube, however.

Color was among the S85F’s strong points. Viewed in the Movie picture mode, a scene from the 4K Blu-ray of Wicked, in which Elphaba stands under a pink tree, revealed vibrant pink flowers and a vivid green hue to Elphaba’s skin. Filmmaker Mode looked more natural, but picture highlights had more punch in Movie mode. A 4K stream of Elemental also demonstrated the S85F’s superb color, particularly in a scene where Ember repairs a broken vase.

Measuring the S85F’s HDR color gamut, it covered 98.1% of the DCI-P3 and 71.5% of the BT.2020 color spaces. While the former is a great result, the latter is lacking compared to other recent OLEDs, which have ranged from 74-81% in our tests.

The S85F delivers rich black levels and great contrast (Image credit: Future)

The S85F exhibited excellent contrast and shadow detail. Watching The Batman, specifically the opening crime scene in Mayor Mitchell’s house, there was a powerful balance between the light areas of torches and lamps and the dark floors and walls. Paintings were still visible on the walls in the darkest points of the scene, and so was Batman’s eye as he turned away from the camera. Shadows here were deep and rich throughout, with no signs of black crush.

Due to the S85F’s limited brightness and glossy screen, darker movies like The Batman were harder to watch in brighter viewing conditions, and were best saved for dim or pitch black viewing.

Black and white scenes from Oppenheimer also demonstrated the S85F’s excellent screen uniformity, displaying a good range of black, white and gray tones evenly across the screen.

Motion handling required some setup on the S85F. For sports, I found Standard mode with judder reduction set to 3-5 and blur redirection set to 2 to be the best settings, resulting in a smooth, but not overly smooth, picture. There was still some ghosting of the ball during a soccer game on Prime Video with these settings, but it was minimal. As for movies, a scene in No Time to Die where a camera pans across a hillside required the same motion settings to reduce judder.

Detail was one of the S85F’s other picture quality strengths. Almost everything I watched looked crisp and refined, taking on a realistic look without being too sharp. This gave people and objects a 3D-like quality, something helped along by the TV’s Real Depth Enhancer feature.

• Picture quality score: 4.5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Sound quality

The S85F features Samsung's Object Tracking Sound (OTS) Lite system for a more spatially accurate sound presentation (Image credit: Future)

• Two-channel, 20W speaker array
• Good accuracy and solid bass
• Narrow soundstage

The S85F has a two-channel, 20W speaker system with Dolby Atmos support. There are two audio presets, Standard and Amplify, along with AI sound tools such as Adaptive Sound and Voice Amplifier Pro, both of which analyze the viewing environment and content on screen to adapt the sound.

Despite having a limited two-channel sound system, the S85F demonstrated solid bass. In the Batmobile/Penguin car chase from The Batman, it delivered the rumble of the Batmobile’s engine and the crunch of collisions with good impact and weight. The Object Tracking Sound (OTS) Lite system also did a great job of connecting sound with the action on screen, accurately mapping swerving tires, bullet sprays and blaring car horns. Speech was generally clear throughout my testing.

The S85F’s soundstage felt very narrow, however, with sound effects never really extending beyond the screen. While the S85F’s sound will be fine for day-to-day viewing, it deserves a soundbar to match its picture quality.

• Sound quality score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Design

The S85F's support feet can be installed in two positions: wide or narrow (Image credit: Future)

• Sleek design with trim frame
• Wide and narrow support feet options
• SolarCell remote

Like many Samsung TVs, the S85F has an appealing design, with its extra-slim build and bezel-less screen giving it a sleek, modern look. Its rear panel even has a navy/gray color that helps differentiate it from other TVs on the market.

There are wide and narrow installation options for the TV’s support feet. Wide is perfect for accommodating a soundbar, and the narrow position is for those who have a particularly small TV stand.

The S85F comes with Samsung’s SolarCell remote, which features both a USB-C port and a solar cell on the rear as charging options. A new addition is the AI button, which provides access to Vision AI settings, such as click to search when pressed. If you’re in the UK, you’ll get Samsung’s older remote with a numeric keypad as well.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Smart TV & menus

Tizen 9.0, the latest version of Samsung's smart TV platform, is the best one to date (Image credit: Future)

• Tizen 9.0 platform
• Responsive performance and clean layout
• Some settings are buried in menus

Samsung’s Tizen smart TV platform has gone through several big changes over the last few years, and the new Tizen 9.0 is the best version to date. A quick menu provides easy access to settings such as picture mode, brightness, and sound output. There are also four useful hubs: Home, for streaming apps and content recommendations; Game, for gaming apps and settings; Daily+, for lifestyle apps such as office and health; and Ambient, which gives access to artwork, photos and videos that can be displayed in a low power mode.

Tizen 9.0 offers AI content recommendations based on your watch history, and its Samsung TV Plus app houses hundreds of free channels. For UK users, Samsung TV Plus serves as an alternative to Freeview. There is the option to create custom profiles for different users as well.

Tizen 9.0 may be a marked improvement over previous versions, but it’s still not perfect. While there are plenty of settings to adjust the picture, these can be tough to navigate. For instance, I was frustrated to find that settings I regularly use, such as Motion, were buried deep in sub-menus.

Tizen doesn’t quite beat LG’s webOS as the best smart TV platform, but it comes in a very close second.

• Smart TV & menus score: 4.5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Gaming

The S85F has a stacked list of gaming features and delivers great performance. (Image credit: Future)

• Four HDMI 2.1 ports
• 4K 120Hz, FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync
• 9.4ms input lag time

The S85F carries a near-full stock of gaming features across its four HDMI 2.1 ports. These include support for 4K 120Hz, VRR including AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync (the latter a first for Samsung TVs), HDR10+ gaming and ALLM.

Samsung’s Gaming Hub offers cloud-based gaming services such as Xbox, Nvidia GeForce Now, and Luna, along with gaming-related content. It also allows for quick access to connected gaming devices such as consoles.

With an ultra-low 9.4ms measured input lag, gaming performance on the S85F is smooth and responsive. In even the most chaotic battle sequences in Battlefield V, I found it was snappy and responded to my inputs quickly with no signs of stutter or screen tearing.

• Gaming score: 5 / 5

Samsung S85F review: Value

The S85F comes with Samsung's SolarCell remote (Image credit: Future)

• Competitively priced for an entry-level OLED
• Strong features and performance for price
• Better value in US due to QD-OLED panel

I’ve seen the 65-inch S85F I tested selling for $1,499.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$1,999.99. While this is good value for an OLED TV of this size in the UK and Australia, it’s even better value in the US, since that size uses a QD-OLED panel that can potentially provide even better performance.

The S85F is competitively priced with its main rival, the LG B5, which costs $1,399.99 / £1,899.99 / AU$2,695 for the 65-inch model. I expect these two will compete on price for the remainder of the year, particularly during Black Friday.

The step-up Samsung S90F (which also uses a QD-OLED panel in the 65-inch size in both the US and the UK) is available for $1,699.99 / £2,099.99 / AU$4,295, meaning it’s a good value. And at $1,699.99 / £2,099.99 / AU$4,295, the LG C5, LG’s mid-range OLED, is priced the same as the S90F. For a bit more money, both these models offer better performance, with higher picture brightness.

• Value score: 4.5 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung S85F?

(Image credit: Future)Samsung S85F

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Features

A strong array of features for both gaming and smart TV

5/5

Picture quality

Excellent color and contrast plus realistic textures, but lacks brightness of more premium OLEDs

4.5/5

Sound quality

Solid bass performance and accurate mapping, but a narrow soundstage

3.5/5

Design

Slim, sleek design with two-position stand gives TV a more premium look than its price would suggest

4.5/5

Smart TV and menus

Best iteration of Tizen to date, with useful menus and settings and smooth performance, but some settings are buried in menus

4.5/5

Gaming

4K 120Hz and full VRR support plus ultra-responsive performance and Samsung Gaming Hub

5/5

Value

A great value TV that has all the features and performance most people will want

4.5/5

Buy it if...

You want a great OLED picture for less
The S85F delivers bold colors, crisp textures and strong contrast for a cheaper price than most other 2025 OLED TVs.

You want a great TV for gaming
The S85F has four HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 120Hz, FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, and it delivers ultra-smooth performance.

You want value for money
An impressive picture, a full list of gaming features and plenty of smart tools and features make the S85F great value for money.

Don't buy it if…

You want to watch in a bright room
The S85F doesn't have the high brightness of premium OLEDs, and its screen is reflective in brighter viewing conditions.

You want Dolby Vision support
Samsung TVs don't support Dolby Vision for movies or gaming, and the S85F is no exception. It does support HDR10+, however.

You want the best built-in sound
While fine for day-to-day viewing, the S85F's built-in sound can't compare with a soundbar, with even affordable models beating it.

Also consider

Samsung S85F

LG B5

LG C5

Samsung S90F

Price (65-inch)

$1,999.99 / £2,099.99 / AU$3,299

$1,999.99 / £2,499 / AU$3,299

$2,699 / £2,699 / AU$4,299

$2,499 / £2,699 / AU$4,299

Screen type

OLED (QD-OLED on 55- and 65-inch models in the US)

OLED

OLED

QD-OLED (65-inch only)

Refresh rate

120Hz

120Hz

144Hz

144Hz

HDR support

HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

Dolby Vision/HDR10/HLG

Dolby Vision/HDR10/HLG

HDR10+/HDR10/HLG

Smart TV

Tizen

webOS 25

webOS25

Tizen

HDMI ports

4 x HDMI 2.1

4 x HDMI 2.1

4 x HDMI 2.1

4 x HDMI 2.1

LG B5
The Samsung S85F's closest rival, the LG B5 offers similar brightness, features, performance, and even price. The B5 does support Dolby Vision HDR, but not the HDR10+ format.

Read our full LG B5 review

LG C5
The LG C5 is brighter than the S85F, so it's better suited to watching in well-lit rooms. It also has better processing speed and built-in sound. It is, however, a step-up in price, and the S85F carries many of the same gaming features and performance.

Read our full LG C5 review

Samsung 65-inch S90F
The step-up model over the S85F, the Samsung S90F uses a QD-OLED panel in its 65-inch model, and that gives higher brightness, along with better contrast and color detail. It also supports a 144Hz refresh rate for gaming.

Read our full 65-inch Samsung S90F review

How I tested the Samsung S85F

(Image credit: Future)

• Tested in our testing room in varying lighting conditions
• Tested using HDR and SDR sources
• Measurements taken using Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software

Before conducting my testing, I spent some time casually viewing the S85F to establish its best picture modes, settling on a mix of Filmmaker Mode and Movie mode, with Standard for sports.

I conducted subjective testing by watching reference SDR (DVD, Blu-ray) and HDR (4K Blu-ray and streaming) sources to test the S85F's picture quality, focusing on color, contrast, textures, upscaling, shadow detail and motion handling.

For 4K Blu-rays and other discs, I used a Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray player, and I also used an Xbox Series X to analyze gaming performance.

I next conducted objective testing, taking measurements using specialized equipment: a Klein K-10 A colorimeter, with a Jeti Spectraval 1501 used to profile it and a Murideo 8K Six G Metal test pattern generator, with Portrait Displays' Calman color calibration software to record the results.

I measured the S85F's HDR and SDR brightness on 1-100% white window patterns, focusing on 10% (peak) and 100% (fullscreen) brightness.

Next, I measured the S85F's color and grayscale accuracy, looking for a Delta-E (the margin for error between the test pattern and what's displayed on screen) average below 3. I also measured the S85F's DCI-P3 and BT.2020 HDR color gamut coverage.

Finally, I measured the S85F's input lag using a Leo Bodnar 4K HDMI Input Lag tester.

• First reviewed: September 2025
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

The Samsung S85F doesn't offer the same brightness as more premium OLED TVs, but its feature set and performance are great for the price.

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Paychex is one of the best payroll software platforms available for small and medium-sized businesses. With this platform, you can easily manage payroll for dozens of employees and integrate benefits like healthcare and retirement into your payroll process. Plus, all Paychex plans include tax documentation and accounting software integration. The biggest downside is that the software is surprisingly expensive.

In our Paychex review, we’ll help you decide whether this payroll software is right for your business.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Paychex: Plans and pricing

Paychex used to operate on a three-tier system: Go, Flex Select and Flex Enterprise. As a guide, Paychex Go started at $59 per month plus $4 per employee, with higher plans coming at an undisclosed cost via a customized quote.

Unfortunately, Paychex has decided to apply this method across the whole platform now, so exact pricing is illusive.

On the website, it describes four different sizes of business: self-employed (1), 1-19, 20-49 and 50-100+, suggesting four tiers of membership may be available.

Pricing options for Paychex (Image credit: Paychex)Paychex: Features

Because Paychex comes with a couple of different subscription levels, what you get depends on how much you pay, but as a guide you can expect full payroll processing with W-2 and 1099 support, tax calculations and filing, and new hire reporting.

To pay your employees, Paychex enables you to make direct deposits or print your own paper checks. You have some flexibility, as you can set up multiple payment accounts for each employee.

You can also request prepaid debit cards for each employee and set up Paychex so that payments are automatically transferred onto these cards.

Onboarding tools are also available to help reduce the burden on HR teams, with workers gaining access via their own portal.

Employees can track their hours through Paychex’s dashboard (Image credit: Paychex)

Employee dashboards have a built-in time tracker, which enables commenting, making it easy to see what your employees were spending time on throughout the pay period. They can also check their scheduling from here, too.

Importantly, Paychex can also integrate with most popular accounting software, including QuickBooks and Xero, to make calculating quarterly and annual tax payments much simpler.

One of our favorite things about Paychex is that the software also enables you to keep track of healthcare, retirement, along with other key benefits right alongside payroll.

You can set up a 401(k) for your business through Paychex Retirement Services or enroll employees in an HSA or FSA. When you enter payroll, Paychex will automatically calculate your employer contributions to these accounts and transfer the funds at the same time that checks go out to employees.

Beyond basic payroll and human capital management tools, Paychex also helps HR teams monitor performance and job costing/labor distribution, supporting growth strategies and summarizing figures to help predict the impact of growth.

Paychex: Ease of use

Paychex offers a simple online dashboard that’s fairly easy to navigate. You can see at a glance how much cash you need to have on hand to cover your last payroll period, as well as on what date the current period’s payroll needs to be approved.

To enter employee hours, Paychex uses a simple grid layout that saves a significant amount of time compared to the series of drop-down menus that some other payroll platforms use.

Another nice thing about Paychex is that it includes detailed analytics about your payroll. You can generate reports sorted by employee, office location, position, or any number of custom filters. In all, Paychex has more than 160 built-in standard reports for Go and Flex Select customers - and Flex Enterprise customers can set up even more.

On the whole, the interface is fairly intuitive for core tasks, but there does appear to be somewhat of a learning curve for some features and modules, which users occasionally report to be overwhelming.

We were happy to see that Paychex offers a mobile app, although we wish it were available to subscribers on the Go plan. The mobile app is particularly nice for employees, since they can use it to check their pay stubs, change their payment account details, or manage their 401(k) plan and health benefits.

Paychex uses a grid layout to make entering employee hours and pay faster (Image credit: Paychex)Paychex: Support

Paychex provides multiple support channels including phone, email and online help, with employers getting 24/7 phone support and employees also able to access 24/7 support (but chat, not phone).

Employees can still phone Paychex, but they’ll only be granted support within office hours (from one of the 100+ US-based offices).

Support broadly feels better for higher-tier plans, which is often the case, but it would be nice to see companies offer strong support across all tiers.

There’s also a large library of HR and legal documentation as well as policy templates that can be useful for compliance, but some users note varying availability for other resources like tech support for integrations or less common modules.

For these, you’re probably better off getting in touch with a human, rather than using self-service options.

Paychex offers 24/7 phone support and walk-ins at over 100 US offices (Image credit: Paychex)Paychex: Final verdict

Paychex is a feature-rich payroll software with a lot to like. If you want to integrate healthcare, retirement, or other benefits into your payroll, there are few better options for your business.

However, if you don’t need these integrations, it can be hard to justify Paychex’s price tag. The platform is very capable, but its main features are matched by Gusto at a more accessible price.

Paychex has a lot of features, but this platform can be prohibitively expensive for some small businesses. For a cheaper option, consider SurePayroll.

Regardless, we think Paychex offers a strong comprehensive solution with support spanning payroll, HR, compliance and other benefits. It has good regulatory compliance, particularly for US customers, and isn’t as hard as some other systems to use.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software

Try Patriot today

Patriot offers easy-to-use accounting and payroll software designed for small businesses. It provides automated payroll processing, tax calculations, expense tracking, and invoice management—all in one platform. View Deal

Patriot is an online solution for handling both accounting and payroll tasks. It’s ideally suited to small business owners thanks in particular to its highly praised support, which can help provide ongoing help and also assist your business in configuring the system to work in the first place.

The company itself has been around for over three decades, so it clearly has plenty of experience on both the accounting and payroll fronts.

Patriot now counts 65,000+ customers on its books, having facilitated over $19 billion in payroll processing. It also boasts of an average time for customers to run payroll of less than three minutes – a testament to its ease of use.

• Want to try Patriot? Check out the website here

The real bonus with Patriot, however, is that it seems to have retained its original roots feel, with a keenness on providing a great level of customer service and support.

Adding to that ongoing appeal is Patriot’s easy-to-use design and a user interface that aims to provide business owners with an affordable accounting solution that’s reasonably stress-free too.

Patriot Accounting and Payroll: Plans and pricing

Patriot continues to offer consistent pricing across its product portfolio, which allows business owners to choose from the package that suits their needs the best.

Currently, there are two routes you can take – accounting or payroll software. Each has two different tiers.

Accounting Basic ($20/month) offers unlimited customers, invoices, vendors and payments, as well as income and expense tracking and more.

Accounting Premium ($30/month) adds support for estimates, recurring invoices, invoice reminders and receipt management, so it’s a much more rounded option for not a lot more.

(Image credit: Patriot Software)

The payroll service also offers affordable plans, starting with Basic Payroll ($17/month plus $4/worker), with unlimited payrolls, a free employee portal and other features.

Full Service Payroll ($37/month plus $5/worker) adds federal, state and local tax filing and some more filing tools.

If you want to add Time & Attendance tracking to either of these, it’s $6 per month plus $2 per employee on top of your bill. HR Software costs $6/month plus $6 per worker.

Although it could be perceived as a pain to have multiple add-ons, we’d much rather have the option of picking and choosing the exact parameters we need rather than paying through the roof for unrequired features.

Better still, Patriot regularly runs deals and has 30-day free trials. At the time of writing, there’s a 50% off for three months promotion.

Patriot Accounting and Payroll: Features

Despite its value appeal Patriot still comes armed with plenty of features, with some of the key options outlined below.

In terms of payroll processing, Patriot can handle both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, with support for unlimited payroll runs per month. It’ll also help with federal, state and local tax filings.

When it comes to time and attendance, Patriot’s got you covered with an optional add-on for tracking hours, overtime etc and so on. HR teams can also add on compliance, employee files and permissions so that they can integrate a bit better with the finance department.

On the employee side, there’s a portal for accessing pay checks and updating personal information.

The online accounting aspect of Patriot is similarly user friendly (Image credit: Patriot Software)

Integrations are pretty thin on the ground, but you can sync with QuickBooks for exporting payroll entries. This is probably because Patriot prefers you to use its own tools across the board rather than piecing together different software.

The whole system is mobile-friendly too, which makes it convenient for people on the go.

Users report that Patriot runs like a dream, which is hardly surprising given that the company has been plying its wares for so long. Given that the service handles a lot of data, particularly when it comes to employee details, Patriot also goes to great pains to remind us that security is its number one priority.

Data is encrypted, audited annually and the company also adheres to all federal privacy, anti-fraud and security laws.

Users tend to rate Patriot highly for its tax calculating tools, but note that while automatic updates to tax tables help reduce the chance of an error, multistate work could add further cost and complexity.

Patriot Accounting and Payroll: Ease of use

Setting up any accounting or payroll product for the first time can be daunting, so Patriot gains praise for its ability to get you started and keep things ticking over further down the line.

The company has done a great job in making improvements to the usability of the software, especially now that it has implemented a beefy setup wizard that can help new users get up and running faster.

If you’ve got employees to think about and want to be sure that information input into the system is correct and where it should be then this wizard is a real bonus.

Of course, setting things up is always going to be the hardest part of the process due to the need for adding employee data for the first time. However, Patriot has really come up trumps with the latest incarnation of its package.

Once you’re in, the dashboard feels easy to navigate as are the employee and contractor portals, which encourage some degree of self-service to take some of the pressure off HR teams.

There's even a mobile edition of the Patriot experience for users on the move (Image credit: Patriot Software)

There’s also a mobile app for employees to handle certain features, but naturally, it’s nowhere near as feature-packed as the desktop version, so admins are best off accessing Patriot in a more conventional manner.

Because the platform focuses on the essentials rather than a whole plethora of finance and HR-related tools, it’s pretty easy to get your head around. That, of course, comes as the cost of some lost functionality, but you’ll only really notice this if your business has pretty demanding needs.

Patriot Accounting and Payroll: Support

The level of support that comes with the Patriot experience is what seems to drive many of its customers to keep using the online accounting and payroll service.

Knowing that you’ve got people who can talk you through the various processes, features and functions is a valuable asset and Patriot consistently secures positive results on this front.

It’s pretty easy to get in contact with the US-based team by phone, email or live chat, which is generally more than can be said about most of its rivals.

Many companies operate a ticket-based system, where users must file tickets and then wait for support, which is frustrating to say the least.

Free setup help is provided via the onboarding process, and there’s also plenty of documentation and tutorials on the knowledge base side of things.

It’s worth mentioning that, since Patriot is US-centered, customers operating outside of the US may struggle with support.

(Image credit: Patriot Software)Patriot Accounting and Payroll: Final verdict

Patriot is an excellent software option for business users searching for a duo of solutions on the accounting and payroll front.

The company has had a long time to perfect its formula, and while it continues to make improvements including within the user interface, the core tools inside this package come very recommended.

We found the pricing to be very competitive, especially for small businesses, and for those customers it does most of the basics very well.

In addition, having team members on hand to smooth the transition into using it makes Patriot very appealing.

Overall then, this is an accounting and payroll package that should be investigated, especially if you're looking for the extra benefit of that hands-on, real-time support.

If you need multistate support, things get pricier, and international customers are poorly catered-for, so in these cases, it could be worth considering a different HR platform.

• We've also highlighted the best accounting software

Business owners are always on the lookout for better, more efficient ways to do things. When it comes to accounting, payroll and all of those other daily admin tasks, a solution like the high-profile QuickBooks makes a lot of sense.

However, it’s now possible to supplement this with Intuit Online Payroll. The two can work in unison to make one of the best payroll software options currently on the market.

The combination allows you to do a little bit of everything, which is exactly what business owners are looking for in these challenging times.

Intuit is a big corporation and its software is all-encompassing, meaning that business owners can carry out a lot of their workflow within one integrated package.

Using QuickBooks and Intuit Online Payroll as one entity can therefore allow your company and its employees to enjoy much more simplified processes.

This review aims to drill down into just how well the software integrates and discover if it provides all of the value that Intuit’s high-profile marketing suggests.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Plans and pricing

Intuit is always running money-off deals across its entire portfolio of business-focused software, with a current 50% off for 3 months being fairly typical.

There’s a free trial too, which might help seal the deal. Meanwhile, plans are plentiful and varied, depending on your needs.

While Payroll Core and QuickBooks Simple Start used to kick off the range, Payroll Core + Simple Start is the latest iteration – a combination of the two, at $88 per month plus $6.50 per employee per month.

Payroll Core + Essentials only adds a few more features for $125 per month, while Payroll Premium + Plus is a much fuller package, but for a $203/month premium.

Thankfully, that $6.50 per person monthly fee is the same across all packages. Some companies think it’s okay to charge more when paired with higher tiers, so we appreciate Intuit’s standardized pricing here.

Three separate Payroll-only plans – Core, Premium and Elite – are available for $50, $88 and $134 per month, but they lack bookkeeping. QuickBooks Online users can also add payroll at any time from their accounts.

(Image credit: Intuit)Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Features

What you get in terms of the pairing of QuickBooks and Payroll will obviously depend on which of the packages you head for.

Before, there were Core and Simple Start plans – now, the two have merged into Payroll Core + Simple Start. This plan comes with full-service payroll, 1099 E-File and Pay, next-day direct deposit and plenty more.

All plans can also track income and expenses, organize receipts, invoice and accept payments, track business miles, send estimates and manage 1099 contractors.

Despite being primarily a payroll suite, there are also some HR functionalities, like team management, health benefits and an employee portal.

Higher-tier plans add support for more users, sales channels and even inventory tracking.

(Image credit: Intuit)

In essence then, all plans come with unlimited payroll run capability, the power to calculate paychecks and all applicable taxes, as well as offering ease and convenience thanks to automated processing for taxes and their associated forms.

Companies with employees to consider will find the workforce portal very practical, while the coverage of the software extends to all 50 US states.

Similarly, there is extensive reporting on offer while the ability to manage garnishments and any or all deductions offers the final icing on the cake.

So important is security to Intuit that it actually has an entire security center, dedicated to keeping the entire product suite and its customers safe and secure. Intuit invests lots of money in ensuring its systems have multiple layers of security.

Using the software on a daily basis, you also soon realise just how well it has been engineered, with lots of potential obstacles in place that could foil the likes of scams and phishing attacks.

Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Ease of use

One of the most appealing things about QuickBooks and the Payroll packages Intuit offers is the ease of use that comes with it all.

There’s no doubt that Intuit’s UX teams and engineers have worked long and hard to create products that just work.

The interface experience is invariably a good one no matter where you happen to be inside the suite of software, with a clever use of fonts, colour (mostly green) and graphics.

If you already use Intuit software, you’ll know how easy it is to use, and you should have no learning curve adopting its Payroll software.

Using Intuit Quickbooks Payroll is made easier thanks to a great interface (Image credit: Intuit)

If you’re moving from a different provider or new to payroll altogether, Intuit’s software strikes a good balance of surfacing just the right amount of control while maintaining a pretty simple interface. Others in this space might look cleaner and slicker, but that comes at the cost of reduced one-step functionality (fewer of Intuit’s features are buried beneath multi-step processes).

Dealing with normally stressful matters such as payroll is nowhere near as complicated as it used to be, but Intuit makes the job even simpler. Expect lots of automated tasks, plenty of one-click solutions and a healthy supply of practical benefits such as the ability to carry out powerful reporting without become broken in the process.

What you also get with this software is the ability to use it anywhere, with cloud convenience and plenty of mobile or tablet-focused tools that mean you don't have to lug the office laptop everywhere.

Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Support

As you’d expect from a company the size of Intuit, if you’re looking for support then there is plenty on offer.

Certain plans, like Payroll Premium and Elite, offer 24/7 expert support for an upgrade, which is better than having to wait for office hours if you run around the clock.

Customers can use the support hub as their first port of call for everyday questions. There’s a chunky selection of toolbar options to choose from, such as getting started and dedicated topic sections covering core tasks including banking, invoices, taxes and more, plus a healthy training area too.

Intuit also has a healthy community, which is great for networking with likeminded business people who can often supply answers to any kind of question.

Naturally, you can also get directly in touch with support staff, but what is also of added value is the way the Intuit site can hook you up with a QuickBooks Certified Pro Advisor, which is a real boon if you’re ever feeling bogged down by the weight of office administration. There’s even a live chat function to do that immediately if matters are pressing.

You'll get the usual level of support options from Intuit Quickbooks Payroll (Image credit: Intuit)Intuit Quickbooks Payroll: Final verdict

It’s really easy to see why Intuit still manages to rule the roost with so many businesses opting to use its suite of products.

If you’re looking for value then pairing QuickBooks with the Payroll package can solve a lot of headaches. This is a streamlined solution with plenty of potent features and functions that enable quick and easy management of office tasks.

We see it best suited to SMEs and businesses with relatively standard payroll needs, where its relatively affordable pricing and advanced options offer a good breadth of functionality.

Support is generally good and performance is great, plus it forms part of a much wider QuickBooks ecosystem. That means if you’re already using some of the company’s software, you’ll be able to share data between apps.

If you’re not entirely smitten with QuickBooks Payroll, although there’s a trial that lets you see its potential before committing, there are also plenty of alternatives like Gusto.

Anyone needing a muscular HR and payroll solution will find it hard to miss the appeal of Sage Business Cloud Payroll, which comes with the same sort of features as those found in Intuit’s suite of products.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software

Business and larger corporations have flocked to Remote Payroll, simply because it has a very powerful feature set, albeit at a higher cost than many rivals. And, while there’s no shortage of best payroll software providers on the market, sometimes you need a little more potency to get the job done. If you’re running a larger organisation then Remote Payroll makes an awful lot of sense.

Remote Payroll comes with an extensive list of features, which can help business owners tackle every facet of their onboarding needs. The functionality within Remote Payroll means workflow is pretty much seamless too. It can also be tweaked to suit different country requirements, with functionality that can be similarly adapted to meet local laws.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Remote Payroll: Plans and pricing

One thing to remember with Remote Payroll is that it’s a product aimed at companies with more comprehensive requirements. While this means you get tools that allow your business to handle payroll, tax and human resources, as well as compliance, the price tag is higher as a result.

It can also be a little confusing to work out costs with the likes of Employer of Record and Contractor Management options adding in additional prices.

Remember that Remote Payroll isn’t a simple, off-the-shelf software solution compared to some payroll package rivals. Indeed, you’ll really want to converse with Remote sales staff in order to get a tailored quote, especially if you need to tap into the powerful features provided by its Global Payroll and Remote Enterprise features.

There’s the basic plan for simpler needs, but the whole point of Remote Payroll is being able to exploit its more potent features.

As a guide, the Payroll package can come in at just $29 per employee per month, with additional features relating to HR like Contractor Management ($29/contractor/month) and Contractor Management Plus ($99/contractor/month) also available.

Employer of Record costs $699 per employee per month, and includes the whole package – hiring, onboarding, local payroll, benefit management, HR and more.

(Image credit: Remote Software)Remote Payroll: Features

One of the most impressive and convenient aspects of Remote Payroll is its truly global appeal. If you’re running a large operation Remote Payroll can handle payroll calculations, handle local tax deductions and reporting, social security needs, benefit deductions, expenses and time-off requests.

It means if you’re running a larger organization across borders, Remote Payroll instantly becomes an option when many others struggle to go international.

Remote Payroll is able to generate payslips, calculate bonuses, produce reports and meet any localised compliance needs.

In order to do all of this safely and securely there’s also secure document storage, which effectively turns Remote Payroll into a complete software solution.

You’ll pay a premium for the more advanced features, but Remote Payroll is ideally suited to business and corporations that have more of a global focus and which are represented in different countries around the world.

It comes as no surprise to see that Remote Payroll has been purchased by many well-known business names across the globe. That alone is always a good indication that Remote Payroll meets every requirement when it comes to security. The other big appeal with Remote Payroll is that it can work in any location around the globe.

(Image credit: Remote Software)

As a result, the software is tailored to suit its region, meeting all compliance and local law requirements. In addition, considering one of its main features is handling payroll, employees can also expect dependable handling of their wages, tax and benefit considerations.

On top of its payroll functionalities, Remote has also gone into offering HR management features including worker benefit management, as well as launching its own recruitment platform with candidate sourcing and a jobs board.

These are all recent additions, so it should come as no surprise that Remote has integrated AI into workflows too.

Recruit, for example, uses AI to help with sourcing, candidate matching and screening, and integrating other data points.

In mid-2025, Remote built AI-driven payroll engines from scratch to offer instant processing and adapt to local requirements. The company said this would help eliminate common delays and errors caused by legacy systems.

Changes were also made to how the Payroll platform integrates with other Remote software for an easier overall experience.

On a more technical side, Remote localized its infrastructure in order to ensure it had compliance expertise in different markets to avoid tax blunders and so on – ensuring it can look after you while you just input the right data.

Remote Payroll: Ease of use

Despite its powerful array of features and functions you’ll find that the Remote Payroll interface is a visual treat. There’s a cool use of colour, which is minimalist but effective, especially when it comes to highlighting the menu bar on the right-hand side of the interface.

You co-ordinate tasks using a core dashboard, which then allows quick and easy access to functions, with easy to decipher icons supported by text and linking to the likes of Team, Onboarding and Time Off under the ‘People’ option or Run Payroll, Payroll History and Pay Contractors under ‘Payments’.

There is also access to wider company details, vital documents and an app marketplace too, for anyone wanting to add in extra functionality. That means it’s possible to integrate Remote Payroll with the likes of BambooHR and Greenhouse as a couple of examples.

(Image credit: Remote Software)

A Settings tab also lets you carry out tweaks and personalisation requests depending on things like location, number of employees and so on.

Employees should find the self-service platform smooth to use with plenty of guided tools – payslips, document access and time off requests can all be found here, simplifying many processes by reducing the number of channels needed – no more shooting off an email to request time off.

In some complex jurisdictions, some users noted some delays or more manual steps, but that’s not a criticism of the platform itself. It’s more that Remote Payroll has to handle so many different procedures globally, and we think it’s done a good job of simplifying most of these.

Remote Payroll: Support

With anyone using Remote Payroll likely to be running a more complex operation there’s every possibility support will be needed from time to time. In that respect, Remote Payroll does the decent thing and has a help center and support hub.

However, some users report that it would be more beneficial to have a wider range of contact options. You can email the company, but it doesn’t seem particularly easy to speak to a human agent in real-time.

Getting through to support staff via email is all well and good, but sometimes an easier direct approach can be more effective, especially if it’s in relation to a pressing payroll or HR matter.

Some users also noted how support can sometimes feel a bit scripted – or not personalized – which might seem frustrating at times.

Nevertheless, Remote Payroll is on a par with many rivals in this sector.

(Image credit: Remote Software)Remote Payroll: Final verdict

Business owners with more complex needs should bypass some of the players at the lower end of the payroll software spectrum and head further up the chart.

This means considering the likes of Remote Payroll, SurePayroll and ADP Run.

With its premium price tag, Remote Payroll isn't at all suited to small business users, with many more affordable options out there. Where it does excel though is catering for global operations, which need to have customised payroll and HR tools at their disposal while meeting the needs of local legislation.

There are countless tools within the interface, all of which look and feel like they’ve been designed with usability at their core. Considering it’s potency, Remote Payroll is easy to manage and works no matter what the level of employee requirement is.

The only thing that might put some off is the price point allowing you to do so.

Still, for businesses that have expanded internationally, and on quite a decent scale, Remote offers a compelling and rather mature solution. If initial budget remains tight, look elsewhere.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software

Gusto is payroll software that covers everything a business needs to maintain a happy workforce. This includes organizing payments, insurance, support and initial onboarding.

It’s a comprehensive approach that sees Gusto rank among the best payroll software providers on the market. And, in this Gusto review, we help you decide whether it would be right for your business as we examine its pricing, features, support and overall ease of use.

Gusto is best suited to medium-sized businesses in the US, with smaller companies priced out with recent price rises and larger organizations uncatered-for in terms of some features and more advanced support.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Gusto: Plans and pricing

Prices for Gusto have risen quite significantly in recent years. Back in 2023, we noted it had a $19/month base price, which has now climbed to $49.

That’s for the Simple package, which each person commanding a $6 monthly fee (something that hasn’t changed in those two years).

Plus ($80/month) and Premium ($180/month) unsurprisingly pack bigger punches, but unfortunately, you’ll be paying more per person as well as for the core functionalities.

Instead of $6/head, it’s $12 or $22 per person per month.

The Contractor Only packge, for companies who don’t have W-2 hires, is $35/month with a $6 monthly fee per person. At the time of writing in September 2025, this is free, so keep an eye out for discounts because Gusto clearly isn’t averse to them.

Solopreneurs can also use the platform for $49/month plus the $6 person fee, but that becomes a rather expensive way for filings returns.

(Image credit: Gusto)Gusto: Features

More than just payroll software, Gusto gives you a full set of tools for effectively managing your workforce. These include full-service payroll, employee benefits, time tracking as well as HR tools for hiring and onboarding.

Think of it as an all-in-one solution for anything to do with people – be that time or money.

Gusto’s features include full-service payroll, like calculating taxes, filing federal/state/local returns and handling W-2s/1099s.

Really crucial to Gusto’s success is the fact that you can perform unlimited payroll runs (including off-cycle runs) without extra fees. Payment methods include direct debit, paper checks, payroll cards, the ability to split pay checks or deposit into multiple accounts, so most scenarios an HR team will ever encounter are covered.

Where its real strengths are, though, is in its combination of finance and human capital management solutions.

With Gusto, you can set up your payroll to run with just a few clicks; it can even be set to run automatically on the schedule you choose. The software can handle employees and contractors, multiple rates of pay along with payments in multiple states.

(Image credit: Gusto)

Gusto has a number of benefits features, including the Gusto Wallet app, which employees can use to manage their pay checks and access emergency cash.

Then there is workers’ compensation, health reimbursement (QSEHRA) - an alternative to traditional health insurance - and commuter benefits. Health insurance administration is also built into the platform at no extra cost (apart from the actual insurance premiums).

With Gusto, employees track their time for you to review and approve. You can also customize paid time off (PTO) policies with all liabilities automatically calculated. And accounting integrations exist for mainstream platforms like Quickbooks Online and Xero.

These tools from Gusto are designed to help you save time when introducing new team members. You’ll be able to send offer letters, work through an onboarding checklist, have all your documents signed and stored online, and set up your new hires with online tools like G Suite and Microsoft 365 with a single click.

Gusto has several measures in place to protect its customers’ data. It has its own on-site security team, actively tests its software, and all data is AES-256 encrypted between your browser and AWS servers.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) and single sign-on (SSO) options are also available.

The Gusto application is kept secure with internal and third-party penetration testing, vulnerability scanning and a bug bounty program. Better still, all Gusto employees have specific security training.

Gusto: Ease of use

When you first log in to Gusto, you’ll begin the process of setting up all your company information, including your accountant, benefits, state and federal taxes, employees, pay schedule and workers’ compensation.

When you add an employee, they’ll be sent a welcome email, which will enable them to create their own account.

The onboarding process is simple and workers can self-onboard to free up some valuable time for HR teams.

Once setup is complete, you’ll be able to view all of your company’s employees, including ones who have been dismissed, and invite new hires to join the system.

Gusto’s platform has been praised for its intuitive and user-friendly interface, so it should be relatively easy to get your head around even if all of this comes new to you.

The dashboard design is clean, and things like tasks and to-do lists are highlighted easy to see, but there’s no real deep customization if you want to configure it to show precise metrics.

(Image credit: Gusto)Gusto: Support

If you want to speak to Gusto sales, their website lists a number. But to get access to Gusto support, you need to be signed in to your account.

Once logged in, you’ll see a different phone number to call for support; or you can visit your account dashboard’s support page, where there is a multi-stage form that eventually provides a recommended resource.

If that doesn’t help, you can fill in another form to send Gusto an email.

Premium plans get more premium support, which includes a dedicated advisor, faster response time and more HR expert access – lower plans can add some of this at a cost.

While this might not be a huge problem for most companies, support is not around-the-clock – phone and email are only there during working hours.

(Image credit: Gusto)Gusto: Final verdict

If you’re a small business owner who’s new to payroll, you’ll love Gusto because it’s so easy to use; you can finish important tasks with just a few clicks.

Once praised for its attractive pricing, costs have risen in recent years so it may be out of reach for more businesses. Its lack of some advanced features also means it may not be the perfect solution for the biggest businesses, so its appeal has tightened somewhat.

An alternative for larger businesses is OnPay, which has a very similar feature set, combining payroll and HR, but a simpler pricing structure.

Gusto is primarily a payroll platform with HR add-ons. Another alternative is Zenefits, which is the opposite: a complete HR solution with features like org charts and performance reviews and a payroll add-on.

If your workforce is small enough and the pricing is not an issue, Gusto provides first-class solutions for most of the important administrative areas of running a business.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software

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