TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Save this comparison

Save this comparison

Add Product

Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Patriot Payroll

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/APatriot Software headquartered in Canton, Ohio offers Patriot PAY, their benefits administration and payroll software.

    $17

    per month

    Payroll by Wave

    Score10 out of 10
    N/AWave Accounting headquartered in Toronto now offers Payroll by Wave, a payroll app for small businesses.N/A
    Pricing
    Patriot PayrollPayroll by Wave
    Editions & Modules
    Basic Payroll
    $17/mo + $4 per employee/contractor
    Accounting Basic
    $20/mo (unlimited use)
    Accounting Premium
    $30/mo (unlimited use)
    Full Service Payroll
    $37/mo + $4 per employee/contractor
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Patriot PayrollPayroll by Wave
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsPatriot Software has two payroll options to choose from: Basic Payroll, and Full Service payroll software. Both start with a simple three-step payroll process. With the Full Service Payroll, Patriot will collect, deposit, and file federal, state, and local payroll taxes on the customer's behalf; end-of-the-year payroll tax filing is included at no extra charge. Print W2s on 8 x 1/2 x 11 plain white office paper to hand to employees, or post to the free employee portal. Also, Patriot Software offers free direct deposit.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Patriot PayrollPayroll by Wave
    Considered Both Products
    Patriot Software
    No answer on this topic
    Wave
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    100%
    Would buy again
    10 Answers
    100%
    Would buy again
    5 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    10 Answers
    100%
    Delivers good value for the price
    5 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    10 Answers
    100%
    Happy with the feature set
    5 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    100%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    9 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    9 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    Patriot PayrollPayroll by Wave
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Patriot Payroll and Payroll by Wave
    Feature
    Patriot Payroll
    8.3
    15 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Payroll by Wave
    9.4
    5 Ratings
    13% above category average
    Pay calculation9.515 Ratings10.05 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors10.01 Ratings9.03 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.75 Ratings9.03 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration6.03 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Direct deposit files9.211 Ratings9.05 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management8.213 Ratings9.55 Ratings
    Reimbursement management6.36 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Patriot PayrollPayroll by Wave
    Small Businesses
    RUN Powered by ADP®
    Score9 out of 10
    Patriot Payroll
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    APS
    Score5.7 out of 10
    APS
    Score5.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.1 out of 10
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Patriot PayrollPayroll by Wave
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.7
    (20 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Usability
    9.3
    (10 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.7
    (10 ratings)
    8.9
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Patriot PayrollPayroll by Wave
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Patriot Software
    Patriot PAY is well-suited to a company that has a 10-day window between the end of the pay period and the payday. The company size makes very little difference and it is easy to use for any company. It is also very progressive in development and improvement. If a company has a small window for turn-around, but fairly consistent payroll amounts (such as a lot of salary workers), Patriot PAY might also be a good fit for them.

    Companies with tight turn-around times or payrolls that vary significantly in direct deposit amounts might have difficulty using Patriot PAY.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Wave
    Great for small business payroll needs. Reports and taxes are taken care of, everything is automated and once you're set up it's literally just a matter of minutes to run payroll each time. You also get email reminders which is helpful. There are premium features available for companies with larger/more robust needs, and I would definitely recommend looking into this software if you are searching for a user friendly payroll solution
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Patriot Software
    • It is simple, intuitive and straightforward in its design. Someone with little experience with roles in human resources roles, bookkeeping or payroll can quickly learn how to set-up the software and run payroll regularly by reading through the support portion of the site, or by contacting the helpful staff at Patriot. Patriot staff have walked me through issues or guided me on the phone as I learned how to use a function of the software.
    • Patriot provides comprehensive quarterly tax filing records, including 941s, state unemployment compensation tax payments, state employer's tax and local employer's tax filings. You can also generate payroll or tax deposit reports over a specific time period or per employee.
    • The support and FAQ pages available on Patriot are very practical and written in an easy to understand manner. Using the information provided there, I was able to properly set up new employees according to local and state filing requirements.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Wave
    • An intuitive, clear UI helps you know where everything is, what options are at your disposal. Calendars and timelines show that Wave really thought out how to provide you with useful tool.
    • Pay day can be automated and straightforward.
    • Wave onboarding provides guidance at what information to input next until you are all set up.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Patriot Software
    • Connecting with outside software - we have an issue of Patriot not recognizing donors when connected to other websites when all the information is the same minus a middle initial
    • Giving an error page when something small is off. Instead of giving an easy to fix error notification, Patriot brings the user to an error page and they have to reenter everything.
    • Fixing dates easily. If a date is entered incorrectly, 8/13/21 instead of 2021, an error pop up appears but the user has to click enter/okay many times or refresh the page in order to fix this issue.
    • Enter vs Tab key - Patriot loves the tab key but if the user clicks enter instead, many times it brings them to the home page.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Wave
    • Implement an employee time clock option through a separate link which automatically applies to the weekly time sheets.
    • Option to further customize payroll statements
    • Add a per employee payroll dashboard with the option to review rolling, quarterly, and weekly snapshot. Info to include gross pay, employer paid tax, employee paid tax, etc...
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Patriot Software
    It works well because it is cheap for us.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Wave
    No answers on this topic
    Usability
    Patriot Software
    I think it is great once things are setup as for general user looking to look for simple things like a copy of a paystub or a current pay rate for an employee. However, to find specialized things like a state withholding number or payroll integration settings those do require a bit more digging to find or possibly a call to customer service for help.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Wave
    Very simple & straightforward system to learn and when time is always of the essence the efficiency is much appreciated
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Patriot Software
    Generally speaking it is pretty good that when I need to call somebody up for a payroll question I can generally within five minutes get somebody on the phone and they can help me resolve the problem or specify where specifically I need to go or contact to find my answers. However, that being said, for my specific situation as a partner my assigned contact has not always been very responsive.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Wave
    Quick response times, personalized service. They offer in-depth videos and guides for helping to get set up. Any time I have a question about taxes or reporting, they answer quickly and give comprehensive answers. Members of the team with whom I've interacted have been courteous, friendly, and helpful. Overall, great support.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Patriot Software
    I briefly used Intuit Online Payroll, and it was expensive, had no support, and was very frustrating to use. I also used 3 local tax companies for payroll - they were extremely expensive and messed up all of the time. Their employee turnover was very annoying (and it seemed to happen every other month) and each employee did things differently. When I let one of my employees go, the last company paid them after termination (2 weeks of salary), and had to get into a legal battle because the employee would not give the money back.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Wave
    First is the cost. Since QuickBooks removed the inhouse solution and moved everything to the cloud, the cost for a small business is prohibited. Wave is reasonable in cost. Support for QB isn't great they are always trying to upsell and commit. Wave support in comparison is 100% better, and most of the answers are in their manual
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Patriot Software
    • It boosts my time available for client-facing activities by not having to spend as much time processing payroll.
    • It helps me deliver accurate reports to my CPA at tax time regarding employee wages and employer taxes.
    • Through the online portal, I can easily track year-to-date taxes my company has paid.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Wave
    • Peace of mind that all the payroll tax-related stuff is taken care of accurately and on time.
    • Easy to use interface saves time and helps ensure I am paid on time.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Patriot Payroll Screenshots

    Screenshot of the 3-step process to carry out payrollScreenshot of the Payroll interface, which can be used run payroll on any device with internet or data connection. There is no need to download and maintain a separate payroll app.Screenshot of a payroll report, to sort by work location, employee, and date range.