Patriot Payroll vs Bright

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Compare Patriot Payroll and Bright based on features, pricing, verified reviews, integrations & more on GetApp. Find out which software is best for your business in 2026.

Deel

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Rippling

Rippling is a cloud-based workforce management system that helps businesses manage operations across HR, finance, and IT.

Paylocity

One unified platform for HR, Finance, and IT. Connect people, processes, and data. Automate tasks and drive business growth. 

Basic Payroll: $17/month + $4 per employee or contractor. You run payroll and handle your tax filings.

Save your time and money with Patriot Software's online Basic Payroll. Run payroll in three simple steps. Free direct deposit, and employee portal.

1099 Preparation

401(k) Tracking

Access Controls/Permissions

Accounting

Accounting Integration

Activity Dashboard

Alerts/Notifications

Approval Process Control

Attendance Management

Audit Trail

Auto Update

Benefits Management

Check Printing

Compensation Management

Compliance Management

Customizable Reports

Dashboard

Data Import/Export

Direct Deposit

Document Management

Document Storage

Employee Database

Employee Management

Employee Portal

Employee Profiles

For Cloud

For Mobile

For Small Businesses

Mobile Access

Multi-State

Onboarding

Payroll Management

Payroll Reporting

QuickBooks Integration

Reminders

Reporting/Analytics

Reporting & Statistics

Self Service Portal

Sick Leave Tracking

Split Deposits

Tax Calculation

Tax Compliance

Tax Filing

Tax Forms

Tax Management

Third-Party Integrations

Time & Attendance

Timesheet Management

Time Tracking

Vacation/Leave Tracking

W-2 Preparation

Wage Garnishment

Reviews for Patriot Payroll come from a wide variety of industries, including accounting (11% of reviewers), construction (8%), and retail (6%). The most frequent use case for Patriot Payroll cited by reviewers is payroll (55% of reviewers).

Users and use cases

Most users consider Patriot Payroll to deliver strong value for money, citing competitive pricing, included essential features, and flexible service options. Some reviewers report concerns about recent price increases and feel entry-level plans could be cheaper.

Value for money

The Patriot Payroll integrations most frequently cited by reviewers are: QuickBooks Online (an accounting product rated 4.9 out of 5 for its integration with Patriot Payroll) and QuickBooks Online Advanced (an accounting product, 4.4).

Integrations

Patriot Payroll is a payroll tool offering key features such as payroll management, tax compliance, payroll reporting, W-2 preparation, direct deposit, and a self-service portal, among others.

Patriot Payroll

Web-based

Windows

Android

iPhone

iPad

Linux

Chromebook

Basic Payroll

Full Service Payroll

Managing Principal and Founder

It streamlines payroll and employee management, saves time, and provides reliable customer support. While there’s room for improvement in interface speed and advanced features, it’s a solid solution for small to mid-sized businesses.

Office Manager

After using competitor software, what I like most is that when I do have a question, I get an answer quickly with minimal hold time from someone in the US that I can understand and that is well versed in the software and able to handle the issue in that phone call with no call backs.

I pay my 1099s with a paper check but still need to provide them a 1099 at year's end.   Since I run payroll with Patriot I can track those payments and produce a 1099 for free!  

I only use the basic payroll service to save on money, so I rely on Patriot Payroll's great reports to make my filings myself.

Founder, Solutions Advisor

Overall, Patriot has provided a more streamlined, efficient, and cost-conscious solution for managing payroll and contractor payments within our organization.

Treasurer

I learned that this feature is not yet available after switching to you guys, and I have to remember to physically log in and "approve payroll" 4-5 days in advance, so it reaches my employees bank on their pay date.

HR and Payroll Business Partner

We love the simplicity of Patriot, but also appreciate their improvements to meet the needs of larger companies. If you need simple payroll for a few employees, or a robust platform for many employees and 1099 contractors, we feel confident using Patriot. And we can't stress enough how much their customer service outshines everything and everyone.

Owner Manager

You can use many different pay types and codes, and I love that Patriot takes care of all the quarterly filing and reports.  

Consultant

The lack of a quarterly payroll option. Since we only run payroll quarterly, it would be nice if they had the option for quarterly payroll.

Payroll Administrator

Each employee can only have one direct line manager who can edit their punches and approve their time off.

Property Manager

I can do payroll from my phone when I am out of the office which is great since I am the payroll manager.

Controller

The program needs to be able to print pro-forma 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC without having to use a Preprinted Form.

Director of Finance

The employees are thankful for their portal to see their profiles and adjust their withholding or their direct deposit information.   

President

Once we encountered a bug with the pay stub print out for bonus pay, but a quick chat with Patriot support and the next time the issue had been resolved.

The amount of time needed for direct deposit is a day longer than I'm used to from my other software, but it is manageable.

Owner - Provider

Here's a very minor issue: sometimes the amounts in payroll differ by a cent or two from my reckoning -- it's clearly a rounding issue, and I easily work around it, so it is of no consequence to me.

Their prompt response to any questions I have allows me to proceed with processing payroll without delays.

For our small company, nobody offers the level of support - from a real live person - you get with Patriot Payroll Software.

The change of address feature does not change all addresses that may need to be changed when you move.

Office manager

searching for reports, specially, copy of older payroll checks. but with little search you can find them

Overall, it is the easiest software we have ever used and love that it takes care of all of our tax compliance issues so we are protected and make sure our employees taxes are always paid.

New users should also note that direct deposit begins with a 4-day lead time before transitioning to 2-day processing.

Managing Partner

Only been using it for 2 months but they boast payroll direct deposit will be made in 4 days door first 3 months.

we also had a section for pto days accumulated, now i have to send them separate reports for that.  

Owner and Benefits Consultant

I have used a competing and larger Payroll software company in the past and it could not compete with the customer service and ease of use of the product with Patriot.

Patriot Payroll has been fantastic and anytime I've needed their customer service they were very prompt in responding and handling any issues that I have.

Operations Manager

We needed to convert our payroll processing system a few years ago - I had heard an ad on the radio for the product and started researching it.  

Veterinarian Owner

I also love that there is a time card feature that has a geolocation option.

Preesident

We have yet to go over our allowed dollar limit to expedited payroll but I am concerned if we do go over.

It is important to select the correct plan level—Basic or Full Service—based on your tax filing requirements.

Assistant Property Manager - Accounting

I wish I could pay my invoice with Papal or E check instead of a credit card.

I do wish they would go back to including a broken up version of the quarterly tax filing reports, in addition to one big packet for each quarter.

Its also good for employee's to use their side of things, but it also gives them responsibility such as when it comes to their payroll.

Project Management Consultant

It always takes me a while to find the employee to  make changes to payroll but that might be user inexperience.

Owner

Some things fell though my cracks regarding unemployment or paid family medical leave, unclear about who was in charge or that, you guys or me.

OWNER

Ability to use more accounts for coding of payroll checks in the Payroll Integration Area.  

It is less expensive than the other payroll companies I have used over the last 20 years, and the customer support is fast and accurate.  

As a small business owner, who handles the onboarding and payroll of employees, Patriot Payroll has made this transition so seamless and my decreased a lot of stress.

I had a couple of employees with garnishments that had to be processed and this program allows that while the one I was using, I had to manually figure that each week.

Billing Manager

Everything is automated so I dont have to worry about filing payroll reports or calculating taxes.

Adminisrator

Direct deposit feature is taking longer than other service providers which may need some early planning

Certified Public Accountant

I couldn't remember if I'd selected something for the taxes and I wrote their support and the responded within a few hours.

sometimes i actually have to write down which one i opened if it's the wrong one to go back and open the correct one.  

When combined with Patriot Accounting, the  payroll journal entries are automatic but do not always match the exact dates that cash is withdrawn from the bank account.

Manager

The customer support is helpful and reliable for our business.it ensures timely payments.

Chaplain

The first one didn't happen though the payroll info was usable for tax purposes and records.

It was very easy to transfer payroll from another provider and the system is less complicated with most necessary features.

Spending less time on payroll management and happy about saving considerable costs while having all features needed

I've been a user for over 7 years and the product is very solid, simple, for those of us that don't want to live inside their payroll system.

Value for money, ease of use, payroll management, convenience in generating quarterly and annual tax reports

Users report that Patriot Payroll streamlines payroll management by making salary processing, deductions, and adjustments straightforward and reliable. Reviewers indicate they can easily add or terminate employees, edit pay rates, and fix mistakes, all from a user-friendly dashboard. They find historical payroll data and reports easily accessible, which helps with record-keeping and compliance. Users say Patriot Payroll reduces their administrative burden, though some wish for more automation and modernized interfaces for quicker overviews and salary runs. Of the 183 Patriot Payroll users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Payroll Management, 97% rated this feature as important or highly important.

Users report that Patriot Payroll’s direct deposit feature is convenient, secure, and easy to set up, allowing employees to receive pay directly into multiple bank accounts. Reviewers indicate this aspect saves time, eliminates paper checks, and ensures timely payments. They find instructions clear and setup straightforward, though some mention a longer lead time for deposits compared to other services. Users say Patriot Payroll’s direct deposit works reliably, even for remote staff and multiple pay schedules. Of the 214 Patriot Payroll users who gave detailed accounts of their use of Direct Deposit, 86% rated this feature as important or highly important.

Customer Support

Payroll Taxes

Features

Phone Support

Reporting

Challenging check printing process

40% of reviewers feel negative about check printing, describing it as complex and sometimes inaccurate. Users say aligning print formats for checks and forms is difficult, with information often not fitting correctly on pre-printed stock. Reviewers indicate that printing reports or pay stubs can be confusing, with limited customization and challenging printer setup. They find the process for printing W-2s and other tax documents inconvenient, sometimes requiring extra steps or specific forms. Users think these issues add unnecessary hassle to payroll tasks.

Slow and restrictive direct deposit

Payroll Specialist

The 4 day turn around for direct deposit prevents us from using Patriot for more clients, and they really need to add a net to gross option.

co-owner

Frustrating to have a long delay - "bank days" from entering payroll to pay date/direct deposit.   Since all electronic transactions, makes no sense that weekends are excluded in that timeframe.

57% of reviewers feel negative about direct deposit, citing slow processing times and rigid requirements. Users say the four- to five-day lead time for payroll deposits is inconvenient, especially around holidays, causing delays in employee payments. Reviewers indicate that setup is cumbersome, with lengthy verification steps and occasional failures. They find the process less flexible than competitors, with strict deadlines and limited options for handling exceptions. Some users report frustration with third-party involvement and the inability to split deposits or expedite payments.

Occasional software glitches

when setting up, if an item didn't have all the information it was eliminated vs holding the information and highlighting the issue to be fixed

Consultant 

Currently the only problem iam facing with patriot payroll is loss of information.

43% of reviewers feel negative about bugs and issues, mentioning sporadic technical problems and confusing processes. Users report difficulties with setup, such as missing or unclear instructions, and occasional glitches like display errors or unresponsive pages. Reviewers indicate that certain features, like PTO tracking or data entry, can be cumbersome or prone to errors. They say some processes lack clarity, leading to mistakes that are hard to correct. Users think that while most issues are minor, they can cause frustration and slow down workflows.

Significant time and cost savings

I'm spending about $75 dollars more to have the complete package from Patriot then I did with QuickBooks and it is saving me what feels like $7,500 worth of headaches that I had trying to use QuickBooks.  

Bookkeeper

This saves us a lot of money and isn't costing us any extra time.  

94% of reviewers feel positive about cost savings, emphasizing that the software reduces both expenses and administrative workload. Users say they save substantial amounts compared to other providers, with some reporting hundreds or thousands of dollars saved annually. Reviewers indicate that automation and streamlined processes free up valuable time, allowing them to focus on revenue-generating activities. They appreciate that the product’s efficiency minimizes errors and headaches. Users think the overall value is excellent, especially given the reasonable price point.

Tailored for small businesses

Chief Executive Officer

The affordable cost of Patriot Payroll makes it great and exceptional for my small business.

94% of reviewers feel positive about the software’s suitability for small businesses, stating it is affordable, scalable, and meets essential needs without unnecessary complexity. Users say the pricing structure is budget-friendly, especially for companies with few employees. Reviewers indicate that the software helps them manage payroll, compliance, and reporting efficiently, saving time and resources. They appreciate features that cater specifically to small business operations, such as simple implementation and flexible plans. Users think the product enables them to focus on growth and other priorities.

Streamlined user experience

Massage 

i like this software it is more easy for me to understand and use and it is way more better then quicken software for want need for my own company they were to hard to use and i got upset and told them just to give my money back and that way i say you are way more easy to use and i can go about my day when i am l done so THANK YOU for making a software that easy to use to and understand and it ready to use when i check on my software   

Vice President

Patriot has made the process so simple and uncomplicated that we can actually enjoy taking care of it weekly.

96% of reviewers feel positive about the ease of use, highlighting that the software is intuitive and straightforward to navigate. Users think setup is simple, with clear instructions and helpful tutorials. Reviewers appreciate that tasks like payroll and data entry are uncomplicated, freeing up time for other business activities. They say the interface is logical, and finding needed features is quick. Some users mention that while initial setup may require some effort, ongoing use is efficient and stress-free. Reviewers indicate that accessible support further enhances the user experience.

Responsive support team

owner

The customer service department was right there when I needed them or had a question, whether it was a simple one or difficult question, they always treated me with respect and answered all my questions. And the fact that they give you a free trial to test them out was the best also.

95% of reviewers feel positive about customer support, noting that assistance is prompt, knowledgeable, and patient. Users say they value being able to reach live representatives quickly, often resolving issues on the first contact. Reviewers appreciate the willingness of support staff to go above and beyond, whether during setup or for ongoing questions. They indicate that support is accessible through multiple channels, including chat and phone, and find the team respectful and thorough. Users think the support experience is a key reason for their satisfaction with the software.

Patriot Payroll vs Bright Comparison (2026)

Patriot Payroll

Bright

Overview

Video & Screenshots

Pricing

User reviews

Key features

Integrations

Alternatives