Wave Payroll vs Payroll4Free
Two payroll & HR tools side by side. Prices are the starting plan a small business would pick, in USD.
Short version
Payroll4Free costs less for a six-person team.
Wave Payroll fits service business, agency or studio, trades or contractor.
| Compare | Wave PayrollWave Financial | |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | Payroll add-on for Wave accounting users | Free payroll software for teams of 9 or fewer |
| Starting price | From $40/mo + $6/person | Free |
| Six-person team | $76/mo | $0/mo |
| Plans | $40/mo + $6 per employee + $6 per contractor paid; tax service in all 50 states; Canada $25 CAD + $6 (not Quebec); does not file 1099s | Free for 9 or fewer people paid no more than once a month (ad-supported); filled-out tax forms incur a small fee; optional Payroll Tax Service and Direct Deposit Service at unpublished prices |
| Pricing model | Free trial | Free |
| Free trial | 30 days | — |
| Users | No minimum | Up to 9 paid |
| Both connect to | No shared connections on record. | |
| Also connects to | Wave | None in our catalog |
| Team size | Just me · 2–10 people | Just me · 2–10 people |
| Available in | US · CA | US |
| Phone support | None listed | Every plan |
| Live chat | Every plan | None listed |
| Support hours | Live chat: Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM Eastern | Not published |
| Incidents posted | 5 incidents posted on Wave Financial's status page, which covers all Wave Financial products and regions, in the 90 days to Oct 27, 2026; 1 marked major or critical by Wave Financial. Status page | We found no public status page for Payroll4Free.com. |
| Capterra score | Not listed | 3.1 / 5 from 13 reviews (few reviews) |
| Trustpilot score | Not listed | 2.2 / 5 from 8 reviews (few reviews) |
| Fit: Retail shop | 65 | 58 |
| Fit: Restaurant or café | 60 | 55 |
| Fit: Service business | 80 | 60 |
| Fit: Agency or studio | 65 | 45 |
| Fit: Trades or contractor | 72 | 60 |
| Fit: Online store | 50 | 45 |
| Why people pick it |
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| Where it falls short |
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| Visit Wave Payroll | Visit Payroll4Free | |
Six-person prices are what a team of six would pay on the published plans; "Not listed" means those plans don't cover six. How we calculate prices
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