Square Payroll vs UKG Pro

A detailed comparison of Square Payroll and UKG Pro. See how they stack up on features, pricing, and user ratings.

At a Glance

Square Payroll UKG Pro
Rating 4.3/5 4.2/5
Starting Price $35/mo N/A
Free Trial No No
Free Plan No No
Features 7 9
Best For SMB Enterprise

Key Differences

Square Payroll and UKG Pro share 7 features. UKG Pro has 2+ unique features.

Only in UKG Pro

  • Slack Integration
  • Zapier Integration

Square Payroll

Simple payroll solution from Square for small businesses, designed to integrate with Square's POS and payments ecosystem at $35/month plus $6/person.

Rating 4.3/5
Best for SMB
Free trial No
Free plan No
Visit Square Payroll →

UKG Pro

Enterprise HCM suite from UKG covering HR, payroll, talent, workforce management, and people analytics for large US-based organisations.

Rating 4.2/5
Best for Enterprise
Free trial No
Free plan No
Visit UKG Pro →

Feature Comparison

Feature Square Payroll UKG Pro
Workflow Automation
Reporting Dashboard
EEO/OFCCP Compliance
GDPR Compliance
API Access
HRIS Integration
Mobile App
Slack Integration
Zapier Integration

Pricing Comparison

Square Payroll

Pay Employees $35/mo
Pay Contractors Only Free

UKG Pro

Custom Custom

Integrations

Both tools integrate with

QuickBooks Zapier

Only Square Payroll

Gmail Google Workspace Square POS

Only UKG Pro

ADP Azure AD DocuSign LinkedIn Microsoft 365 Microsoft Teams Okta Outlook Outlook Calendar Slack

Pros & Cons

Square Payroll

Pros

  • +Seamless integration with Square POS and payment ecosystem
  • +Contractor-only payroll option with no monthly base fee
  • +Simple, clean interface consistent with Square's design
  • +Automatic tax calculations and filings

Cons

  • -Limited HR features compared to Gusto or Rippling
  • -Best value only for businesses already using Square products
  • -No benefits administration beyond basic offerings
  • -Fewer integrations than standalone payroll platforms

UKG Pro

Pros

  • +Exceptional US payroll processing with deep tax engine
  • +Industry-leading workforce management (inherited from Kronos)
  • +Strong employee experience focus with Great Place to Work integration
  • +Comprehensive benefits administration for US organisations

Cons

  • -Primarily US-focused — limited global payroll capabilities
  • -Custom pricing with no published rates
  • -Two product lines (UKG Pro and UKG Ready) can create confusion
  • -User interface varies between modules due to merger heritage

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Square Payroll if:

  • • Your company is SMB size
  • • Higher user ratings matter to you (4.3 vs 4.2)
  • • Seamless integration with Square POS and payment ecosystem
Visit Square Payroll

Choose UKG Pro if:

  • • Your company is Enterprise size
  • • You need a more feature-rich solution (9 vs 7 features)
  • • Exceptional US payroll processing with deep tax engine
Visit UKG Pro

How we evaluate tools

Our ratings combine verified user reviews from G2 and Capterra with hands-on feature analysis. Pricing is checked against official sources. We may earn a commission through affiliate links, but this never influences our rankings or recommendations. Read our full methodology.