Patriot Software is a software provider offering both accounting and payroll software for American businesses. It’s not as popular as some competitors like Intuit QuickBooks, Gusto, or Xero, but it offers a ton of value for small business owners. Its ease of use is unparalleled, meaning that just about anyone can use this software. In this Patriot Software review, we’ll go over all the details of this service, to help you decide if Patriot is the right partner for your business’ accounting and payroll needs.

There are two main offerings from Patriot Software: Accounting software, and Payroll software. For simplicity, we’ll break this overview down into two sections.

Patriot Accounting overview

Patriot Accounting is a simple yet powerful software that lets users track revenues and expenses, issue invoices, run reports such as profit and loss statements, make payments to vendors, create 1099’s and other tax forms, and much more. 

The Patriot software can be set up to sync with your business bank account to cut down on the time you spend keeping your books. There are other time-saving features, such as automatic recurring invoices (for clients who pay the same amount every month), and full integration with Patriot Payroll for businesses with employees. 

Patriot Accounting starts at just $15 per month, with no contracts or commitments required. An upgraded plan costs $25 per month, which is still quite affordable, given the versatility of this software suite. 

Check out our roundup of the Best Accounting Software for Small Businesses

Patriot Payroll overview

Patriot Payroll is a user-friendly online payroll solution that helps small business owners pay their employees, collect and pay payroll taxes, and more. This payroll system integrates seamlessly with Patriot Accounting, but it’s not required that you use both systems. The software is designed for businesses with up to 100 employees or contractors. It integrates helpful tools like hours tracking, time off accrual, worker’s comp integration, and more. 

There are two options: Basic payroll, which helps with running payroll and cutting checks (or free direct deposits) for your employees, and Full-Service payroll, which also helps you collect and pay payroll taxes. Full Service is the most popular by far, as it simplifies the often-complex process of accurately collecting payroll taxes for small business owners. 

Patriot Payroll starts at just $10 + $4 per employee, per month. Full-Service payroll costs $30 + $4 per employee, per month. 

Check out our roundup of the Best Payroll Services for Small Businesses

What makes Patriot Software unique

Demo accounts

Patriot Software offers a free “test-drive” of their software through an online demo account. You can access the demo with just your name and email address, and you don’t need to download anything. This online demo lets you easily see how Patriot Software works, and how intuitive it is. While some competitors offer free trials, this demo is better in many ways, as you don’t need to sign up or enter a credit card. Plus, it’s pre-populated with fictional information, so you don’t need to spend a bunch of time inputting data in order to actually make some test transactions. Patriot also offers a full 30-day free trial, if you’d prefer to go that route.

Free expert support

Patriot has a team of 100% US-based customer support specialists ready to help you with any issues you may have. They are available during normal business hours via phone, email, and chat. This shouldn’t be unique, but it really is in this industry. Most competitors outsource support overseas or make it difficult for customers to contact support. With Patriot, support is definitely above-average, and genuinely helpful. 

Simple, intuitive Software

Patriot specifically designed its software offerings to be as intuitive as possible. Most business owners will not need specialized training or coaching in order to start using Patriot efficiently. You won’t find “Patriot Accounting 101” at your local community college – but you likely will find “QuickBooks 101” there, simply because most competing software is substantially more complex than Patriot’s offering. 

Cash and accrual-basis toggle

There are two primary styles of accounting: Cash-basis and Accrual-basis. Cash basis accounting is preferred by most business owners, as it’s much simpler to understand. But accrual-basis is often the standard for professional accountants. Uniquely, Patriot Accounting software lets you toggle between these two accounting styles with the click of a button. This allows business owners to enter transactions in the simple cash basis format, while delivering data to their accountants or CPAs on an accrual basis. 

Who Patriot Software is best for

Those who prefer simplicity

Patriot Software is very easy to use, making in-house bookkeeping much easier for small business owners. There are no complex systems to learn, and everything is very intuitive – and yet, all the functionality you need is still there. 

Businesses with fewer than 100 employees

Patriot Software is designed for small to mid-sized businesses. While the accounting software could likely handle the needs of larger firms, the Payroll processing software is specifically designed for companies with up to 100 employees or contractors. 

Budget-minded business owners

Patriot Software is offered at quite an affordable price point – starting at just $15 a month for accounting, and $10 a month for payroll (plus $4/month per employee). Competitors like QuickBooks Online charge $25 to $150 a month for accounting alone, and $45 to $125/month for payroll (plus $4-$10 per employee, per month). A midsize business could easily save hundreds if not thousands of dollars on software each year by switching to Patriot. The pricing is also low enough that even small non-profits can likely find room in their budget. 

Pros and cons of Patriot Software

Pros

• Very easy to use
• Intuitive software does not require training
• Very competitively priced
• No contracts or commitments
• Easy to toggle between cash and accrual basis accounting
• Excellent customer service from US-based agents
• Mobile-friendly website lets you use the software from your phone
• Free 30-day trial

Cons

• Not as full-featured as some more expensive alternatives

Patriot Software features

The details of specific features are covered in the pricing section below, as well as in the “what makes Patriot Software unique” section above. However, here is a quick overview of what you can do with this service:

• User-friendly accounting – Patriot’s online accounting software makes it easy for anyone to track revenue and expenses, import transactions from bank accounts, prepare key business reports, and much more. 
• Full-service payroll – Patriot Payroll makes it easy to create pay stubs, cut checks or send direct deposits to employees each pay period, and even allows business owners to pay contractors. With the full-service option, Patriot can also collect taxes and prepare payroll tax returns for you. 
• Invoicing and payments – Through the accounting software, businesses can create and send invoices, create payment reminders, and even issue recurring invoices for repeat clients. Payments can also be made to vendors, and if you have an external merchant account, you can integrate it with Patriot Software to accept credit card payments over the platform.
• 100% online platform – Patriot’s services can be accessed via a normal web browser on practically any device with internet access. This means that you can complete bookkeeping and payroll tasks from anywhere you go, without the need to download software. The platform is mobile-friendly, so you can even use your smartphone. 

Patriot Software pricing

Patriot Software offers both accounting and payroll software. The two offerings integrate with one another, but it’s not required to use both. You can use one or both of the products as needed, and each is priced separately. Here are the details on Patriot Software costs:

Patriot Accounting pricing

Accounting Basic is best if you just want a simple, no-frills, and budget-friendly solution. But for just $10 more per month, many businesses will prefer to upgrade to Accounting Premium to enjoy tools like account reconciliation and receipt management. 

Accounting Basic – $15 per Month

• Basic tracking of revenue and expenses
• Free expert support
• Unlimited payments to vendors
• Create 1099s (optional filing of 1099s may cost extra)
• Track all revenues and expenses
• Create unlimited invoices and customers
• Accept credit card payments (separate merchant account required)
• Automatically import transactions from your bank
• Payroll integration

Accounting Premium – $25 per Month

• All features of Accounting Basic described above
• Account reconciliation 
• Create and send estimates
• Establish recurring invoices for customers
• Send invoice payment reminders
• Create custom invoice templates
• Unlimited users with permissions
• Manage receipts and important documents 

Patriot Payroll pricing

Basic Payroll is best if you want to handle your own payroll taxes, while Full-Service payroll is best if you’d like Patriot to handle tax deposits and payroll tax filings. 

Basic Payroll – $10 per month + $4 Per Employee per month

• Run your own payroll and collect/pay payroll taxes yourself
• Run payroll reports and track data
• Free payroll setup
• Free expert support
• Pay your employees/contractors via check or direct deposit
• Employee portal
• Workers’ comp integration
• Unlimited payrolls
• All pay frequencies
• Track time and attendance
• Tools for multiple location businesses
• Customizable hours, money, and deductions
• Mobile-friendly website and software
• Integrates with accounting software 
• Issue W-2’s for printing or electronic delivery
• Time-off accruals
• Multiple pay rates
• Pay both employees and contractors
• Human Resources (HR) integration
• Optional 1099 e-filing 

Full-Service Payroll – $30 per month + $4 Per Employee per month

• All features of Basic Payroll described above
• Filing of federal payroll taxes
• Filing of state payroll taxes
• Filing of local payroll taxes
• Year-end payroll tax filings (no charge)
• Tax filing accuracy guaranteed

All products and services from Patriot Software do not require a contract, so you are free to cancel at any time. You simply pay month to month. Also, each service comes with a 30-day free trial for new customers. There are also some add-ons available, priced individually. 

Patriot Software customer support

Patriot Software has excellent customer support from a team of 100% US-based agents. Their support staff are true experts and can help walk you through any issues you may have. They are easy to reach via phone, email, or online chat, during normal business hours.

If you look at sites like TrustPilot and the Better Business Bureau (BBB), you can see that customers rate their experiences with Patriot Software very highly.