Zenefits payroll is here — and it's free.  But how free is it?  Really, the only product or service Zenefits provides totally for free is a very light HR solution in order to hook companies in.  The instant one of these companies tries to tack on additional products or extensions, in some way, shape or form, the company is paying for them. 

In the context of payroll, there is a base version promoted as free, but from the start, there is a $25 setup fee and a couple of other service and penalty fees for items like expedited payroll, tax amendments or insufficient fees.   

From there, think about how payroll is calculated.  Yes, if there are only salaried employees, payroll is typically a flat amount based on an annual salary. But what about hourly employees?  How will the time employees work make it into payroll?  Through Zenefits' time and attendance software, of course, at a whopping $6 per employee per month with a year contract (or $8 per employee per month on a month-to-month contract).  Typically, you'll see around $3-$5 in the market for much more feature-rich solutions.