Best Payroll and Benefits Software Solutions in 2026

Paycom provides excellent customer support. Paycom is able to handle our complicated payroll. Paycom has simplified a lot of processes within our HR department.

We were using a different payroll service provider.  We had a very complicated payroll and needed more support, especially when it came to taxation issues.  Paycom assured us that they could provide the needed support and could handle our payroll efficiently.  We reviewed several other providers but ultimately felt that Paycom would be the best fit for our company.

We selected Paycom and have been using it for 5 months now.

There are certain processes that require a step or two that could be eliminated. You have to click on different menus to see all employee info.  We were not able to use Paycom's time and attendance platform due to our needs for geofencing.

The customer service is better. You have a dedicated support person whom you are actually able to reach on a regular basis.

You need to consider your payroll needs as well as the cost of the service.  Paycom is not the most cost-effective solution but is worth the increased cost due to the complications of our payroll.

We have not been with Paycom long enough for me to know the answer.

Organizations who need a one-stop shop for payroll services.

I like that the process and layout is very similar regardless of which product and service you use from them - quite intuitive. It supports employers ability to maintain compliance by listing out requirements and flagging missing items or expired items. Lastly, being able to file 1099s digitally is a luxury I hadn't had previously. A total time saver.

We implemented Deel initially as a way to pay our onshore 1099 contractors, track their contracts and contact information outside of our HRIS. After two years, we had a new problem to address and changed our Deel platform to include an EOR. We had offshore contractors that we wanted to bring on as full-time employees to retain them and ensure compliance with the IRS. The change was seamless and the EOR is intuitive, informative and our offshore employees have been satisfied with the service from their end.

I think there is room to improve the connection between employer and the EOR service representatives in that a dedicated point-of-contact that is in house with Deel and not an international partner. Another consideration for EOR is having to pay a month's salary deposit up front for payroll is not ideal for cash flow. Lastly, I would love to see more employee and contractor features that you might find on a traditional HRIS because I believe it would be a better and more enriched experience for them.

For 1099 contractor management, oftentimes you use an ERP or accounting SaaS which has limitations. Deel bridges the gap between accounting SaaS/ERPs and an HRIS. For EOR, Deel is middle of the road in value. It is a great option for smaller OPEX budgets, but there are other EOR companies who offer more desirable features and better in-house service partners.

Consider the number of contractors or employees you would need for the upfront and annual costs to be justified. Whether or not you are familiar with global payroll, consider how much compliance support you need or is desirable for you. Lastly, consider whether you are up to converting your local currency to the international currency. Deel does not currently offer this in the employee profile, they only show the employee's local currency.

There is better customer service and help tutorials. Further, I have found there is an increase in the amount of educational materials available through Deel in order to stay current on contractor and global payroll trends and compliance.

I have known it to be used by HR and Finance professionals alike. Payroll administrators, regardless of where they fall organizationally, will find this tool beneficial. I believe organizations where these contracts or payrolls are relatively straightforward can benefit. Running payroll and paying invoices takes 10 mins or less per pay period.

• The timesheet view is straightforward and less confusing compared to others.
• Built-in integration with Indeed.
• The UI of Paylocity is clean, professional, and easy to navigate.

Timekeeping was the main reason our company used Paylocity. With our field technicians working irregular work schedules and being paid hourly, tracking hours was a challenge. We had over 300 employees, and verifying their hours worked each pay period was not an easy task for our HR department.

After using Paylocity, our managers were able to easily review and approve their team members' timecards. Collaboration between managers and HR became easier as well. We still had someone from our HR team who would review everyone's timecards before payroll was processed, but Paylocity allowed this to be smooth.

I used it for less than a year, until I moved to another company.

• Hard to navigate sometimes for our field technicians who are less familiar with HRIS.
• You feel overwhelmed sometimes because Paylocity has too many features.
• You have to constantly reach out to their support whenever you need to configure something.

The timesheet section looks easier and less confusing in Paylocity compared to others.

You always want to consider the price versus the value it brings. You want to consider whether its features are capable of scaling as your business grows. You don't want to be locked into a system or tool that you will be stuck with.

Implementation of a new tool takes a lot of time and resources, so you don't want to go through it many times. How easy it is to get in touch with them when you need help is crucial before, during, and even after implementation.

I used Paylocity during the pandemic, and I saw how it introduced remote workforce support features.

HR would be the best users of Paylocity. Any industry that heavily relies on timekeeping would benefit from using it.

• The customer service is very responsive and knowledgeable.
• The PEO is also very good with keeping us up to date with deadlines and any legal developments that will affect our employees wherever they may live in the U.S.
• The open enrollment is also very automated and easy to understand.

We have used Justworks for over 5 years. The key benefits are the PEO services in which they help with managing remote employees easily. At the time when we were buying HRIS, we wanted an all-inclusive PEO and an automated payroll system with the help of a PEO that had expertise in every employment state law in the U.S. You can ask the customer service any question 24/7 and employees have their own support line as well open 24/7. They are very responsive even in quick emergency situations.

• It's not an open API so systems cannot connect to it.
• It does not have a customizable onboarding solution.
• You cannot automate the application-to-hire process and have to manually put in a new employee without seeing their interview history.
• I don't love the way that payroll is set up sometimes with options that only payroll experts know and not just anyone using the tool.

The interface is easier to use and friendly for all types of technology users.

I would ask myself the following questions: how big are you scaling your business and how much manual work are you willing to put up with?

If you are looking for complete automation of the lifecycle of the candidate to employee to employee exit or change to contractor- this will not be doable in this system. It will make your manual tasks more time consuming.

The key buying criteria for Justworks is do you want an easier payroll system? Then this is the tool for you.

They just integrated Greenhouse but that means you are completely stuck with only using Greenhouse.

Someone who is okay with manual input of data.

• I appreciate ADP's user-friendly interface to simplify complex HR processes.
• ADP's robust reporting capabilities provide valuable insights for strategic decision-making.
• The scalability of ADP allows seamless adaptation to the evolving needs of our growing organization.

One of the primary reasons ADP was selected was its reputation as a reliable HR solution provider. The platform is known for its ability to streamline payroll processes, manage employee benefits effectively, and ensure compliance with changing regulations.

Additionally, ADP's scalability was a crucial factor. It accommodated the evolving needs of our workforce and provided the flexibility to handle increased employee numbers.

• I find occasional glitches in the user interface of ADP frustrating.
• The limitations in customization options can be restrictive for our specific needs.
• There's a concern about potential increased costs as our organization grows with the continued use of ADP.

ADP user-friendly interface makes HR tasks more accessible for our team, and the reporting features provide insights into workforce analytics. Also, the customer support from ADP has been consistently responsive and helpful.

Consider the tool's functionality to ensure it aligns with your HR needs, evaluate scalability for future growth, and assess integration capabilities with existing systems. You will need to scrutinize compliance, security, and the total cost of ownership. Additionally, research the vendor's reputation, inquire about the product's upgrade plans, and take advantage of trial periods to assess real-world performance before making a final decision.

ADP has evolved to meet user needs by enhancing its user interface and expanding its features to address a broader range of HR requirements. This would include payroll processing, benefits administration, and talent management. ADP's scalability has improved, accommodating the diverse needs of both small businesses and large enterprises. The platform's increased integration capabilities enable seamless connectivity with other systems, enhancing overall workflow. Over time, ADP has embraced mobile accessibility, allowing users to manage HR tasks remotely, reflecting its adaptability to changing work dynamics.

In my experience ADP is adaptable to the specific needs of growing companies. It is an excellent choice for users seeking a comprehensive HR solution, encompassing payroll processing, benefits administration, time and attendance tracking, and talent management. The platform is beneficial for those who prioritize user-friendly interfaces that require robust compliance features and reliable customer support. ADP is a valuable and supportive HR management solution.

• It is a user-friendly online tool that both employers and employees can use to access employment data.
• Employees can easily choose benefits and view details such as accrued PTO.
• It allows live reports with up-to-date information on turnover and other key data.
• The system includes training tools, such as courses and webinars, that are interesting and easy to use.

My organization purchased this tool to automate payroll and streamline the way payment, benefits, and employment data were managed across HR, Finance, and other departments.

One of the main goals was to provide employees with easy access through both the online platform and mobile app. Another benefit was the ability to allow multiple authorized users, which made it easier to share and update information as needed. We also valued the ability to run live reports, which provided up-to-date insights on employment data.

Overall, the tool was intended to improve efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility in payroll and HR processes.

• Some reports were generated with missing information, even when requested.
• Graphs could only be exported in PDF format, limiting usability.
• We did not take advantage of all the resources Paychex offered.

I don’t believe it is much different from other tools, but it is very user-friendly for both employers and employees, especially since it has its own app.

• Even though it is user-friendly, the system provides more resources than most organizations will ever need.
• It serves as a marketplace where you can add partnerships with external companies and link their resources for employees, such as financial advisors, tax services, or rewards programs.
• The training resources available online are also useful for both employees and managers.

I am not sure, as I only used the tool for a short period of time.

Organizations that do not already have their own payroll system and want to upgrade to a more sophisticated option. Paychex is especially worthwhile for companies with 50 or more employees.

Rippling offers a user-friendly employee self-service experience, allowing staff to update personal information, submit requests, and complete tasks through the mobile app, which helps reduce the administrative burden on HR.

The platform was accessible for employees with varying levels of technical comfort, making it easier for a nonprofit transitioning from paper-based processes to adopt a digital system.

Rippling’s interface is clean and modern, which made it easier to navigate menus and locate basic HR information compared to more cluttered or outdated systems.

My organization selected Rippling to centralize employee data and move away from fragmented or paper-based HR processes.

As a small nonprofit, the goal was to implement a platform that was functional without being overly complex, allowing HR to manage records while offering employees access to basic self-service features.

Rippling provided a single location for core personnel information and supported common HR tasks such as requests and employee data updates. From an employee perspective, the system was accessible through both web and mobile platforms, which supported usability across varying levels of technical comfort.

I personally used Rippling as an HR administrator for approximately 30 days, during which time it aligned with the organization’s immediate needs and scale. My experience reflects use within a limited configuration rather than a fully built-out enterprise implementation.

From an administrator's perspective, certain workflows and settings were not immediately intuitive, and locating specific functions sometimes required additional exploration compared to other HRIS platforms I’ve used.

The version of Rippling used by the organization felt fairly basic, and functionality appeared limited depending on the selected package, which may not meet the needs of organizations seeking more robust or layered HR capabilities.

There was limited visibility into built-in user guides or onboarding resources, and notification effectiveness seemed highly dependent on configuration, which could impact timely approvals if not carefully set up.

Compared to other HRIS platforms I’ve used, such as Paycom, Kronos, and ADP, Rippling felt more streamlined and basic in its interface and overall functionality.

While this simplicity can work well for smaller organizations, especially those transitioning from paper-based processes, it offered fewer layers and visual tools than some competing systems.

Other platforms I’ve used provided more interactive dashboards, quick links, and real-time notifications, which can be helpful for both administrators and employees managing frequent requests.

Rippling’s effectiveness appeared highly dependent on how it was configured and which modules were selected, which may limit flexibility for organizations seeking a more robust, all-in-one solution.

I tend to prefer platforms with more intuitive, visually driven interfaces and stronger automated reminders, as these features can significantly reduce administrative workload, particularly in lean HR environments.

When selecting an HRIS like Rippling, organizations should consider their size, internal HR resources, and how much system complexity they actually need.

Smaller or nonprofit organizations may benefit from a more streamlined platform that supports core HR functions without overwhelming users or budgets.

Buyers should evaluate administrator usability, employee self-service capabilities, and how configurable workflows and notifications are based on organizational structure.

Understanding which modules are included and how easily the system can scale over time is important before making a long-term investment.

My direct experience with Rippling was relatively short, so I did not personally observe major platform changes or feature evolutions during that period.

From my perspective, the system appeared stable and already configured to meet the organization’s existing HR needs at the time of use.

Rippling is well suited for organizations looking to centralize core HR information and streamline basic administrative processes in a single platform.

It can be a strong fit for smaller or growing organizations, including nonprofits, that need reliable HR functionality without requiring a highly complex or visually intensive interface.

The UI is clean, intuitive, and (mostly) easy to use. I very seldom had issues with automated processes. They make onboarding new employees incredibly simple. I also really like the friendly tone of the brand's "voice." The marching pig on the loading screen that changes with the seasons never gets old; it still sparks joy each time, even after all these years!

I have used Gusto since 2018 in 3 different early-stage tech startups. Gusto has a reputation as the go-to in Silicon Valley incubators and accelerators, although I've seen Rippling gradually gaining market share in the past few years. In all 3 cases, we selected Gusto because of their breadth of services. Gusto makes it easy to set up everything our organization needed to begin hiring and paying employees. What's nice about Gusto is that it makes processes that are intimidating to many founders into a "set it and forget it" task. Automating payroll, benefits, filing government forms, and quarterly taxes helped free up time for our founding team to focus on a growing set of other responsibilities.

Gusto's benefits department is unresponsive and it's nearly impossible to get answers from support about even simple benefits questions.

I have seen quite a few concerning errors across the platform (mostly with benefits), including employees not being enrolled in benefits programs, dismissed employees not being removed from benefits programs, incomplete COBRA enrollment, and late tax filings.

The information from Support is unreliable and often inaccurate.

The dismissal payroll workflow is misleading and we've had a few serious problems as a result.

When a Gusto admin is dismissed, their admin privileges are not removed automatically, which is a serious privacy concern.

I wish Gusto made it easier to set up a business entity in new states. They partner with a company called CorpNet, but I found the level of service wasn't worth the price and went back to handling state registration myself.

I love Gusto's friendly casual-but-professional tone compared to other providers in the space.

Gusto is best for small teams, the smaller the better. It is a great option for founders and single-person People teams who have less time to dedicate to payroll, benefits, and compliance. It makes many benefits available and affordable for small groups that would not have the numbers to access plans through traditional providers.

Gusto becomes less useful as a team grows and compensation & benefits become more complex. I would definitely recommend Gusto to founders, but I recommend moving off of their benefits platform as soon as you have a full-time person to manage benefits administration. Its payroll functionality is solid, but payroll administrators should be aware that they will get limited guidance from the Gusto support team.

Gusto's functionality has grown over the time I've used the platform as they've added additional features and integrations. However, the accuracy and quality of support have suffered over time. I used to be a Gusto evangelist, but these days I recommend that growing companies move off of Gusto as soon as is practical. New features have become less useful over time, and I wish they would focus on maintaining the quality of their core product rather than trying to expand into new services.

Company founders or admins inexperienced in payroll and benefits. Very small teams with a single person managing payroll and benefits administration among many other HR responsibilities.

• Handles direct employees, contractors, and Employer of Record (EOR) services all in one system.
• Ensures compliance with local tax laws, labor regulations, and data privacy in each country.
• Pricing is published and predictable, with no hidden fees or required demos to receive a quote.
• Customer support is professional and easy to work with.

We bought Papaya Global around five years ago. Our company had started hiring employees and contractors in India. We needed a better way to handle global payroll and compliance, and Papaya became our final choice.

We chose Papaya because it was straightforward and easy to use. It has helped us centralize employee records, payroll, and compliance in one platform.

• Onboarding new countries or setting up EOR entities can take longer than expected due to compliance obligations.
• Per-employee pricing may be high for small businesses or startups with limited global hiring needs.
• It has fewer native integrations than some established HR platforms like ADP or Workday.

Papaya simplifies global payroll with a fully automated system and built-in compliance checks. It supports different types of workers—such as employees, contractors, and EORs—all within one platform.

The interface is easy to use, even for teams new to global hiring. It is a strong all-in-one platform for companies hiring across multiple countries, whereas Remote and Deel sometimes require separate setups or add-ons for certain features.

ADP can be complex and costly for smaller or fast-scaling businesses, while Papaya offers broader global coverage and more flexible international hiring options.

When choosing a global payroll or workforce platform like Papaya Global, begin by confirming that it supports the countries where you plan to hire. Look for built-in compliance features that keep you aligned with local tax laws, labor regulations, and data protection requirements.

The platform should be easy for your HR and finance teams to use and integrate well with your existing tools. It should support different types of workers, including full-time employees and contractors.

Strong customer support and reliable payroll accuracy are also critical, along with secure data protection standards like GDPR and SOC 2. Choose a platform that can scale with your organization and offers clear, upfront pricing.

Papaya Global has become easier to use over time, with more integrations and improved reporting tools. It now supports larger, global teams through expanded country coverage and increased automation.

A key benefit is its built-in compliance features—such as automatic tax and labor law updates, GDPR and SOC 2 compliance, and real-time alerts. These updates help companies reduce legal risks and stay compliant worldwide.

Papaya is well-suited for mid-sized or large companies that hire internationally or have remote teams in multiple countries. Papaya acts as an EOR, allowing companies to legally hire in other countries without setting up a local entity.

Startups expanding quickly across borders benefit from the platform's scalability and compliance support without needing to build HR infrastructure in each location. Papaya Global is ideal for these organizations seeking a centralized, compliant global EOR and payroll solution.

Automatic publishing and removal of job postings across multiple platforms simultaneously with one click.

Emailing and texting applicants using customized templates via Paycor, with the option to schedule sending emails and texts.

Tracking applicants through the pipeline and the ability to set reminders to monitor and follow up with applicants.

Paycor and Paycor Recruiting were subscribed to by my client prior to my being hired. The HR Manager uses Paycor's core module, and I primarily use Paycor's Recruiting module. I have been using Paycor Recruiting for over 18 months and primarily use it to post job openings, automatically filter applicants using screening questions, and track and communicate with applicants through the pipeline.

Limited ability to customize the pipeline stages to align with our workflow.

No ability to bulk download applicant resumes for offline viewing.

Limited ability to customize visualizations within the app, so we must export the data and develop visualizations using third-party tools such as Power BI.

I have limited experience with their competitors.

I would recommend thinking about your organization's workflow and how customizable the tool is, i.e., whether you can customize the tool to align with your organization's workflow (and not the other way around).

I would research the type and responsiveness of support the company offers. For example, Paycor only offers email support, and while they have been able to answer most of our questions within a few days, it would be helpful to have the option of speaking with someone on the phone.

Not to my knowledge.

I'm not sure how to best answer this question since I am not familiar with all of Paycor's services or the full range of needs across different HR teams.

• Easy Onboarding - Remote does make onboarding hires in remote locations quite easy.
• Online Portal - great to have all the hires from all international locations in one place.
• Expenses - easy for employees and companies to track/pay expenses.

With a shortage of talent in the U.S., our firm needed to hire in locations where we did not have an entity. Global EORs offer a way to do that without setting up a legal entity first. Remote was an up-and-coming player in the space that made getting setup much faster, less complex than traditional partners like Velocity Global. We have used the system for approximately 2 years now.

• Billing/Invoicing - Remote has had multiple billing errors in our invoices and their system is incredibly confusing for reconciling what is outstanding vs. the errors they have made.
• Management - Remote has changed management recently and they have changed terms & conditions from our original invoices and have taken away promotions by saying they were "introductory promotions" rather than the "negotiated terms" like we originally discussed.

Remote was a leader in simplicity when we first began using their services a couple of years ago. Now, I believe certain competitors have caught up and surpassed them.

• Cash flow - these services require upfront payment for payroll so be prepared to pay month end payroll by the 17th of that month.
• Terminating employees - Employment laws vary country by country. Remote is offering a service to make it easier on your company to hire elsewhere; however, terminating employees can be quite difficult.

Remote was very startup friendly 2 years ago. Their management has changed and their culture has changed drastically. It is no longer a customer-focused culture going above and beyond to win customers.

Remote is good for an established company in search of a way to explore hiring people in other regions of the world.

It is easy to use - the interface is intuitive. I like the app and the fact I can do receipt tracking on my phone. I like that I can easily give my employees a company card and have them forward receipts into Quickbooks.

We work with a CPA firm who helped us to integrate Quickbooks across our organization. We began using Quickbooks in 2018, when our firm had just under $60,000 in revenue a year. Today, we use Quickbooks to manage the company's $1.7M and growing annual budget. We used Quickbooks because we wanted to have accurate timely financial statements across the organization, track all of our expenses, and manage our businesses PnL easily. I've been the primary user for the past 5 years.

I wish that it had better cash flow capabilities - the current capabilities do not account for projections. I also wish that when adding users there was an option to add employees who just had employee cards who need to email receipts into Quickbooks instead of having to take up a user seat - right now we have some employees emailing receipts to a company user to forward them on because there is only five seats in our plan. I also wish Quickbooks integrated better with my bank - the bank connection is always breaking and needs to be updated.

I haven't used similar tools - before Quickbooks I did everything on a spreadsheet. I did choose Quickbooks because it came highly recommended from my CPA firm.

People should think about their needs for financial reporting. People should also think about their needs for billing, and tracking employee expenses.

It works great for my consulting firm!

The interface is slick and easy to use. It offers flexible and expandable HR and benefits tools, meaning it can grow with the business. The streamlined and partially automated PTO with self-service is also good.

We bought OnPay to streamline our payroll process. Our HR and finance teams were too small and preoccupied with rapid growth activities to manage payroll, and as a result, mistakes were being made. The monthly payroll process was analog, without much automation, and quite inefficient and laborious. We wanted to have a more automated and online process, which OnPay provided.

OnPay is genuinely focused on small businesses. The interface is clean and simple, not overloaded with features like those found in big company payroll tools. It connects directly with our timesheets, allows staff to update their personal data, and has streamlined and mostly automated our payroll process. We have used this tool for a couple of years.

The design is a little boring and old-fashioned. The reporting section is a bit awkward to use. It doesn't have great support for international customers.

The design is a little boring and old-fashioned. The reporting section is a bit awkward to use. It doesn't have great support for international customers.

Can you also pay contractors through the system? Can you pay staff according to different pay schedules?

We haven’t used it long enough to answer this.

US-based SMEs without international offices can benefit from OnPay.

Creating reports in Namely is straightforward, even for users with limited technical experience. The time and labor module is intuitive and easy to demonstrate to employees. The visibility and layout of the homepage make navigating the system fast and user-friendly.

I worked for a small FinTech company that used Namely. They picked Namely because it was an easy-to-use tool and was perfect for our business structure. We (the HR Team) liked how it was easy to enter new employees and update existing employees' information.

We also had a few nonexempt employees, so we used their timekeeping system, which was also simple. We also used announcements like our social media, so we didn't have to design an Intranet.

The system lacks innovation and hasn’t kept up with some newer HR platforms in terms of features and design. The interface feels a bit outdated, especially compared to more modern alternatives. Customer support was sometimes difficult to reach, which could be frustrating when time-sensitive issues arose.

Namely is a smaller and more simplified platform compared to other tools like UKG or ADP. It works well for small companies that need a streamlined system without too many bells and whistles. While I prefer UKG or ADP for their broader functionality and scalability, Namely stands out for being approachable and easy to manage for less complex HR operations.

When evaluating this kind of tool, it's important to consider the size and complexity of your organization. Namely works best for small businesses that don’t require highly advanced features or custom-coded reports. If you're expecting rapid growth or need to manage complex data, you may quickly outgrow it. Simplicity and ease of use should be top considerations if you're leaning toward Namely.

One noticeable improvement has been quicker service request response times. The company seems to have made an effort to address support speed, which enhances the overall user experience, especially during critical periods.

Namely is ideal for HR teams and general employees in small to mid-sized companies. It suits organizations that need an easy-to-use system without requiring extensive setup or ongoing technical support.