GoCo Expert Review, Pricing, Alternatives - 2024

Written by
Huda Idris
Trusted Expert in Employee Experience and Productivity Tools
January 16, 2025
Contributing Experts
No items found.

GoCo

4.7 (267)
GoCo
GoCo

Introduction

We spend hundreds of hours researching the best HR and recruiting software so you don’t have to. We never take money from vendors during our research phase and rely heavily on practitioners and experts to help us recommend the right software. However we may earn a small fee if you click on vendor links on this page.

Learn More

GoCo Versus the Competition

GoCo provides payroll and benefits administration, performance management, hiring, onboarding, documentation, time tracking, and HR support from a centralized dashboard. It’s also a versatile solution that seamlessly integrates with some of the most popular apps and services.

If you're ready to get a GoCo demo, we suggest getting in touch for a look at the product and quote. Otherwise, read on!

Ratings

4.7

Ease of Use

Best For

Key Differentiator

Price

Starts at $5/month/employee

Free Trial

Yes

PROS

  • GoCo is a highly affordable solution for small teams and organizations that only have a few employees, especially if those employees work remotely and maintain flexible schedules.
  • GoCo gives users the ability to automate recurring tasks and activities, i.e. providing new hires with the necessary documents, collecting their e-Signatures, and setting termination protocol in motion.
  • GoCo is also available as a mobile app. This provides even more support to today’s mobile workforce by giving them the luxury of requesting time-off, managing their benefits, or viewing their performance reports from nearly any location in the world.
  • GoCo includes a fully embedded payroll solution that is highly secure. Alternatively, GoCo’s Payroll Sync feature is capable of connecting with several cloud-based payroll solutions.

CONS

  • Transitioning your payroll to the GoCo platform can be challenging and some users report a steep learning curve with the GoCo platform in general.
  • Some users report difficulty when scheduling time-off for employees that aren’t full-time, especially if their pay is prorated.
  • In certain cases, benefits plans cannot be edited by your administrative staff, ultimately requiring customer support to add information for new carriers or edit the information of existing providers.
  • There are a few persistent technical glitches that are yet to be resolved by technical support.

GoCo Alternatives:

No items found.

Need Help? Talk to an HR Software Advisor!

Get 1:1 help from an HR Software Advisor
Save time with recommendations in less than 20 minutes
Save up to 30% with our pricing insights

Tell us more about your company & an HR Software Advisor will help you find the right software

Phil Strazzulla
HR Tech Expert, Harvard MBA, Software Enthusiast

Need Help? Get Custom Recommendations for

Talk to An Advisor
Over 3 million HR leaders trust our advice

GoCo Review

GoCo is touted as an all-in-one solution for HR, employee management, and regulatory compliance. It streamlines day-to-day operations by maintaining all HR-related data and functionality in one place – including detailed employee records, benefits, performance reviews, time off requests and approvals, tax documentation, and more.

But GoCo stands out due to their flexibility, customizability, and customer service. Nearly every feature of GoCo was built with user customization in mind. This makes it easy to sync with your current payroll service or integrate with your favorite benefits provider.

Since their platform is fully digital, you’ll be able to join the countless organizations that have already made the leap to all-digital recordkeeping. Not only does this give you access to all of your important data with just a few clicks of a button, but it also makes it easy when it comes to scraping these records for facts and figures to fill your next presentation.

Managerial staff will benefit from GoCo, too. With a focus on eliminating redundant or double data and an overall goal of strengthening information accuracy and integrity for your entire organization, it’s great for organizations that process large amounts of data on a daily basis.

GoCo is also dedicated to customer success. Their support team is widely praised by users, and they’ve been known to go the extra mile when their customers need them the most.

Finally, GoCo serves a variety of clients in a myriad of different industries. While their current clients are primarily focused on IT, healthcare, nonprofit, education, and similar sectors, their platform has something for every organization.

What users think of GoCo

Reviewer's Rating
6/10

When you log into GoCo, you access a centralized platform for managing all employee information. The system allows you to navigate through a dashboard where you can select individual employees to view their personal details. This includes essential information such as contact details, job titles, identification records (e.g., driver's licenses and passports), and any other relevant paperwork stored within the system.

The platform provides flexibility in customizing and storing different types of documents based on organizational needs. Additionally, GoCo offers an organized way to oversee employee data, ensuring that everything is easily accessible when needed.

What do you like about this tool?
  • The user-friendly dashboard allows easy navigation through employee profiles, providing access to essential details such as contact information, job titles, tax forms (W-4s), and identification documents (driver's licenses and passports).
  • GoCo enables HR teams to track, store, and manage employment-related documents in a structured and organized manner, ensuring that all necessary paperwork is up to date and easily accessible.
  • The platform offers flexibility in customizing and storing different types of documents based on organizational needs, making it a valuable tool for companies looking to digitize and centralize employee data securely.
Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

Our organization initially chose GoCo to manage and track all employee records, including important documents such as W-4 forms, driver's licenses, and passports. We used the platform for about two years, hoping it would streamline record-keeping and improve efficiency.

However, over time, we found that it lacked the level of organization needed to manage employee information effectively. Additionally, we encountered several technical issues that made the system challenging to use consistently. Due to these limitations, we decided to discontinue our use of GoCo and explore other solutions better suited to our needs.

What do you dislike about this tool?
  • Employees occasionally experience issues signing important documents, leading to delays, confusion, and additional follow-ups.
  • The platform’s design may not be intuitive for new users.
  • Occasional glitches and bugs disrupt workflow.
How is this tool different than their competitors?

I have used ATS to track employee information, and compared to other tools, GoCo feels more disorganized and less streamlined.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

Is the platform easy to navigate for both HR professionals and employees? Does the tool provide efficient document management, allowing for easy uploading, storage, and tracking of essential employee records? Assess whether GoCo offers good value for its pricing—does it provide the necessary features at a reasonable cost?

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?
  • Earlier versions: Compliance features were not as comprehensive, making it challenging to keep up with changing labor laws and regulations.
  • Improvements: GoCo has enhanced its compliance tools, including automatic reminders for deadlines, better tracking of employee certifications, and integration with legal updates.
What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

GoCo is well-suited for companies with more than 50 employees, as its features scale well with larger teams. Smaller companies may find other tools more efficient for tracking employee information.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

Organizations with fewer than 50 employees will not find GoCo helpful.

Who shouldn't buy GoCo

GoCo isn’t the best option for large companies looking for enterprise-grade robustness, security, and controls.

GoCo Customers

GoCo is used by organizations such as Comit Developers, Caliper Foods, Synstelien Community Services, Stoughton Area School District, and Dom & Tom.

GoCo Key Features

  • Hiring and onboarding: Automated workflows let you track the necessary steps in the hiring process, including initial documentation, recordkeeping, scheduling, and payroll.GoCo even supports pre-boarding activities to help new hires prepare before their first day on the job.
  • Benefits administration: GoCo’s HR database is akin to today’s online benefits enrollment services. Organizations are welcome to transition their own carriers and providers into the GoCo platform, but GoCo also provides suggested services for those who have yet to establish their benefits program.
  • Payroll: An embedded payroll service helps you get started right away. GoCo also supports Payroll Sync that can integrate with any payroll service on the cloud.
  • Workflow customization: Streamline your day-to-day HR routines and customize your workflow with GoCo’s drag-and-drop workflow builder. Fully integrated checklists help your team track their progress and verify completion of daily tasks.
  • Time tracking: Easily clock in or out through the GoCo platform. Managers are able to view and approve employee timesheets, including overtime pay. 
  • Paid time off (PTO) tracking: Employees can track accrued PTO and request time off as needed.
  • HR compliance: Maintain compliance with all of the applicable standards and regulations, including those established by HIPAA, GDPR, OSHA, ISO, and others.

GoCo Key Integrations

GoCo integrates with many industry-leading HR apps, including Google Suite, LinkedIn, Intuit Quickbooks, Slack, JazzHR, Lyft, and Uber. It also integrates with Zapier, which allows users to plug in over 2,000 apps.

GoCo Pricing

GoCo pricing starts at $5 monthly for each employee. Custom pricing plans are available.

GoCo is Best For

GoCo would make a great addition to the tech stacks of small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for a budget-friendly yet comprehensive HR software.

How has GoCo Changed Over Time?

GoCo Implementation

GoCo utilizes an internal customer success team to lead product configuration and customization based on your exact business needs.

GoCo Customer Success

GoCo features an online help center that hosts plenty of technical articles to assist customers with the troubleshooting process. Experts are also available during the initial setup and ongoing customization of the platform.

About GoCo

GoCo was founded in 2015 with the goal of simplifying HR processes for small businesses and startups. Working with investments from the likes of Salesforce Ventures and featured in publications including Huffington Post, Entrepreneur Magazine, and Forbes, GoCo currently boasts more than 100,000 users.

Company HQ

Houston, Texas, United States

Number of Employees

100+ employees

Year Founded

2015

Amount Raised

$12.6 million

FAQ

GoCo Alternatives

No items found.

Review Methodology

We take our research process seriously and want to make sure we are presenting our readers with the very best solutions in a given software category. Check out this guide to learn how we evaluate vendors before featuring them in our buyer guides.

Learn More