Best Payroll and Benefits Software Solutions in 2025
An unbiased review of the best payroll and benefits software, handpicked by SSR payroll experts.
Payroll processing and employee benefits go hand in hand, but not all payroll software can nicely handle both. We've been reviewing payroll software since 2018 and have checked out hundreds of options – that's what led us to make this buyer's guide.
Read on to find out which platforms that are great at both payroll and benefits, plus expert advice on picking the right vendor, things to watch out for, major benefits, and pricing.
To select the best payroll and benefits software and to ensure we specifically list products offering this combination of functionality rather than general payroll software, we did demos, conducted user interviews, and tested dozens of tools that met the basic requirement. The ones that made the cut excel particularly in three key factors: ease of use, payroll automation, and benefits packages.
- Ease of use: The sweet spot is a tool where everything is easy to figure out; you’re not overloaded with buttons and text, yet you don’t sacrifice robustness and capabilities. These tools are all remarkable in the way they solve this challenge.
- Payroll automation: Something is not quite right if a payroll tool doesn’t let you automate a good portion of the job with confidence. We prioritized vendors who are pushing the envelope here.
- Benefits packages: To be a best-in-class payroll and benefits tool, the benefits module needs to go beyond the basics. Tools that just do 1-2 benefits on top of payroll don’t cut it. We’re looking for those that offer good variety, and even for international teams, on top of a world-class payroll product.
To learn more about our process for vetting software companies, you can read this blog on how we evaluate HR tech vendors.
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Deel
Deel’s software was designed for payroll compliance in over 150 countries. It also incorporates some core HR features and has a notably easy-to-use interface.
PROS
- Deel excels in customer support, offering around-the-clock in-app help and an industry-leading 2-3 day onboarding speed. Users can also access local payroll experts across jurisdictions, which aids contractors in establishing themselves as LLCs, for instance.
- Integration with popular software like Quickbooks, Bamboo HR, and Greenhouse, along with customizable integrations, streamlines processes.
- Tech-enhanced self-service approach for quick setup. Identity verification is swift, often under 24 hours.
- Automated invoice generation for both company and contractor/employee sides.
- Excellent 24/7 customer service with fast onboarding (2-3 days) and local payroll experts in each jurisdiction.
- Seamless integration with platforms like QuickBooks, BambooHR, and Greenhouse, plus custom integration options.
- User-friendly, self-service features enable quick setup; identity verification often takes under 24 hours.
- Automated invoices simplify payments, provided they're in English.
CONS
- The benefits offered could be considered basic compared to more specialized vendors.
- Certain modules like onboarding automation are only offered as add-ons at an additional cost.
- Flexibility is limited in modifying contracts or service agreements; changes often require addenda.
- A $5 payout fee is applicable.
- Invoice generation appears to be available exclusively in English.
- Key features like onboarding automation are add-ons, which may increase costs.
- Limited flexibility in modifying contracts or service agreements; changes often require an addendum.
- Invoices cannot be generated in languages other than English.
Deel is one of the top companies for international payroll. If you have an international team of remote workers, it’s a tool that’s worth looking into. You can use it to hire people as contractors or as full-time employees through either the EOR or PEO offerings.
The tool itself is quite easy to use and ever-expanding. Since we first became familiar with the tool, Deel has grown to include basic HR features, as well as a myriad of other hiring workflows. These include background checks, equity plans, flexible workspaces, employee onboarding, visa and immigration consulting, and more.
35,000+ organizations, including Andela, HomeLight, and Makerpad.
Deel offers a range of payroll and benefits solutions, including:
- Deel Contractor: $49/month for compliance, payments, and contractor management in 150+ countries
- Deel EOR: $499/month for international hiring without an entity, including payroll, taxes, and benefits
- Deel Payroll: $29 per employee/month for payroll services in businesses with existing entities
- Deel US Payroll: $19 per employee/month for US-specific payroll, tax calculations, and compliance across all states
- Deel US PEO: $89 per employee/month for HR, payroll, and benefits in the US
- Deel Immigration: Custom pricing for relocation, visa sponsorship, and immigration management in 40+ countries.
As a new product, Deel has changed a lot since its inception. Its newest offering, DeelHR, allows companies to complete most of their HR operations tasks in Deel.
Best For
Businesses with a mix of full-time employees, contractors, and freelancers overseas, especially those that require multi-country payroll, will benefit from Deel's payroll and benefits services.
We use Deel specifically for our international team. Our W2 employees are managed through a different payroll provider. Since our payroll is set up on autopilot, I don’t log in to Deel very often. I typically log in about once per week.
We keep our Deel usage simple and primarily use it for payroll. In the past, we have also used it as an EOR for an employee in Canada.
One pro of Deel is that it’s always very easy to get in touch with support.
We have used Deel for at least a few years. I have personally used Deel for just over one year. The pain point we were trying to solve was implementing a seamless payroll process for our international team.
We have also used Deel as an EOR for our international employees. We initially started using Deel specifically for our international team, and it worked really well for those employees.
The key benefit it provides is simple payroll processing, regardless of where the person resides. The site is easy to use and navigate. Another benefit is the responsiveness of the support team.
One con of Deel is the offboarding process and its unclear procedures. I wish they would improve this part. Another con is that support often passes you between multiple people, none of whom have prior context, which leads to repeating the same information.
Deel is fine, but I think their competitors are better. I prefer every other payroll platform I have used over Deel.
One criterion to consider before using Deel is what your team structure looks like. Deel is helpful because employees or contractors can be onboarded regardless of location. I found that, for us, it made the most sense to use Deel specifically for our international team.
I can’t think of any specific changes that have been made in the one-plus year I’ve used Deel.
I can’t think of any specific changes that have been made in the one-plus year I’ve used Deel.
I would say Deel is great for organizations of any size. It’s probably best for companies with international teams.
ADP
Possibly the longest-standing company in the payroll market, ADP deserves a mention. Their breadth of features includes many other HR workflows which fit enterprises and SMBs alike.
PROS
- Native, all-in-one technology suite for recruitment, payroll, and compliance.
- 17 RPO service centers in 14 countries and provide services in 42 different languages.
- Dedicated team of AIRS-certified recruiting professionals.
CONS
- Technology options outside ADP’s dedicated HR tools are limited.
ADP is perhaps the best known company in the payroll space. Given their scale, they can offer just about everything your business needs when it comes to payroll and benefits.
The Boston Globe, Whole Foods, The Bancorp, BP, Douglas Ellman Real Estate, Margaritaville, LongHorn Steakhouse
Sometimes ADP has special offers, like getting 3 months free when you sign up for their small business payroll processing plan. However, they don't share the prices for their payroll packages, so you'd have to request a quote to move forward.
Best For
ADP is a good bet for companies of many sizes, but they’re certainly not the most self-service product out there. Their products are worth looking into if you’d prefer to have professionals work with you on setting up payroll.
I use ADP weekly to provide employees with resources they might need. It could be for a pay stub, to calculate how much they make in 2 weeks, or to check their right to work. I especially like the feature that links to e-verify. That has been very helpful to us. We also use ADP for benefits and open enrollment. I also often point employees or former employees to the tool for self-service options.
I like that our data sits in one place - makes it easier to find. I especially like the link to e-verify, that brings me peace of mind. I also enjoy the way the user experience is set up for the pay profile.
I was not a part of the organization when they decided to begin using ADP. My understanding is, we were using a PEO, and decided to move in-house utilizing the ADP tool. It's been great for payroll and for onboarding employees. I have used it for 2.5 years at this organization within HR, and as a user at other companies. ADP has been great for managing benefits, employee pay statements, etc. It is nice to have a system that employees can self-serve.
I am not sure if I am unaware or if we just haven't done this, but I wish ADP linked to our HRIS. It has been difficult to enter manual data and an integration would be helpful. Sometimes, I also feel like the user experience as a whole is a bit wonky. It is not always the most intuitive tool to use.
I have not really used other competitors, so I can't speak to this question.
Consider integrations with your HRIS and how that would work - how manual would your processes be? Ask yourself how open enrollment could benefit from this tool. Additionally, consider how employees would find the user experience. Consider which options you will utilize and how you will communicate about them. Also, talk to ADP about what their customer service setup will look like for your organization, what will the level of support be?
The e-verify feature has been a big one. It’s been great to have that functionality for our business.
I'd say a mid to large but imagine it is good for smaller organizations, too. Large-size organizations can benefit from having data in one place.
I am not sure smaller organizations could afford the tool and get the use they would need out of it.
Remote
Remote is an excellent choice for distributed teams who require a top-notch payroll and benefits service. Their customer care is outstanding: 24/7 live chat, free HR tools, local experts for employers, plus technical support for workers. They also operate as local entities in more than 60 countries.
PROS
- Benefits plans are locally curated. Health, dental, vision, life, mental health support, and disability are all covered, as is pension/401(k).
- Local entity ownership helps Remote have more control over service costs, resulting in more flexibility in its pricing and service.
- Transparent rates. No markups on benefits premiums.
- Self-service features are easy to navigate.
- 24/7 HR support from regional experts.
- Option to provide equity-based compensation to employees.
- Fast and compliant payroll in 170+ countries.
- Live chat support with local payroll experts.
- Flexible, localized benefit packages.
- Flat-rate pricing structure, no deposits or hidden fees.
- Mobile app streamlines expense reimbursement with autofill from receipt photos.
CONS
- Remote currently offers no off cycle payroll, and only wire transfers and direct deposit are available.
- Lacks phone support.
- Very few pre-built integrations (Greenhouse, BambooHR, and HiBob). Companies will likely rely on its custom API to connect their current ATS and other HR tools with Remote.
- Doesn’t have a free trial.
- Redundant for organizations solely recruiting within the U.S.
- Help center documentation isn’t easiest to understand.
Remote helps distributed teams provide a better experience for their workers via country-custom benefit plans and easy-to-access employee self-service features. Remote is one of a few providers that owns legal entities in the regions where it offers EOR services, which gives them an advantage by greater flexibility in services and lower costs for its customers. Both of these are significant features that companies who use third-party aggregator services ll cannot offer.
Remote’s benefits are offered without premium markups, and they offer everything from paid time off to holidays, health care, and life insurance. Remote gives you access to region-specific advice and support to help you finalize your benefits plans.
Remote offers a 15% discount for eligible startups and nonprofits for up to 12 months. They also offer free service for up to ten employees for companies who hire refugees.
The apps, though well-made and frequently updated, were surprisingly hard to find online.
Both the Android and iOS apps are easy to navigate and have essential features like submitting expenses, booking time off, accessing payslips, and, according to Remote, there’s more in the pipeline.
Arduino, GitLab, Paystack, Loom, cargo.one, Secureframe, Phaidra.
- Contractor Management plan: $29/contractor/mo
- Employer of Record plan: $599/employee/mo (when paid annually)
- Global Payroll and Remote Enterprise plans: Custom prices – contact Remote.
- Startup and nonprofit discount: Eligible startups and nonprofits can get 15% off EOR and Contractor Management services for 12 months.
- Refugee discount: Up to 10 employees free when hiring refugees
Best For
Remote is best for teams with a globally distributed workforce. This tool makes it easy to hire, onboard, provide benefits for, pay, and retain top international talent.
It’s also a great option for startups, and nonprofits who can benefit from their 15% discount, and for those who hire refugees,
Remote is used by our firm to hire in locations like South Africa, Colombia and Brazil. We are able to use Remote as the Employer of Record and offer benefits just like they worked directly for our firm. You queue up the hire, Remote makes the offer in their system and makes all the employee information available via web portal. All expenses, benefits info, etc. can be accessed any time.
- 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.
Remote is not good for startups.
Paylocity
Paylocity is among the top payroll vendors in the US market thanks to its ease of use and excellent customer support. It’s also quite comprehensive, offering a range of tools from tax to global payroll management, and benefits administration.
PROS
- Paylocity’s customer support is highly rated for always being available to answer questions.
- Global payroll support for 100+ countries.
- Provides free and unlimited training modules on the website.
- Paylocity’s mobile app has a good UI and functionality
- The tool is easy to use for both employees and employers.
- Has 350+ pre-built integrations.
- Paylocity’s customer support is highly rated for always being available to answer questions.
- Global payroll support for 100+ countries.
- Provides free and unlimited training modules on the website.
- Paylocity’s mobile app has a good UI and functionality
- The tool is easy to use for both employees and employers.
- Has 350+ pre-built integrations.
CONS
- Undisclosed pricing.
- It doesn’t have a free trial or free plan.
- Support is available in English only.
- It isn’t the best solution for remote teams looking for a tool to manage payroll and benefits for their contractors.
- Undisclosed pricing.
- It doesn’t have a free trial or free plan.
- Support is available in English only.
- It isn’t the best solution for remote teams looking for a tool to manage payroll and benefits for their contractors.
Paylocity is one of the largest payroll providers in the United States but that’s not the main reason we were drawn to it. Our top deciding factors, instead, are its customer service, user-friendliness, and affordability.
We have heard a lot about Paylocity’s customer support, so we wanted to see it for ourselves. We got in touch with the Paylocity team to book a demo, and we really enjoyed the punctuality as they answered our questions and guided us through the software’s setup.
Paylocity is very user-friendly. We like that the ease of use applies not only to the web version but to the mobile app. It is particularly helpful for employees to access the self-service from anywhere to do a quick check on their payroll and benefits, make changes, and submit claims.
While not as advanced as some top enterprise-oriented payroll and benefits vendors, Paylocity’s reporting capabilities can be of benefit to mid-sized teams. There are a few reporting options to choose from or customize to track your benefits costs and see how employees are using their benefits. This information can be helpful enough in making decisions about benefit plans.
Though Paylocity doesn’t disclose its pricing on the website, businesses have praised the platform for its affordability compared to similar options in the marketplace.
Momentus, Watters, Weigel’s, ILC, Upward, HMC, Polywood.
The exact pricing of Paylocity's offering is not publicly-disclosed.
Best For
Paylocity is a great option for companies, ideally midsized, looking for an established payroll and benefits software tool that is budget-friendly, user-friendly, and has great customer service.
I primarily used Paylocity for recruiting, onboarding, and performance management. I used it to edit and post jobs and job descriptions, review applications, and manage candidates. I used onboarding to launch hiring workflows, administer hiring documents, and utilize E-Verify. I used the performance management module to build and administer annual performance reviews. Additionally, I occasionally used the feature to maintain employee performance and misconduct documentation.
I loved how simple it was to learn and use Paylocity. It was also easy to navigate and figure things out if I didn't know something. The second thing I liked was the variety of modules—it was easy to quickly access them based on the employee issue or task. Lastly, I loved how the modules essentially "talked to each other." For example, once hired, a candidate automatically moved from the recruiting module to the onboarding module.
I believe my former organization purchased Paylocity to scale their employment growth as they added employees quickly. They were also looking for a user-friendly HRIS while managing costs. I used Paylocity for nearly two years and really enjoyed it. It was very easy to learn. I used each module as it pertained to various aspects of the employee lifecycle.
Paylocity lacked automation in some areas. I think there were opportunities to improve certain workflows. It also lacked some customization features. Finally, Paylocity's customer service was not the best. I remember we had to upload benefits information, and they were neither quick nor efficient in resolving our issue.
I think Paylocity is one of the easiest HRIS platforms to use and learn compared to others. I like that it holds a lot of data and serves as a one-stop shop for all HR functions. The self-service side for employees is also very user-friendly.
I think company size is probably the most critical factor aside from cost. Small or extremely large organizations may not benefit from Paylocity as much as from other options like Dayforce or UKG.
I'm not sure about the evolution of Paylocity, but I think it does a good job of keeping up with companies' HR needs.
I would say mid-sized, professional companies. Paylocity could also be good for industrial, manufacturing, or trade companies from an employee-user standpoint.
As mentioned earlier, very small or very large organizations (in terms of employee size). I'm not sure if Paylocity’s data capabilities would be sufficient for a large employee population, and the cost/benefit may not be ideal for smaller companies.
Gusto
Gusto is a versatile solution: flexible pay schedule options, payroll deductions, automated tax filing, benefits, self-service, and more. SMB users particularly appreciate its compatibility for both W-2 employees and domestic and international contractors.
PROS
- Gusto payroll works for U.S.-based workers (W-2 employees and contractors) and for international contractors.
- The software supports online signatures and automated tax filing.
- Flexible payroll options accommodate different schedules and unlimited pay runs.
- Automatic deductions streamline benefits administration.
- Phone support, email, and customer service resources are available.
- Licensed benefits advisors are accessible to all plan users.
- Transparent pricing with no long-term contracts and no account setup fees.
- The dashboard feature keeps tabs on compliance tasks
- The hiring and onboarding sequence is nicely streamlined between HR and the new hire
- Post-offer, pre-start tasks are made easy with integrations like CorpNet (state tax set up) Checkr (background checks)
- Easy payroll for U.S.-based W-2 folks, domestic, and international contractors
- Person-to-person phone support, email, and other customer service resources
- The business model is responsive to customer needs
CONS
- No payroll support for international employees.
- There is no native accounting feature for tracking earnings and spending.
- Simple plan lacks native time tracking and online signatures, requiring third-party integrations.
- The analytics dashboard is basic.
- Federal/state compliance alerts and existing broker/health insurance integration require the Premium plan or add-ons.
- A free trial is not available.
- Gusto can support payments for international contractors, but not employees
- No native accounting feature to keep earning and spending under the same roof
- Analytics dashboard is simplistic
We have found Gusto to be a versatile payroll and benefits software that caters to the needs of small and medium-sized businesses.
One of the standout features of Gusto is its support for W-2 employees and domestic and international contractors. The software's capabilities extend beyond payroll, providing support for online signatures and automated tax filing, which streamline administrative tasks. We have a weak spot for flexibility, and Gusto doesn’t disappoint us by providing different pay schedules and unlimited pay runs.
Gusto has also known among HR folks for its support responsiveness. The platform provides phone support, email assistance, and licensed benefits advisors for all plan users to ensure that users can receive prompt service when needed. It also is praised for having a transparent pricing structure, eliminating long-term contracts and account setup fees.
However, it's important to note that Gusto does not currently support payroll for international employees. Additionally, the software lacks a native accounting or spend management features, so users must rely on third-party integrations.
The analytics dashboard, while functional, may be considered basic. And please be aware that federal/state compliance alerts and integration with existing brokers are exclusive to Gusto’s highest tier plan or available as add-ons.
A free trial is not an option here, limiting the opportunity for businesses to explore the tool before committing.
Gusto serves over 400,000 businesses nationwide, including many that turn to the platform specifically for its integrated payroll and benefits management capabilities.
Gusto offers four plans for its payroll and benefits software:
- Simple: At $49/month + $6 per employee per month (PEPM), this plan includes single-state payroll, employee profiles, and onboarding. Optional add-ons are HR Resources ($50 + $5 PEPM) and Priority Support ($30 + $3 PEPM).
- Plus: Priced at $80/month + $12 PEPM, this plan expands on the Simple plan with multi-state payroll, time tracking, and surveys. The same add-ons are available.
- Premium: For $180/month + $22 PEPM, this comprehensive plan provides a full payroll and benefits suite, dedicated HR support, and compliance tools.
- Contractor Only: This plan costs $35/month and is designed specifically for teams that only pay contractors.
Best For
Gusto offers an affordable basic plan, making it accessible for budget-strapped startups. Additionally, the top-tier Premium plan is an excellent choice for SMBs with available capital to invest in human resources, particularly if they have a small HR department.
We used Gusto to manage payroll, streamline benefits administration, and centralize HR tasks. The platform simplifies payroll processing, ensures compliance with tax regulations, and automates various HR functions. Additionally, Gusto facilitates employee self-service, allowing individuals to access their pay stubs, tax forms, and benefit information conveniently. Its reporting tools provide valuable insights for strategic decision-making. Overall, Gusto plays a pivotal role in enhancing our HR efficiency and employee experience.
Gusto offers an intuitive interface that makes it easy to navigate various tasks. Their system consolidates our processes and reduces the need for multiple platforms. Additionally, they provide excellent customer support, offering timely assistance whenever needed.
We chose Gusto due to its comprehensive payroll, benefits, and HR solutions, streamlining our administrative processes. The user-friendly interface and automation features enhance efficiency. Overall, Gusto has been a valuable asset to our HR team.
- While Gusto is comprehensive, we have encountered some challenges with integrating it with other existing HR tools. Also, there are instances where we wished for more customization options within Gusto.
- Periodic updates to the platform have previously disrupted our workflow.
Gusto is a bit more user-friendly. Also, their comprehensive approach distinguishes them from competitors that may offer specialized services but not the same breadth of integrated solutions.
Ensure it aligns with your organization's specific needs and growth objectives. Also, look for a platform that is intuitive and requires minimal training for your team to navigate and operate effectively.
Given the dynamic nature of tax regulations and HR compliance, Gusto has demonstrated platform update agility. Over time, they have refined the platform's interface, making it more intuitive and user-friendly.
It seems to be best fit for smaller organizations.
A small team that is looking to grow and provide more impact for their organizations.
OnPay
We love OnPay because it takes less than one hour to setup and is the lowest cost option on the market.
PROS
- Free tax form handling for W-2 employees and 1099 contractors.
- Some HR services included within the plan at no additional cost.
- 30-day free trial available (starts after OnPay verification).
- Well-developed online help resources.
CONS
- Poor functioned employee mobile app.
- Requires payment four days before payday for direct deposit.
- Doesn’t support automatic payroll.
- Customer support sometimes hard to reach.
OnPay is perfect for smaller companies (500 employees or less) who want a simple and straight-forward payroll process, plus help with HR. Onpay customers love the customer service and the transparent pricing - it’s one monthly fee for everything. They offer benefits management in all 50 states including medical, dental, vision, and 401k retirement plans.
OnPay charges a base fee of $40, plus $4 per employee per month.
Best For
OnPay is a great solution for smaller, budget conscious companies that also want a basic HRIS in addition to payroll.
We use OnPay regularly, typically once a week, to manage payroll processes in the organization. The tool has helped us automate payments to employees and contractors, calculate taxes, and file them on time. We also use it to track employee benefits and time off, making it easy to keep everything organized. OnPay is especially helpful for generating reports, which we use for financial planning and compliance. Overall, it has streamlined payroll and HR tasks, reducing manual work through automation.
- Payroll processing is made simple for users of all levels by OnPay’s user-friendly interface.
- Its comprehensive suite of payroll solutions ensures accuracy and saves time, offering features like direct deposit, automatic tax calculations, and compliance management.
- The customer service provided by OnPay is excellent, with professional support agents available to help with any queries or issues.
My company chose OnPay because we needed a less time-consuming and more straightforward solution to manage employee benefits and payments. Before OnPay, we had trouble tracking taxes and ensuring accuracy. Payroll automation, tax computation, and benefit tracking became easier with OnPay. It has helped us save a lot of time and minimize errors over the past year. Additionally, the customer service has been excellent in answering queries and providing support.
- Compared to some of its competitors, OnPay offers limited integration with third-party apps, which can hinder seamless data flow for companies relying on multiple software programs.
- The pricing structure can be expensive for smaller firms that require more services or products beyond the basic payroll package.
- There are limited options for customizing payroll settings and reporting, which can make it challenging to adapt the system to specific business requirements.
OnPay sets itself apart from rivals by offering a simple, user-friendly interface that makes payroll processing accessible, even for those with minimal accounting experience. In contrast, some competitors have more complex systems that require in-depth training.
OnPay’s transparent pricing, with no hidden fees, allows businesses to budget for payroll services more easily. Other competitors have more variable pricing structures, which can become complicated and expensive as they scale.
OnPay is designed with small to mid-sized enterprises in mind, offering features like easy setup, streamlined processes, and extensive customer support tailored to their needs. In comparison, some competitors focus on larger businesses and may prioritize different tools over OnPay.
- When choosing a payroll solution, look for one that is easy to use with a flexible design, like OnPay.
- Ensure there are no hidden fees and that the pricing structure aligns with your organization's budget.
- To make payroll processes more efficient, prioritize features such as automatic tax calculations and compliance tools.
- Choose a service provider like OnPay, which offers dedicated customer support when needed.
- Finally, maximize productivity by selecting a tool that integrates with other apps your organization uses.
Over time, OnPay has added features like payroll compliance management and automated tax computation tools, improving its user interface for a better customer experience. It has enhanced integration capabilities, making data sharing with other apps easier.
OnPay has also invested in attentive customer service to offer timely support. Additionally, the pricing strategy has become more flexible and transparent, catering to the financial needs of small and mid-sized enterprises.
Small to medium-sized enterprises needing a reliable payroll solution with features like automated tax computations and compliance monitoring will find OnPay well-suited to their needs.
OnPay provides an effective payroll processing solution for businesses seeking simplicity without the complexity of larger systems, thanks to its clear pricing structure and prompt customer service.
Larger businesses that require sophisticated payroll features, high customization options, or advanced reporting capabilities typically found in more complex systems may find OnPay unsuitable.
Additionally, businesses with specialized payroll needs or those requiring extensive third-party integrations may find OnPay's services limited compared to its competitors.
Paychex
Paychex offers three different plans that can serve the needs of various types of small businesses, all focused on payroll processing and featuring some HR tools as you go up in range.
PROS
- Pay-as-you-go plans for various business scenarios.
- Plan upgrades offer enhanced features like performance management, employee screening, and benefits services.
- 48-hour onboarding with personalized payroll guidance for Select and Pro plans.
- Experienced payroll and benefits administrator for 740,000 US companies.
- Timecard processing can be fully automated.
- Integrates well with benefits providers like Benetrac for benefits management.
- User-friendly interface for reviewing W2s and paystubs.
CONS
- Users struggled to get timely help due to frequent payroll contact changes and long wait times.
- Some reported payroll errors and tax inaccuracies which caused compliance issues.
- Separate departments in Paychex for payroll, HR, and benefits hinder integration, customization, and support for small businesses.
- Limited third-party integrations.
- Some users reported slow app login.
- Less modern looking compared to competitors.
We quickly understood why Paychex is so popular among U.S. businesses after diving into its automations.
The auto payroll tax filing, for example, is nicely done. It can handle the whole tax filing process, which is super handy for multi-state teams in minimizing errors and avoiding penalties. Additionally, the employee onboarding feature is one of the most robust we have tried, with easy-to-complete online forms and personalized messages.
We also got a good impression of Paychex’s time tracking, as this tool not only supports touchless employee clock-ins but is agile enough for both medium and large teams.
On top of that, the availability of PEO services means Paychex users can gain access to specialized support for health benefits, compliance, and onboarding without the hassle of finding a whole new tool.
Paychex might be a bit trickier to use and get support than ADP but its strong automation focus is a boon and its HR tools are high quality.
However, if top-notch design is important to you, a fair warning: Paychex’s UI isn’t very good. Perhaps due to its abundant feature set, the payroll platform’s interface gives off a rather cluttered feeling.
Cluttered interface aside, we found the customer support team to be underwhelming. It's tough to get hold of someone on the phone and, when it comes to email support, this vendor can take hours and even weeks to respond. We're also not big fans of the frequent changes in Paychex's customer success managers' contacts, either. This, according to several users we spoke to, has made it even tougher to get assistance.
740,000+ companies, including ESET, Funnelbox Inc., Smile Cafe, H.Y.P.E. Counseling Services, ASG, and Pet Partners.
Paychex pricing starts at $39 per month, plus $5 per employee per month.
Best For
Medium and large-sized U.S. businesses face the intricacies of employing and paying workers across state lines.
I primarily use Paychex in my HR role to run payroll and track employee hours. I also onboard new employees and send out necessary forms through the platform. Additionally, I manage leave balances and communicate important dates and upcoming holidays with employees. This program allows me to send documents for employee signatures as well. I use it regularly to ensure smooth HR and payroll operations.
Paychex is easy to use and has an aesthetically pleasing interface. I appreciate the communication features it offers. My favorite part is being able to manage payroll, timekeeping, and document distribution all in one place.
My organization wanted to cut costs and upgrade our payroll system. After reviewing several options, we chose Paychex primarily for its features and pricing. This program allows us to create user profiles for as many administrators as needed. Training was also a challenge for us, but Paychex provides tutorials and a dedicated 1-800 support line. I have personally used it for over three years.
There isn’t much I would change. However, having a dedicated account manager to meet with directly would be helpful. I do appreciate the dedicated 1-800 support line and quick response times.
I prefer the ease of use and navigation of Paychex over its competitors. I also appreciate the mobile applications and the integrated chatbot for quick support.
You should consider how much time you want to spend managing payroll and HR tasks within the app. It’s important to decide whether you prefer a software-based solution or outsourcing to a payroll company. Additionally, determine whether you want to handle IRS payments and tax filings yourself or have them managed by the service.
The biggest improvements over the years have been the addition of job posting features and salary benchmarks. The AI chatbot has also been a great addition, helping me find quick answers efficiently.
Paychex is well-suited for small to medium-sized businesses.
Paychex may not be the best fit for larger organizations with high turnover rates or frequent new hires.
Papaya Global
Papaya Global stands out in the realm of payroll software for enabling seamless, secure payments to contractors and employees in 160+ countries, backed by robust security and compliance measures.
PROS
- Papaya ensures prompt payouts within 72 hours across 160+ countries.
- Transparent pricing with a 60-day money-back guarantee.
- Dedicated customer success managers in your time zone, providing localized assistance without extra charges.
- The starter monthly fee is reduced to $12 per employee for full-service payroll.
- Offers comprehensive solutions (data and insights, benefits, immigration, payment services, employee data management) at an accessible entry price.
- Papaya Global packs the EOR services you need to do global payroll and employment compliantly in over 160 countries.
- Automated payments in over 100 currencies, 80 of them directly to the worker's bank account through its global banking partners.
- Dedicated customer support providing locations-specific knowledge regarding employment and payroll.
- End-to-end payroll guaranteed payouts in 72 hours.
- Offers four standalone solutions: data and insights, supplemental benefits & immigration support, payment services, and employee data management, making the platform more affordable and scalable.
CONS
- Lacks local entities in service countries; no tax penalty guarantee information available.
- No free trial or plan is offered.
- Additional fees include setup, onboarding, cycle per employee, year-end fees, and a required deposit.
- Limited existing integrations, but free use of pre-built APIs and custom API integrations.
- No free trial or free plan.
- Doesn’t own entities in all the countries it serves. The platform forms relationships with existing local in-country partners to handle employment in a specific region on the client’s behalf.
- BI analytics reports and global immigration services cost additional fees.
- Charges extra fees for setup, onboarding, employee cycle, and tax filing. Also requires a refundable deposit.
- Built-in integration options aren’t very robust. However, the platform does offer pre-built APIs, SFTP, and custom API integrations for free.
Papaya Global is highly favored by both users we've engaged with and our editorial team. We’ve been familiar with the tool since early 2021, and it immediately stood out for its transparent pricing, comprehensive HR tools, robust BI analytics, and local customer support.
The platform caters to employers and staff alike, providing unified access to payroll, payments, and workforce analytics. It ensures automated payments in local currency, customized benefit packages, and multilingual pay slips across 160+ countries. Additionally, AI-powered engines scrutinize invoices for precision.
In-house benefits experts are at your service for location-specific advice at no extra cost. Employees benefit from a user-friendly self-service portal for onboarding, time off requests, document checks, and payslip reviews. The recently launched mobile app (as of February 2023) offers even greater accessibility, allowing access to payment calendars, bank details, and company announcements on the go.
They also offer a unique global equity management feature, enabling equity distribution to employees, regardless of location. The platform excels in providing dynamic visual insights for payroll and HR, billing, and administrative data.
There are critical factors to consider when evaluating Papaya Global for your company’s needs. For example, depending on the service region, Papaya may or may not have its own local entity set up, which means they will rely on third-party local partners. Additionally, though pricing transparency is a strength, additional expenses like setup fees per location, onboarding fees, cycle fees per employee, year-end tax filing fees, and a refundable deposit should be considered. We advise evaluating and outlining all the ins and outs specific to your team’s needs and then meeting with Papaya Global’s team for a comprehensive quote tailored to you.
Fiverr, Toyota, Wix, Deezer, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft
- Full-Service Payroll service: Starts at $12 per employee per month, with flexible options based on operational needs.
- Payroll Platform License service: Begins at $3 per employee per location for tech upgrades.
- Data and Insights Platform License service: From $150 per employee per month, offering real-time analytics on payroll costs and headcount.
- Payments-as-a-Service service: Starting at $3 per employee per month, delivering a dedicated workforce payment platform.
- Global EOR plan: Ranges from $650 to $1000 per employee per month for comprehensive EOR management.
- Contractor Management & IC Compliance plan: Tailored services for outsourced contractors, starting at $2 per contractor per month.
- Global expertise services: Starting at $190 per month per employee, this lets you add the global health plan, immigration support, and global equity for employees.
Their benefits offering has grown with time, along with equity management. These tools get more robust each time we get an update from the team at Papaya. For example, their benefits offering has evolved to focus more on holistic well-being, covering mental health and featuring e-services like telehealth and self-care tracking apps.
As for their equity management tool, it can now support a vast spectrum of options, including (NQSOP; ISO; ESOP), Restricted Stock Units, Cryptocurrency, Employee Share Purchase Plans, and even Phantom Stock Plans.
Best For
Papaya Global is a good choice for streamlining global payroll and benefits operations in countries with established entities. It's particularly valuable for businesses with international hires within Papaya Global’s extensive country coverage.
We use Papaya Global to run payroll in India, manage contractor payments, and stay compliant with local Indian labor laws. It also helps with generating reports and managing employee records. We can track employee data, generate reports, and manage time off or expenses through the dashboard.
The platform integrates with our accounting, travel, and HRIS systems for smoother operations. Overall, it has simplified the management of international teams in one place.
- 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.
It may not be a good fit for small businesses or companies that operate in only one country, as the platform is designed for managing complex, multi-country payroll and compliance needs.
Papaya’s primary value lies in handling cross-border payroll, taxes, and compliance. Companies that are entirely domestic may find that many of its features go unused. Small U.S.-based businesses with only local employees might find alternatives like Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll, or Patriot more cost-effective and easier to use.
Since Papaya acts as a third-party intermediary, companies that prefer to directly manage their international payroll and entities may find this limiting.
Rippling
Rippling is a great choice for SMBs who want payroll to be a seamless and highly accurate process they don’t have to worry about.
PROS
- All-in-one platform for payroll, employee management + PEO services offered, and even a suite of other IT products
- With 500 integrations, they likely integrate with other key tools from your tech stack.
- All-in-one platform for employee management + PEO services offered, and even a suite of other IT products
- With 500 integrations, it’s very likely that they integrate with other key tools from your tech stack.
- Operates globally with any currency
- Workflow automation
- Analytics opportunities
- Provides a holistic view of company outflows—headcount costs included
CONS
- Very SMB focused
- Decent prices for the core HR tools, yet extra features (sold as add-ons) can be too pricey for some.
- Some shortcomings are reported with benefit carriers, and users may be limited to their partner ecosystem.
- Total buy-in to Rippling is essential
- Very SMB-oriented, in case you’re a larger company.
- New features tend to be buggy in ways that tech teams are not accustomed to fixing
Rippling was started by Zenefits alumni. They focus on helping small and medium organizations extinguish HR and IT busywork with one solution. The tool is built to be used, with ease, across every department.
Their product aligns with what you’d expect from a Silicon Valley-based startup: a great UI, eye-catching design, and fast performance. Notably, they have over 500 integrations (and counting) so they are likely to be able to meet any team where they are at, technically speaking.
Proxy, Dwell, Superhuman, Expensify, Checkr
Rippling’s pricing starts at $8 per month per user and will vary depending on which modules you’d like to use.
Best For
SMBs with a strong need for automation in HR processes.
I use Rippling primarily for payroll and benefits administration for both U.S. and global employees. It serves as our core platform for managing payments across employment types, including employees and contractors.
The tool is used regularly for processing payroll cycles and ensuring compliance with benefit offerings. I also rely on Rippling to handle employee records and tax documentation. It has become central to our HR operations.
- It is excellent for handling EOR, contractor, and employee payrolls in a single system.
- The platform is relatively easy for employees to navigate.
- Customer service is responsive and helpful when issues arise.
I originally purchased Rippling to serve as an Employer of Record (EOR) for international employees. I later migrated our HRIS to Rippling for U.S.-based employees as well. I have used Rippling for EOR functions since 2023 and for U.S. employees since early 2024.
One of the key benefits is the ability to pay both international and domestic employees through a single system. This has simplified payroll operations and improved overall administrative efficiency.
- The integration process was lengthy and difficult; our rep moved to a different country during implementation, delaying the hiring of two international employees by two months.
- There was an attempt to increase our negotiated monthly cost, though they honored the original rate once I provided documentation.
- Benefit integration is more manual than expected unless an additional service is purchased, which we do not currently find cost-effective.
Rippling offers a broad range of features and services in one platform. While its coverage is impressive, I would prefer to see more included functionality without additional fees.
If the goal is primarily payroll, Rippling is a strong option. If you need a fully comprehensive HRIS, there are other platforms that offer more robust features.
Rippling has added more countries to its EOR program and continues to expand device and IT services. The system has become more user-friendly, and its add-on services support the goal of an all-in-one solution, although these come at an additional cost.
Rippling is well-suited for small to mid-sized organizations with 10 to 150 employees.
It is not ideal for larger organizations, as its reporting tools and overall system capacity may fall short of their needs.
Paycor
Paycor is the go-to option for U.S.-based businesses because it goes beyond the average payroll and benefits solution by offering recruiting and employee performance in one place.
PROS
- Paycor is a very user-friendly payroll solution. The interface is simple and intuitive, and easy to navigate.
- The self-service employee portal lets employees access their HR information and benefits online.
- Offers multiple subscription options, making the tool more accessible to businesses of different sizes.
- No limit to the number of payrolls you run each month.
- Frequently runs discount offers with set-up fees waived on all plans.
- A free trial is available per request.
- Offers on-demand payment options in all plans.
- Accessible via mobile devices.
- Paycor payroll solution and mobile app are both straightforward to use.
- Intuitive self-service employee portal.
- Offers multiple modules for small businesses and custom plans for teams with 50-1000 employees.
- Unlimited payrolls.
- Offers discounts frequently. Though not listed on their site, a free trial is available to those who contact the support team directly.
- On-demand pay is available for all plans.
- With the acquisition of the people development platform Verb, it has improved its employee learning experience.
CONS
- Paycor offers various support options, including phone, email, and chat. However, they aren’t very responsive to customers’ queries.
- Undisclosed pricing.
- It provides time tracking as a paid add-on.
- The reporting functionality can be challenging to use, as data is sometimes unavailable.
- Can be challenging to customize the software if you have a unique set of requirements.
- Undisclosed pricing.
- Customer support is reported to be slow at times.
- It is not a good fit for teams with 1000+ employees or those requiring advanced customization to meet their unique requirements.
Paycor is featured here because it’s flexible and feature-rich. Users can purchase Paycor’s payroll alone and upgrade for onboarding, time-off management, and other HR functions as needed.
The first thing that caught our eye was Paycor's payroll. The solution can handle all-state and global payrolls, but please note that their global payroll services are outsourced to third-party services by location.
Available payment options are in pretty good shape. They offer on-demand pay, direct deposit, Paycor wallet, and access to Autorun, and each of these features is available on the basic plan.
Running payroll on Paycor is straightforward. The UI is simplistic, and navigation is intuitive for most users.
Employees can make benefits selections via the web or mobile apps. Both offer access to self-service payroll, onboarding, and attendance. As a security measure, changes to employee data are reported immediately to admin users.
However, rather than making this information available to any website visitor, Paycor only offers benefits guides, calculations, and other resources to their customers. Their data reporting capabilities left something to be desired, especially on the lower-tier plans.
Customer service being sometimes difficult to reach is also a disappointment, especially considering how critical prompt support is when it comes to payroll.
Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Detroit Zoo, the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Fire FC.
Fees vary depending on the number of employees and features selected.
Best For
Paycor is particularly well-suited for organizations operating within the United States and employing up to 1,000 individuals. Its strengths shine particularly for sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, food and beverage, nonprofits, and professional sports organizations.
We initially set up all employees in Paycor for scheduling and time management. This was the primary goal at first. Eventually, we started integrating talent acquisition and onboarding workflows into the platform.
Paycor simplified the process by having everything in one place—once onboarding was complete, candidates were automatically added to the system for scheduling and payroll.
Employees could download the Paycor app to view their schedules, request time off, and access pay stubs. Paycor was an integral part of my daily routine for seven months.
- Unified Platform: Combines payroll, HR, benefits, and workforce management into a single, seamless system, simplifying operations.
- Mobile-Friendly: Offers a user-friendly mobile app, allowing employees and HR managers to access schedules, pay stubs, and other information on the go.
- Continuous Innovation: Regularly introduces new features, such as updated time-off management tools and employee engagement functionalities.
My organization wanted to consolidate all HR functions into one platform rather than relying on multiple tools or platforms. After researching several options, they decided to try Paycor.
Paycor addressed all of my organization’s needs, including talent acquisition, onboarding, payroll, and more. It provided a unified solution that streamlined HR processes and reduced operational inefficiencies.
I worked with Paycor for seven months before being transitioned to a different position.
- Complexity for Small Businesses: The extensive feature set may be overwhelming for smaller businesses with simple HR needs.
- Learning Curve: Onboarding and training can be time-consuming due to the platform’s robust functionality.
- Lengthy Troubleshooting Times: Resolving technical issues or getting support can sometimes take longer than expected.
Paycor offers a comprehensive suite of features designed to streamline human capital management for businesses of various sizes. Its payroll automation, talent management, and workforce tools help save time, reduce compliance risks, and optimize operations. I prefer this tool because it provides an all-in-one solution that simplifies complex HR processes.
Businesses should carefully evaluate their specific needs and assess whether Paycor’s features align with their HR requirements. The cost is an important factor to consider, especially for smaller organizations. Companies should treat the tool as a modular solution, selecting only the services they need and adding additional features as required. This ensures that businesses maximize the value of their investment.
Paycor introduced the Paycor Assistant, an AI-powered tool designed to simplify administrative tasks and enhance HR efficiency.
- Paycor is an excellent solution for medium-sized to large companies seeking enterprise-level HR assistance.
- It works best for organizations that require an integrated platform for talent acquisition, payroll, and workforce management.
- Paycor is not ideal for small businesses or owner-operators unless they can afford the high cost.
- Companies with basic HR needs may find the platform’s extensive features unnecessary and overly complex.
QuickBooks
Quickbooks is a trusted name in financial tracking, payroll, expense reports, and even time and attendance software for small businesses.
PROS
- Unlimited pay runs, auto full-service payroll, and same-day deposits included.
- Supports unscheduled payrolls and automatic year-end tax filings.
- Reminders for tax readiness provided.
- Pricing transparency. 30-day free trial available.
CONS
- No employer app.
- More expensive than some competitors like Patriot.
- Limited third-party integrations.
- No global payroll features.
Many small businesses use Quickbooks for their accounting and financial reporting. They know that small business owners may not have enough time to be doing payroll, so their solution focuses a lot on running things automatically and freeing up your time. The same goes for taxes, as they'll calculate, file, and pay your payroll taxes for you, in some cases.
For payroll, Quickbooks has three plans:
- Core: The basics to pay your team and have payroll taxes done for you at $22.50 per month
- Premium: Manage your team's payroll with HR support and some employee services for $37.50 per month
- Elite: This plan provides access to on-demand experts in order to simplify payroll to the max. It starts at $62.50 per month.
QuickBooks often offers discounts for its plans. They currently have a 50% discount on all plans for the first three months of subscription.
Best For
SMBs with a fairly simple payroll structure but little time to handle it all themselves.
We use QuickBooks on a weekly basis for all of our AP and AR needs. We send client invoices through QB, and we pay vendor invoices through a QB integration with Bill.com. We also use QuickBooks to distribute team payroll on a bi-monthly payroll. All of these features are directly tied to our management of the company's P&L and Balance Sheet.
- QuickBooks is very affordable and reasonably intuitive.
- Out-of-box, it comes with a generous offering of features, and you are able to add more through its ability to connect with third-party applications (Bill.com).
- The online version allows us to access our financials from any computer, and there is a mobile app available for quick views and expense tracking.
- QuickBooks also has a fairly extensive self-help library if you are unfamiliar with certain features or processes.
My company was in the market for a new accounting software to handle AR, AP, and payroll. The software we used before QuickBooks Online was too complex and more robust than what we needed, and the pricing structure was simply unaffordable. We've been using QuickBooks Online for 3+ years. It handles all of our invoices and vendor payments, and also helps us manage and distribute our payroll.
- Unfortunately, QuickBooks has terrible customer service. In most cases, it is extremely difficult to contact a human customer service representative, and their support ticket system is very slow.
- QuickBooks also has issues connecting with smaller banks, so some features may not be available if you use a local bank or credit union.
- There are also a number of CSS and UX issues that hide certain Call To Action buttons or make them altogether unusable.
QuickBooks stands out from its competitors through its offering of a robust set of features at an affordable price. The price structure allows for affordable scalability, as you only need one license for each business entity. The interface is user-friendly and does not require a lot of details steps in order to customize your experience.
Before purchasing a license, you should think about how businesses you want to connect to the application. Other platforms may accommodate more elaborate business structures. You should also think about the total feature set you are looking to obtain. QuickBooks is great for general accounting, but its reporting capabilities are somewhat limited compared to other more customizable platforms.
QuickBooks continues to add integrations that increase the number of available features without directly altering the platform. Connections to third-party services like Bill.com allow you to do more than what is offered out of the box.
QuickBooks is great for small businesses and business owners that handle all of their own accounting needs.
QuickBooks is not ideal for companies that are looking for advanced accounting reports or performance metrics. Larger organizations that have dedicated implementation teams would be better suited for a more customizable platform.
Paycom
Paycom offers online payroll services and HR software solutions for both big and small businesses to manage the entire employment life cycle.
PROS
- Paycom's payroll system is easy to use and customize.
- They now have a Global HCM offering with the aim of expanding access to users in over 180 countries.
- Customers have praised the responsiveness of the support team and their willingness to help with any issues that arise.
- Paycom assigns each account a dedicated rep who can provide support and answer questions.
- Paycom is constantly updating its software with new features and improvements.
- It has a reasonably functioning mobile app.
CONS
- Paycom does not integrate directly with QuickBooks, so users that use both systems must manually enter data into Paycom.
- Some customers have experienced slow access to tax reports.
- Some of the members on the customer support team are new and at times, don’t have answers to questions or solutions to issues.
- Paycom price has increased in recent years.
- No free trial.
- Integrations are limited.
We recommend Paycom for medium to large businesses since the platform provides payroll and HR solutions, which from our experience, are comprehensive and user-friendly.
Paycom impressed us with its guided self-service technology, Beti, which is accessible on browsers and mobile devices. The Android app received positive feedback for its user-friendly interface and comprehensive employee self-service features, including time clock punching, time-off requests, accessing pay stubs and benefits, reviewing paychecks, and submitting receipts for reimbursement.
As an admin, you can customize employees’ access to these features and manage HR tasks on the go. Employees have control over their HR data, including earnings and personal details. However, Paycom currently offers only direct deposit and paper checks, with no available pay card option.
While originally focused on serving the U.S. market, Paycom has expanded its reach with the introduction of their Global HCM, enabling users in over 180 countries to access its services. This enhancement demonstrates Paycom's dedication to addressing the needs of global teams, further solidifying its value-for-money proposition.
While Paycom has its strengths, we noticed there are a few areas where it falls short. Integration options remain limited, relying solely on API integrations, which can prolong implementation and require IT involvement. The connection with third-party software, like QuickBooks, is not seamless, resulting in manual data entry. Additionally, customer support quality varies, with some representatives lacking system knowledge, leading to delayed issue resolution or multiple follow-ups.
The pricing of Paycom’s plans isn’t disclosed on the website. You do have to contact their sales team to get a custom quote.
Best For
Paycom’s full-service payroll makes it a great solution for midsize and large businesses to have a full suite of payroll and HR services.
I use Paycom for HRIS, talent screening, payroll and to pay contractors.
- Reporting is great
- Payroll is straight forward.
- User friendly.
Printfly switched to Paycom following a brief stint with Namely. The switch was made because we didn't feel that Namely was robust enough for our organization. We switched to Paycom to enable the HRIS system, payroll, and scheduling.
- Tax team is HORRIBLE. They are not customer interfacing and are not held accountable for their errors.
- Problem tickets are not resolved quick enough.
- If you have an issue and you need to call customer service, there is a 99% chance you are not connected to your dedicated rep. The rep you are connected to is usually clueless and cannot assist.
I've used Paychex, Intuit and Gusto in the past. I think that I like Paychex the best because they were easy to get in touch with to answer questions.
Price - It's a costly system. Time - The set up is annoying. You are shuffled around and really need to take the time to teach yourself the system.
Paycom has added things like "ask here" and it allows for users to more easily ask questions about paychecks or benefits. Paycom also launched Beti which pushes employees to approve their own timesheets to ensure that there are no missing hours.
Anyone that is tech savvy
People that do not understand mobile apps
Namely
Namely provides a quick and easy payroll solution with modern design and UX. Their all-in-one HR platform can be used by any company really, though they pay close attention to mid-market companies.
PROS
- Namely's user interface is highly praised by users. It is clean and quite intuitive despite the platform's comprehensive feature coverage.
- The employee onboarding module includes a user-friendly wizard that effectively guides new hires through necessary steps and tasks.
- Along with Namely’s built-in features for data management, recruiting, onboarding, time off tracking, payroll, and benefits administration, Namely offers managed payroll and benefits administration services for those needing extra assistance.
- The majority of users are able to navigate Namely without any issues. They find the UI to be intuitive and clean, despite the fact that the platform has lots of features.
- Namely’s employee onboarding module gets a alot of praise from users. It features an easy-to-follow wizard, which helps new hires get on quickly and be clear on what they need to do.
- Besides the platform’s built in features for data management, recruiting, onboarding, time off tracking, payroll and benefits administration, there are also managed payroll and benefits administration services you can opt for to reduce the burden on your internal teams.
CONS
- Namely primarily caters to U.S.-based companies, which makes it unsuitable for organizations needing to manage pay and benefits for employees in other countries.
- The implementation process of Namely can be time-consuming, typically taking a minimum of 6-8 weeks.
- Despite how big of a player Namely is in the HR space, it lacks employee development features like skill training, career pathing, and succession planning.
- Before purchasing Namely, it is essential to ensure compatibility with your current benefits provider, as there have been reported instances of Namely's team encouraging users to switch to more expensive providers.
- Namely primarily operates in the U.S., which means if you’re looking for a global payroll and benefits provider, this platform isn’t for you.
- Though many praise the platform’s ease of use, it does take long to implement it. Namely’s own team says that an average implementation takes between 6-8 weeks.
- For a platform of Namely’s size, there currently aren’t any features that focus on employee development such as skill training, career pathing, succession planning etc.
- You’ll need to check beforehand if Namely can work with your existing benefits provider, if you have one. There have been a few reports (but not few enough to ignore) about Namely’s team convincing customers to change their benefits provider to providers that charged them more.
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Namely’s all-in-one platform comes with a payroll module for processing salaries on time and without any errors. It can help you with a lot, including calculating wages, deductions, and taxes, and generating pay stubs for your employees. The platform is also always up-to-date with the ever-changing payroll regulations and tax laws to ensure you don’t get penalized and that everything pertaining to your employees’ payments is above board.
We like any product with employee self-service features and Namely checks that box of ours. Your staff can log in to a dedicated dashboard to access and manage their payroll information, update personal details, and view pay stubs whenever needed. Namely also packs a robust reporting module to get a holistic view of your company’s payroll and valuable statistics to make informed decisions.
Greenhouse, Bevi, and Workwave are among Namely’s 1000+ customers.
Namely has custom pricing that varies according to the extent of your need. You can contact the Sales team for an estimate.
Best For
Namely predominantly serves mid-sized companies across different verticals.
We use Namely to manage daily core HR functions. It is used for benefits administration, processing payroll, and maintaining up-to-date employee records. Namely also helps with managing performance reviews and tracking PTO requests.
The platform allows us to improve communication across the team and maintain compliance with regulations. Its interface makes it easy to stay organized and efficiently manage tasks.
Namely has a clean, easy-to-navigate platform that is user-friendly. It is accessible for both employees and HR professionals. The tool includes compliance features like reporting and ACA tracking to help meet regulatory requirements. It integrates with third-party apps, including accounting software, which ensures smooth operations across business areas.
At my previous company, we used Namely primarily to streamline our HR processes, including payroll, benefits administration, and employee data management. Our previous system was mostly paper-based and very inefficient. We needed a centralized solution that could handle our growing business.
Namely has a user-friendly interface that has improved onboarding, HR management, and overall communication. We’ve been using it for almost two years, and it has significantly improved compliance and efficiency.
Although Namely is user-friendly, some features—such as advanced reporting and customization—have a steeper learning curve. The cost can be high compared to other HR software, especially for smaller businesses. The mobile app lacks some functionalities of the desktop version, which can hinder accessibility for HR management on the go.
Namely offers a user-friendly, all-in-one HR platform for mid-sized companies. It combines payroll, talent management, employee benefits, and compliance into one solution.
Compared to competitors like Workday and ADP, Namely is more customizable and simpler. Many users appreciate its strong customer support. While other platforms may offer more advanced features, Namely focuses on simplicity and ease of use.
Consider ease of use, integration capabilities, and scalability. An intuitive interface is important for daily operations and efficient onboarding. Scalability ensures the tool can grow with your company and adapt to changing needs. Integration with systems like performance management and payroll is important for smooth data flow. Pricing and customer support should also be considered to ensure long-term value.
Namely has continued to improve its platform to better serve mid-sized companies. It has expanded to include enhanced benefits, payroll, and compliance tools. Customization options have been improved, allowing businesses to tailor the platform to their specific needs. User experience enhancements have made the software more efficient and intuitive. Namely has also focused on strengthening customer support to assist users as the platform grows.
Namely is well-suited for most mid-sized businesses, HR managers, recruiters, business owners/CEOs, payroll managers, and benefits coordinators.
Namely may not be ideal for smaller businesses, organizations with minimal HR needs, highly specialized industries, or companies with limited budgets.
Why Payroll and Benefits Software?
There are a few apparent use cases for payroll and benefits software. However, we also wanted to explain some of the benefits that may not be as self-evident. Here is the “why” behind buying new payroll and benefits software:
- Pain-free payroll: These solutions will run payroll for you in a streamlined way that reduces your time and effort. To teams using outdated systems or completing operations manually, this could mean hours or even days saved per pay period.
- Simplify health benefits: These solutions guide you through the benefits selection process, sometimes with a trusted consultant who recommends packages that fit your company well. Your employees can then choose which option is right for them during open enrollment, qualifying events, or onboarding.
- Access to experts: Managing benefits and payroll internally can be complicated, especially if this is not your day-to-day focus. You must be aware of and keep up-to-date with a wide range of regulations and requirements, as they can change frequently! To assist with this, the best benefits and payroll solutions offer day-to-day customer support and will work closely with you when making strategic decisions and regulatory updates.
- Access to better health plans: The best payroll and benefits solutions provide you with greater access to competitive employee benefits to create a package that makes the most sense for your employees. You will also be able to compare plans from different providers more easily and therefore ensure you have selected the best package for your business’s needs.
- Cost-effective: Using an external vendor for payroll and benefits will help decrease the number of employees you need for this function and help save on costs in technology, support, and training.
- Save time: On average, 19% of small businesses spend 80+ hours a year on federal taxes alone. Small and medium businesses that arm themselves with the right solution to handle payroll and efficiently manage benefits save a lot of time, resulting in their ability to allocate time to their core business and product.
- Ease of use: Software solutions today are serious about their product experience. They have built their platforms with their various end users in mind and provide them with a simple-to-use, mobile-friendly, and feature-rich experience. Your employees can now look up co-pays on mobile when at the doctor, or request time off in a given pay period.
- Increase employee retention: With greater access to a wide range of employee benefit insurance and retirement plans, you will be able to ensure that your employees feel taken care of. Naturally, this has a considerable sway towards employee retention.
- Aids in your talent strategy: The right payroll and benefits software helps you attract talent by offering the best and most comprehensive benefits packages. An AICPA survey found that 80% of those polled would choose a role with a comprehensive benefits package versus a position with a much higher salary but no benefits.
- Enhanced security benefits: Most top payroll and benefits vendors will have high levels of security that contemplate HIPPA and have varying levels of SOC compliance.
- Compliance guarantee: According to recent payroll statistics, 1 in 2 companies have been penalized for non-compliant payroll. Payroll and benefits software have access to the most up-to-date information which means that you never have to worry about missing tax notices and other regulatory notices. This is a huge benefit as you will help protect your company and reduce your risk of compliance-related expenditures.
Key Features of Payroll and Benefits Software
The majority of the top-rated benefits and payroll solutions provide feature-rich offerings that are wrapped into an intuitive user experience. While we’ve focused on payroll and benefits, there are additional add-ons that you may also be interested in, especially if you do not currently have another solution in place. Many of these also map to the demo questions we have suggested below:
- Payroll software features: Automated and unlimited multi-state and global payroll runs (Plus contractor & vendor payments, tips reporting), off-schedule payroll runs, all tax filing/payments, multiple pay-rates and schedules, reporting including year-end payroll reporting, and direct deposit.
- Employee benefits admin software features: Employee self-service (including self-service benefits enrollment and changes), benefits administration & cobra administration (health, dental, vision), and additional benefits options including 401K/retirement, life insurance & disability, FSA, HSA, commuter, and additional supplemental benefits.
- Other important features: Time tracking & paid time off, HR documentation & PTO policies, employee directory & surveys, workers’ compensation & risk mitigation, new hire onboarding, HR expertise (varied based on level), online resource center (Best practices, FAQs, and more), and mobile friendly and/or mobile app.
How to Choose a Payroll and Benefits Solution
The following is what we’ve learned over the years:
- Choose a payroll service that has a track record for serving companies of your size.
- Remember, change management requires a team effort. You may need to involve a few different teams during the buying and implementation process including your operations, HR/recruiting, information technology, and communications teams.
- Core features that you probably already have and that employees/HR are used to, like direct deposit, automated pay stub distribution, and payroll taxes need to be in any future offering you use.
- Don’t forget about integrations! It’s important that any new system can sync with the rest of the tools in your tech stack at least in some sense.
- Make sure the vendor that you choose can operate in all of your office locations (don’t forget your remote employees). Several of the vendors we’ve outlined here are among the best global payroll providers, but many do have a heavier focus on the United States.
- Documentation is paramount— get your ducks in a row in advance to help streamline implementation and prevent any delays that could have a negative impact on employees. Nobody’s going to be that excited about the new payroll and benefits system if the next checks or deposits are going to be late.
- Choose a vendor that is compliant with the most recent regulations and that takes data privacy very seriously. HIPAA and tax payment violations can be extremely costly.
- If you already have an insurance broker with whom you like to work, make sure that your new vendor allows for this— not all of them do, and those that do may charge an additional fee.
- If you are moving to benefits with a provider, remember to report any employees who are on COBRA to the new provider and make sure to ask if they assist in COBRA administration.
- Lastly, choose a vendor that you can grow with. Make sure that the vendor is confident in their ability to work with you based on your targeted employee growth rates as a company.
Payroll and Benefits Software Pricing
The cost of payroll and benefits software varies based on company size and feature requirements:
- Payroll Software for Small Businesses: Entry-level solutions can start as low as $19 per month. For example, Gusto offers a "Simple" plan at $40 per month plus $6 per employee, which includes full-service payroll and basic onboarding.
- Payroll Tools for Medium-Sized Businesses: Plans typically begin around $50 per month and can exceed $1,000, depending on the number of employees and desired features. These plans often offer advanced payroll features, HR support, and benefits administration.
- Payroll Solutions for Large Enterprises: Due to complex needs, such as managing a diverse workforce across multiple locations, comprehensive payroll solutions often start in the four-figure range monthly. These packages usually provide extensive support for multi-state taxes, advanced reporting, and dedicated customer service.
Demos Questions to Ask Vendors
Once you have chosen a few vendors to demo, it is imperative to ask pertinent questions. Here is a list of questions we think you should ask on demos.
Support:
- Who will be on my support team during the payroll software implementation, how will that change after I’m set up?
- What the the specific steps our company will have to go through to get this setup and how long does each take?
- What internal stakeholders do I need to bring into this?
- What are the support SLAs?
- How big is your biggest customer and how small is your smallest customer? What is the size of your average customer?
- What are the most common reasons that companies don’t succeed?
- How will our pricing change as we scale?
Tech & Security:
- Can you walk me through the typical workflows that HR would go through? Employees?
- What is the mobile experience for HR and employees?
- What’s on your product roadmap?
- Do you support multi-factor authentication?
- Do you support single sign-on?
- Are you SOC 2 compliant?
- What is your security audit process?
- How do you keep our data safe?
Regulatory & Compliance:
- Do you have a regulatory compliance team?
- Who handles regulatory updates for taxes, HR, or benefits?
- How will I get updated on regulatory changes relevant to my business?
- Do you handle payroll in my state (within the U.S.)?
- Do you handle international payroll services (if you operate internationally)?
- Are you GDPR compliant?
- How are tax filings handled? Is there an extra charge for this?
- Do you handle new hire onboarding reporting and forms?
- Are you ACA-compliant? What about HIPAA and ERISA?
- How will you handle benefits for my employees in different states and, if applicable, remote employees?
- How can my accountant or finance team access the relevant files?
Payroll Integrations and Process:
- Is your offering full-service payroll or a tool that I will use to run my own payroll?
- How are payroll taxes handled? How are tax forms generated?
- What standard integrations do you support? Do you integrate with my existing technologies (accounting software, HRIS, ATS)?
- How will direct deposit work with our employee bank accounts?
Payroll Software FAQs
What is payroll software?
Payroll software is a solution designed to manage, automate, record and organize payment of a company’s employees.
What is benefits software?
Benefits software is a solution designed to take over all administrative benefits tasks, including managing and organizing health insurance, retirement programs, time off and leave.
Can my company do payroll and benefits without software?
Yes, your company can process payroll and benefits without the assistance of software. However, manually taking care of payroll and benefits requires a lot of time and effort. On average, over 20% of small businesses spend 120+ hours dealing just with federal employee taxes. That’s before even considering benefits management. That time is better spent perfecting your business or product, therefore automating payroll is a worthy investment.
Do software providers offer both payroll and benefits software together?
Yes, many payroll vendors offer a benefits solution and vice versa.
Need Help Shortlisting for the Best Options for Your Business?
For those press on time and want to narrow the search to the top payroll and benefits solutions that most align with their organization’s priorities and budget, SSR Advisors provide a transparent, unbiased shortlist of 2–3 recommendations from 1,000+ vendors across HRIS, Payroll, and HCM—for free. Get in touch with one of our advisors today!
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