Best Payroll and Benefits Software Solutions in 2026

I love that we were able to use Paycom for our specific needs. I feel that Paycom understands the small business and mid-size business needs. Paycom listens to their customers and are always seeking to make their product better!

We purchased Paycom 5 years ago and have been using it since. We were using an outdated product for payroll that didn’t offer a diverse use across the board in terms of add-ons. The ATS system worked well with a tool called Job Scan, this helped reduce people applying for several positions with the same resume. Now that most small and large companies have employees in other states, Paycom has the info to keep the taxes aligned. Self Service was also a main factor; we needed a tool that would allow employees to be able to access their information so that our small staff wasn’t constantly having to field the calls for things like W-2s that should be easily accessible.

I wish there was more product training at a lower cost. Every time we get a new admin we have to pay for additional training. I would like to see more add-ons like the other companies who wanted our business. More computability with the old Deltek software that we were using so that the change over was smoother.

Paycom is different from the competitors because the customer service is phenomenal! They listen to the customer!

When buying a payroll tool, the first thing I would recommend is analyzing your company’s needs. I believe assessing how the employees use the product is important in making the decision as well!

Over the years, Paycom has made the software more user-friendly, introduced communities, and improved mobile support.

Paycom is great for small to midsize businesses

• I like that you can use one platform to run multiple payrolls for different countries.
• I like that they make hiring contractors in other countries easier.
• I like that they make understanding other countries' payroll and employment laws easy with all sorts of helpful resources.

Our small start-up company of under 50 employees was looking to hire international consultants in various areas, mainly Canada, Brazil, and later Poland and Ireland. We've used Deel for about 2 years now mainly for contract management and international payroll, and used their PEO and Employer of Record services as well. The key benefit is being able to hire great talent outside of the US and being protected and advised around payroll and employment laws for various countries.

• I dislike their reporting function as it's essentially just Excel and doesn't allow for advanced filtering/reporting.
• I dislike that the integration with Rippling is a bit wonky. Some employee info will flow in, but not all.
• I dislike that making changes in contracts can be difficult and that the e-signature capability is not great.

I believe that Deel is the best in class in terms of international hiring/payroll/compliance/PEO. They have a great team behind getting the system of hiring set up in each individual country. Their customer service is really great and they are great consultants that help you meet your goals. If you use their PEO or Employer of Record service it can be costly depending on where you're hiring.

• Location of Hiring - Depending on where you're hiring, Deel may not support that region so it's important to take a look at which areas they cover. They do cover most major areas of international hiring.
• Cost - Overall it's an affordable and effective system for international payroll. It does sit outside of the HRIS ( if you use one) so that's something to think about as an additional cost.
• HRIS Compatibility - It's also important to think about the compatibility with your HRIS, otherwise you have a lot of data sitting outside of your HRIS which you can manually upload through CSV reports.

In the time that I used Deel, they developed their PEO availability regions. I believe they do a good job at customer listening, and their team is extremely attentive.

Deel is great for small to medium-sized businesses that are looking to quickly expand internationally. It's also important to note that in each new location you're hiring in, if you're looking to have a hiring hub of 20+ more employees in that particular company, using Deel may only be a short-term solution. But for quick hires, small hiring hubs, and hiring consultants across countries, it's a great platform.

Everything. It makes managing HR seamless. It integrates with most other HRIS'. It is user-friendly. It has automation, so once you set up a process, you can automate it. They have customer support for employees.

5-years+. It is a great tool for small and large companies. They are able to manage remote workers from all across the states. They are computer and mobile-friendly. They have customer support for your employees.

The app is not as great as the desktop version. They don't really lay out employee benefits for your specific company clearly.

Their software is more up-to-date than most of their competitors. They are constantly updating their services. They remain affordable.

Make sure you choose the right package; they have basic and plus plan options. If your company has remote employees spread across the USA then Justworks is great. They are able to integrate data from most other payroll or PEO competitors.

They have an app. They provide customer service for employees when most companies don't do this. They do more than just payroll and in the beginning that was their bread and butter.

Any and all organizations can use Justworks

• It made payroll processing simple and user-friendly.
• The accurate reporting features helped maintain data integrity.
• Employees could access their payroll information independently, reducing the need for me to provide printed payslips.

I was an HR Consultant contracted by various companies and used Paylocity intermittently for about a year. Although I was not involved in purchasing the tool, I saw firsthand how it streamlined compliance processes, which saved a significant amount of time.

The platform was easy to use and had great features that supported my HR role, especially as a remote user managing multiple clients. Its accessibility and functionality made it an effective tool for handling essential HR tasks.

Overall, Paylocity provided a reliable solution for managing payroll and compliance efficiently.

• Employees were occasionally locked out of their accounts, often due to forgotten login credentials, requiring me to guide them through the reset process.
• Customer service was overly automated, making it frustrating to reach a live representative when needed.
• The platform could be slow at times, especially when running reports, which delayed task completion.

I have also used ADP, which was more suited for larger companies with complex HR needs and extensive data management. Paylocity, by contrast, was a better fit for the smaller companies I worked with due to its simplicity and user-friendly design. It required less training to use effectively, making it a more practical solution for smaller-scale operations.

When considering Paylocity, it’s important to evaluate whether it suits the size of your business and aligns with your specific HR tasks. Determine if you need the tool exclusively for payroll or for additional HR functions such as benefits management and employee performance tracking.

Scalability and user access requirements should also be considered to ensure it meets your organization’s needs efficiently.

A year ago, when I used Paylocity, new features like time tracking and benefits management had been implemented, making it more user-friendly and competitive. These updates allowed it to better rival other platforms in the market by providing more comprehensive functionality.

Paylocity is well-suited for payroll specialists, managers overseeing HR processes, and administrators handling bulk updates from spreadsheets. It is a great platform for small to medium-sized businesses across various industries.

I like ADP's ADA health compliance features, I like their payroll processing features, and I like their report-generating tools

West Monroe has used ADP for 10 years now. We moved to ADP to streamline benefits enrollment and to process payroll. ADP was purchased to help West Monroe grow to scale. When it was first purchased we were at 300 employees. As of today, we are at 2000 plus employees who we process payroll and benefits for

I dislike their open enrollment platform, customer service is sorely lacking, and their employee benefits profile always has problems

ADPs reporting is intuitive and one of the only features i like and would recommend

People should think about how they want to grow with ADP. For example, West Monroe is now an international company, and ADP payroll and benefits only works well for those in the US

The updates in their reporting abilities have helped with our company's needs

ADP is good for payroll and tax admins

I liked the main dashboard because it was user-friendly, allowing me to access important information quickly. Papaya Global integrated well with the client's existing HR tools, making it easier for everyone and ensuring smooth data flow. The reporting was accurate, providing the exact details needed for decision-making. Lastly, the tool had great scalability, adapting to the client’s needs as they grew without any issues.

I used Papaya Global while working with a client as a freelancer in HR. They started using it because managing HR tasks across different countries was becoming overly complicated and time-consuming. They struggled to keep up with the various labor laws and maintain communication with their team spread around the globe. The tool was a lifesaver, providing a single platform to handle everything and keep everyone aligned.

Personally, I’ve been using it for about two years, and it has been incredibly helpful. It automates repetitive tasks that used to take up a lot of my time, all with the click of a button. It also integrates seamlessly with their other HR systems, allowing information to flow smoothly. It has saved both me and the client significant time and effort.

One major downside is that Papaya Global is quite expensive for what it offers. It doesn’t have enough advanced features to fully justify the cost. Additionally, it’s not very customizable, so it can be difficult to adapt it to specific business needs. While it automates some tasks, many actions still need to be done manually, which is disappointing considering the price. It also has a steep learning curve, so new users might struggle to get accustomed to it quickly, which can slow down adoption. Finally, customer support is not very responsive, which can disrupt workflows when issues arise.

Papaya Global stands out for its Employer of Record feature, which is especially helpful for managing legal compliance overseas. It effectively handles the regulatory challenges of working across different countries, providing peace of mind without the need for a large legal team. Although I haven’t used other tools, this one excels in handling international employment and compliance. The biggest advantage is the confidence it offers in ensuring compliance globally. Managing complex HR tasks across different countries is much easier with this tool, making it invaluable to our company.

When considering a tool like Papaya Global, it’s crucial to assess your company’s global footprint and ensure the tool can handle payroll, legal matters, and hiring across multiple countries. It’s also important to choose a tool that works in locations where you don’t have an office, as this helps you stay compliant with local laws.

Usability is another key factor; a user-friendly tool will help your HR team get up to speed quickly and keep operations running smoothly. Lastly, verify that the tool integrates well with your existing HR systems to allow for seamless data transfer.

By expanding to more countries, Papaya Global has stayed ahead of the competition. It now offers a broader range of services, helping companies manage global offices effectively. Over time, it has improved its legal compliance capabilities, which is critical when dealing with different countries' regulations. The tool has also become smarter with automation and reporting, streamlining processes and freeing up users to focus on more important decisions.

In addition, the platform has been enhanced to make navigation easier, even as it grows more powerful. This has made it a go-to choice for companies with employees spread across the globe.

Let's not forget about the look and feel of the thing. Papaya Global has put a lot of effort into making sure that using their platform is as easy as pie. It's all about making it simple to understand and navigate, even as it gets bigger and more powerful. This has turned it into a go-to choice for companies with employees scattered across the globe.

Papaya Global is ideal for large businesses that deal with complex salary management, especially when they operate in multiple countries. It’s perfect for companies with a diverse global workforce that need a robust system to comply with various labor laws and regulations.

Businesses that value seamless integration with existing HR systems and require advanced technology to handle complex tasks will find this tool especially beneficial. Even if a company doesn’t have offices in every country they hire from, this tool can manage payroll effortlessly.

• The wage garnishment payment service is included as an add-on with our plan, making the process easier when garnishments or child support payments are required.
• The plans are customizable, so the organization doesn't have to purchase features that are unnecessary.
• Tax filing is included in our plan, helping ensure compliance with state and local agencies.

The organization was searching for an all-in-one platform that could streamline processes for payroll and benefits. Paychex offers a variety of health benefits, including flexible spending account (FSA) plans that can be integrated into the software.

It also includes various add-ons, allowing the company to customize its plan based on specific needs. The software provides accounting integration for QuickBooks. It offers other services as well.

• There are extra fees for W-2 and 1099 filings.
• A separate platform is required for time tracking, and it comes with an additional cost.
• Customer support is difficult to reach, and when contact is made, support staff often want to schedule a call based on their availability.

I have used Paycom, ADP, and Gusto for small businesses with 50 or fewer employees. I believe Gusto is more cost-effective and offers better customer service. Although Gusto also charges for add-ons, the platform is more user-friendly and straightforward.

• Consider how many employees you have and the cost per employee.
• Evaluate which features are necessary for your organization.
• Determine whether the processes you need are automated.

Paychex have expanded their service offerings to include benefits and HR services.

Paychex is suitable for small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

The user interface is impressive and appeals to both employees and administrators. The payroll tool is quick and easy to use. The chat support feature is highly effective—whenever I need help, I can get assistance almost immediately.

We began using Rippling as our first HRIS tool for our small company. As with many small businesses, HRIS tools were not initially a priority, so we wanted something simple, straightforward, and intuitive. Rippling met all of those requirements.

It offers an efficient user interface while also providing depth and ease of use from the administrator side. It made payroll very simple for us. Rippling is still in use at our company today.

The cost can be challenging for a small business; we experienced some initial sticker shock, though the features are worth it. It can be difficult to use custom fields within reporting. The contract length is somewhat unusual and feels like a significant commitment.

Many payroll companies have unattractive user interfaces, which can discourage employees from logging in to complete tasks such as benefits enrollment or onboarding. Rippling integrates well with Slack and Google Workspace, simplifying communication across departments. I prefer Rippling over most other tools I have used.

The key buying criteria should begin with your budget and what you're willing to invest. It's important to understand what features are standard and which are considered add-ons, as these can significantly increase costs.

Based on your needs, it’s also worth evaluating how benefits are handled and whether the platform simplifies that process. Integration is another factor to consider—look into what systems the HRIS can connect with and how those integrations improve efficiency.

During the time I’ve used Rippling, there haven’t been many major changes to the tool itself. This reflects how robust the system has been from the start. Minor enhancements do occur from time to time.

My experience with Rippling has been at a small company (under 50 employees), and it has made my work significantly easier. I believe it would be a great tool for organizations of any size.

The ease of payroll and ability to have payroll run on auto-pilot is AWESOME. The customer service is friendly and for the most part quite efficient. The UI is pretty good compared to a lot of other platforms I've used.

We initially chose Gusto when the company was first established. We needed a simple payroll solution that would work for a company of our size, which at the time was just one W-2 employee on the payroll. We used the solution for about eight months before transitioning to a different solution that would allow us to manage payroll and offer benefits under one platform. Prior to that, I personally used the solution at another company for almost a year.

Since I also do freelance HR consulting, I am now working with a client who also uses Gusto. In this company, we use it for payroll, benefits management, and 401K.

Paying international contractors has been challenging in my experience. I'm not a huge fan of having the employees separated out by whether or not they are onboarded yet. I would rather see all employees with a status showing whether or not they have completed onboarding.

Payroll is a breeze! It's really one of the best tools I've used for payroll for a small company. The customer service is stellar.

Think about your long-term growth plans. I think Gusto is best for smaller companies. Think about whether or not you'll be paying contractors and especially international contractors because that can get complicated. And when you are first implementing the tool, do your best to have someone who understands the platform and how to best optimize it for your team do the set up.

I'm not sure but I do often see that they are rolling out beta features, which leads me to believe that they are always evolving to meet customer needs.

I think Gusto is best for small businesses, especially for small businesses that may not have a dedicated HR personnel. It's easy enough to use that the average business owner should be able to navigate it without too much trouble.

There were very few things I liked about Paycor. The Visier-powered analytics platform helped uncover trends and useful insights. Employees appreciated the self-service options available. Having a sandbox environment available for testing was very helpful.

Including implementation, I used Paycor for almost a year. Our organization was moving away from our PEO to fully control and manage our HRIS and benefits. Our benefits broker had an existing relationship with Paycor, and we were on a tight timeline, so we contracted with Paycor. We implemented the system in less than three months.

The platform, especially the UI, is extremely dated, and the UX is not intuitive. There was a lack of customization within the workflows—functionality that would be expected in an HRIS. The focus of the platform seemed to be on payroll, so other modules felt underdeveloped.

This is the worst HRIS platform I've used. If in doubt, go with the other option. There is nothing about this platform that would lead me to select it in the future.

Make sure the tool you’re buying is suitable for your organization and its needs. There are many popular tools that may not be a good fit for your company.

Paycor had been working on updating workflows to make them more customizable. Reporting has also been migrated into a more user-friendly template. They have also acquired other platforms and integrated them into their system.

If an organization is looking to implement quickly and at a basic level be able to pay their employees, administer benefits, and use reporting, Paycor could be an option. Still, there are much better tools available.

• 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.

• User-friendliness is the main pro we find when using Quickbooks.
• It’s been very easy to train my HR employees how to send and receive invoices.
• It’s linked to our bank.
• It gives the option for people to pay via ACH when sending out invoices (easy for them to pay with a touch of a button).

When my organization was looking for options to help quickly get out invoices to our clients they thought Quickbooks would be the perfect solution. We have now successfully been using Quickbooks for 10 years for our invoicing needs as well as AR reporting which helps our HR team run smoothly.

• Sometimes it runs slow if more than one user are in the software at a time.
• Connectivity issues will happen at times which could make it frustrating to use when you are in a hurry.
• You have to add in other apps to be able to use all the functionality of Quickbooks and pay further pricing.

The only other software we have tried in the past was NetSuite, and we ultimately decided to go with Quickbooks due to its pricing and ease of use. NetSuite did have more functionality but overall we liked the way Quickbooks worked with our company’s needs.

They should figure out what they specifically want to use the tool for, and make sure they do their research and pick the correct type of Quickbooks so they can easily work through what they need to get done.

The website itself has changed over the years but in a good way! We feel it is super easy to navigate and works for our business needs.

Really any corporate type of business that needs to send invoices out to customers, our organization does staffing and recruiting and we rely on Quickbooks to be able to send out invoices to clients.

I liked the payroll model. It was extremely simple and straightforward. It handled tax calculations and direct deposit with no errors. Employee access to the platform reduced the workload related to distributing payslips.

We purchased OnPay to try out their payroll and onboarding software. We had a small organization and wanted a simple solution to manage new hires and remain in compliance. The payroll features were solid and provided exactly what we needed for our U.S.-based team.

The system was easy to use and handled our immediate payroll needs. We used the platform for two months before switching to another program that offered more robust features.

The direct deposit timeline took longer than expected, which caused delays in issuing timely payments after each payroll cycle.

The platform did not support tax and state setup, and compliance management was minimal. Some onboarding features, such as document signing, were not available at the time.

OnPay is relatively similar to newer systems currently available. The pricing is comparable. There are no major differentiators between this and other platforms.

Consider compliance support, tax management capabilities, direct deposit timelines, and the number of payroll runs allowed. At the time we used it, the system didn’t support onboarding document signatures.

These features may now be available, but they are important to check before committing.

The debit card feature was not available during our use. Benefits management was also missing. They are still in the process of improving integrations.

Companies with fewer than 50 employees. Reporting becomes limited, which is common with smaller payroll providers.

Namely has an extremely user-friendly interface that helps manage HR tasks efficiently. It integrates payroll, benefits, and performance management into one platform, simplifying key processes. The tool offers customizable reporting capabilities that provide insightful personnel data while maintaining compliance with regulations.

Namely, an automated HR solution preferred by our management after a long history of inefficient HR processes, has proven its relevance as all operations have been streamlined. Switching and gathering information from different platforms was difficult, especially when accustomed to one system's workflow.

Before introducing Namely, completing payroll, personnel records, and other internal processes was time-consuming and prone to errors. We aimed to implement automation to allow a focus on tasks like performance management rather than correcting discrepancies. Namely’s user-friendly interface, creative report design, and working tools played a crucial role in its successful implementation.

I have been using Namely for [insert your time of use], and it has made our human resource processes more efficient, improving workforce management. It has also eliminated the problem of waiting for reports, a common issue in many companies that wastes valuable time.

Customer support at Namely is slow, especially when handling urgent issues. Some customization options, like those for reports, are limited and should be more flexible. Occasional system glitches or downtimes can disrupt important HR workflows and reduce productivity.

Namely's key differentiator is its all-in-one platform, featuring an intuitive user interface that combines payroll, benefits, and performance management in one system. This reduces the need for multiple tools. Compared to platforms like ADP or Workday, Namely is much easier for non-technical users. While competitors may offer more in-depth functionality in specific areas, Namely strikes the best balance between features and simplicity, making it ideal for midsize companies seeking a full-service solution.

When investing in an HR tool like Namely, key considerations include scalability—ensuring the platform can grow with your company—and integration capabilities with other systems such as payroll and benefits providers. Ease of use is critical, as a user-friendly interface leads to higher adoption and minimal training. Additionally, it's important to assess the level of customer support provided and how responsive the vendor is when issues arise. Customization options are another important factor, as the platform’s ability to adapt to your specific HR needs can significantly impact day-to-day operations.

Namely has evolved significantly over time, enhancing its platform to meet user demands with better integration features. Originally focused on core HR management, it has expanded to include payroll management, benefits administration, and compliance tools that help companies align with regulations.

The user experience has improved with a more intuitive interface, and customizable reporting has become more robust to extract meaningful data. Namely has also responded to customer feedback by improving its customer support and onboarding processes, addressing concerns about response times and implementation smoothness.

Namely is ideal for mid-sized organizations, typically with 50 to 500 employees, that want a user-friendly HR solution covering all key HR functions. It is especially suited for companies seeking an easy way to manage payroll, benefits, and performance management without the complexities of large enterprise systems.

Namely also works well for organizations that value employee engagement and want to use data-driven insights to improve HR practices continuously. Its intuitive design makes it accessible for HR teams with any level of technical expertise.