Justworks is a popular professional employer organization (PEO) that handles payroll, onboarding, and HR. It has tools for compliance training and paid time off (PTO) tracking, and can handle payments for employees, contractors, and vendors. However, its focus is on small businesses, and it lacks some advanced features and benefits found in other PEOs. If you need something more, check out these top Justworks competitors.
- Rippling: Best (overall) for businesses that want a flexible PEO they can easily turn on/off
- Paychex PEO: Best for companies wanting highly customizable PEO plans
- ADP TotalSource: Best for growing or large businesses
- XcelHR: Best for businesses looking for robust benefits plans with alternative options
- Papaya Global: Best for companies with a global workforce
- TriNet: Best for midsize businesses needing industry-specific PEO services
Justworks and Its Top Competitors Compared
All the PEOs on our list, including Justworks, offer full-service payroll, tax filing services, paid time off (PTO) management, and online onboarding/offboarding solutions. Standard benefits are also available, such as medical, dental, 401(k), commuter, workers’ compensation, and HSA/FSA plans. Below are the standout features.
Starter Monthly Pricing | Special Promotion for New Users* | Payment Options | HR Advisers | Non-PEO Option | Non-standard Employee Benefits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | $59 per employee | None | Direct deposit, paper checks | ✓ | ✓ |
|
 | $85 per employee | First month is free | Direct deposit, paper checks | May cost extra | ✓ |
|
 | Call for quote | None | Direct deposit, paper checks, pay cards | ✓ | ✓ |
|
 | $85 per employee** | None | Direct deposit, paper checks, pay cards | ✓ | ✓ |
|
 | Call for quote | None | Direct deposit, paper checks, pay cards | ✓ | ✓ |
|
 | $650 per employee (Global EOR***) | None | Varies by country (160+ currencies) | ✓ | ✓ |
|
 | $150 per employee** | None | Direct deposit | ✓ | ✓ |
|
*This may change at any time. Visit the providers’ websites to check the latest promos on offer. **Based on quotes; call for your own specialized quote based on your needs. ***EOR=Employer of Record; learn more about what they do in our article. | ||||||
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At Fit Small Business, our mission is to provide small business owners with the best answers to their small business questions. We are committed to bringing you unbiased evaluations of payroll software and services, as well as comprehensive information about payroll processes and labor regulations that will impact your business and the way you manage employees.
We use product data and a detailed methodology to objectively assess the Payroll solutions we recommend, regardless of whether they are a partner company. Our evaluations and ratings are based on a set of criteria, which includes features, pricing, ease of use, and customer support. We also apply our expert insights and consider real-world user feedback to help you make the best purchasing decision.
PEOs are more expensive than payroll or HR software and could be more than you need. Learn more about PEOs and what they can do for your business, or check out our lists of the best human resources payroll software or the best payroll services for simpler options.
Justworks is an inexpensive PEO that allows payroll for wage-earning and contract employees. Its tools make it easy to onboard new hires, and it provides compliance training, HR advice and support, and health and retirement benefits. Its transparent pricing for up to 175 employees makes it an excellent PEO for small businesses.
Justworks can be found on several of our best-of lists:
If you want to learn more about Justworks before deciding, check out our Justworks review.
Rippling: Best Justworks Alternative for Flexible PEO Services
Pros
- Flexible PEO—you can easily turn its services on and off with a click
- Intuitive platform, great user ratings
- IT tools for software and hardware onboarding/offboarding
- Integrates with 500+ third-party apps
- Has global payroll and EOR solutions
Cons
- HR phone support costs extra
- Lacks Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Employer Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC) certifications
- You can’t buy its payroll solution (and other modules) without purchasing its core workforce management platform first
Pricing
- Rippling PEO: $85 per employee monthly
- We recommend calling Rippling to get a custom quote if you plan to add other solutions (such as IT tools and time tracking)
- New users get the first month free*
Other Per-module Costs**
- App, device, and computer inventory management: $8 per employee monthly
- Benefits administration: Pricing varies, depending on your insurance broker
- HR help desk: Custom-priced
*This can change at any time. Visit the provider’s website to check the latest promo on offer.
**Pricing is based on a quote we received.
Rippling makes our list of top Justworks competitors because it has the best tools for integrations and onboarding hardware and software. In fact, it can even take over your IT duties completely. While it may lack the performance review tools that TriNet and ADP offer, its learning system is exceptional, and users give the platform high praise for ease of use. Plus, you can upgrade or downgrade from PEO services to using its HR information system (HRIS) platform with a click and not lose any information. No one else offers this simplicity.
It didn’t get a perfect overall rating in our evaluation because its PEO service isn’t IRS- and ESAC-certified and the provider doesn’t offer a straightforward way of contacting support—you have to request for a callback via its chat representative. Despite these limitations, we found Rippling’s tools efficient and easy to use, earning it places on many of our best-of lists:
- Best PEO Companies
- Best Paychex Competitors
- Best ADP Competitors
- Best International Payroll
- Best Online Payroll
- Best HR Software
- Best HR Payroll Software
- Best HRIS Systems
Rippling says it takes as little as 90 seconds to run payroll. (Source: Rippling)
Rippling Overview
Paychex PEO: Best for Highly Customizable PEO Options
Pros
- Dedicated team of experts
- Financial wellness program for employees
- Wide range of HR solutions and services
- IRS- and ESAC-certified
Cons
- Non-transparent pricing (for PEO services)
- Annual contract
- Fees can change each year
Pricing
- Call Paychex for a quote
Paychex services over 600,000 small and medium businesses (SMBs), making it one of the popular PEO competitors to Justworks. Its Paychex Flex platform often makes our lists for best HRIS software and top payroll solutions for SMBs. It is also listed by us as a best Zenefits competitor and a best ADP competitor. Naturally, it’s on our list of best PEO software, particularly because it’s such a flexible program. One reason Paychex gives a custom quote is because it lets you pick and choose from hundreds of tools—from training and time tracking to payroll and professional HR advisers. It also has recruitment and applicant tracking tools, which Justworks lacks.
While its customizable PEO plan is great for those looking for specific HR and payroll solutions, its non-transparent pricing cost it a few points in our evaluation. Plus, unlike Justworks, it does not offer unlimited pay runs and vendor payments.
If you want to learn more about Paychex’s HR payroll platform, check out our Paychex Flex review.
Paychex sets you up with an entire team of dedicated specialists. (Source: Paychex)
Paychex PEO Overview
ADP TotalSource: Best for Growing or Large Businesses
Pros
- Highly experienced PEO that’s IRS- and ESAC-certified
- Wide range of HR features and services, with global payroll solutions
- Dedicated support specialist
Cons
- Pricing isn’t transparent
- Customer service isn’t always easy to contact
Pricing
- $85 per employee monthly*
- Call ADP for a quote
*Pricing is based on a quote we received.
If you’re on the cusp of moving from an SMB to a large business or have plans to grow that big, ADP TotalSource is a great choice for PEO. It is a top PEO service and often makes our competitor lists, like best Paychex competitors. Its non-PEO programs, such as ADP Run, can be found on our lists for the best payroll and best HR software. That means you can start with a simpler platform and grow as needed, or jump right into PEO services. Its starting price is competitive, but costs will grow as your needs do.
While ADP TotalSource has efficient HR administration and solid pay processing solutions, its non-transparent pricing prevented this provider from getting a higher overall rating in our evaluation. It also lacks the vendor payment feature that Justworks offers.
ADP has tools that not only work on desktop and mobile but also with smartwatches. (Source: ADP)
ADP TotalSource Overview
XcelHR: Best for Companies Needing Robust Employee Benefits
Pros
- Wide range of benefits, including home insurance and an employee assistance plan
- Dedicated representative; live support available
- Compliance support includes workplace safety inspections and policy help
Cons
- Non-transparent pricing
- Interface looks dated
- Doesn’t have IRS and ESAC certifications
Pricing
- Call XcelHR for a quote
XcelHR has a PEO service that covers a wide range of HR processes—from onboarding to payroll tax administration and even recruiting assistance (this costs extra). Similar to ADP and Paychex, it can pay employees by check, direct deposit, and pay card. If providing employee benefits is important to you, XcelHR is a great choice because of its robust offerings of both standard and non-standard options (such as pet insurance and employee discounts).
Its platform is also generally easy to learn and use, although the platform looks dated. While it can manage basic to advanced HR tasks, it doesn’t offer vendor payments and unlimited pay runs. Plus, it isn’t IRS- and ESAC-certified like Justworks is. These factors resulted in XcelHR receiving lower points in our payroll and licensing criteria.
XcelHR offers a wide range of benefits options for SMBs. (Source: XcelHR)
XcelHR Overview
Papaya Global: Best for Multinational Companies
Pros
- International payroll for wage earners or contractors
- Transparent pricing
- Pays in local currency
- Employer of Record (EoR) services in 160+ countries
Cons
- EoR services are expensive
- No domestic-only PEO service
- Doesn’t have IRS and ESAC certifications
Pricing
- EOR: Starts at $650 per employee monthly
- Contractor Management: Starts at $2 per worker monthly
- Full-service Payroll: Starts at $12 per employee monthly (payroll tool only)
- Global Expertise Services: Starts at $190 per employee monthly
- Supplemental benefits plans and immigration support
- Payroll Platform License: Starts at $3 per employee monthly
- Online platform to manage employee data (no payroll services)
- Payments-as-a-Service: Starts at $3 per employee monthly
- Add-on services to facilitate ad hoc workforce payments (e.g., national insurance and pension payments)
- Data and Insights Platform License: Starts at $150 per location monthly
- Includes access to real-time headcount and payroll costs
Justworks may offer global contractor payments in more than 28 countries (as of this writing), but it doesn’t pay international employees. If you are expanding into other countries, consider Papaya Global. Ranking No. 1 on our list of best international payroll services, it offers an intuitive platform with excellent compliance support and a low-cost contractor-only option.
It stands out from the other Justworks competitors on our list because it provides solid international PEO (employer of record) services, has transparent pricing, and works through local HR services, so your people have in-country support. However, it lost several points in our evaluation because it lacks IRS and ESAC certifications, it charges an onboarding fee, and its EOR service can be expensive for small businesses.
Papaya Global claims that it can process employee payments in as fast as 72 hours. (Source: Papaya Global)
Papaya Global Overview
TriNet: Best for Midsize Businesses Needing Industry-specific PEO Services
Pros
- Flat, per-employee fee
- Prices decrease after specific goals reached
- Tracks industry regulation changes to ensure compliances are met
- IRS- and ESAC- certified
Cons
- Pricing not transparent
- Expensive
- Dedicated reps for larger businesses only
- Annual contract
Pricing
- $150 per employee monthly for a company with 25 workers*
- Call TriNet for a quote
*Pricing is based on a quote we received
Among the Justworks competitors we reviewed, we found TriNet a good PEO option for midsize companies needing industry-specific HR support. While it offers general compliance solutions to help you manage payroll and tax regulations, it has tailored plans that monitor compliance and labor rules for over a dozen specific industries, such as retail, entertainment, finance, life sciences, and manufacturing.
While more expensive than most on our list (based on the quote we received)—and certainly more than Justworks—it’s also more complete in its offerings, with comprehensive payroll, scheduling, and strategic HR services. However, it doesn’t handle vendor payments and lacks unlimited pay runs. These factors, along with its non-transparent pricing, prevented TriNet from ranking high on our list of Justworks alternatives.
TriNet has a clean, easy-to-use interface. (Source: G2)
TriNet Overview
How We Evaluated the Best Justworks Alternatives
When looking for the top Justworks alternatives, we naturally chose top-rated PEO solutions, many of which you can find in our other reviews. We also looked for standouts in price, ease of use, and features like payroll, onboarding, and compliance tools.
To see our full evaluation criteria, click through the tabs in the box below.
20% of Overall Score
We looked for providers with transparent pricing, zero setup fees, and charges on a per-employee basis.
20% of Overall Score
We looked for robust HR administrative support, from hiring to retiring, including assistance with employee career development, compliance tracking, and benefits offerings that are available across the US.
5% of Overall Score
The IRS and the Employer Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC) both certify PEOs for adherence to strict standards and ethical practices, so we checked whether these providers are certified. We also considered customized reports as these are often for compliance issues.
25% of Overall Score
We looked for automatic payroll runs, direct deposits, paper check options, W-2 reporting, and payroll tax processing (federal, state, and local taxes).
15% of Overall Score
While all the products on our list offer great features, this criterion looked at how well they worked for the needs of small businesses, especially those on a budget.
15% of Overall Score
In addition to having helpful features like how-to guides, dedicated representatives, and customer support options, we looked at user reviews from third-party sites like G2 and Capterra. Then, we averaged the ratings on a 5-star scale, wherein an average of 4+ stars is ideal.
If you’re primarily looking for help with payroll, check out our guide to finding a payroll solution.
Bottom Line
Justworks is an excellent PEO for small businesses, but it has some limitations. It does not do international PEO (only global contractor payments in over 28 countries), and its tools, while covering what most small businesses need, are not as comprehensive as many of its competitors.
These top six Justworks competitors are great alternatives, especially if you have needs like international HR (Papaya Global), software or hardware onboarding (Rippling), extensive benefits options (XcelHR), and industry-specific compliance (TriNet), or want room to grow in size or toolset (ADP and Paychex) without having to switch providers. Regardless of your choice, the PEO services listed here are top-notch in quality of service.
