8 Best Paycom Competitors

Paycor is one of the few on our list that posts its plans and pricing on the website, although we had to Google to find it. It prefers you contact sales for a consultation. Paycor is divided into two business sizes, less than 50 employees and more than 50 employees. For the latter, you need to call for custom quotes. As of this writing, the plans all come with free setup and three months free with an annual contract.

The most basic plan ($99 per month + $5 per employee monthly) covers payroll only. To replace Paycom’s offerings, you’d need at least the Essential Plan ($149 per month + $7 per employee), which includes an HR support center, onboarding, PTO management, job costing, and wage garnishments.

For Paycor expense management, career management, and HR support center on-demand, you need to step up to the Core plan ($199 per month + $8 per employee monthly). This best competes against ADP’s Complete Plan or UKG.

Paycor’s Complete Plan ($199 per month + $14 per employee monthly) adds compensation planning, analytics, and talent management.

Paycor’s basic plan is payroll only; expense management comes with Core. (Source: Paycom)

• Payroll and expense management: Like UKG, Paycor provides pay-on-demand and an expense management feature that makes it easy to reimburse employees quickly. It pays your employees through direct deposits, pay cards, and paper checks. Paycor even offers check-stuffing services like ADP and Paychex. It can handle workers’ compensation, benefits and garnishment deductions, W-2 and 1099 reporting, and payroll tax processing. Like Gusto, it does filing and allows unlimited pay runs.
• HR tools: You need higher plans for the best tools, but Paycor has a lot to offer. In addition to the hiring, onboarding, talent management, and employee satisfaction tools. The learning management module lets you handle classroom learning, online classes, and self-paced learning from desktop or mobile.
• Analytics and reporting: Paycor offers a deep set of analytics tools that are easily accessible from the dashboard. You can see graphs to gauge payroll expenses or do deep dives into employee satisfaction, turnover, pay equity, and more. It offers a predictive resignation feature to let you predict turnover. We did not find this in other software.
• Excellent mobile app: Paycor’s mobile app works for both employees and managers, letting employees view and change data, see tasks and notifications, and request leaves. Managers have approval power and applicant tracking tools. It comes in English and Spanish, something we’ve not seen in other mobile apps. Like Paycom, it has a 4.7 out of 5 stars for iOS. Meanwhile, it has 4.2 out of 5 stars for Android.

Gusto’s simple plan is $40 a month + $6 per person monthly, but only covers payroll and hiring/onboarding. For more HR tools like PTO management, time tracking, work costing, and team management, you need the Plus plan, which runs $80 + $12 per person monthly.

The highest plan, Premium, includes an HR resource center, compliance alerts, employee surveys, and other tools that bring it closer to Paycom in terms of offerings. You need to call for a quote for it.

Gusto stands alone in that it offers special pricing of $6 per person monthly for contractors.

Gusto allows unlimited pay runs and has simple HR tools. (Source: Gusto)

• Easy-to-use payroll: Gusto is our pick for simple payroll because it offers full-service payroll with tax filing services and automatic and unlimited pay runs. Gusto also handles garnishment deductions and sends child support payments for all states except South Carolina. It includes year-end tax reporting, something most of the others on our list charge extra for.
• Gusto Wallet: Gusto stands out for employee financial benefits because of Gusto Wallet. This free app lets your employees choose where to send their paycheck—even splitting it among accounts—set up and track savings goals, get paid faster, create a budget, and more. Gusto recently added time clock features to the app. Wallet earned 4.5 out of 5 stars on Android and 4.9 out of 5 stars on iOS.
• HR tools: Gusto starts with only hiring/onboarding in its cheapest plan and progresses to fuller support in the Premium plan. Most providers on our list add items in modules. The applicant tracking systems are good, and Gusto posts your job on free boards including LinkedIn, ZipRecruiter, and Google Jobs. At its highest plan, it has a resource center, compliance alerts, and access to HR experts with expertise in local laws. Nonetheless, if you need learning management or performance management, look elsewhere.
• User feedback: Gusto earned an average of 4.55 out of 5 stars on various user review sites, which is the highest approval rating after Rippling. People gave high praise to the intuitive interface. Those that complained wanted more functionality.

BambooHR requires you to call for a quote, which is similar to most of the HR payroll services that would compete with Paycom. We recently got a quote for the Advantage Plan, which is the higher-tier plan. For $8.25 per employee monthly, you get records and benefits tracking, tailored workflows, time off management, an org chart, hiring tools, integration support, and employee satisfaction monitoring tools.

You’ll note, however, that this does not include payroll. Most of the others on our list start with payroll and add HR. For payroll, you pay an additional $75 + $4.05 per employee monthly (per our quote). BambooHR also charges extra for time tracking and performance management, but this is typical of most of the Paycom alternatives on our list.

BambooHR is a simpler system than others on the list and very easy to use. (Source: BambooHR)

• Employee data and analytics: BambooHR’s Essentials Plan concentrates on employee records and data and workflows. You can store company documents and individually signed forms, track benefits, and view general reports by company or department. You can also set up workflows for different tasks. It’s similar to Rippling’s Unity module in that it provides a single database to which you can add other functions or integrations.
• Customizations: With the Advantage plan, you get a wider range of customizations, including hiring workflows, checklists, permissions, and more. It’s a good option if you are in a specialized industry that may require actions beyond the norm for onboarding or employee management.
• Payroll: Like Rippling, BambooHR treats payroll as an add-on. It automates payroll like Paycom does. Additionally, it offers unlimited pay runs and over 100 standard payroll reports—more than most of the others on our list. One drawback is that it does not offer pay cards except through third parties.
• User reviews: BambooHR earned an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars from real-world users, the third-highest score on our list. They said it was easy to set up and very user-friendly while keeping them organized.

You need to call Paychex for a custom quote. The latest quote we received was $39 + $5 per employee monthly for Paychex’s simplest plan, Essentials, which covers payroll and tax filing, direct deposits, new hires, and financial wellness. In this way, it’s similar to Gusto’s Simple plan for services. While it looks cheaper than Gusto, this price is for biweekly pay runs, so if you pay weekly or need to do an out-of-schedule pay run, it costs more. Year-end tax reporting also costs more.

Paychex has a clean, modern interface that makes payroll and onboarding easy. (Source: Paychex)

• Paychex Solo: Paychex Solo offers a plan with self-employed payroll and tax services, incorporation services, and even a 401(k) for retirement planning.
• User-friendly payroll: Like several on our list, it has automatic pay runs and customizable earning/deduction types. Paychex handles payroll tax payments and filings but charges extra for year-end tax reporting. Like ADP, you can get check-stuffing services, and it also offers a pay card program like ADP and Gusto.
• HR features: Depending on what plan you choose, you get hiring and onboarding, time and attendance, employee benefits, workers’ compensation, and learning management. It has 60 options for analysis and customizable reports, which can help with compliance reporting. Your HR consultant provides advice that’s both personalized and actionable.
• Business insurance: Paychex is the only one on our list that offers such a wide range of insurances, including workers’ compensation, liability, umbrella, cyber liability, and commercial property insurance.
• User reviews: Paychex has the lowest user review rating on our list: 4.12 out of 5 stars, which is still not bad. Paycom, by contrast, earned 4.08 out of 5 stars. Recent reviews for Paychex have been high. Employees found it easier than managers.

Like so many on our list, ADP offers custom pricing based on the modules you need and the size of your company. For features similar to Paycom’s basic offerings, we suggest the Enhanced plan; however, Paycom charges extra for payroll, while ADP includes that in all its plans. These are the most recent quotes we’ve received for a biweekly payroll using ADP Run:

• Essential: $65 plus $3 per employee monthly
• Enhanced: $88 plus $3.60 per employee monthly
• Complete: $144 plus $3.50 per employee monthly
• HR Pro: $220 plus $4.50 per employee monthly

You pay extra for time and attendance and year-end tax filing. ADP offers workers’ compensation, health insurance, retirement plans, and other programs like learning management at additional fees—not included in the quote above.

ADP’s payroll processing is easy to use. (Source: ADP)

• Local and global payroll: ADP’s full-service payroll includes not only direct deposit but also the Wisely debit card, something not all on our list offer. It also offers check signing and stuffing services. ADP handles international payroll for contractors, salary, or hourly employees. Others, like Paychex, use a partner service, while Gusto and Rippling only pay international contractors.
• Strong benefits options: ADP offers health, vision, and dental benefits as well as life insurance, retirement, FSPs, and more. It also has non-standard benefits like an employee discount program—something not found in many providers on our list. However, it lacks the financial wellness tools that both Paychex and Gusto offer.
• HR tools: Like most on our list, ADP can take your employee from hiring to retiring. The recruiting tools include posting to ZipRecruiter, onboarding, and background checks. Several on our list offer similar features, but as an add-on, and few include background checks in the plan. Globally, its HR experts around the world keep you up to date on compliances and regulations that affect you and your people. You can analyze data globally or by specific location.
• PEO: Like Paychex and Rippling, ADP offers PEO services through ADP TotalSource. This gives you HR services, including compliance support and access to Fortune 500-level benefits are great prices. It’s a great choice for companies that are expanding but not ready to add to their HR staff. It’s on our list of best PEOs for growing companies.
• High-ranking mobile app: ADP blew away the competition with its mobile app, which earned 4.9 out of 5 stars on both Android and iOS. (Paycom earned 4.7.) While it does not work for multi-company access, it does let you run payroll, manage taxes, download reports, and view insurance policies and certificates.
• User feedback: ADP has several programs, running from 4.2 to 4.5 out of 5 stars in user feedback. ADP Run has an average of 4.4 out of 5 over multiple sites. While managers overall liked the software, they complained about the prices and customer support seems to be taking a downturn after a big uptick in satisfaction last year. It has a separate app for employees, which also ranks well.

Rippling is the most modular of all the Paycom competitors on our list. You must purchase the Core program, Rippling Unity, at $8 per user. Our most recent quote included time tracking and payroll and ran $35 + $8 per employee monthly.

In the past, we’ve seen pricing for the other modules varying from $5 to $100 per month. Call for a personalized quote. Modules include:

• Benefits administration
• Flex benefits
• Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) administration
• Applicant tracking
• Learning management
• Pulse (employee surveys)
• HR Help Desk (last quoted at $100 per month)
• App management (quoted at $5 per employee monthly)
• Device management (quoted at $5 per employee monthly)
• Inventory management (quoted at $5 per employee monthly)

Rippling makes it easy to onboard hardware and software along with all the other needed documents. (Source: Rippling Demo)

• IT support: Rippling offers the greatest depth of IT support. Rippling can provide, set up, secure, and manage employee work computers. You can buy them from Rippling, supply your own, or repurpose an existing computer for a new employee. Plus, it sets up the apps and manages them for you, and also removes employee accounts when they leave the company.
• Huge number of integrations: Rippling integrates with over 500 business programs, including Slack, G Suite, and other popular business applications. Most on our list integrate with major software; Paylocity has 300 options available. However, Rippling’s App Management module makes it extremely easy to grant new employees access to the software they need—just specify what they need during onboarding, and Rippling handles the rest.
• Local and international payroll: Rippling’s payroll module includes tax filings, direct deposits, garnishments, multiple job codes, and multiple pay rates. Like Gusto, Rippling can pay international contractors, but Rippling ranks as one of our top international payroll providers. For global employee payroll, however, consider ADP.
• Flexible PEO: Rippling offers PEO services as Paychex and ADP do. However, Rippling lets you turn it on and off directly from your account and easily transition to using Rippling’s platform again. This makes it a great option if you only need PEO for a short time, like during a transition period.
• User satisfaction: Rippling consistently tops the charts for user satisfaction, often blowing away the competition. Currently, it averages 4.78 out of 5 stars over several user review sites. Paycom, by contrast, rated 4.08. People sing high praises for its features and ease of use. The few complaints concerned its learning curve and glitches in two-factor authentication—both very minor.

Like most on our list, you need to contact Paylocity for custom pricing based on your needs. Our latest quote was for a business with 25 employees. For $200 plus $9 per employee monthly, we received payroll and tax filing, benefits administration, some hiring tools, time and PTO management, performance reviews, an LMS, and reporting.

Setup costs an additional $700, and Paylocity charges $7 per W-2 filed at the end of the year. Overall, it’s one of the pricier Paycom competitors but offers a lot.

Paylocity has mobile apps as well as employer and employee portals online. (Source: Paylocity)

• Extensive payroll tools: Paylocity impresses with its payroll capabilities. In addition to the tools you’d expect from a payroll system for midsized companies, like garnishment support, you also get automated expense tracking. (Paycom has this, too.) It automatically files taxes, although W-2 filing costs extra. It has pay cards through a third party, whereas ADP and Paychex offer them natively.
• HR functionality: Like most of the Paycom competitors on our list, Paylocity offers a document library and employee self-service portals. However, it goes further with compliance tools that include HR and employee training videos. Its HR Edge module includes a dedicated HR consultant as well.
• Integrations: Paylocity rivals Rippling in the number of integrations. With over 300, you can ensure easy data flow to and from Paylocity. Integrations cover everything from applicant tracking to employment verification, learning management, and time and attendance.
• User feedback: All the HRIS services on our list score over 4 out of 5 stars for user satisfaction. Paylocity has an average of 4.3 out of 5 stars, putting it in the middle of the pack. Ditto for the mobile applications, which score 4 out of 5 stars for Android and 4.2 out of 5 stars for iOS. Overall, managers found the application easy to use, although it can take some time to learn due to the number of tools. Employees said it was easy to find their information and use the features.

As with most of the software on our list, you need to call UKG for a quote, and it will depend heavily on the modules you choose as well as your company size. Outsail.com lists prices ranging from $24—$35 per employee monthly, making it the most expensive on our list, but it is also one of the most complete, with everything from payroll to learning management, recruiting to succession planning. It requires a contract, and the implementation fee is up to 40% of the annual software fee.

UKG’s interface makes it easy to access tools, communicate with coworkers, and run analytics. (Source: UKG)

• Extensive scheduling tools built for hospitals: UKG offers highly customizable scheduling tools that can take into account qualifications and patient volume so you can make sure you have the optimal patient/caregiver ratio. It’s also easy for managers to put out a call for qualified replacements in cases of leave or sudden absences. This could also be used for other industries where qualifications and workload determine staffing.
• Ready compliance tools: UKG Ready impressed us with its easy-to-access compliance tools. Its document section provides up-to-date information on important compliance events like enrollments, and the tabs mean you need one click to manage leave of absence, ACA reporting, or even document injuries. The injury report even lets you mark if it’s Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) reportable and, if so, logs the event to be reported on-site. It gives easy access to OSHA, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), and Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) reports.
• Strong payroll functions: UKG’s payroll includes data validation, proactive alerts, automatic compliance checks, and reporting. It handles off-cycle checks as well. (Some, like Paychex, may charge extra for this.) One standout feature is the “What If” tool that lets employees calculate take-home pay based on scenarios, like extra shifts.
• Immediate pay: With UKG Wallet, employees can have access to their pay as soon as their shift ends. This is similar to Gusto Wallet.
• User satisfaction: UKG has three programs: Ready, Pro, and Workforce. All scored 4 to 4.2 out of 5 stars. While users were overall satisfied with the platform, many said that it was not as easy to use as others; for example, a task might take more clicks than they expected.