6 Best TriNet Zenefits Competitors

	Starter Monthly Pricing	Payroll	Tax Filings and Year-end Reports
	$10 per employee (all plans have a five-employee minimum requirement) Contractors are billed at $6 per worker	$6 per employee monthly	✓
	Visit TriNet Zenefits
	$6 per employee + $49 base fee	✓	✓
	Visit Gusto
	$8 per employee + $35 base fee*	✓	✓
	Visit Rippling
	$79 per employee	✓	✓
	Visit Justworks
	$8.75 per employee monthly (a quote for their Advanced plan)	$75 base fee + $4.05 monthly	✓
	Visit BambooHR
	$5 per employee + $39 base fee	✓	✓
	Visit Paychex
	$2.50 per employee + $42.20 per weekly pay run*	✓	W2/1099 reports cost extra
	Visit ADP

*Based on a quote we received

	Time Tracking	Benefits Availability	Access to HR Experts	PEO Option	Other HR Tools*
	✓	Hawaii isn’t covered	$10 per employee monthly	✕	Recruiting Performance reviews Compensation planning Employee surveys
	Visit TriNet Zenefits
	Included in higher tiers	37 states only	Included in most premium plan	✕	Job postings Applicant tracking Performance reviews Employee surveys
	Visit Gusto
	✓	50 states	Paid add-on	✓	Job postings Applicant tracking Learning management Employee surveys IT tools to manage business apps and computers
	Visit Rippling
	Starts at $5 per employee + $20 base fee monthly	50 states	✓	Justworks is a PEO	Harassment prevention and inclusion trainings
	Visit Justworks
	$3 per employee	50 states	✕	✕	Employee engagement Performance management Integration to more than 50 HR products
	Visit BambooHR
	Paid add-on; call for a quote	50 states	✓	✓	Background checks Learning management Performance reviews
	Visit Paychex
	Paid add-on; call for a quote	50 states	✓	✓	ZipRecruiter job postings Background checks Salary benchmarks Online training programs
	Visit ADP

*Some of these HR tools are available either as paid add-ons or included in the provider’s higher tiers

• Simple: $49 per month plus $6 per employee monthly
• • Includes single-state full-service payroll, tax filings, two-day and four-day direct deposits, employee benefits, new hire reporting, offer letter templates, onboarding, and basic support
• Plus: $80 per month plus $12 per employee monthly
• • Simple, plus next-day direct deposits, time and paid time off (PTO) tracking, applicant tracking, job postings, project tracking, multi-state payroll, and full support with extended support hours
• Premium: Custom priced
• • Plus, along with performance reviews, surveys, full-service payroll migration, access to HR experts, direct line to priority phone and email support, and a dedicated account manager
• Contractor-only payroll plan: $6 per contractor monthly
• • Full-service payroll, four-day direct deposits, and state new hire reporting

Add-ons

• State payroll tax registration: Pricing varies per state
• HR advisory services for Plus plan only: $8 per employee monthly, which is included for free in the Premium tier

• Low-cost contractor-only payroll plan: Gusto is the only TriNet Zenefits competitor on our list that offers a separate plan for paying contractors. For $6 per worker monthly, you get unlimited pay runs, year-end 1099-NEC forms, and new hire reporting for contractors (if this is a requirement of the state where your business is located). Its affordability is one of the reasons why Gusto earned a spot in our list of the best software for paying contractors.
• Multiple employee payment options: With Gusto, you can pay employees via manual paychecks, pay cards, direct deposits, and on-demand pay. For direct deposits, its standard processing timeline is two and four days. However, upgrading to its higher plans grants you access to next-day direct deposits—an option that neither TriNet Zenefits nor the other providers on our list offer. Plus, if your employees use Gusto’s free financial management app, Gusto Wallet, they can get a portion of their salary between paydays.
• Full-service payroll: Unlike ADP and Paychex, Gusto lets you run payroll as many times as you need in a month. Off-cycle pay runs also come for free. It handles federal, state, and local tax calculations, deductions, and payments, as well as garnishment payment services (except in South Carolina). It will also generate and file year-end W2/1099 forms for you (ADP and Paychex charge extra for this). If you need global payroll tools, Gusto can help you pay international contractors but for an additional fee (custom priced).
• Basic HR tools: Apart from new hire reporting, onboarding, employee profiles, time tracking, and self-service tools, Gusto has the essential tools you need to manage applicants and post jobs to popular job sites (Justworks doesn’t have hiring tools). Assessing an employee’s performance at work is also made easy with Gusto’s performance management module, which comes with review templates and automated feedback requests.

• Starts at $35 plus $8 per employee monthly*
• • Includes Rippling’s core workforce management platform, employee onboarding and offboarding, full-service payroll, time tracking, and software integrations
• First month FREE for new users

Other Per-module Costs

• App, device, and computer inventory management: $5 per employee monthly
• • IT tools to manage business apps and computer provisioning and deprovisioning processes
• Benefits administration: Pricing varies, depending on your insurance broker
• PEO: $65 per employee monthly
• HR help desk: Custom-priced
• • One-on-one email/phone support from HR experts

*Pricing is based on a quote we received

• Feature-rich solution: Rippling provides a feature-rich platform that encompasses a wide range of HR, payroll, and IT tools. The integration of its modules ensures smooth data flow across solutions. However, it falls short compared to TriNet Zenefits in terms of advanced HR tools like compensation planning and performance management. Additionally, it lacks Gusto’s financial management app and Paychex’s dedicated payroll support.
• Flexible PEO: In terms of PEO solutions, Rippling offers flexibility, allowing you to easily activate or deactivate it through your online Rippling account and seamlessly resume using its HR platform.

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What is a PEO?

A professional employer organization (PEO) is a co-employer that provides human resource support so that you can focus on the day-to-day HR tasks. It has reps that run payroll for you, reviews and helps you prepare policies, and provides large-group benefits (meaning at very discounted rates). To learn more about PEOs, check out our guide on the best PEO services for small businesses.

• Robust integration options: Rippling distinguishes itself with a robust network of over 500 partner systems, facilitating easy integration with commonly used third-party software. Its device management module enables efficient inventory management of company-assigned laptops and peripherals. For departing employees, Rippling allows remote deactivation or locking of computer access on their last working day.
• Efficient payroll solution: When it comes to payroll processing, Rippling offers comprehensive services similar to TriNet Zenefits and other competitors, including payroll tax filings and year-end tax reports. It also provides global payroll tools for paying international workers, comparable to ADP. However, it does not provide the low-cost contractor-only payroll package offered by Gusto.

• Basic: $79 per employee monthly
• • Includes full-service payroll, payroll tax filings, employee onboarding, PTO management, commuter benefits, health and wellness perks and access to 401(k), life and disability, workers compensation plans
• Plus: $109 per employee monthly
• • Basic + access to COBRA administration, health advocacy services, FSA/HSA plans, and medical, dental, and vision insurance

Add-on

• Justworks Time Tracking: $8 per employee monthly

• Payroll processing: Justworks offers comprehensive payroll processing services for employees, contractors, and vendors. Similar to TriNet, Zenefits, and other providers on our list, Justworks handles payroll tax payments and filing without additional charges for year-end reports, distinguishing itself from ADP and Paychex. However, Justworks has limited payment options, supporting only direct deposits and manual paychecks. Additionally, it follows a specific payment schedule, releasing payments every other Friday for hourly and non-exempt salaried employees. If you require more flexibility in payment schedules, we recommend exploring the software options mentioned in this guide.
• Employee benefits: One advantage of using a PEO service like Justworks is the extensive range of employee benefits it offers. Justworks has established partnerships with insurance providers, allowing them to negotiate better rates. The available benefits options are diverse, including both standard and non-standard offerings like commuter benefits and fitness memberships. For college savings plans, Gusto is a recommended choice if your business operates in one of the 37 states where its health plans are available. Paychex is worth considering for its financial management tools, such as financial health sessions and short-term loans. Additionally, ADP provides employee discounts through its partner retail shops.
• HR support: Aside from 24/7 customer support, Justworks offers HR consulting services for all its clients, regardless of their selected plan. Its team of certified HR professionals can help answer your payroll, benefits, compliance, and employee management queries. TriNet Zenefits and Rippling offer this service as a paid add-on, while the other TriNet Zenefits alternatives on our list provide this in their higher tiers.

• Essentials: Custom per employee pricing
• • Includes employee records, basic reporting, time-off management, mobile app, employee self-service
• Advantage: Starts at $8.75 per employee monthly (gets lower as number of employees increase)
• • Onboarding, offboarding, applicant tracking system, e-signatures, employee wellbeing surveys, training tracking, custom reports, open API

Add-ons

• Performance Management Module: $5.25 per employee monthly
• Time Tracking Tool: $3 per employee monthly
• TRAXPayroll solution: $75 plus $4.05 per employee monthly
• Payroll Implementation: $241.25 (one-time fee)
• “QuickStart Training” for new clients: $299 (one-time fee)
• Benefits Administration

Note: Figures found here are from a quote.

• Talent acquisition: BambooHR’s talent acquisition features make it effortless to create job postings and effectively manage the candidate pipeline. The platform allows you to collaborate with external recruiters by granting them specific permissions as needed. BambooHR also provides robust recruitment analytics that offer valuable insights into the number of candidates in each stage of the hiring process. It offers HR planning metrics, such as total candidates and the duration of job postings, enabling you to optimize your recruiting processes effectively.
• Employee management: With BambooHR’s HRIS capabilities, workforce management becomes seamless as it centralizes all your HR data. This includes consolidating demographic information, time-off requests, benefits details, and employment status of employees into a unified platform. To enhance your workforce planning, BambooHR allows you to delve into individual employee profiles, providing comprehensive details about their strengths, identifying any existing issues, and identifying their learning and development needs. This facilitates informed decision-making and strategic workforce management.

• Paychex Flex Essentials: $39 per month plus $5 per employee
• • Includes full-service payroll, tax filing and payment services, direct deposits, hiring and onboarding, new hire reporting, employee self-service tools, cashflow assistance, and a financial wellness program
• Paychex Flex Select: Custom priced
• • Essentials Essentials + learning management and access to job posting website and general ledger integrations
• Paychex Flex Pro: Custom priced
• • Select + background checks, state unemployment insurance (SUI) services, garnishment payments, custom analytics, an employee handbook builder, and paycheck previews to allow employees to review their paychecks before paydays

• Employee payment options: Similar to Gusto and ADP, Paychex supports various payment options—from direct deposits and pay cards to manual checks and pay on-demand. It even provides check signing services, a functionality that TriNet Zenefits and the other providers on our list don’t offer.
• Garnishment payment services: Paychex can deduct and remit garnished wages for you even if you are on its starter plan. While Gusto offers a similar service, it doesn’t remit payments to South Carolina.
• Dedicated payroll support: Having a dedicated payroll specialist who can answer all of your pay-related questions is helpful, especially for small businesses that don’t have an in-house HR team. Aside from providing expert payroll advice, you can contact your dedicated payroll specialist and submit payroll via the phone. This is one of the features that sets Paychex apart from the other providers on our list (including TriNet Zenefits), as none offer this service.
• Learning management tools: If you subscribe to at least its Select plan, you can access Paychex’s library of online courses to help your workers improve their skills and ensure attendance to required programs (like harassment prevention training). It even lets you create custom courses and add quizzes to your learning programs. While Rippling offers a similar module, you have to pay extra for it. ADP also provides access to online courses, but you can’t create your own program. Meanwhile, Gusto, Justworks, and TriNet Zenefits don’t have this feature.

ADP Run plans (for businesses with up to 49 employees:

• Essential: starts at $42.20 base fee plus $2.50 per employee for weekly payroll
• • Includes payroll processing, direct deposit, tax payment and filings, customizable reports, employee self-service portal, and new hire onboarding
• Enhanced: Custom priced
• • Essential, plus state unemployment insurance management, ZipRecruiter job postings, and background checks
• Complete: Custom priced
• • Enhanced, plus expert assistance
• HR Pro: Custom priced
• • Complete, plus Enhanced HR help desk, which includes scheduled check-ins and one-off questions with ADP’s HR business advisers

Note: Pricing is based on a quote we received

• Payroll processing: ADP can handle payments for both employees and contractors, including global workers. It pays US-based employees via manual checks, direct deposits, and pay cards (through the Wisely Direct Debit card). If you prefer check payments, ADP provides secure checks with advanced fraud protection features. Check signing and stuffing services are also available. However, you have to pay extra for year-end W2/1099 tax reports—a free feature that TriNet Zenefits, Gusto, Rippling, and Justworks offer.
• Feature-rich HR solution suite: ADP is one of the TriNet Zenefits alternatives on our list with a robust selection of HR and payroll products. For global payroll alone, ADP has three different products, which scale with you depending on the size of your workforce and the number of countries in which you operate. Even ADP Run has a feature-rich platform, with a combination of payroll and HR tools to help you manage basic HR processes, such as job postings, background checks, and new hire onboarding.
• PEO services: Similar to Paychex and Rippling, ADP offers a PEO service if you want expert assistance in managing your day-to-day HR and payroll tasks. However, its PEO solution isn’t as flexible as Rippling, allowing you to turn it on/off and switch to using its HR platform again. With ADP, you have to contact the provider to cancel its PEO service.