Top Paychex Competitors 2024 (2024)

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On OnPay's Website

OnPay is a payroll provider for small businesses that includes HR and benefits management. Its pricing is simple, just a single flat monthly fee of $40 plus an additional $6 per employee you pay, so you don’t have to worry about choosing among plans or setting up custom pricing as you do with Paychex.

OnPay offers unlimited payroll runs, automated tax filing and payment, W-2 and 1099 filing, and integrations with accounting and HR software.

OnPay is available for desktop and its website is mobile responsive, but it doesn’t make a dedicated mobile app.

Learn more: Read our full OnPay review.

Who should use it:

OnPay is one of the best picks for payroll processing for any kind of small business. Single-tier pricing keeps it affordable, transparent and simple to use.

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On Gusto's Website

Gusto is an online payroll and benefits management platform with a self-service employee portal. It lets you automate payroll and automatically files and pays taxes and files W-2 and 1099 forms in all 50 states and for international workers. Unlike Paychex, tax filing is included in your plan, so you won’t pay an extra fee.

Gusto also lets you administer benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans and custom benefits. For employees, it offers Gusto Wallet, a full-service bank account where they can access their paychecks earlier than payday.

Gusto offers four monthly pricing tiers:

• Simple: $40 per month plus $6 per month per person paid
• Plus: $60 per month plus $9 per month per person paid
• Premium: Custom pricing
• Contractor Only: $0 plus $6 per month per contractor paid

Gusto is available for desktop and mobile web, and it offers an iOS and Android app for banking with Gusto Wallet.

Learn more: Read our full Gusto review.

Who should use it:

Gusto is a better option than Paychex Flex for companies that require time tracking because the feature is included in plans instead of an add-on. Gusto’s built-in time-tracking tool makes it easy for your employees to clock in and track their hours based on projects and for you to verify hours and generate workforce cost reports.

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Read Forbes' Review

QuickBooks Payroll is available as a stand-alone or an add-on to QuickBooks bookkeeping software. The stand-alone payroll service can manage payroll and benefits, including automated tax filing and payment, for up to 50 employees. If you already use QuickBooks for bookkeeping and accounting, this is an easy add-on, although it may come with a higher price tag than Paychex, which also integrates with QuickBooks accounting software.

QuickBooks Payroll plans include:

• Core: $45 plus $5 per employee per month
• Premium: $75 plus $8 per employee per month
• Elite: $125 plus $10 per employee per month

You can bundle QuickBooks bookkeeping plans with Payroll to reduce the total cost.

QuickBooks Payroll is available for mobile through the Intuit Online Payroll mobile app for iOS and Android.

Learn more: Read our full QuickBooks Payroll review.

Who should use it:

If you already use QuickBooks for accounting, Payroll is an easy add-on. This suite of tools is also a better fit for many online and e-commerce businesses because it integrates with hundreds of platforms for automated bookkeeping.

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On Justworks' Website

Justworks is a human resources information system (HRIS) and professional employer organization (PEO), so its offerings are far more robust than Paychex Flex for small businesses—though Paychex’s large-business offerings do include a PEO.

In addition to a payroll platform with employee self-service, Justworks offers robust HR support and acts as an employer of record for your employees to take some of the administration work off your plate. A PEO also gives you access to large group health insurance plans, which can lower premium costs for you and your employees.

Justworks offers two pricing tiers:

• Basic (payroll and some benefits): $59 per month per employee; $49 per month per employee (50-plus employees)
• Plus (access to health insurance): $99 per month per employee; $89 per month per employee (50-plus employees)

Justworks is available for desktop and mobile web but doesn’t offer a dedicated mobile app.

Learn more: Read our full Justworks review.

Who should use it:

Justworks is a robust solution for payroll and people management, which makes it a pricier option than many competitors, but more affordable for small businesses than Paychex. It’s a fit if you need the added HR support of a PEO and access to low-cost insurance for employees.

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Read Forbes' Review

Remote payroll is a unique solution for companies that want to employ workers in countries where they don’t have a registered legal entity. It offers payroll, HR and legal expertise to make sure you’re compliant with local regulations in more than 170 countries.

Remote can act as the employer of record for your employees (similar to a PEO) through its most comprehensive plan at $599 per employee per month. You have access to local benefits packages and can run payroll and taxes with support from local compliance experts.

If you just want to run payroll without local benefits and compliance, you can contact the company for a quote for a tailored plan. Managing invoices and paying international contractors is $29 per contractor per month.

Remote is available for desktop and mobile web but doesn’t offer a dedicated mobile app.

Learn more: Read our full Remote Payroll review.

Who should use it:

Remote payroll is best suited for companies that need to run international payroll and benefits. It’s a better fit than Paychex if you have a global workforce of employees or contractors.

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Read Forbes' Review

Paycor is a complete human capital management (HCM) platform that offers payroll, HR and compliance support for small- and medium-sized businesses. Its Basic plan, at $99 plus $5 per employee per month, is pricier than Paychex Flex and offers similar features. But it offers the option for OnDemand Pay for employees, which Paychex does not. Higher-tier plans come with HR and benefits management and compliance support.

Paycor plans include:

• Basic: $99 plus $5 per employee per month
• Essential: $149 plus $7 per employee per month
• Core: $199 plus $8 per employee per month
• Complete: $199 plus $14 per employee per month

Paycor is available on the web for desktop and mobile, and it offers a mobile app for iOS and Android.

Learn more: Read our full Paycor review.

Who should use it:

Paycor is best suited for growing medium-sized businesses that need HR, benefits and compliance support along with payroll.

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Read Forbes' Review

Wave Payroll is an add-on to Wave’s invoicing and accounting platform for solo businesses and agencies. It includes basic payroll services for small businesses and is easy to learn and use, though it’s far less robust than Paychex or Paychex Flex.

Wave offers payroll processing in all 50 states, but only pays and files taxes for you in 14 states. Its pricing depends on whether you’re in a tax-service state or not:

• Tax-service state:$40 plus $6 per employee per month
• Self-service state:$20 plus $6 per employee per month

Wave Payroll is available for desktop and mobile web, and you can manage invoicing through the mobile app for iOS and Android.

Learn more: Read our full Wave Payroll review.

Who should use it:

Wave is designed for individuals and small businesses that need flexibility and ease managing their finances. It may be a more flexible solution than Paychex for consultants and solo entrepreneurs with a fluctuating roster of employees and contractors.