Whether you’re already a Paylocity user and looking for an upgrade or are just getting started in your HR software search, we’ve put together a list of Paylocity competitors to help you through the selection process:
Take a look at our HR Software Guide to learn about other top HR and payroll software solutions.
What are the top Paylocity competitor?
| Key differentiator | Starting price | Free trial? | ||
| RUN Powered by ADP | Best for small businesses | Contact vendor | Yes | Try RUN |
| Rippling | Best for global workforce management | $8/user/mo. | Demo only | Try Rippling |
| BambooHR | Best for customer support and satisfaction | Contact vendor | Yes | Try BambooHR |
| Workday HCM | Best for analytics and reporting | Contact vendor | Demo only | Try Workday |
| Paycom | Best for employee self-service | Contact vendor | Demo only | Try Paycom |
RUN Powered by ADP: Best for small businesses
RUN Powered by ADP is a purpose-built HR and payroll solution for small businesses. It includes features for payroll, tax and compliance management, job posting, garnishments, employee handbook creation, employee training, and more.
In user reviews, customers have praised the solution’s overall ease of use, especially for automated tax filing and compliance support across all 50 U.S. states.
Learn more about RUN Powered by ADP →
User-friendly mobile app
The RUN Powered by ADP mobile app is one of ADP’s latest features and is already highly rated. Admin users can run payroll, build and review reports, add users, and access 24/7 support through the mobile app.
Tax filing and compliance support
Users benefit from automatic tax calculations and filing, as well as automatic updates when tax and compliance laws change. Other tax and compliance features include benefit and retirement deduction calculations, AI-powered error detection, W-2 and 1099 creation, and overtime alerts.
Relevant add-ons
For users who need more than what the four main RUN plans provide, a few different add-ons are available for integration. These add-ons address business needs such as business insurance, health benefits, retirement solutions, and time and scheduling.
ADP does not transparently list pricing information for any of its RUN Powered by ADP plans. However, some online user reviews indicate that pricing starts with a base of around $59 and an added $4 per employee per month.
Four plans are available for RUN:
- Essential Payroll
- Enhanced Payroll
- Complete Payroll & HR+
- HR Pro Payroll & HR
ADP is also offering three months of free access to users who sign up for small business payroll processing. For the most accurate, up-to-date pricing information, prospective buyers will need to speak with an ADP representative directly.
RUN Powered by ADP is designed with a user-friendly interface and a clean admin dashboard view, making it a great fit for small businesses and organizations just getting started with this type of software. Tax and compliance features are built-in, comprehensive, and easy to use.
Additionally, RUN Powered by ADP supports automated payroll runs and provides step-by-step tips to admins as they run payroll.
Rippling: Best for global workforce management
Rippling is a leading HRIS solution for businesses with globally distributed workforces. While many of its features are designed for midmarket and enterprise businesses that have larger global and remote teams, the platform also has features that work well for smaller businesses: PEO services, for example.
Customers have the option to sign up for any combination of Rippling’s modules they need, but all users must pay for access to Rippling’s base platform, Rippling Unity.
Global payroll and workforce management
Global features are available that support payroll, benefits administration, and time and labor management in over 140 countries. Highlights of Rippling’s global capabilities include automated global tax filing, tailored benefits and worker policies, global analytics dashboards, and automated notifications for local wage, overtime, and leave requirements.
PEO services
Rippling offers professional employer organization HR administration and benefits features to organizations that don’t have in-house HR support. Services in this program include payroll runs, IT management, access to better health insurance plans, EPLI coverage, and pay-as-you-go workers’ comp insurance.
Talent management
Rippling’s talent management module can be used for recruiting, onboarding, and employee learning. Features include one-click job posting, custom hiring workflows, automated onboarding, and both pre-made and custom learning courses.
On Rippling’s pricing page, the company advertises that pricing starts at $8 per user per month. Customer reviews have indicated that this monthly price is accurate for certain HR Cloud modules, while others are more expensive. Regardless of what module(s) users select, they must also pay a base platform fee of approximately $35 to access Rippling Unity.
Modules in the HR Cloud include:
- US and Global Full-Service Payroll.
- Time & Attendance.
- Benefits Administration.
- Flex Benefits: FSA, HSA & Commuter.
- ACA & COBRA Administration.
- Applicant Tracking.
- Learning Management.
- Pulse.
- HR Help Desk: HR Support.
- PEO Services.
- Global Employer of Record Services.
- Headcount Planning.
- Compensation Bands.
Prospective buyers will need to request a quote directly from the Rippling team for more specific pricing information.
Though Rippling may not cover quite as many countries as Paylocity does with its global workforce management features, its features are more comprehensive and better suited to global teams’ unique needs.
Rippling particularly excels with its speedy global onboarding, localized compliance policies and administration, and unified reporting capabilities. Additionally, Rippling has more accessible customer service support and remote device management capabilities than Paylocity.
BambooHR: Best for customer support and satisfaction
BambooHR is an all-in-one HR suite with features that suit both small businesses and enterprises. The platform features tools for employee experience and performance management; payroll, time, and benefits management; hiring and onboarding; and data management and reporting.
Beyond these core features, users can also take advantage of the BambooHR Integration Marketplace, which connects the software to third-party communication and recruitment tools like Slack, Indeed, Checkr, and Greenhouse.
Reporting and analytics
BambooHR’s reporting and analytics tools are easy to use and come with a number of visualization and reporting options. Most notably, BambooHR comes with 49 built-in reports that users have reviewed favorably.
Employee experience and performance management
Beyond traditional performance management features, BambooHR’s employee experience tools dive deep into overall employee satisfaction. Features include anonymous check-in surveys, eNPS scoring, and employee experience overview charts.
Onboarding and offboarding tools
BambooHR completely digitizes the onboarding and offboarding process with easy-to-use tools. Features include onboarding and new hire packet templates, built-in e-signature capabilities, compliant offboarding checklists, and turnover analytics.
BambooHR does not transparently discuss prices on its pricing page. The BambooHR Platform is available in two different plan options:
- Essentials: Includes employee records, standard reporting, time-off management, mobile app access, employee self-service, and email support.
- Advantage: Includes everything in the Essentials plan as well as onboarding and offboarding tools, applicant tracking system access, e-signatures, employee surveys, training tracking, customizable reports, phone and chat support, and open API access.
Users also have the option to pay for BambooHR’s add-on packages for payroll, benefits administration, performance management, and time tracking. Additionally, interested users can sign up for a free trial that gives them access to many BambooHR features. For specific pricing information, prospective buyers will need to request a price quote from the BambooHR team.
BambooHR is known for its strong customer support offerings and frequently receives glowing customer reviews in this area. The platform also has a stronger native applicant tracking system and more user-friendly employee experience tools than Paylocity does.
Workday HCM: Best for analytics and reporting
Workday HCM is a suite of human capital management solutions that is ideal for enterprises looking for comprehensive people management solutions. The platform includes some traditional HR software modules for human resource management and employee experience, but it goes beyond most SMB HR solutions to include case management, workforce planning, and ML-powered analytics.
Machine learning and intelligent automation are built into all corners of this solution, helping HR admins align talent with specific roles, augment analytics with contextual explanations, streamline payroll runs, and create smarter schedules for frontline employees.
Learn more about Workday HCM →
Augmented analytics
Workday People Analytics is an AI-augmented solution for understanding workforce data across diversity, retention, performance, hiring, and a variety of other organizational KPIs. The tool identifies anomalies, contextualizes data, and creates narratives to explain trends across different metrics.
Employee self-service
Workday’s native natural language processing (NLP) makes it so employees can ask questions and get helpful answers directly within and from the platform. Admins can boost employee self-service via case creation and status tracking.
Compensation management
This Workday HCM feature can be used to manage regular pay, bonuses, merit boosts, and other compensation formats in one place. Features include pay equity dashboards, compensation analysis tools, compensation program creation, and support for executive and sales incentive compensation.
Workday does not transparently discuss Workday HCM pricing on its website. User comments on exact Workday HCM costs vary, though nearly all user reviews mention that Workday HCM is an enterprise-level solution and one of the most expensive HRIS platforms on the market. Prospective buyers will need to contact Workday directly for specific pricing information.
Workday HCM provides advanced analytics, dashboards, and visualizations that outperform Paylocity and most other HRIS solutions in this area. Machine learning and intelligent automation are also built into a number of Workday HCM features, enhancing the software’s automated workflows and the depth of its reporting. Workday HCM is highly scalable and one of the best options for enterprise-level businesses.
Paycom: Best for employee self-service
Paycom is an online payroll and HR software solution that shares many feature similarities with Paylocity. However, it really sets itself apart from other solutions in this market with employee-first features that cover everything from payroll cards to an intuitive, mobile-friendly employee self-service portal.
Paycom works for businesses of all sizes and industrial backgrounds, but it has a particularly large presence among healthcare, finance, manufacturing, professional services, retail, and hospitality organizations.
Payroll self-service
Paycom offers a number of self-service and unique payroll features that are ideal for employees in all kinds of roles, including hourly workers. Users can take advantage of Beti, everyday pay, and a company-provided payroll card; each of these features either expedites or otherwise simplifies the process of getting paid.
Other employee self-service features
Employees can manage and track various aspects of their work through the employee self-service portal, accessible via desktop or mobile app. Employees can request time off, clock in and out, enroll in benefits, submit receipts for reimbursement, track mileage, complete learning courses, and review their documents through the self-service portal.
Manager on-the-Go mobile app features
With the manager-centric mobile app, managers don’t need to login in order to handle various admin tasks on their mobile devices. Managers can view and update schedules, view job applications and resumes, move candidates through hiring processes, review and approve employee PTO, and review various employee demographic data.
Paycom does not transparently discuss its pricing plans on the Paycom website. Some user reviews have indicated that Paycom is priced with a custom base fee — dependent on how often your organization runs payroll — and then a per-employee-per-paycheck charge is added on top of that. Prospective buyers will need to contact Paycom directly for specific pricing information.
Paylocity includes a variety of features that focus on employee self-service and the employee user experience, including Beti for automated, DIY payroll; the Vault payroll card for quicker pay access; and the everyday pay option. Beyond its highly praised payroll and self-service features, Paycom also has a capable ATS solution and is generally considered easier to use than Paylocity.
What are the limitations of Paylocity?
Paylocity provides effective HR and payroll modules for businesses of all sizes, but its overall structure and approach to initial setup and training are not the best fit for everyone. If you’re trying to choose between Paylocity and other top HR management systems, keep these Paylocity limitations in mind during the selection process:
Choosing the right Paylocity alternative for your business
Paylocity is a well-rounded and highly-rated HR and payroll solution, but there are a number of alternatives that may be a better fit for your organization, depending on your specific requirements.
If you’re still trying to decide if Paylocity or a different HR solution is the best fit for your business, check out our HR Software Guide for additional guidance.
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