Paychex Competitors: 5 Best Alternatives (2023)

Paychex competitors are available for small businesses in need of human resource and payroll support. The alternatives offer a variety of tools and options. Paychex has customizable plans. It is scalable to fit small businesses as they grow. Unfortunately most companies of this size have a hard time affording the price tag and need a Paychex competitor. Thankfully there are plenty of choices out there to meet all your HR and payroll solutions.

The 5 Best Paychex Competitors

Here is a list of the top Paychex competitors in 2023. A few come decked out with all the bells and whistles like global support. Others keep costs down with limited HR and payroll features. If your business is still small or if it is growing you can find a Paychex alternative that’s right for your budget. All of the following softwares are currently available to purchase if you are looking for companies like Paychex to compare and contract.

• Paycor: Best for employers needing an all-in-one HR platform with a configurable payroll solution.
• Gusto: Best for small businesses primarily requiring payroll software.
• Rippling: Best for tech companies and businesses needing HR, payroll, and hardware/software onboarding tools.
• QuickBooks Payroll: Best for QuickBooks accounting users and companies preferring same-day direct deposits.
• TriNet Zenefits (formerly Zenefits): Best for businesses in highly-regulated industries wanting strong compliance and HR support.

Paychex vs Alternatives

5 Best Paychex Alternatives

All of the following ADP competitors are available to small businesses. Some have more advanced features that will cost extra. Others come with built in tools for HR, accounting, payroll, and additional benefits. Weigh the pros and cons for each of the payroll companies listed.

Paycor: Best for employers needing an all-in-one HR platform with a configurable payroll solution.

There’s no limit on payroll runs with this Paychex competitor. Paycor has fully integrated features for HR and payroll. Check the cost first because it might be a bit much for a small business’ budget.

pros

• Payroll runs are unlimited.
• Pay stubs and pay grid are customizable.
• Discounts available to waive installation and set up costs.

cons

• Expensive.
• Limited HR features in the basic tier.
• Onboarding only comes with a premium plan.

Gusto: Best for small businesses primarily requiring payroll software. 

Gusto is a reasonably cost-efficient Paychex competitor. For an affordable price your company will have unlimited pay runs in addition to automated tax payments and filings. The price goes up if you need time tracking and onboarding features limited to the higher tiers.

pros

• Payroll runs are unlimited.
• Affordable plans for small businesses.
• Payroll plans available for contractors.

cons

• Only 37 states have health insurance plans.
• Job posting does not have expansive reach.
• Tools for onboarding and time tracking only in pricier tiers.

Rippling: Best for tech companies and businesses needing HR, payroll, and hardware/software onboarding tools. 

This Paychex competitor functions as a PEO when you want it to while still retaining payroll and HR features. The interface is user friendly with integration functionality offering 500 options. The downside is that if you want to pay your staff the options available are incredibly minimal.

pros

• International contractor payroll available.
• PEO options included.
• Integration options are vast and of high quality.

cons

• Additional fees come with added tools.
• Extra cost to get HR customer support via phone and email.
• Employee payment choices are few.

QuickBooks Payroll: Best for QuickBooks accounting users and companies preferring same-day direct deposits. 

A Paychex competitor that makes paying employees easy and fast. With the integration of QuickBooks accounting you can rest assured that the numbers are all adding up in your small business. For human resource solutions you should shop around for other Paychex alternatives than QuickBooks Payroll.

pros

• Payroll runs are unlimited.
• Direct deposit features include the same and next day.
• Tax penalty protection program.

cons

• Low quality customer support.
• Limited HR tools.
• Tax protection and filing only in highest priced plans.

TriNet Zenefits (formerly Zenefits): Best for businesses in highly-regulated industries wanting strong compliance and HR support.

This is the Paychex alternative you need if calendaring is a key goal in your small business. That’s because all plans come with scheduling and time tracking at no additional cost. What you will pay more for are the add-on tools to do payroll.

pros

• Payroll runs are unlimited.
• User friendly interface.
• High quality features include compliance, communications, and engagement.

cons

• Additional fee to have payroll tool.
• No contractor-only payroll capabilities.
• 5 employee minimum required for HR add-ons.

How We Evaluated Paychex Competitors

This list judges companies like Paychex for all the tools and features they offer. Services analyzed included tax filing, HR functionality, hiring processes, and if the platform was a PEO. Each Paychex competitor listed allows small businesses to decide if the software fits their budget and size. The Paychex alternatives are some of the best options available to companies that are start-ups or have minimal staff. All organizations should research which of these platforms meets their needs.

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