Best Payroll and Benefits Software Solutions in 2025

Easy to use. Provided sign up incentives. Respected brand.

Colleagues had experience with ADP in the past and were lobbying for the company to make a change. We have made that change and then continued to increase the services that we were obtaining from them. It has been a positive experience. The vendor is exceeding our expectations. We don't foresee making changes in the near future.

It is a big company so you don't always feel like an important customer. We often deal with different people at the company. It would be nice to have one consistent contact.

The breadth of products that it offers is important to us. We know it has quality products and services.

A company with a long track record. Incentives to move to it. Suggested enhancements to the products.

It is continually updating its service offerings with improvements. It contacts us for associated products and services that may assist our business.

Small to medium business.

Gusto has a user-friendly and intuitive interface for basic payroll and onboarding functions. Their app is easy for our employees to understand and navigate. They integrate with several other third-party apps, such as Checkr for background checks and Guideline for 401k plans.

My company purchased Gusto because it was recommended to us by our CPA as a great payroll provider for small businesses. We needed to find a way to automate as much of the payroll process as possible. We looked for software that would file new hire reports for us, automate the onboarding experience, and pay our employees accurately and on time. We also needed something easy to use and that had the option to integrate with other frequently used apps. I have used Gusto for over two years.

I have experienced several "bugs" when we have unique issues with employees, such as messages indicating an overdue payroll from a year previous after entering an employee's promotion. Their customer service team is available during business hours for calls, but I have been given inadequate solutions several times when speaking with one of these representatives. Their reporting function is very limited and doesn't allow for complex custom reports.

Gusto is an affordable solution for small businesses that don't require complex reporting. If you have a company with 50 employees or less, it may be a great solution. I have used other payroll and HRIS systems, such as ADP, Paychex, and Paylocity, which have more advanced capabilities, and I would recommend one of those for mid- to large-sized companies. The biggest difference between Gusto and these other systems is the ability to create custom reports and formulate data analytics as a tool for talent acquisition planning.

If you're in the market for a tool like this, consider the size of your business and what you will be using the tool for. If you're operating a small business and just want the basics covered, a platform like Gusto may be affordable and practical. If you want the ability to create data analytics and grow your talent, you'll need a system with advanced custom reporting capabilities. Government-required reports such as OSHA 300 and annual EEOC reporting will require data each year, so you'll want to have a tool to handle these needs without manual number crunching.

Gusto meets virtually with customers on a quarterly basis to review their accounts and ensure customers are aware of all the capabilities they have access to. They accept feedback and send ticket requests to their support team for consideration when updates are requested. Since I started using Gusto, they've expanded by giving companies the ability to address employee performance, send out monthly anonymous employee surveys, and upgraded their payroll entry process so that data can be imported from other apps.

Small to mid-sized businesses without complex reporting needs will find Gusto very helpful.

Paylocity offers many pre-loaded reports, which were useful for targeting specific metrics. The interface is user-friendly and has many valuable features. Having the opportunity to participate in a demo with a representative to walk through Paylocity’s functionality was extremely helpful. Additionally, the function that automatically posts new vacancies to multiple job sites, like Indeed and Monster, was very convenient.

Our company switched to Paylocity after acquiring another franchise. The acquired company already used Paylocity, and it was part of the contract that we would keep and integrate it with our existing employees. I have used it for about two years. However, there were numerous issues on payday, with several instances where paychecks were deposited into the wrong accounts.

While customer support was promised to be excellent, it was often difficult to find solutions when problems arose. The demo of the software was impressive, and the sales team did a great job, which is understandable why people might choose it, but the ongoing functionality can become frustrating when the same mistakes occur repeatedly.

Customer service frequently experienced turnover, making it difficult to find knowledgeable support, which was frustrating. Often, I found that I knew more than the representatives assisting me. We also encountered several instances where an employee’s pay was deposited into the wrong account, which was a significant concern that needed prompt resolution. Lastly, the frequent misalignment of cost centers was a constant issue, taking up a considerable amount of time to correct.

Paylocity has a very user-friendly interface compared to other tools I’ve used. The ability to provide demo training for onboarding new corporate individuals from other brands was a great advantage. However, once our account manager left, it became challenging to bring new users up to speed.

Consider your organization’s specific needs and take detailed notes during demos. Paylocity offers many training advantages, but it’s essential to have clear expectations of what you need from the tool.

Before I left the company, there was talk of introducing a texting feature, which seemed like a valuable addition.

I would recommend Paylocity for larger organizations. It offers a wide range of features that can be useful for payroll, onboarding, recruiting, labor management, and more.

Deel simplifies the hiring process, particularly for contractors, making it incredibly user-friendly. The compliance features are invaluable, keeping us informed of legal changes across different countries. Moreover, the platform itself is straightforward and easy to navigate.

Our organization needed a system that would enable us to quickly hire contractors in Europe while scaling with our growth. Deel was chosen for its clarity, ease of setup, and cost-effectiveness. Initially, it was used for managing our European contractors, but as we transitioned from contractors to full-time employees, Deel's capacity to handle EOR and contractors across multiple countries proved ideal. We have been using Deel for just over a year, starting with contractors and recently expanding to include EOR services for our European employees.

Navigating the platform can sometimes be confusing when trying to locate specific features. Currently, Deel does not support adding US employees, necessitating separate HRIS systems for our US and international staff. Additionally, we occasionally encounter unexpected fees.

Deel offers a more affordable solution compared to its competitors, although it's important to consider potential hidden fees. While the platform's overall look and functionality are similar to others in the market, the differences are relatively minor.

When considering a tool like Deel, evaluate your hiring needs outside the US. Inquire about all potential costs, including benefits and administrative fees. Also, plan strategically for the countries you intend to hire in, as adding multiple countries can complicate the process.

Deel is actively developing new features aimed at becoming a comprehensive solution for US-based employers managing international hires. This ongoing evolution is geared towards creating a single platform that can accommodate a variety of HR needs.

Deel is exceptionally well-suited for SMBs to small enterprise businesses that need an efficient platform for managing contractors. It offers simplicity and ease of use that is ideal for businesses at this scale.

• Easy Onboarding - Remote does make onboarding hires in remote locations quite easy.
• Online Portal - great to have all the hires from all international locations in one place.
• Expenses - easy for employees and companies to track/pay expenses.

With a shortage of talent in the U.S., our firm needed to hire in locations where we did not have an entity. Global EORs offer a way to do that without setting up a legal entity first. Remote was an up-and-coming player in the space that made getting setup much faster, less complex than traditional partners like Velocity Global. We have used the system for approximately 2 years now.

• Billing/Invoicing - Remote has had multiple billing errors in our invoices and their system is incredibly confusing for reconciling what is outstanding vs. the errors they have made.
• Management - Remote has changed management recently and they have changed terms & conditions from our original invoices and have taken away promotions by saying they were "introductory promotions" rather than the "negotiated terms" like we originally discussed.

Remote was a leader in simplicity when we first began using their services a couple of years ago. Now, I believe certain competitors have caught up and surpassed them.

• Cash flow - these services require upfront payment for payroll so be prepared to pay month end payroll by the 17th of that month.
• Terminating employees - Employment laws vary country by country. Remote is offering a service to make it easier on your company to hire elsewhere; however, terminating employees can be quite difficult.

Remote was very startup friendly 2 years ago. Their management has changed and their culture has changed drastically. It is no longer a customer-focused culture going above and beyond to win customers.

Remote is good for an established company in search of a way to explore hiring people in other regions of the world.

• Billing: Paycor billed per employee at an agreed-upon rate.
• Onboarding: The user-friendly process made it easy for new hires.
• Reports: The system provided the ability to run reports or request custom reports from a Paycor representative.
• Support: A dedicated representative was available, along with a support team if the primary rep was unavailable.

My organization purchased Paycor because it provided solutions for payroll and HRIS, including applicant tracking, onboarding, benefits, open enrollment, and performance management. I used Paycor for three years.

As the payroll administrator, I worked with Kronos to migrate biometric data (clock-in/out punches) into Paycor to process payroll. Additionally, I entered bi-weekly bonus payouts.

With Paycor, I also established a paperless open enrollment process and transitioned to an online platform. Paycor representatives assisted in setting up benefit vendor accounts for direct feed when payroll was processed, ensuring vendors received payment for employee benefits.

• System Issues: There were challenges with direct feed processing to vendors for payments.
• Support: The frequent turnover of dedicated reps made it difficult to establish continuity. Once we became comfortable with a rep, they would leave, requiring us to repeatedly acclimate new representatives to our business operations.
• Reports: The system did not allow data to be frozen in time for reporting. For example, if I ran a job title or salary report for 2003, it would display current data rather than historical information from that year.

The company transitioned from Paycor to Paycom. I prefer Paycom because it provides accurate historical reporting and has more consistent support staff.

Gather clear input from the departments that will use the tool the most to ensure it meets their needs. Ask the sales representative detailed questions—if they frequently need to check with someone else, they may not be knowledgeable enough about the product. Request a demonstration in demo mode to confirm that the tool will meet expectations and solve your specific challenges.

I have not used Paycor since the company transitioned to Paycom. However, since they are still in business, I assume they have made updates and continue to serve satisfied customers.

Paycor is well-suited for small to medium-sized companies with up to 150 employees.

Rippling is user-friendly; you do not need to be a programmer to be able to program functions on this platform. You can contribute ideas for new features or functionality. Their customer service is better than most HRIS systems.

The organization had been using an HRIS system that did not have the robust reporting, automations, or customer service they were looking for. I used Rippling with the company for about a year and a half as a super admin. We found Rippling's customer service superior to the previous system we had been using.

Implementation was easy, but I strongly recommend that someone who has done implementations previously spearhead an implementation to help bridge where you were with a previous system to where you want to go with Rippling. Setting up workflows and automations is easy in Rippling, and their technical advisors are always willing to hop on a call to walk you through any issues that you may need additional help with.

We started using Rippling as the HRIS/payroll for our US team but quickly added the Canadian team. We used it largely for headcount and reporting for all other global teams.

Only one workflow in the core plan; everything else is an upgrade. Rippling often uses their customers for BETA testing without letting them know (Rippling told us they had functionality for payroll in another country when they did NOT). It feels like they are constantly trying to upsell you and get more money out of you.

The tool is one of my favorites so far. It is very easy to use, but when you get stuck on something, they will provide live support to walk you through. Most other HRIS systems are very helpful through implementation but are hard to reach once you have completed.

People need to think about the implementation process; the new tool is probably not going to look or act like the old tool. Definitely ask if there is a demo account and work through it to see how it works.

Think about where your company is now versus where you expect to be in five years. Will the tool grow with you? How much additional expenditure will be required to scale it with your business? If there are new functions you will need to purchase in the future, will the additional expense work with your scaling budget?

Rippling is very good at taking requests from customers for new functionality. For the most part, Rippling employees only know Rippling; they don't know other platforms. So they don't know how you used XYZ brand prior and how the change in process affected your business.

Rippling is good for organizations with a growing or evolving workforce. It can house all historical HR documents, send revised documents out with the click of a button, and update workflows easily.

1. It minimizes mistakes during payroll runs.
2. It allows for unlimited payroll runs.
3. I also appreciate the automated tax filings.

We were looking for software to help streamline our tax processes. OnPay offers an automated tax system that handles most of the work, and it also allows us to run unlimited payrolls. This feature was crucial for us since we have multiple shifts within our organization. With OnPay, we found that these two pain points became much more manageable. I have personally used this platform for over two years.

1. I wish there was more flexibility in drilling down into specific reports.
2. The company’s customer support could be better.
3. The pricing structure could also use improvement.

The payroll runs and automated tax filings are two specific features that set OnPay apart from its competitors.

If you're facing increased payroll runs that add extra costs per month, I would certainly consider this platform for your organization. This feature handles most of the heavy lifting regarding payroll, saving you time and effort. The automated tax filings are also a significant benefit for any business looking to streamline this process, reducing the workload for your HR or Accounting/Finance departments.

From my experience, the overall customer service has improved significantly. Getting support when needed, even for simple questions, has become easier since I started using the platform.

OnPay is well-suited for any organization or industry, particularly small to medium-sized businesses.

Paychex is easy to use and has an aesthetically pleasing interface. I appreciate the communication features it offers. My favorite part is being able to manage payroll, timekeeping, and document distribution all in one place.

My organization wanted to cut costs and upgrade our payroll system. After reviewing several options, we chose Paychex primarily for its features and pricing. This program allows us to create user profiles for as many administrators as needed. Training was also a challenge for us, but Paychex provides tutorials and a dedicated 1-800 support line. I have personally used it for over three years.

There isn’t much I would change. However, having a dedicated account manager to meet with directly would be helpful. I do appreciate the dedicated 1-800 support line and quick response times.

I prefer the ease of use and navigation of Paychex over its competitors. I also appreciate the mobile applications and the integrated chatbot for quick support.

You should consider how much time you want to spend managing payroll and HR tasks within the app. It’s important to decide whether you prefer a software-based solution or outsourcing to a payroll company. Additionally, determine whether you want to handle IRS payments and tax filings yourself or have them managed by the service.

The biggest improvements over the years have been the addition of job posting features and salary benchmarks. The AI chatbot has also been a great addition, helping me find quick answers efficiently.

Paychex is well-suited for small to medium-sized businesses.

• User-friendliness is the main pro we find when using Quickbooks.
• It’s been very easy to train my HR employees how to send and receive invoices.
• It’s linked to our bank.
• It gives the option for people to pay via ACH when sending out invoices (easy for them to pay with a touch of a button).

When my organization was looking for options to help quickly get out invoices to our clients they thought Quickbooks would be the perfect solution. We have now successfully been using Quickbooks for 10 years for our invoicing needs as well as AR reporting which helps our HR team run smoothly.

• Sometimes it runs slow if more than one user are in the software at a time.
• Connectivity issues will happen at times which could make it frustrating to use when you are in a hurry.
• You have to add in other apps to be able to use all the functionality of Quickbooks and pay further pricing.

The only other software we have tried in the past was NetSuite, and we ultimately decided to go with Quickbooks due to its pricing and ease of use. NetSuite did have more functionality but overall we liked the way Quickbooks worked with our company’s needs.

They should figure out what they specifically want to use the tool for, and make sure they do their research and pick the correct type of Quickbooks so they can easily work through what they need to get done.

The website itself has changed over the years but in a good way! We feel it is super easy to navigate and works for our business needs.

Really any corporate type of business that needs to send invoices out to customers, our organization does staffing and recruiting and we rely on Quickbooks to be able to send out invoices to clients.

I love the aspect of streamlining Paycom and Payroll. Another pro to utilizing Paycom is the electronic version of personnel files. The recruiting tool in Paycom is another great tool to help with any organization's recruiting and hiring needs!

Our organization originally did not have a HRIS system. One of the major selling points to the organization is that Paycom offers a seamless transition to make all of our HR personnel files digital along with many other HR options to help streamline all HR processes. In addition, we added a function within Paycom to ensure our payroll was efficient and easy to work through each pay period. Paycom also offered our hourly employees an app to help make it easier to clock in and out during the work shift. This was a key function as many employees were offsite and other locations other than headquarters.

There has been a few times were the dedicated account manager took longer to get back to specific questions that I would have liked.

Paycom offers a lot more functionally. The implementation process was not too difficult company-wise. And the price is a vary fair investment.

If your organization is thinking about utilizing its first HRIS system. If your company wants a user-friendly payroll system.

It has added many functions, including pieces of training, performance reviews, and tracking attendance.

Any organization that is mid-sized or a corporation.

1. The tool ensures compliance with employment legislation across different countries.
2. It handles payroll functions, including currency and tax laws, specific to each country.
3. The platform provides a unified experience for all employees globally, which can be managed from a central location.

The organization I worked for needed to streamline its payroll and HR platform to cover all global locations. We were struggling to manage payroll efficiently while complying with various employment laws. The financial burden of maintaining multiple teams to oversee these functions was also a concern, as it was costly to ensure accuracy and compliance. Payroll was our primary focus, so we sought a platform that could handle these tasks without requiring a large, expensive team in each country. We have used this tool for several years now, with significant improvements in efficiency and cost savings.

1. The primary support is via chat, which can be inconvenient during urgent situations.
2. The cost might not be suitable for startups or small businesses.
3. The learning curve is steep for large companies, requiring significant time to implement and integrate fully.

Papayaglobal offers a globally integrated service that ensures compliance with employment and tax legislation. Compared to similar tools, it is user-friendly once you become familiar with it. The ability to manage all employee functions from headquarters on a single platform distinguishes it from others, making it a valuable investment.

Papayaglobal is ideal for large companies with multiple global locations seeking a unified platform for HR and payroll management. It is particularly beneficial if you want to manage these functions centrally while providing a consistent experience for all employees.

Papayaglobal has become more user-friendly and has expanded its support options. It now offers more integrations with other software, making it even more versatile and useful.

Papayaglobal is excellent for large, multi-location organizations. It is particularly useful for companies with global operations looking to consolidate HR and payroll functions into a single team at their headquarters.

I really liked the fact that our staff, who had never used any kind of HRIS before, was able to pick up on this so easily and didn't have trouble or need intensive instruction. I also liked the degree to which they were able to solve problems and access information on their own. I also felt the onboarding features were robust and easy to use.

At the time we switched to Namely we didn't have an HRIS and were manually doing everything from onboarding to payroll. Since we were growing, we needed a proper system. It definitely made things like reporting and providing employee data far more efficient and accurate. Also, the onboarding process was easy and saved a lot of time and prevented overlooked details and errors. The staff also liked using it and clocking in and out became easier with fewer mistakes. Once it was all set up, running payroll, making payroll changes, and accessing payroll records was much faster, easier and problems became rare. I used it for a year.

When I needed customer service, it wasn't the best I have ever experienced or the quickest, with a lot of different representatives involved of varying knowledge and understanding. I think better built in help resources would improve the product overall. I didn't find the benefits administration easy to use either.

I have used many similar tools and feel like Namely is a solid system compared to similar products. I don't think it is the very best, as it did lack some features such as an ATS, but for a smaller company these may not be as needed. The ease of use was a bit better than others, but the customer support needed improvement. Overall, I was happy with it.

People should consider what features they may need, and compare them to similar tools, since there are similar products with more features. Also, they should consider the size of the company, since Namely is best for small to medium sized organizations. If people are without any kind of tool like this, they should consider the cost involved is worth the many efficiencies they will gain from employing Namely.

In the time I used Namely, I think they did improve the customer service somewhat, which was a problem in the beginning. This is important because the work done in Namely is often time sensitive, such as payroll, and problems can have a major impact on staff, so customer service is critical.

I think this is perfect for small companies with employees who need an easy-to-use tool. It is great for companies who have never used a system like this before because the user interface is very intuitive.