Best Payroll and Benefits Vendors - 2024

• I like that you can use one platform to run multiple payrolls for different countries.
• I like that they make hiring contractors in other countries easier.
• I like that they make understanding other countries' payroll and employment laws easy with all sorts of helpful resources.

Our small start-up company of under 50 employees was looking to hire international consultants in various areas, mainly Canada, Brazil, and later Poland and Ireland. We've used Deel for about 2 years now mainly for contract management and international payroll, and used their PEO and Employer of Record services as well. The key benefit is being able to hire great talent outside of the US and being protected and advised around payroll and employment laws for various countries.

• I dislike their reporting function as it's essentially just Excel and doesn't allow for advanced filtering/reporting.
• I dislike that the integration with Rippling is a bit wonky. Some employee info will flow in, but not all.
• I dislike that making changes in contracts can be difficult and that the e-signature capability is not great.

I believe that Deel is the best in class in terms of international hiring/payroll/compliance/PEO. They have a great team behind getting the system of hiring set up in each individual country. Their customer service is really great and they are great consultants that help you meet your goals. If you use their PEO or Employer of Record service it can be costly depending on where you're hiring.

• Location of Hiring - Depending on where you're hiring, Deel may not support that region so it's important to take a look at which areas they cover. They do cover most major areas of international hiring.
• Cost - Overall it's an affordable and effective system for international payroll. It does sit outside of the HRIS ( if you use one) so that's something to think about as an additional cost.
• HRIS Compatibility - It's also important to think about the compatibility with your HRIS, otherwise you have a lot of data sitting outside of your HRIS which you can manually upload through CSV reports.

In the time that I used Deel, they developed their PEO availability regions. I believe they do a good job at customer listening, and their team is extremely attentive.

Deel is great for small to medium-sized businesses that are looking to quickly expand internationally. It's also important to note that in each new location you're hiring in, if you're looking to have a hiring hub of 20+ more employees in that particular company, using Deel may only be a short-term solution. But for quick hires, small hiring hubs, and hiring consultants across countries, it's a great platform.

The interface is user-friendly. Benefits deductions are seamlessly integrated with payroll processing. I appreciate how support tickets are efficiently tracked within Gusto.

Our small business needed a cost-effective payroll solution, and Gusto provided an affordable option. We've been using it for just under a year to manage payroll for our two employees. We also needed a solution for direct 401k deductions from our payroll, which has allowed us to save on taxes with pre-tax deductions.

I am not pleased that the support team seems to be outsourced outside of the USA, which occasionally makes me question the accuracy of the information provided. Also, I wish I didn't have to use one of their partners to integrate our 401k plan.

Gusto's interface is superior to many competitors with its ease of use and straightforward setup. It intuitively understands my needs without requiring setup in multiple areas to achieve the desired functionality.

Gusto might not be ideal for larger companies. It can be challenging to manage frequent payroll changes due to the platform's complexity in this area.

Since I am relatively new to using Gusto, I am not familiar with its historical changes or updates.

Gusto is very well-suited for small businesses with fewer than 20 employees.

• Remote provides the basic information needed to investigate employment in a new country.
• The documents are freely available and in clear language.
• All foreign employees and contractors are managed in one tool.
• Remote is ideal for initial foreign expansion.

My previous company (at the time of writing, I have left the company) intended to grow within Europe. The goal was to have a small team of employees in multiple European countries. As each country has its own unique social laws, and we did not have an entity in every country, we needed a partner to support us with this growth. Remote provided this solution. They act as an intermediary partner, take employees onto their payroll, and support you with specialized HR topics unique to each country.

• Remote's pricing is high—it is good if you only employ a few people per country, but once the team expands, it is better to have your own entity.
• There is limited customization, as most processes must follow the structure provided by Remote.
• In some countries, Remote works with subsidiaries, which can slow down the onboarding process.

We chose Remote because of its clear pricing and the intuitiveness of the tool.

People need to keep the following in mind:

• In which countries do we want to employ people?
• How many people do we want to employ per country?
• Are we going to open a legal entity or not?

I’m not sure as I haven’t used Remote for long.

Remote is good for organizations looking to expand into multiple countries with small teams, without the hassle of legal administration.

I like that our data sits in one place - makes it easier to find. I especially like the link to e-verify, that brings me peace of mind. I also enjoy the way the user experience is set up for the pay profile.

I was not a part of the organization when they decided to begin using ADP. My understanding is, we were using a PEO, and decided to move in-house utilizing the ADP tool. It's been great for payroll and for onboarding employees. I have used it for 2.5 years at this organization within HR, and as a user at other companies. ADP has been great for managing benefits, employee pay statements, etc. It is nice to have a system that employees can self-serve.

I am not sure if I am unaware or if we just haven't done this, but I wish ADP linked to our HRIS. It has been difficult to enter manual data and an integration would be helpful. Sometimes, I also feel like the user experience as a whole is a bit wonky. It is not always the most intuitive tool to use.

I have not really used other competitors, so I can't speak to this question.

Consider integrations with your HRIS and how that would work - how manual would your processes be? Ask yourself how open enrollment could benefit from this tool. Additionally, consider how employees would find the user experience. Consider which options you will utilize and how you will communicate about them. Also, talk to ADP about what their customer service setup will look like for your organization, what will the level of support be?

The e-verify feature has been a big one. It’s been great to have that functionality for our business.

I'd say a mid to large but imagine it is good for smaller organizations, too. Large-size organizations can benefit from having data in one place.

The mobile feature of this system is a great convenience for managers and employees alike, as it enables them to easily access on the go. The user interface is visually appealing and easy to navigate, which makes it a pleasure to use on a daily basis. In addition, the reporting functionality is simple and intuitive, and the customer service team is highly responsive and helpful in case of any issues or questions.

Our company was struggling with the hiring process and needed a more efficient and cost-effective solution than our current system. We needed a system that would help us manage job postings, resumes, candidate communication, and applicant tracking in one place. We also wanted a solution that would integrate with other HR tools we were using, such as our payroll system. Paycor provided us with a cost-effective and comprehensive solution that helped us improve our recruitment process and streamline our HR operations. It helped us save time, reduce costs, and improve our hiring outcomes. I have used Paycor for 3+ years.

I think the ATS function was better when it was under Newton, but since it was acquired by Paycor, it has taken some time to adjust to the changes. I also wish it was capable of serving larger organizations to compete with iCIMS or Workday.

Paycor stands out from its competitors due to its user-friendly interface, customizable features, and seamless integration with other HR tools like payroll systems which is why I prefer Paycor.

When purchasing a tool like Paycor, people should consider important criteria such as the software's integration capabilities, installation process, security features, customer support, available features, and pricing. These factors can help individuals make an informed decision and choose a software solution that best fits their needs and budget.

The beauty of using this system has been that you are grandfathered in from the time you purchase the tool. Which means as they continue to update the system with innovative functions they do not charge extra.

I think it's excellent for small to mid-size organizations

Rippling's user interface is exceptionally user-friendly, with appealing graphics and straightforward instructions, which differentiates it from other more complex HRIS systems. Our employees find it easy to navigate and locate what they need. The modular approach of Rippling, allowing us to activate features as needed, is highly beneficial. Additionally, Rippling's customer service has proven to be responsive and thorough.

Our organization was grappling with highly manual HR processes such as payroll, benefits administration, timekeeping, and time-off requests, which were prone to errors due to being handled via Excel spreadsheets. As our organization continued to grow rapidly, we required a tool that could automate these processes in a user-friendly manner with minimal implementation time. We have been using Rippling for almost two years now.

We find ourselves renegotiating the cost of our contract annually, with sales representatives often pushing for us to add new features instead of facing a price increase. While custom workflows are beneficial, they can be challenging to set up without a clear understanding of the functionality. The payroll function's inability to handle retroactive pay is a significant drawback, requiring manual calculations on our part.

Rippling stands out due to its ease of use and engaging user interface, which makes it more appealing to employees compared to other HRIS systems I've encountered, which often appear sterile and are not intuitive.

When choosing an HRIS, consider both your current needs and future growth. Be wary of systems that might become obsolete as your business evolves or require additional purchases to meet new needs. It’s also crucial to consider the system's cost structure, especially if your organization experiences high turnover or expects significant growth. Lastly, evaluate how user-friendly and engaging the system is for your employees, as a difficult or dull interface might deter them from using it effectively.

Rippling actively responds to customer feedback, making regular recommendations for system upgrades or new modules based on our specific needs. They have significantly improved their Applicant Tracking System (ATS) by incorporating suggestions from users like us during their annual updates.

Rippling is particularly well-suited for small to medium-sized organizations looking to automate their HR processes comprehensively. It's easy to implement, requiring only a small team, and manageable even by a modest HR department.

• Payroll processing is made simple for users of all levels by OnPay’s user-friendly interface.
• Its comprehensive suite of payroll solutions ensures accuracy and saves time, offering features like direct deposit, automatic tax calculations, and compliance management.
• The customer service provided by OnPay is excellent, with professional support agents available to help with any queries or issues.

My company chose OnPay because we needed a less time-consuming and more straightforward solution to manage employee benefits and payments. Before OnPay, we had trouble tracking taxes and ensuring accuracy. Payroll automation, tax computation, and benefit tracking became easier with OnPay. It has helped us save a lot of time and minimize errors over the past year. Additionally, the customer service has been excellent in answering queries and providing support.

• Compared to some of its competitors, OnPay offers limited integration with third-party apps, which can hinder seamless data flow for companies relying on multiple software programs.
• The pricing structure can be expensive for smaller firms that require more services or products beyond the basic payroll package.
• There are limited options for customizing payroll settings and reporting, which can make it challenging to adapt the system to specific business requirements.

OnPay sets itself apart from rivals by offering a simple, user-friendly interface that makes payroll processing accessible, even for those with minimal accounting experience. In contrast, some competitors have more complex systems that require in-depth training.

OnPay’s transparent pricing, with no hidden fees, allows businesses to budget for payroll services more easily. Other competitors have more variable pricing structures, which can become complicated and expensive as they scale.

OnPay is designed with small to mid-sized enterprises in mind, offering features like easy setup, streamlined processes, and extensive customer support tailored to their needs. In comparison, some competitors focus on larger businesses and may prioritize different tools over OnPay.

• When choosing a payroll solution, look for one that is easy to use with a flexible design, like OnPay.
• Ensure there are no hidden fees and that the pricing structure aligns with your organization's budget.
• To make payroll processes more efficient, prioritize features such as automatic tax calculations and compliance tools.
• Choose a service provider like OnPay, which offers dedicated customer support when needed.
• Finally, maximize productivity by selecting a tool that integrates with other apps your organization uses.

Over time, OnPay has added features like payroll compliance management and automated tax computation tools, improving its user interface for a better customer experience. It has enhanced integration capabilities, making data sharing with other apps easier.

OnPay has also invested in attentive customer service to offer timely support. Additionally, the pricing strategy has become more flexible and transparent, catering to the financial needs of small and mid-sized enterprises.

Small to medium-sized enterprises needing a reliable payroll solution with features like automated tax computations and compliance monitoring will find OnPay well-suited to their needs.

OnPay provides an effective payroll processing solution for businesses seeking simplicity without the complexity of larger systems, thanks to its clear pricing structure and prompt customer service.

I like that PayChex is a classic system. It is effective in employee payroll management. This system is also employee friendly.

We purchased PayChex to migrate to an effective payroll process. As the organization grew, the platform we were using was not sustainable with the growth that we planned. PayChex allows the HR team to manage employee information effectively. It also allows employees to retrieve data as needed without waiting. I have used PayChex for 10 years.

PayChex has technical issues often. Customer service is not as responsive as other platforms. The app has to be updated often which is tedious.

Paychex is pretty much the standard for Payroll and HR processing. It does not have the most attractive interface but it does carry most of the features that are offered by its competition.

Do you want a classic platform that is easy to navigate and a standard across industries? Do you want a user-friendly experience (PayChex) or a platform that is a teambuilder (others with more interactive and social features)?

PayChex has been consistent over the years. It is exactly as advertised, a payroll platform.

PayChex is good for companies of all sizes.

• QuickBooks is very affordable and reasonably intuitive.
• Out-of-box, it comes with a generous offering of features, and you are able to add more through its ability to connect with third-party applications (Bill.com).
• The online version allows us to access our financials from any computer, and there is a mobile app available for quick views and expense tracking.
• QuickBooks also has a fairly extensive self-help library if you are unfamiliar with certain features or processes.

My company was in the market for a new accounting software to handle AR, AP, and payroll. The software we used before QuickBooks Online was too complex and more robust than what we needed, and the pricing structure was simply unaffordable. We've been using QuickBooks Online for 3+ years. It handles all of our invoices and vendor payments, and also helps us manage and distribute our payroll.

• Unfortunately, QuickBooks has terrible customer service. In most cases, it is extremely difficult to contact a human customer service representative, and their support ticket system is very slow.
• QuickBooks also has issues connecting with smaller banks, so some features may not be available if you use a local bank or credit union.
• There are also a number of CSS and UX issues that hide certain Call To Action buttons or make them altogether unusable.

QuickBooks stands out from its competitors through its offering of a robust set of features at an affordable price. The price structure allows for affordable scalability, as you only need one license for each business entity. The interface is user-friendly and does not require a lot of details steps in order to customize your experience.

Before purchasing a license, you should think about how businesses you want to connect to the application. Other platforms may accommodate more elaborate business structures. You should also think about the total feature set you are looking to obtain. QuickBooks is great for general accounting, but its reporting capabilities are somewhat limited compared to other more customizable platforms.

QuickBooks continues to add integrations that increase the number of available features without directly altering the platform. Connections to third-party services like Bill.com allow you to do more than what is offered out of the box.

QuickBooks is great for small businesses and business owners that handle all of their own accounting needs.

It is able to handle centralized payroll for multiple entities, affordable compared to some competitor options, has views for both managers and employee self-service, and allows employees to review and ‘approve’ their paychecks in advance.

We have worked with Paycom for about 5 years. We had outgrown BambooHR (at least at the time, they didn't have integrated payroll) and then had a really bad experience with BeyondPay. We needed a combined HR/payroll system that could accommodate multi-state as well as multiple legal entities (we have affiliates managed by central HR/acct). Paycom was the most affordable option that could accommodate our needs at the time.

• The reporting functions aren't great: the filtering options rarely work as they are supposed to so we often do a workaround where we run a huge report file and then use XLS filters to get the data we need as opposed to producing a report from the system that is what you need from the start.
• Limited customization options: we have many things we’d like to track and there is cap on the number of custom fields that can be added.
• The clock in/out functionality is clunky: it works fine if people all work under one company code/work type. If you need to assign hours to different projects (say you want to track learning hours, or you have funding partners and you need to track hours on their grant) it’s very cumbersome for hourly employees.

How much customization do you need” is an important thing to consider and also whether you need data sync between other platforms. If so, Paycom may not be the best fit for you.

Honestly don't feel like they've evolved much in the time we've used them.

Small, fairly simple organizations

Customer service is exceptional; you really feel that they are part of your team. I also loved the guarantees of local compliance, which created great trust with our in-house auditors. The ability to see the big picture of our workforce globally was also crucial, as it provided a great understanding of the workforce map and enabled strategic moves on the people side of things.

I was setting up PapayaGlobal for one of my previous clients. The reason we needed a tool like this was that we wanted to hire talent from different countries. Previously, we bypassed this by hiring on a "contractor agreement," but we really wanted employees, not contractors. While managing paperwork for EU candidates was somewhat easier, when it came to hires from outside the EU, it was a bit of a nightmare. Our HR team had to learn local employment laws, and we even contacted local lawyers to send us an empty contract so we could be fully compliant. These were the pains that the service greatly alleviated. We saved a lot of time, and audits were less stressful. We used it for about two years, but then the business took another direction.

It took a long time to learn the navigation through the platform; you really need to invest time to learn everything—you cannot just jump in with no training. Sometimes the screen would not load properly; words were overlapping, and it took some reloads for it to work, which was disappointing for a service that charges so much. We also had some issues with invoices; it was not clear how to manage them, but customer service helped with that.

Compliance support and global presence are the main reasons we chose PapayaGlobal. Another key factor is the customer service, which was consistently excellent. I also enjoyed the real-time access to analytics, which was helpful in following trends and monitoring important metrics globally.

First, consider the cost and how the pricing is structured to determine how much value a company can derive from the service at the agreed price point. Another important factor is access to real people who can guide the onboarding and integration with existing tools, which was commendable. Additionally, global access to local labor laws is perhaps the biggest consideration.

PapayaGlobal has evolved, but I believe other platforms have caught up and may be more attractive in their pricing.

PapayaGlobal is great for rapidly scaling businesses that need support in managing a multinational workforce.

It was easy to onboard new employees through Zenefits and enter their personal and employee details such as; title, manager, and salary. I really like that Zenefits offers an add on, per employee, to initiate a background check directly through the platform with CheckR. This made the onboarding process much smoother from an admin perspective and the candidate/employee as it consolidated the systems they needed to enter details in during onboarding. The employee profiles had a documents section that included all I9 documents requested at the time of hire, this was useful as an HR admin. Several times I referenced employee specific needs from Zenefits for the purpose of audits.

I used Zenefits for almost 2 years. My company purchased it to onboard new employees and initiate background checks for domestic hires. We also used another tool to onboard new hires however there was not an integration to launch a background check, thus the reason behind having Zenefits. This system was also used to collect I9 forms and personal identification documents. The system could be used for payroll however we ran payroll through the other HRIS tool we had for Domestic hires.

The reporting functionality was not built out during my use of the platform. In the future it would be helpful if the platform also integrated with E-verify which could be completed directly from the system during employee onboarding. Pricing plan options that included rates outside of per employee prices.

Document upload that is held within each employee profile. The ability to send out offer letters and employee handbooks when initiating onboarding tasks for new employees.

Do the per employee prices align or make sense for your company budget towards an HRIS tool. How much hiring will you be doing in the upcoming year? Does it make sense to pay for the platform annually, given projections for the next year.

Personally, over the 2 years that I used the platform I did not witness any significant changes that added value to our new employee onboarding experience.

A company small to mid-sized looking for a system to onboard new employees.

1. Namely offers excellent benefits brokerage and administration, making it easy to manage employee benefits.
2. The customer service provided by Namely is outstanding, with quick and helpful responses to our needs.
3. The onboarding process for new employees is streamlined and efficient, reducing the time and effort required to bring new hires on board.

My organization plans to expand in the next two years, and we were looking for an HRIS software that is manageable for both supervisors and employees. We needed a system that could effectively track new employees throughout their tenure with the organization, and management agreed that we required software capable of scaling as we grow. After going through a thorough selection process with various HRIS companies, we found it challenging to choose the best fit for our organization. However, we were impressed that the team at Namely answered all of our questions and provided excellent guidance during the implementation process. We have been using Namely for about one year, and we are very satisfied with it so far.

1. Uploading form templates into Namely can be challenging, requiring additional time and effort.
2. The ability to add e-signatures to documents is limited, which could be improved for better functionality.
3. Making edits within the platform can sometimes be difficult, causing frustration when changes are needed.

I like that Namely is good for small and mid-size companies just starting their HR Department. They don't oversell products like some other HRIS software - they give you what is needed.

When purchasing Namely, it's important to consider its functionality and whether it meets the specific needs of your organization. It is also essential to evaluate whether the pricing fits within your budget, especially if you are a new or smaller company. Namely’s capacity to grow with a company is a key advantage, making it a good option if your organization is planning on expanding in the near future.

Namely has evolved to be very user-friendly for both employees and administrators, making it easier to navigate and use on a daily basis.

Namely is particularly well-suited for small to mid-sized companies looking for a comprehensive HRIS solution that can grow with their needs.

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.