8 Best Paylocity Competitors and Alternatives for Scaling Companies

Most companies that outgrow Paylocity hit the same wall: payroll, HR, IT, and finance data live in five different systems, and a routine role change requires updating each of them by hand.

"A lot of HR people feel like these problems are just part of the job. That is just the world we live in," says Emily Herron, Rippling's HR Evangelist. 

Teams often stay stuck with an underperforming system until they see what a connected system can automate away.

This guide is for HR managers and finance leads deciding whether to stick with Paylocity or move on. You’ll learn about eight of the best alternatives, what each is best for, what they cost, and the criteria I used to evaluate them.

8 Paylocity competitors and alternatives, compared

I evaluated each platform on pricing transparency, ease of setup, payroll capabilities, and scalability.  Where available, I used product walkthroughs, independent reviews on G2 and Capterra, and each vendor's public pricing.

Rippling editorial policy: Rippling puts our customers (and prospective customers!) first. The Rippling team is committed to providing information supported by product data, insights, and customer feedback to inform our content.

If you suspect Paylocity may not fit the bill for your company, the payroll solutions below offer unique combinations of features and capabilities.

1. Rippling

Best for: HR, IT, and finance unified in one system

Rippling centralizes your HR, IT, and finance functions in a single HCM platform, with customizable workflows and 600+ third-party integrations that automate the employee lifecycle end-to-end. 

Payroll features include US and global processing, time and attendance tracking, automated tax filing, and compliance alerts. 

Rippling’s architecture is what really sets it apart, though. Every workflow, report, and permission ties back to a single employee record. Change someone's role or relocate them to a new state, and Rippling automatically surfaces every downstream impact. 

As Karin Wilkins, VP of People & Culture at The Guarantors, put it: "I've built 70+ workflows in Rippling. They have saved us so much time on the People team; we've been able to reduce headcount by a full FTE."

Then Rippling AI builds on that same data model, drafting custom reports on request and summarizing engagement survey sentiment in minutes. It also flags compliance gaps, such as a mismatched work location, before they become a filing problem.

Price:

Starting at $8/employee/mo for the core platform, plus a monthly base fee; payroll, benefits, and IT are separate modules (quote-based)

Features:

• Global payroll: Runs US and international payroll from one system, applying local tax rules automatically

• Automated onboarding: Triggers device provisioning, software access, and paperwork the moment a new hire is added

• Device management: Ships pre-configured laptops before day one and remotely wipes devices on offboarding

• Benefits administration: Automatically syncs benefits elections with payroll deductions when a plan or life event changes

• Workflow automation: Builds custom workflows off 20+ employee events that fire the right downstream tasks

• Extensive AI capabilities: Rippling AI drafts reports and flags anomalies like a state tax mismatch in minutes, not hours

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2. Gusto

Best for: Small businesses under 200 employees

A popular payroll processing tool and HR software, Gusto appeals to many HR professionals due to its extensive library of integrations and its comprehensive approach to US payroll compliance, which is often the deciding factor for teams weighing Gusto against Paylocity.

Gusto limits some important features, such as HR alerts, to its most expensive plans. Certain health insurance features are also only available in a limited number of states.

Price:

$49/mo + $6/employee/mo (Simple), $80/mo + $12/employee/mo (Plus), $180/mo + $22/employee/mo (Premium)

Features:

• Automated payroll: Runs each cycle automatically, calculating and filing federal, state, and local taxes

• Benefits administration: Employees shop for health, dental, and vision plans directly, with premiums syncing to payroll deductions

• Contractor payments: Handles US and international contractors, automatically generating 1099s

• Time tracking: Included on Plus and Premium; hours flow directly into payroll

• Employee self-service: Employees manage pay stubs, banking, and time off without opening a ticket

3. ADP Workforce Now

Best for: Compliance-heavy industries

One of the oldest and best-known names in the payroll industry, ADP offers a range of solutions and tools designed to meet the needs of small businesses and global enterprises alike. From simple payruns to HCM and professional employer organization (PEO) services, ADP works hard to provide a plan or tool for any HR need.

While ADP's compliance and payroll infrastructure are well-regarded, customer support is the most frequently cited pain point in user reviews, with long hold times and slow issue resolution. This may be a friction point for teams directly comparing ADP and Paylocity.

While ADP offers training and certifications to help customers become power users, the time required to complete these initiatives might be better spent elsewhere.

Price:

Custom

Features:

• Payroll and tax filing: Files taxes across all 50 states, plus multi-country payroll via GlobalView

• Benefits administration: Supports enrollment and carrier connections at enterprise scale

• Time and attendance: Time clocks and scheduling sync directly with payroll across locations

• Talent management: Recruiting and performance modules, typically sold as add-ons

• Compliance update service: Tracks changing labor laws and pushes updates into the platform automatically

4. Paycheck Flex

Best for: A dedicated support contact

At its core, Paychex Flex is payroll processing software, but in recent years, it has expanded its offerings to include HR services and add-ons for small businesses and startups. 

For an additional fee, Paychex can assist with group health benefits, employee retirement plans, and business insurance, allowing smaller organizations to benefit from targeted offers. Note that many of the distinguishing features that make Paychex Flex more than just a payroll tool carry a separate price tag.

Unlike other payroll providers, Paychex charges an additional fee for some table-stakes services, such as benefits management, time tracking, and workers’ compensation.

Price:

$39/mo + $5/employee/mo for Essentials; Select and Pro are custom-quoted

Features:

• Payroll processing: Automates tax calculations and filings, with a payroll specialist to resolve discrepancies

• HR administration: Covers employee records and basic workflows; deeper HR features sit on higher tiers

• Benefits and time tracking: Available as add-on modules that sync with payroll

• Access to HR advisors: Higher tiers include direct access to HR professionals for compliance questions

5. BambooHR

Best for: Culture and onboarding run separately from payroll

A human resources information system (HRIS) that incorporates a full payroll function, BambooHR offers a solid collection of tools for small businesses, including time and attendance tracking, pre-built workflows, and basic payroll report templates. 

While BambooHR does a great job of cutting out the admin work associated with payroll, if you’re looking for advanced compliance support and monitoring, you may want to keep exploring.

BambooHR's native payroll only covers US employees; global payroll requires a third-party integration (like Remote or Deel), which is worth knowing if you're already planning to scale internationally.

Price:

Custom

Features:

• Applicant tracking: Built-in ATS for job posting, candidate tracking, and interview scheduling

• Onboarding workflows: Guided self-onboarding with task lists and e-signatures

• Employee records: One centralized database for documents, job history, and custom fields

• Performance management: Pro and Elite add 360-degree review cycles and one-on-one tools

• Time-off tracking: Self-service requests with automatic accrual tracking

6. Paycor

Best for: Employee self-service, on-demand pay

A human capital management (HCM) system with powerful payroll features, Paycor supports complex automations that remove much of the “busy work” and risk of human error from payroll. 

Employee self-service options like OnDemand pay, which allows employees to access money they’ve earned before payroll runs, and the Paycor Mobile wallet offer your team a high degree of financial control and flexibility.

With Paycor, you may pay extra for essential tools like time tracking and check stuffing. The selection of integrations may also be lacking.

Price:

Custom

Features:

• Payroll and tax compliance: Automates filing and flags issues before they lead to penalties

• Recruiting and onboarding: Built-in ATS integrates directly with onboarding, eliminating the need to re-enter candidate data

• Scheduling and time: Shift scheduling and time tracking sync directly with payroll

• Benefits and analytics: Surfaces workforce trends, such as turnover risk, from compensation and engagement data

7. UKG Ready

Best for: Retail, healthcare, and hospitality scheduling

UKG Ready is built for small- to midsize companies, typically with 100–2,500 employees. The platform pairs core HR and payroll with workforce management for rotating shifts, multiple locations, and labor laws that vary by state or role. 

Implementation can take months and often requires paid professional services, and international payroll support typically relies on third-party add-ons rather than a native engine.

Price:

Custom

Features:

• Payroll and compliance: Multi-state tax filing paired with labor law tracking for hourly workforces

• Advanced scheduling: Builds rotating shift schedules across locations and automatically flags overtime

• Time and attendance: Mobile clock-in tracks hourly labor and feeds directly into payroll

• HR management: Core HR features cover records and onboarding, secondary to its scheduling strength

8. Workday HCM

Best for: Global enterprises outgrowing mid-market tools

Workday is usually the last stop for companies that have outgrown a mid-market HCM tool as headcount, geography, or finance integration needs have crossed into enterprise territory. 

Enterprise implementations like Workday's typically take months to complete and require dedicated consultants to execute. Licensing is also priced per worker per year rather than a flat monthly rate, which makes the total cost harder to estimate upfront than with modular, quote-based competitors like Rippling or ADP.

Price:

Custom

Features:

• Global payroll: Supports dozens of countries through its own engine and partner network

• Financial management: HR and finance data share one system for planning and forecasting

• Talent management: Succession planning and workforce planning at enterprise scale

• Advanced analytics: Custom dashboards across HR and finance, typically requiring dedicated admins

How to choose the right Paylocity alternative

"There's no perfect HR payroll system. How can you configure something for everything?" says Emily Herron, who spent 10+ years building HR functions from the ground up at companies like Plaid and Hummingbird. 

HR leaders, she says, would rather sign up for something where they know what they're compromising on than move their data to something new where they have to learn a whole new set of gotchas.

With that in mind, a few things are worth confirming before you sign anything. Make sure the platform handles multi-state and local tax filing automatically, not just federal, since that's where manual workarounds cost the most time.

 Ask about typical migration timelines, and whether you'll get a dedicated implementation contact, and get the full modular cost in writing, so pricing surprises don't show up after go-live.

It's also worth checking how deep the integrations go with your ATS, benefits providers, and accounting software, since a platform that looks complete on paper can still leave you stitching data together by hand. 

Look for reporting that unifies HR, IT, and finance data in one place, and test the mobile experience for approvals, time off, and pay stubs before you decide. 

The goal isn't just checking boxes: it's finding a system that still makes sense once the novelty of a new tool wears off.

How to switch from Paylocity without disrupting payroll

A structured migration keeps a disruptive process from becoming chaotic:

1. Audit your current setup: Document existing data, integrations, and workflows before migrating anything

2. Set a strategic go-live date: Avoid peak periods like year-end tax filing or open enrollment

3. Run parallel payroll: Test alongside Paylocity for one full cycle before cutting over

4. Communicate with employees: Give a heads-up before changes to logins or benefits portals

5. Assign project ownership: Designate one internal point person for the vendor's implementation team

6. Watch for common migration mistakes: Confirm historical data and year-to-date payroll totals before final cutover

Schedule a demo with Rippling today

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Why Rippling is your best HR software option

By consolidating your HR, IT, and finance functions into a single platform, Rippling gives you a single, clear picture of your company and the tools to act on it immediately, rather than piecing it together from three separate systems.

Every workflow ties back to one employee record, so nothing lives in a separate module. Rippling HCM automates the entire employee lifecycle, from payroll to benefits to time and attendance, and Rippling AI turns what used to take hours of manual reporting into a task you can hand off entirely.

Request a Rippling demo to see how it compares firsthand, or explore Rippling AI to see what it can automate for your team today.