Paycom is a human capital management system that helps small, medium and large businesses manage talent, payroll, benefits and expenses on the same platform. But in the crowded HCM software market, dozens of Paycom competitors offer many of the same services at different price points and with different features, functionalities and unique benefits.
To help you choose between Paycom and similar companies, we compared Paycom’s pricing and features to those of six Paycom alternatives. Our list includes payroll-focused software like Gusto and expansive enterprise-level HCM solutions like Workday HCM to give you a range of viable Paycom competitors.
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Companies similar to Paycom typically cater to midmarket businesses and large enterprises, though some (like Gusto, ADP and Paycor) have small-business-specific solutions.
Few HCM solutions list their starting prices online, which makes comparing Paycom and its competitors at a glance trickier. We did our best to provide pricing whenever possible in our Paycom competitor list below. However, most companies will have to contact each Paycom alternative directly to schedule a custom demo and request a quote.
Our star rating: 4.6 out of 5
Gusto is easily one of the best, most popular payroll and HR software options for small and midsize businesses. While it doesn’t have Paycom’s sheer number of features, Gusto’s focus on providing outstanding payroll services with basic human resource features makes it an affordable, accessible payroll tool for companies that want to automate every possible aspect of payroll.
As a payroll-first software provider with only the most important HR tools (such as benefits administration and time tracking), Gusto isn’t the best Paycom alternative for businesses that want a full suite of HCM features. Additionally, while it offers international contractor payments as an add-on feature, Gusto doesn’t support global employee payroll or international benefits administration.
Gusto has three plans, two of which have transparent online pricing information:
If your small business works primarily with contractors, Gusto’s contractor-only plan has no base fee for your first six months of use. International contractor payment is an additional feature that costs an extra monthly cost.
For more information, read our full Gusto review.
Our star rating: 4.4 out of 5
ADP offers a series of HR and payroll products that serve businesses large and small. Its most popular business solution is ADP Workforce Now, a cloud-based HR and payroll program that includes tax administration, time and attendance tracking, employee benefits and talent management.
ADP Workforce Now’s HR features, customer service and automated payroll will likely be enough support for midsize companies, especially those that need more HR help than they’d get through Gusto. However, it lacks the in-depth workforce and talent management tools enterprises can secure through ADP competitors like Paycom, Paycor or Paylocity. As businesses grow, though, it’s fairly easy to scale from Workforce Now up to ADP’s more thorough HCM solution, ADP Vantage HCM.
While ADP doesn’t list its pricing information online, the company does advertise a free trial of up to three months for new customers.
For more information, read our full ADP review.
Workday HCM’s cloud-based platform was built for multinational enterprises that need end-to-end payroll, HR and workforce management. The software has a full suite of hiring and recruiting tools, including skills-focused assessments and metrics.
In contrast to payroll- and HR-heavy tools like Gusto and ADP Run, Workday focuses on improving every aspect of the employee experience. Using Workday’s employee engagement tools (for instance, surveys and external benchmark comparisons), employers can understand what employees need to feel valued at work. Self-guided onboarding tools get employees up to speed quickly, and skills-based courses help employees progress along their career path.
Workday HCM doesn’t have any transparent online pricing data. Contact a sales representative for a quote.
For more information, read our full Workday HCM review.
Our star rating: 4.3 out of 5
Rippling’s HR Cloud includes common HCM and HR features like full-service payroll, employee benefits administration and time-tracking software. Unlike most other HRIS solutions, Rippling also offers IT and financial services in conjunction with HR and payroll. Along with people management, companies can use Rippling to tackle accounting, expense tracking, employee tech management and inventory management on the same platform.
Thanks to its customizability, Rippling can work just as well for small businesses as for enterprises. You can add more features as your company hires more employees and establishes more locations, including international locations, as Rippling supports global payroll.
Each Rippling package starts with Rippling Unity, Rippling’s central operating system. From there, businesses can add features from Rippling’s cloud-based IT, HR and finance modules, most of which cost a monthly fee per employee.
For instance, Rippling payroll costs $8 per employee per month on top of the monthly fee for Rippling Unity, but Rippling doesn’t list any other pricing information online, including Rippling Unity’s base cost.
For more information, read our full Rippling review.
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Our star rating: 3.9 out of 5
Paycor’s HCM software platform unifies employee benefits, recruiting tools, HR administration, payroll and workforce management to give companies a single source of truth for most business processes. While any type of company can use Paycor’s software, Paycor offers industry-specific HCM plans with targeted tools for educators, retail businesses, nonprofits and churches (among others).
Paycor has multiple HCM software packages that scale to support companies with fewer than 50 employees, more than 50 employees and more than 1,000 employees:
While Paycor doesn’t list its plans’ starting prices, it does advertise a six-month 50% off discount with no setup fees for new customers.
For more information, read our full Paycor review.
Our star rating: 4 stars out of 5
Like Gusto, Paychex Flex is a top payroll software provider aimed at small, midsize and large businesses. While all of Paychex’s plans include a robust suite of payroll tools, its higher-tier plans come with comprehensive HR software programs with excellent personnel support for growing businesses.
Along with its payroll software system, Paychex has a PEO solution (Paychex PEO), plus high-quality benefits and optional international payroll services through a third-party partner, FMP Global. While Paychex doesn’t offer the same amount of employee features as a more fully fledged HCM, its combined HR and payroll software and extensive integrations make it a good option for growing national and multi-national businesses.
Paychex lists the starting price for just one of its three plans online:
To learn more, read our full Paychex Flex review.
Paycom’s user-friendly software is likely worth it for businesses that want employee-first software with plenty of features for HR managers. Its payroll software empowers employees to take charge of their own hours, schedules, benefits and time off. Paycom also helps you keep employees happy through its employee engagement surveys, onboarding tools and compensation management features.
However, you’ll want to weigh Paycom’s features, pros, cons and pricing before deciding if the software is worth it for your business. A one-on-one demo with a Paycom team member is the best way to figure out if Paycom’s interface appeals to you or not, and whether its features can keep up with your business’s rate of growth.
Like any HR software, Paycom has its strengths and weaknesses. Its key strength lies in its employee focus, since businesses can use the software to garner employee feedback and easily connect employees with HR managers. Its largest weakness could lie in the fact that Paycom has fewer customers than more established competitors like Paylocity. As a result, it has fewer integrations than similar companies.
Paycom’s pricing is available by request only.
Learn more about Paycom by reading our full Paycom review.
In the end, whether you need Paycom or an alternative depends largely on your budgetary restrictions, workforce needs and feature requirements. Since few HCM solutions have online pricing information, contact each Paycom alternative you consider — as well as Paycom itself — to schedule a demo where you can ask company-specific questions.
While the final choice between Paycom and a Paycom alternative is up to you, we do have some general guidelines that can help narrow your focus.
If your multinational enterprise has over 1,000 employees, Workday HCM likely has more features and support for your global workforce than Paycom does. If you want an industry-specific solution or one that gives you complete control over its customization, Paylocity, Paycor or Rippling could be a better fit. And if your business needs a less expensive, less complex Paycom alternative, Gusto and Paychex automate payroll and offer supplementary HR features for smaller, budget-conscious companies.
To create our list of the top Paycom alternatives and competitors, we looked at the most popular and well-reviewed outsourced HR, payroll, HCM and HRIS solutions. We viewed demos for Paycom and as many of its competitors as possible and thoroughly reviewed each company’s website, including white papers and product specs when available.
Additionally, we consulted aggregate review sites like Google Play, Gartner Peer Insights and Apple’s App Store to identify each business solution’s target audience, standout features and biggest pain points for customers.
