Justworks vs Paylocity: Which Is Better?

Round by round

1. Round 1💰 Pricing & TransparencyJustworks wins
   Justworks8/10

   $59-99/employee/mo

   PEO Basic to PEO Plus, first 49 employees

   • Real per-employee pricing published online
   • Predictable cost before any sales call
   • $59-99/employee/month is a real commitment as headcount grows

   Source: Justworks pricing

   Paylocity4/10

   ~$22-33/employee/mo

   Estimated full HCM suite range, no public rate card

   • Estimated $22-33/employee/month may undercut Justworks per head
   • No public rate card, custom quote required
   • Implementation fee adds 10-20% of year-one cost

   Source: Paylocity dossier (analyst estimates)

   Justworks shows you the number; Paylocity makes you call to find out.

2. Round 2📋 Core Payroll & Tax FilingJustworks wins
   Justworks7/10

   50 states, all plans

   Automatic filing plus co-employment liability shift and bundled workers' comp

   • Co-employment shifts real compliance liability to Justworks
   • Workers' comp insurance bundled into every plan
   • You give up sole employer-of-record status

   Source: Justworks dossier

   Paylocity5/10

   9.4/10, 9.1/10

   Direct Deposit and Payroll Entry scores, G2 (5,172+ reviews)

   • Automatic filing with strong G2 accuracy scores (9.4, 9.1)
   • Business remains sole employer of record — liability stays with you

   Source: G2 reviews

   Justworks absorbs the liability; Paylocity just automates the paperwork.

3. Round 3🏥 HR Features & BenefitsPaylocity wins
   Justworks6/10

   Aetna, UHC, Kaiser

   Large-group health rates plus Talkspace and Kindbody on PEO Plus

   • Large-group health rates via co-employment pooling
   • Mental health (Talkspace) and fertility (Kindbody) benefits
   • Thin on talent management, learning, performance tools

   Source: Justworks dossier

   Paylocity8/10

   Grayscale acquisition, 2026

   Recruiting, learning, performance, and engagement in one platform

   • Full suite: recruiting, learning, performance, engagement
   • AI-assisted recruiting added via 2026 Grayscale acquisition
   • Benefits are broker-supported, not negotiated group rates like a PEO

   Source: Paylocity dossier

   Justworks wins on negotiated benefits; Paylocity wins on HR breadth.

4. Round 4🖥️ Ease of Use & SetupJustworks wins
   Justworks7/10

   2-3 weeks

   Dedicated onboarding manager, published pricing, no negotiation

   • Predictable 2-3 week onboarding
   • No pricing negotiation — published rates
   • Requires underwriting/eligibility review first
   • Some high-risk industries excluded entirely

   Source: Justworks dossier

   Paylocity5/10

   10-20% implementation fee

   Of first-year software cost, plus a sales-led contract process

   • Implementation fee often negotiable for longer contracts
   • Sales quote + contract negotiation before setup starts
   • Annual or multi-year commitment typical

   Source: Paylocity dossier

   Justworks has a known 2-3 week runway; Paylocity starts with a negotiation.

5. Round 5🔌 IntegrationsPaylocity wins
   Justworks6/10

   QuickBooks, Xero, Slack +

   Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and an integrations marketplace

   • Connects to Slack, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365
   • Marketplace for ATS and time-clock tools
   • No native ERP integrations for finance teams

   Source: Justworks dossier

   Paylocity8/10

   REST API, EDI, SFTP

   Plus native NetSuite and Sage Intacct ERP connections

   • Native NetSuite and Sage Intacct ERP integrations
   • Full API/webhooks/EDI/SFTP for custom builds
   • More integration depth than a small team typically needs

   Source: Paylocity dossier

   Justworks fits the tools your team uses; Paylocity fits the tools finance runs on.

6. Round 6⭐ Customer Support & TrustJustworks wins
   Justworks7/10

   Fast, friendly account manager

   • 24/7 support on every PEO tier
   • Reviewers praise quick account manager access
   • Compliance document delays reported at 7-10 weeks
   • 'Poor' 1.7-1.9/5 on Trustpilot

   Paylocity5/10

   Inconsistent guidance reported

   • A+ BBB accreditation since 2013
   • Support quality inconsistent, hinges on assigned rep
   • Just 1.3/5 ('Bad') on Trustpilot — the wider gap of the two

   Justworks guarantees 24/7 coverage; Paylocity's support depends on who you get.

Which one is for you?

Side by side

Justworks

Check price

Paylocity

Check price

Overall score

6.7

Best

6.2

Price

See price

See price

Pricing & Transparency

6.3

3.2

Customer Support & Trust

5.7

4.6

Core Payroll & Tax Filing

7.1

7.5

Ease of Use & Setup

7.1

5.5

Integrations

6.1

7.7

Head-to-head findings

Pricing & Transparency

$59/employee/mo (Basic)

$22-33/employee/mo (est.)

Customer Support & Trust

4.6 G2/Capterra vs 1.7-1.9 'Poor' Trustpilot

4.5 G2 vs 1.3 "Bad" on Trustpilot

Core Payroll & Tax Filing

50 states, included

9.4/10 & 9.1/10 (G2)

Ease of Use & Setup

2-3 weeks

8.7/10 (G2)

Integrations

QuickBooks, Xero, Slack, M365

ERP + custom API/EDI/SFTP

HR Features & Benefits

Aetna, UHC, Kaiser access

Full HCM suite

Record

Head-to-head record

2–7

2–6–1

Head-to-heads won

22 %

25 %

Rounds won

37 %

44 %

Pros

• Every tier's price is published, no sales call
• Per-employee price drops at 50+ headcount
• Filing included on every plan across all 50 states
• Covers the core business apps most teams already use

• Pricing scales with negotiated contract length
• High G2 scores for payroll accuracy at scale
• Automatic filing across all 50 states
• Full HCM suite: recruiting, learning, engagement, analytics

Cons

• PEO pricing runs well above QuickBooks for small teams
• No dollar-figure penalty-protection guarantee
• Not a native, same-vendor connection like QuickBooks Payroll
• Plus tier gets expensive once benefits premiums layer on top

• No public rate card, hard to comparison-shop
• Implementation fee and multi-year contract pressure add real cost
• Overkill depth for a small business
• Requires a sales quote to get started

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