Patriot Payroll vs Paylocity: Which Is Better?
A bare-bones DIY payroll tool built to be the cheapest credible option in the category — versus a mid-market HCM suite you can't even get a price for without a sales call. Six rounds. Real numbers. One honest scorecard.
The verdict
Rounds split 3–3; Patriot Payroll edges it on total score.
There's no universal winner here — Patriot and Paylocity are built for very different sized businesses, so match the platform to where your business actually is today.
Choose Patriot Payroll if…
- • You want the cheapest self-serve payroll with real published pricing
- • You want to sign up online today with no sales process or contract
Choose Paylocity if…
- • You're a 50+ employee business that needs a full HCM suite in one login
- • You want deep ERP integrations (NetSuite, Sage Intacct) and are fine with a sales-led process
Round by round
- Round 1Pricing & TransparencyPatriot Payroll winsPatriot Payroll9/10
$17/mo + $4/employee
Patriot Basic — chosen by ~84% of Patriot customers
- Real prices published, no sales call
- 84% of customers pay ~$17-21/mo total for Basic
- Full Service required for guaranteed tax filing, at extra cost
Source: Patriot Payroll pricing
Paylocity3/10~$22-33/employee/mo
Estimated full HCM suite range, no public rate card
- Scales to complex mid-market HR needs
- No public rate card, custom quote required
- Implementation fee adds 10-20% of first-year cost
Source: Paylocity dossier (analyst estimates)
Patriot posts real numbers; Paylocity makes you ask sales first.
- Round 2Core Payroll & Tax FilingPaylocity winsPatriot Payroll6/10
84% self-file on Basic
Full Service adds a filing-error guarantee; Basic leaves filing to the business
- Full Service backed by an explicit filing-error guarantee
- Year-end W-2/1099 filing included on Full Service
- 84% of customers on Basic self-file taxes, real risk
Source: Patriot Payroll dossier
Paylocity8/109.4/10, 9.1/10
Direct Deposit and Payroll Entry scores, G2 (5,172+ reviews)
- Automatic filing included by default, no tier gate
- Direct Deposit rated 9.4/10, Payroll Entry 9.1/10 on G2
Source: G2 reviews
Patriot's guarantee only helps if you pay for it; Paylocity includes filing for everyone.
- Round 3HR Features & BenefitsPaylocity winsPatriot Payroll5/10
Optional add-ons
HR compliance center + free Vestwell/SimplyInsured integrations
- Optional HR add-on keeps cost low
- Free integrations cover 401k and health basics
- No native talent, learning, or engagement tools
Source: Patriot Payroll dossier
Paylocity9/10Grayscale acquisition, 2026
Recruiting, learning, performance, and engagement in one platform
- Full HCM suite: benefits, learning, performance, engagement
- AI-assisted recruiting added via 2026 Grayscale acquisition
- Depth comes bundled into a pricier, harder-to-shop package
Source: Paylocity dossier
Patriot bolts on the basics; Paylocity runs your whole HR function.
- Round 4Ease of Use & SetupPatriot Payroll winsPatriot Payroll9/10
Same-day signup
Fully self-serve online, no sales process
- Self-serve online signup, no sales call
- Free setup assistance included
Source: Patriot Payroll dossier
Paylocity4/1010-20% implementation fee
Of first-year software cost, plus a sales-led contract process
- Implementation fee often negotiable for longer contracts
- Custom quote and sales process required
- Typically annual or multi-year contracts
Source: Paylocity dossier
Patriot is live in a day; Paylocity needs a quote and a contract first.
- Round 5IntegrationsPaylocity winsPatriot Payroll5/10
5 core integrations
QuickBooks, Vestwell, SimplyInsured, ERGO NEXT, Stripe/Bluevine/Stride
- Covers accounting, retirement, and benefits basics
- No ERP-level integrations (NetSuite, Sage Intacct)
Source: Patriot Payroll dossier
Paylocity8/10REST API, EDI, SFTP
Plus native NetSuite and Sage Intacct ERP connections
- Native NetSuite and Sage Intacct ERP integrations
- REST API, webhooks, EDI, SFTP for custom builds
- Overkill for a business just running basic accounting software
Source: Paylocity dossier
Patriot covers small-shop basics; Paylocity reaches into real ERP systems.
- Round 6Customer Support & TrustPatriot Payroll winsPatriot Payroll8/10
Live agent, right away
- 4.8/5 on both G2 and Capterra
- Reviewers praise live-agent speed over bots
- Support not available 24/7
Paylocity4/10Hit or miss on support
- A+ BBB accreditation since 2013
- Just 1.3/5 ('Bad') on Trustpilot
- Support quality inconsistent, hinges on assigned rep
Patriot's ratings hold up everywhere; Paylocity's split badly once you leave G2.
Which one is for you?
Solo owner or very small team on a tight budget
→ Patriot Payroll · Basic starts at $17/mo + $4/employee, no sales call
Mid-market company (50-5,000+ employees) needing full HCM
→ Paylocity · Payroll, HR, benefits, talent all in one platform
Team wanting to run payroll before next week's start date
→ Patriot Payroll · Self-serve online signup, live in days not weeks
Finance team needing NetSuite/Sage Intacct integration
→ Paylocity · Native ERP integrations Patriot doesn't offer
Side by side
- Cheapest published base plan available
- Two tiers let cost-sensitive owners pay only for what they need
- Full Service backed by a genuine filing-error guarantee
- Compliance center and paperless employee files
- 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
- Multi-state Full Service filing adds $12/mo per extra state
- Basic plan leaves the business responsible for its own filing
- Multi-state Full Service filing costs extra per state
- No tip or hours auto-import capability
- 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