BambooHR vs. Paychex Flex

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BambooHR
Score 8.3 out of 10
N/A
BambooHR is an on-line human resources solution that provides onboarding, payroll, and benefits management. It also offers automated time-off management and employee self-service.
$250
per month
Paychex Flex
Score 6.6 out of 10
N/A
Paychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
Pricing
BambooHRPaychex Flex
Editions & Modules
Core
$250
per month
Pro
$250
per month
Paychex Go
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
Paychex Flex Service
Contact sales team
Paychex Flex Enterprise
Contact sales team
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BambooHRPaychex Flex
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalRequired
Additional DetailsNo matter what HR looks like at your company, we have the perfect plan for you!
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
BambooHRPaychex Flex
Considered Both Products
BambooHR
Chose BambooHR
Bamboo is more intuitive and user-friendly than Paychex.
Chose BambooHR
BambooHR was already in place when I started. BambooHR has much better intuitive navigation than any of the other systems but not as much customizability as something like Workday.
Chose BambooHR
BambooHR is a very up-to-date system compared to Paychex. Their customer service compared to Paychex is out of this world!
Chose BambooHR
BambooHR is much more user friendly. What it lacks in technical/complexities it is working to improve.
Chose BambooHR
BambooHR is easier to use at a better price.
Chose BambooHR
Much easier to use, at least as end user, than UltiPro. However I’m not sure if it’s as robust.
Chose BambooHR
JazzHR and Comeet are much more advanced as ATSs. The UX of BambooHR is a bit better than both of them.
Paychex Flex
Chose Paychex Flex
We have moved away from our benefits administration, onboarding, time and attendance, and basically all non-payroll functionality away from Paychex Flex.
Chose Paychex Flex
we just started using insperity to manage our payroll and benefits. haven't had enough experience with it in order to comment on the pros and cons against paychex flex.The only thing i have noticed so far is Paychex flex's platform is simpler and straight forward. i feel like …
Chose Paychex Flex
This is the only payment management tool I have used or interacted with.
Chose Paychex Flex
From what I remember of ADP VirtualEdge, I think Paychex has more ease of use and has a cleaner interface. It's been a while though, so I'm not sure I'm comparing apples to apples. In terms of HRM/HRIS systems, I think Bamboo was a little more intuitive to use than Paychex and …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
BambooHRPaychex Flex
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.1
131 Ratings
3% above category average
Paychex Flex
6.6
247 Ratings
17% below category average
Employee demographic data7.7111 Ratings8.0197 Ratings
Employment history8.7119 Ratings8.1220 Ratings
Job profiles and administration8.4117 Ratings6.8155 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.8.2104 Ratings7.3154 Ratings
Organizational charting7.1115 Ratings1.01 Ratings
Organization and location management8.0105 Ratings7.9138 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)8.663 Ratings7.4132 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.0
85 Ratings
0% below category average
Paychex Flex
8.5
288 Ratings
6% above category average
Pay calculation8.258 Ratings9.0271 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.248 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.035 Ratings9.1136 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.864 Ratings7.2156 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.463 Ratings9.2270 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.067 Ratings8.5193 Ratings
Reimbursement management6.734 Ratings8.0105 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.8
112 Ratings
8% above category average
Paychex Flex
7.0
144 Ratings
14% below category average
Approval workflow9.1110 Ratings6.3102 Ratings
Balance details8.9103 Ratings7.5136 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.493 Ratings7.3110 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.7
125 Ratings
7% above category average
Paychex Flex
8.5
249 Ratings
4% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information7.978 Ratings8.6228 Ratings
Update personal information9.2124 Ratings9.0239 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.9103 Ratings7.7111 Ratings
Employee recognition8.682 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history9.0116 Ratings8.7168 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.7
50 Ratings
1% below category average
Paychex Flex
7.8
40 Ratings
0% above category average
Tracking of all physical assets7.750 Ratings7.840 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.7
101 Ratings
1% above category average
Paychex Flex
6.0
164 Ratings
24% below category average
Report builder8.196 Ratings5.7134 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.795 Ratings6.8154 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data7.468 Ratings5.583 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.6
104 Ratings
7% above category average
Paychex Flex
7.9
158 Ratings
2% below category average
New hire portal8.799 Ratings8.0151 Ratings
Manager tracking tools8.691 Ratings7.8100 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.2
64 Ratings
0% above category average
Paychex Flex
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting8.248 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting8.262 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility8.247 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking8.158 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.9
69 Ratings
1% below category average
Paychex Flex
-
Ratings
Performance plans7.662 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans8.055 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking7.963 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders8.264 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.860 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
7.1
51 Ratings
11% below category average
Paychex Flex
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools5.833 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking7.741 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search7.144 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development7.939 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
BambooHR
8.1
85 Ratings
4% above category average
Paychex Flex
8.4
59 Ratings
8% above category average
Job Requisition Management8.061 Ratings9.732 Ratings
Company Website Posting8.367 Ratings9.830 Ratings
Publish to Social Media8.259 Ratings6.823 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting8.263 Ratings6.730 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.457 Ratings6.828 Ratings
Applicant Tracking8.275 Ratings9.633 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts8.678 Ratings9.853 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BambooHRPaychex Flex
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.1 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.2 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BambooHRPaychex Flex
Likelihood to Recommend
8.9
(135 ratings)
7.7
(298 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.2
(11 ratings)
9.0
(42 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(62 ratings)
7.9
(240 ratings)
Availability
9.3
(5 ratings)
9.3
(10 ratings)
Performance
8.7
(5 ratings)
9.1
(10 ratings)
Support Rating
8.5
(57 ratings)
7.7
(245 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
4.5
(1 ratings)
Online Training
9.2
(4 ratings)
7.1
(4 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.2
(4 ratings)
9.4
(11 ratings)
Configurability
8.6
(4 ratings)
7.6
(8 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.3
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.6
(2 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.9
(5 ratings)
9.3
(10 ratings)
Professional Services
9.2
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(4 ratings)
8.9
(31 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(4 ratings)
9.2
(32 ratings)
User Testimonials
BambooHRPaychex Flex
Likelihood to Recommend
BambooHR
If someone is looking for a basic HRIS that will serve a small employee population, BambooHR is a great starting point. This works well enough for what a small business needs. It starts to fall apart in larger organizations or as the needs exceed what BambooHR is capable of. There is a severe lack of customization, and it feels like they are afraid of the users breaking the system, so they put in many guardrails. I'm good with having those, but it dampens the experience for more advanced users. Overall, it is a decent starting point, but not a system any company would want to use long-term as they grow.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
In my experience, Paychex Flex is well suited for small to medium sized businesses. It has been helpful in streamlining the onboarding process and it is easy to update and maintain employee profiles and records. It has worked will in a non-profit environment where there is clergy pay and housing, which can get quite complicated. I cannot think of a scenario where it would be less appropriate.
Read full review
Pros
BambooHR
  • The Applicant Tracking System is pretty good. Has a couple flaws but over all it's a really great module.
  • The HR management system works really well and we love how much we can customize things we need.
  • The Reporting feature is one of my favorite things about BambooHR. I can create any report I want and I love that.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
  • I like I can enter payroll and if I need to leave the program, I can resume at a later time and my information is saved.
  • I like the analytics & reports features.
  • I like how all my employees have easy access to their portal.
Read full review
Cons
BambooHR
  • The performance feature is a little clunky and not adjustable, so I would love to have more customizable options.
  • When a candidate signs an offer letter, it would be great if it could show up under the documents tab. Right now, it gets a little buried.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
  • Reporting writing is difficult to figure out
  • Employee turnover inside Paychex was a problem, until we were assigned to Neil Williams - since that time it has settled down
  • Pressure to convert personal connection with payroll advisor to using automated service
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
BambooHR
There's nothing wrong with this platform. I would recommend it to any business starting with more than 10 employees. I will continue to use the program for as long as I need to, hoping they continue being tremendous and finding other ways to incorporate more technology.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
Overall I like the features that Paychex Flex offers. I am sure that there are other features that I am unaware of, so I am excited to see if there is more that Flex is capable of to make my job easier. The basic features are really user friendly and easy to access. If there ever is an issue customer service is great
Read full review
Usability
BambooHR
It is a very easy page to manage for people that are not used to computers or technology in general. That is one of the main reasons Hermosillo chose this service. It has a very friendly UI for every employee to understand, and that is really important because, in the end, we want our employees to feel comfortable looking at their information.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
Some things could be streamlined. For example, we could do custom options for the "add items" tab which has so many options that we never use. "Medical Pay" could be something that the system remembers for the applicable employees. Salaried employees' salaries should definitely be auto-filled. Overall the system works well but I think it could be improved to be easier to use and read.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
BambooHR
Yes, there is a huge team in the back of the online platform or it looks like it because I have never been left without an answer when I have a question or waiting from a response on my chat .... There must be a huge team, this is so great and I always seem to have someone that is very knowledgeable too. So many times in the past I had to leave with customer service that would connect you with someone else because of the expertise, here everyone seems to be some kind of an expert in the HR function.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
We have not experienced any difficulties with unplanned outages. Notifications are always made for outages, and they do not effect normal business operations.
Read full review
Performance
BambooHR
I love BambooHR. Reports are easy to run and download and it usually covers any types of requests I get from the management team. You get excel or .csv downloads/reports and it is fast and simple, not too crowded so it is easy to read through. We don't integrate the tool yet but again, soon we will. we just did not had the time to utilize it yet but that's the plan.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
Unless there is lag time within the internet, the Paychex Flex website loads exceptional fast, pages load quickly and reports that I need to print or download load quickly. If I need to create a specialized report, once I complete it I receive an e-mail telling me my report is ready to be downloaded. Changing between web pages is fast as well.
Read full review
Support Rating
BambooHR
The support is good, they can respond, however the chat sometimes has line to wait, and sometimes you miss your window because you have to keep working. However, they do respond to inquiries and help you to navigate and solve your problems in a timely manner. So, I don't have complaints on that.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
Our dedicated representative is one of the main reasons we are sticking with Paychex Flex. If it were not for this person, other platforms could provide the same/similar functionality. It is the ability to speak with someone that understands our business and is willing to get questions answered in a timely fashion that keeps us with Paychex Flex.
Read full review
In-Person Training
BambooHR
I didn't have in-person training besides teaching my managers how to use the program. However, I couldn't omit this question (maybe a system glitch).
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
We did online training only
Read full review
Online Training
BambooHR
As far as I can recall, everything went well with doing it online and got questions answered. Was thankful to work with a dummy file to get used to some practices prior to getting our own domain within bamboo to then place our personnel information in the system, this helped a lot!
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
It was easy to understand and follow along. I do like the informational videos that we can utilize before we opt to call in for customer service support. It has made a difference since sometimes that resolves the issue I may have had and saved myself a phone call to Paychex support.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
BambooHR
BambooHR's initial implementation team was amazing. We loved having a dedicated person we could call, email or speak to during the entire process. I feel that's so important when you are new to a software. Our process was time consuming, but well worth the final product.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
Implementation was very smooth. The most cumbersome task was entering the current employees into the system during initial set up, but Paychex staff handled most of that and verified against prior system reports as well as internal reports provided to ensure 100% accuracy.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
BambooHR
BambooHR was already in place when I started. BambooHR has much better intuitive navigation than any of the other systems but not as much customizability as something like Workday
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
We still use QB Desktop Pro to maintain a Check Register / Overall Balance for the company, but once having tried QB Payroll Online for about 3 months prior to finding Paychex Flex I can tell you that there's just no comparison. QB online is VERY EXPENSIVE and not so user-friendly. I hated every minute of those 6 payrolls we ran through QB online.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
BambooHR
Since my organization has dropped with employees, I always find ways to reduce costs. I thought there would be a cheaper option, but I was glad that my package included a lot for the price, and downgrading would cost more. The rep could have let me downgraded and taken me to a higher package. I am thankful that didn't happen.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
No answers on this topic
Scalability
BambooHR
There is so much you can do with this platform, it is incredible and so welcoming. We don't utilize it 100% yet just because we are growing and the HR team has not been able to concentrate on other areas offered to us but but we will soon. Which is also why we got the product, specifically because what BambooHR can do to help us meet our growing business needs.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
Employees can log in at home and get up to date information on their FSA balance and any medical bill reimbursements they may have uploaded. At renewal time they have the ability to make changes to their FSA or for new employees star the enrollment.
Read full review
Professional Services
BambooHR
VERY professional!
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
BambooHR
  • Self Service is great to free up time for Admin.
  • Self-Service/ Tracked PTO and sick days are easy to use and track very well. This frees up Admin time and is transparent for all employees.
  • Easy to use Job postings with very trackable sourcing reports.
  • Easy to use. Easy to onboard and user friendly interface. Requires minimal training.
Read full review
Paychex, Inc.
  • I do not believe we have saved anything additionally. The time we've had to spend to get things to hopefully work is sad. This is the reason we've had to turn off all extra "products" of Paychex Flex. Time and Attendance is horrible. Benefits management is horrible. The user experience is horrible.
  • One thing I do not understand is why are updates for states, cities, counties, school districts, etc. not automatically updated? Should we not get a big red flag if we have an employee living/working, being paid in CA, but they aren't set up for CA sick time? If it is required to be on the paycheck stub to show the balance of the sick time, why would we not be notified that we are out of compliance?
Read full review
ScreenShots

BambooHR Screenshots

Screenshot of BambooHR's Reporting

Paychex Flex Screenshots

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