Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Paychex Flex
Score 6.7 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
Xero
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Xero is an online accounting software product for small businesses and personal finance. Its features beyond general ledger and double-bookkeeping include quotable invoicing, bank reconciliation, purchase order and expense management, and tax management. Third party apps can extend its features further.
$13
per month
Pricing
Paychex FlexXero
Editions & Modules
Paychex Go
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
Paychex Flex Service
Contact sales team
Paychex Flex Enterprise
Contact sales team
Early
$13
per month
Growing
$37
per month
Established
$70
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Paychex FlexXero
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional DetailsPrices in table are in USD and just apply to the US - other markets & prices are listed below: Canada - Starter $18 CAD/month, Standard $45 CAD/month, Premium 5 $58 CAD/month UK - Starter £14/month, Standard £28/month, Premium £36/month AU - Starter $29 AUD/month, Standard $59 AUD/month, Premium 5 $76 AUD/month NZ - Starter $31 NZD/month, Standard $66 NZD/month, Premium $84 NZD/month
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Paychex FlexXero
Considered Both Products
Paychex Flex
Chose Paychex Flex
Paychex Flex is geared towards a larger and more sophisticated organization than Xero. Xero is really only the better solution to an organization that was previously keeping its books in Excel. Paychex Flex helps companies program future payroll decisions and inputs ahead of …
Xero

No answer on this topic

Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
Paychex FlexXero
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
6.7
247 Ratings
16% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data8.0197 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history8.0220 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration6.8155 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.4154 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting1.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management7.9138 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.5132 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
8.5
288 Ratings
6% above category average
Xero
7.8
73 Ratings
4% above category average
Pay calculation9.0271 Ratings7.965 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.1136 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.3156 Ratings8.123 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.3270 Ratings7.949 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.5193 Ratings7.841 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.9105 Ratings7.354 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
7.0
144 Ratings
14% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Approval workflow6.3102 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details7.5136 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.3110 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
8.5
249 Ratings
5% above category average
Xero
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information8.6228 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information9.0239 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.7111 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history8.7168 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
7.8
40 Ratings
1% above category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets7.840 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
6.1
164 Ratings
22% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Report builder5.8134 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports6.9154 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data5.883 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
8.0
158 Ratings
0% below category average
Xero
-
Ratings
New hire portal8.1151 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools7.9100 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
8.5
59 Ratings
9% above category average
Xero
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management9.632 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting9.730 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media6.923 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting6.830 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention6.928 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking9.633 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts9.753 Ratings00 Ratings
Customization
Comparison of Customization features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
-
Ratings
Xero
7.5
126 Ratings
6% above category average
API for custom integration00 Ratings7.779 Ratings
Plug-ins00 Ratings7.3113 Ratings
Security
Comparison of Security features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
-
Ratings
Xero
8.1
159 Ratings
3% above category average
Single sign-on capability00 Ratings7.572 Ratings
Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.7157 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
-
Ratings
Xero
8.0
180 Ratings
5% above category average
Dashboards00 Ratings7.9176 Ratings
Standard reports00 Ratings8.2179 Ratings
Custom reports00 Ratings7.9159 Ratings
General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
-
Ratings
Xero
7.4
189 Ratings
0% below category average
Accounts payable00 Ratings8.7176 Ratings
Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.9177 Ratings
Cash management00 Ratings8.1161 Ratings
Bank reconciliation00 Ratings9.1184 Ratings
Expense management00 Ratings7.9168 Ratings
Time tracking00 Ratings7.660 Ratings
Fixed asset management00 Ratings7.7115 Ratings
Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.5109 Ratings
Multi-division support00 Ratings7.493 Ratings
Regulations compliance00 Ratings8.293 Ratings
Electronic tax filing00 Ratings9.093 Ratings
Self-service portal00 Ratings7.7106 Ratings
Global Financial Support00 Ratings6.051 Ratings
Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings7.250 Ratings
Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings6.040 Ratings
Localizations00 Ratings8.039 Ratings
Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings9.290 Ratings
Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings4.433 Ratings
Configurable Accounting00 Ratings5.859 Ratings
Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings5.133 Ratings
Standardized Processes00 Ratings6.159 Ratings
Inventory Management
Comparison of Inventory Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
-
Ratings
Xero
6.5
87 Ratings
8% below category average
Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.183 Ratings
Automatic reordering00 Ratings7.024 Ratings
Location management00 Ratings7.029 Ratings
Manufacturing module00 Ratings6.316 Ratings
Order Management
Comparison of Order Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex Flex
-
Ratings
Xero
6.9
89 Ratings
7% below category average
Pricing00 Ratings6.862 Ratings
Order entry00 Ratings6.956 Ratings
Credit card processing00 Ratings7.458 Ratings
Cost of goods sold00 Ratings7.366 Ratings
Order Orchestration00 Ratings6.621 Ratings
End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings6.524 Ratings
Order exception Resolution00 Ratings6.617 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Paychex FlexXero
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Dext Prepare (with Receipt Bank)
Score 9.1 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Accounting Seed
Accounting Seed
Score 8.3 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP
Score 8.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Paychex FlexXero
Likelihood to Recommend
7.7
(298 ratings)
8.6
(204 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(42 ratings)
9.9
(32 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(240 ratings)
8.8
(129 ratings)
Availability
9.3
(10 ratings)
9.0
(10 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(10 ratings)
10.0
(8 ratings)
Support Rating
7.8
(245 ratings)
8.9
(36 ratings)
In-Person Training
4.5
(1 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Online Training
7.0
(4 ratings)
10.0
(5 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.4
(11 ratings)
7.3
(10 ratings)
Configurability
7.6
(8 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.0
(3 ratings)
6.5
(89 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.3
(10 ratings)
10.0
(6 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(31 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.2
(32 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
User Testimonials
Paychex FlexXero
Likelihood to Recommend
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
Xero
If they are using foreign exchange I always use Xero. If I need reporting to be customized we always use Xero. If the client is already working in a software and it is working for them we will leave them in the software they are in.
Read full review
Pros
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
Xero
  • Their method of moving between screens was very logical and intuitive which is not a "given" attribute among software packages.
  • Finding transactions was relatively easy with just common sense.
  • The use of this software was generally well received in that the accountants did not discredit the software as cheap, poorly organized, or timely to learn. No one at Corporate had a vendetta against using Xero.
  • It does a good job of allowing the users to drill down to the final detail of an account balance - which is fundamental to the accounting department's needs.
Read full review
Cons
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
Xero
  • Occasionally, the price increases and I feel that prices should be fixed for long-term users as there are very few changes in the software from when I started using it 6 years ago.
  • It would be useful to have the emails sent with invoices saved.
  • Visual dashboards are limited.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
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
Xero
In addition to the matters covered in this review, my reason for renewing this product is that Xero's functionality and the constant updates that the company provides, makes the software even more business friendly. The software therefore builds a brand loyalty among customers.
Read full review
Usability
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
Xero
Xero has all the features that you need, basically. From chart of accounts, reconciling books, to making annual financial reports. What I'm currently looking for Xero right now is to provide more broader integration with the other apps so we can use it for customer-facing experience also. All in all, everything works well!
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
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
Xero
We have been actively using and 100% Xero based for our ecommerce accounting practice for over 4 years. There has on been one real outage for more than 5 minutes. Xero was open and transparent about the outage, what they were doing to resolve the issue, and provided 15 minute updates. Showing how they care about their customers and partners. Plus, showing that their customers care too, were understanding, and went surfing or in our case took a nap. Couldn't run our business without Xero as a partner.
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Performance
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
Xero
Pages generally load quickly, but it's a fairly common occurrence to have pages taking a bit longer than I'd like to load (as in, 4+ seconds). Occasionally I have to refresh a page to get it to work. Bank feed and integrations tend to be slow in general, but that could easily be due to API latency on the side of the other parties. Most of the time, though, the bank feeds refresh before I login so it's not a huge problem. Not necessarily good performance compared to a local app like QuickBooks desktop, but definitely good performance for a cloud application. Room for growth? yes.
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Support Rating
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
Xero
Always respond and keep issues open until you are satisfied with the result. Generally good responses, in the past, I had some support responses that were really basic and really annoying. They type where "have your tried restarting your computer" style of answers. Well, of course, I went through all the basics before contacting them. Duh, but I suppose not everyone does. Otherwise, it would be a 10. The last year has shown a marked improvement in the support responses however.
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In-Person Training
Paychex, Inc.
We did online training only
Read full review
Xero
The format was great; someone was there to ask questions or help if you were stuck.
Read full review
Online Training
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
Xero
All of Xero's training is online and available for anyone (business owner or accountants) to learn and become experts in their system. There is a range of content from product training to real world webinars from their partners. Xero is beautiful accounting software and their training is the same.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
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
Xero
If it can be done, time the implementation near a new fiscal year so you can start clean. Otherwise, you have to go back and do historical data from the beginning of the fiscal year, which can be brain draining.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
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
Xero
I've used a lot of different accounting systems. Many of them so big and powerful, but a hassle to get set up. Xero is light, inexpensive, and easy to use. When I originally selected them they seemed like they were developing new features at a quick rate as well. I was invited to be part of focus sessions to make the product better. That part has slowed down significantly though.
Read full review
Scalability
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.
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Xero
I have yet to fully stress test the product given the size of the company where I am using it. I am sure as we scale to more customers, more vendors and more reporting requirements, I will have a better understanding of what it is capable of in terms of bandwidth and processing
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Return on Investment
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?
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Xero
  • Saved many hours through automatic invoices and followups
  • Saved many hours by allowing transactions to start via bank feeds (ie I don't have to input a transaction and mark it against what is in the bank/cc account; rather, the transaction in the account is where you input the transaction into the books.
  • Has the scalability my business requires, and not much more.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Paychex Flex Screenshots

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Xero Screenshots

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