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
Paycom
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Paycom supports HR and payroll with automated, employee-first technology that supports every stage of employment. Its single database enables seamless data management, to reduce errors, endless data entry and time-consuming administrative tasks.
Gusto is more intuitive than Paychex and easier for smaller companies. Paychex has better customer support than Paylocity. Paychex is easier to navigate than Paycom.
Paychex has been around for a long time and have used it at other organizations. The payroll functionality is the best out of the other systems I have used. They all are great with handling the HR needs of our organization but Paychex is the most streamlined.
All solutions we have reviewed offer the same solutions, and all have pros/cons. Price is a factor, and we have found slightly less costly solutions, though any cost savings are negated in transition costs.
Most of the reporting is a little easier to find and create in Paychex Flex. Most of the web interfaces for submitting payroll are fairly easy just like Paychex Flex.
Paycom seems to be more robust than Paylocity and offers more of the features we need and could use. Paychex Flex didn't offer all the areas we were looking for and doesn't have the features we want. We were looking for a system that could perform well in several areas of HR, …
Verified User
Vice-President
Chose Paycom
I mean I've used Paychex before. I've used ADP before. Paychex was nothing like this, not comparable in terms of the version I was using. I think I was using Paychex Flex, but this was much more comprehensive, much more coherent, and it did a lot more on the ADP side. I don't …
Paycom is faster, more efficient, and more proactive. Paycom is more hands on, I appreciate that I have a customer service rep for day to day questions, and we have a rep who checks in quarterly to ensure we are getting the most from the system. They never feel pushy and are …
Paycom has a much wider range of functionality and the site is user friendly. The app is also better organized and easier to use with the self service portal and manager access in one place. The reviews and goal tracking is much more efficient than the other competitors I’ve …
We selected Paycom due to their system being one totally organic system. We have worked with systems who purchase other modules and they do not communicate well with each other. When changes are made in Paycom they flow to all the different sections needed to ensure the …
Much more user friendly. Easier and more responsive web time clock. If I had a problem with Paychex I waited days for a response and was rerouted through 6 different departments, now with Paycom I wait minutes for a helpful answer to my questions.
Paycom is very user-friendly. Managers can review and approve employee timecards easily. The entire HRIS system allows information to flow together seamlessly. Your general ledger is tailored to your payroll and reporting needs. You no longer need multiple systems, you can do …
No comparison. Using Paycom has been the exact opposite of Paychex in the best way possible. I feel more in control and in the know about what's happening in my business.
Paycom is much more user friendly, reports are easier to work through and build, and Time & Attendance/Employee Self Service is much more user friendly for our employees
Paycom is head and shoulders above the above mentioned products. Other products over promise and under deliver, are not as user friendly or do not have as many modules as Paycom.
Paychex was very poor in the way they handled taxes. In addition, we went through 7 client support representatives in less than a year. We would not be told when someone left or was transferred. If the representative was off for any reason you may have to wait days until you …
Paycom has far exceeded our expectations. Its ease of use and the overall cost is mind blowing. They have thought of almost everything a company might encounter and have built a system around it. All of their staff is readily available and will do what they can when they can …
Did not like Paychex system, the whole program seemed like it was separate programs that did not work that well together. The system was not user friendly.
We ended up selecting Paycom as we thought it was the best match for our organization. We were looking at a few factors: service, communication, technology, functions/capabilities, reporting and of course financials. While Paycom wasn't the cheapest option, in fact, one of the …
We used to have Paychex and the system is pretty reliable, but too outdated. My HR used to take 24 to 48 to enter time cards on that system, and switching to Paycom saved us a lot of work in this part. Another concern we used to have was that it was too complicated to train our …
Much less problems. When I was using Paychex at a previous company, every pay period there was a problem with my direct deposit. I was either over, or underpaid probably 6-7 times. While using Paycom, I have not had a single issue with anything related to payment or any …
Verified User
Supervisor
Chose Paycom
Paycom has some features that the others don't have. But we found that we couldn't rely on the data being correct so that required extra work to verify reports, etc. What I have appreciated about UltiPro is that they will tell you if something isn't going to work and then you …
Paycom blows the competition away. Price, technology, customer service - These were all points of consideration when we evaluated other solutions. We were not impressed with the likes of companies that tried to offer the breadth of solutions Paycom offers today. Whether …
Features
Paychex
Paycom
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
6.5
268 Ratings
22% below category average
Paycom
7.9
447 Ratings
2% below category average
Employee demographic data
7.6215 Ratings
8.9404 Ratings
Employment history
8.0239 Ratings
7.8388 Ratings
Job profiles and administration
7.5173 Ratings
8.0391 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.
7.4168 Ratings
7.5391 Ratings
Organizational charting
1.01 Ratings
7.4304 Ratings
Organization and location management
7.3155 Ratings
7.7342 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)
6.4144 Ratings
8.2326 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.5
310 Ratings
8% below category average
Paycom
8.3
455 Ratings
2% above category average
Pay calculation
8.0292 Ratings
8.8442 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment
6.6150 Ratings
8.713 Ratings
Benefit plan administration
6.7171 Ratings
8.2383 Ratings
Direct deposit files
8.2291 Ratings
9.3442 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management
7.7207 Ratings
8.2367 Ratings
Reimbursement management
7.6116 Ratings
8.4251 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors
00 Ratings
6.447 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.1
158 Ratings
14% below category average
Paycom
8.4
401 Ratings
3% above category average
Approval workflow
7.0112 Ratings
8.6382 Ratings
Balance details
7.3150 Ratings
8.2381 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment
7.0119 Ratings
8.4317 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.6
267 Ratings
8% below category average
Paycom
8.5
456 Ratings
4% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information
7.6245 Ratings
9.0447 Ratings
Update personal information
7.8257 Ratings
8.9452 Ratings
View company policy documentation
7.4119 Ratings
8.0401 Ratings
View job history
7.6181 Ratings
7.9362 Ratings
Employee recognition
00 Ratings
8.6218 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
5.2
43 Ratings
42% below category average
Paycom
4.9
26 Ratings
48% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets
5.243 Ratings
4.926 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
5.9
175 Ratings
24% below category average
Paycom
7.1
394 Ratings
6% below category average
Report builder
6.4145 Ratings
7.8387 Ratings
Pre-built reports
6.3164 Ratings
7.7384 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data
5.291 Ratings
5.855 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
6.2
171 Ratings
25% below category average
Paycom
8.1
391 Ratings
1% above category average
New hire portal
6.7164 Ratings
8.1388 Ratings
Manager tracking tools
5.6106 Ratings
8.1336 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
5.2
68 Ratings
38% below category average
Paycom
7.0
283 Ratings
9% below category average
Job Requisition Management
5.636 Ratings
7.2252 Ratings
Company Website Posting
5.434 Ratings
7.0248 Ratings
Publish to Social Media
4.828 Ratings
6.3195 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting
5.335 Ratings
6.9230 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention
4.934 Ratings
6.8216 Ratings
Applicant Tracking
5.039 Ratings
7.0257 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts
5.162 Ratings
7.9266 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
-
Ratings
Paycom
6.1
227 Ratings
27% below category average
Corporate goal setting
00 Ratings
4.236 Ratings
Individual goal setting
00 Ratings
7.7210 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility
00 Ratings
4.835 Ratings
Performance tracking
00 Ratings
7.6222 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
-
Ratings
Paycom
7.6
284 Ratings
4% below category average
Performance plans
00 Ratings
7.7263 Ratings
Performance improvement plans
00 Ratings
7.4248 Ratings
Review status tracking
00 Ratings
7.8256 Ratings
Review reminders
00 Ratings
7.8261 Ratings
Multiple review frequency
00 Ratings
7.3233 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
For the most part, Paychex Flex is a very good payroll system and is well suited for a small business. Most basic features are simple and user friendly. For businesses that have hourly employees, its timeclock system is a good feature. For businesses that have a large number of employees and more complicated rules and policies, it might not be as appropriate because of the difficulty to set up for these rules and policies
well suited for smaller businesses. most of our functions are housed in the payroll system, so that makes things easier. Not sure how sophisticated the labor allocation and job costing system would work with a large organization. We have to closely monitor tax profiles and multi-state things. Hard to follow and understand at times.
Before Paycom we were using Paylocity and in about six months of running payroll with Paylocity, we never once had 100% accuracy from a payroll standpoint. So we had disgruntled employees because either their time was off or their pay was off. With Paycom, we've never had a case where our payroll was not 100% accurate.
When it comes to audit reports, Paychex Flex could improve on helping clients locate the correct reports for audit purposes more easily
When a client receives a discount, it would be helpful if the discount were automatically provided each year, or if the Paychex rep proactively reached out to the client first, versus the client having to call and request that the discount continue.
It would be helpful if the invoice was emailed to the client versus the client logging in to access invoices.
I think that when we do need a response back, which is very unlikely from the contact about something that's happening or going on, it can take a little long to get back to us. Longer than we would like because obviously it's an emergency to us, but we understand they have tons of emergencies they have to solve. But I think that's the only aspect.
I know from a payroll standpoint, which I'm not really privy to because I don't work on the payroll side, there have been some little hiccups that about certain formulas used, certain credits being issued that we've already filed for tax credits that we filed for. So I know that my CFO's already on top of it and pay comes on top of it as well and it's getting resolved, but obviously that's a big issue that needs some work there.
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
Because it has everything that we need and as we grow, we are learning how robust Paycom can actually be but we need to be willing to spend the money. It's not expensive but we, as a company, are not used to spending that much on a system for HR and payroll.
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.
The interface is very intuitive, you can navigate it pretty well. Everything's pretty much spelled out and the features just flow really well. They make it easy for you to go back and forth with the UX/UI type of interface. So I think it was built pretty well.
We have not experienced any difficulties with unplanned outages. Notifications are always made for outages, and they do not effect normal business operations.
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.
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.
Our TSR has been wonderful to work with. Every step of the way he was quick to respond and answer any questions we had. I knew I could reach him at any time (day or night) and he would be available to assist. Implementing a new HRIS system is obviously a huge task and I contribute all our success to our rep Kurt! Of course, with any implementation, there were bumps along the way and issues. But I always knew we would work as a team to get those issues figured out. Working in the Paycom system has been smooth and easy to learn and I enjoy the employee self-service interface. Our managers have had positive things to say and are all excited about the changes we have been able to make to our organization due to Paycom being implemented.
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.
All the online training modules were short and straight to the point. Every module teach you how to use the system. If there is one thing they know how to do is training. We did implementation during the pandemic so all had to be done online or via zoom meetings.
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.
Not at all satisfied it was a nightmare we spent over 8 months with the implementation team having issues after issues all related to the Puerto Rico regulations (half my employees are in Puerto Rico) and at the end we were moved over from the implementation team to the production team without all the issues being resolved
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.
We really only had Paychecks and that was our biggest problem is that with several different companies, it was very hard If you had a salary employee and didn't terminate them in the prior company, they get paid twice, so this has really been definitely a big help for us.
I generally do payroll at the office, however I have had to go remote due to internet issues and also had to take payroll on vacation with me. Very easy to log in wherever you are and manage your TAA and payroll
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?
I would think the most time would come from applicant tracking and I don't think that's a Paycom issue necessarily. I think it was a training issue during implementation. I would say that that has improved now that we had onsite training. But initially the applicant tracking piece can be difficult when you're used to just using an ATS. That's specifically for talent acquisition because there's a lot of nuances that goes into the system that Paycom bills.