Paychex vs. Paycom

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Paychex
Score 6.5 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
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.N/A
Pricing
PaychexPaycom
Editions & Modules
Paychex Go
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
Paychex Flex Service
Contact sales team
Paychex Flex Enterprise
Contact sales team
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PaychexPaycom
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeRequiredNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
PaychexPaycom
Considered Both Products
Paychex
Chose Paychex
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.
Chose Paychex
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.
Chose Paychex
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.
Chose Paychex
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.
Chose Paychex
They both have their pros and cons. Paychex Flex is much easier to use when processing payroll.
Paycom
Chose Paycom
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, …
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 …
Chose Paycom
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 …
Chose Paycom
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 …
Chose Paycom
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 …
Chose Paycom
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.
Chose Paycom
Paycom is my first choice from working with other services like Peoplesoft, Paychex and ADP.
Chose Paycom
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 …
Chose Paycom
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.
Chose Paycom
By far, comparable to Workday, but built for smaller-sized organizations; however, capabilities are on par.
Chose Paycom
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
Chose Paycom
We have used Paycheck and ADP products before. Paycom by far has been the one that is easier to use.
Chose Paycom
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.
Chose 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 …
Chose Paycom
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 …
Chose Paycom
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.
Chose Paycom
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 …
Chose Paycom
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 …
Chose Paycom
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 …
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 …
Chose Paycom
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
PaychexPaycom
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 data7.6215 Ratings8.9404 Ratings
Employment history8.0239 Ratings7.8388 Ratings
Job profiles and administration7.5173 Ratings8.0391 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.4168 Ratings7.5391 Ratings
Organizational charting1.01 Ratings7.4304 Ratings
Organization and location management7.3155 Ratings7.7342 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.4144 Ratings8.2326 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 calculation8.0292 Ratings8.8442 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment6.6150 Ratings8.713 Ratings
Benefit plan administration6.7171 Ratings8.2383 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.2291 Ratings9.3442 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management7.7207 Ratings8.2367 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.6116 Ratings8.4251 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings6.447 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 workflow7.0112 Ratings8.6382 Ratings
Balance details7.3150 Ratings8.2381 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.0119 Ratings8.4317 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 information7.6245 Ratings9.0447 Ratings
Update personal information7.8257 Ratings8.9452 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.4119 Ratings8.0401 Ratings
View job history7.6181 Ratings7.9362 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings8.6218 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 assets5.243 Ratings4.926 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 builder6.4145 Ratings7.8387 Ratings
Pre-built reports6.3164 Ratings7.7384 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data5.291 Ratings5.855 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 portal6.7164 Ratings8.1388 Ratings
Manager tracking tools5.6106 Ratings8.1336 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 Management5.636 Ratings7.2252 Ratings
Company Website Posting5.434 Ratings7.0248 Ratings
Publish to Social Media4.828 Ratings6.3195 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting5.335 Ratings6.9230 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention4.934 Ratings6.8216 Ratings
Applicant Tracking5.039 Ratings7.0257 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts5.162 Ratings7.9266 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 setting00 Ratings4.236 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings7.7210 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings4.835 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings7.6222 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 plans00 Ratings7.7263 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.4248 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.8256 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings7.8261 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.3233 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
-
Ratings
Paycom
8.1
45 Ratings
4% above category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings9.124 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings6.830 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings8.343 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings8.140 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PaychexPaycom
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.2 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PaychexPaycom
Likelihood to Recommend
6.5
(323 ratings)
8.7
(563 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
1.4
(44 ratings)
7.3
(24 ratings)
Usability
6.9
(264 ratings)
9.0
(86 ratings)
Availability
5.8
(12 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Performance
7.1
(12 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
6.5
(265 ratings)
9.1
(52 ratings)
In-Person Training
4.5
(1 ratings)
6.4
(1 ratings)
Online Training
8.3
(4 ratings)
4.4
(3 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.5
(13 ratings)
8.2
(7 ratings)
Configurability
5.1
(9 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(3 ratings)
5.5
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
6.4
(12 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
2.4
(33 ratings)
9.0
(4 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
3.4
(34 ratings)
9.0
(4 ratings)
User Testimonials
PaychexPaycom
Likelihood to Recommend
Paychex Inc.
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
Read full review
Paycom
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.
Read full review
Pros
Paychex Inc.
  • It provides a well account of Retirement Plan Account Information.
  • Alerts are sent to email when there is new information to access.
  • Employee access both online and thru app.
  • Paperless options.
  • Easy and quick access to paystubs and tax forms.
  • Easy employee retirement management.
Read full review
Paycom
  • 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.
Read full review
Cons
Paychex Inc.
  • 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.
Read full review
Paycom
  • 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.
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
Paycom
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.
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.
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Paycom
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.
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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
Paycom
They are very dependable and I have never experience any outages
Read full review
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.
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Paycom
Yes, Paycom's performance is excellent, no issues.
Read full review
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
Paycom
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.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Paychex Inc.
We did online training only
Read full review
Paycom
They were a sales person and not really a good trainer.
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.
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Paycom
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.
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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
Paycom
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
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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
Paycom
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.
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Scalability
Paychex Inc.
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
Read full review
Paycom
They are not able to meet our current needs
Read full review
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?
Read full review
Paycom
  • 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.
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ScreenShots

Paychex Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of

Paycom Screenshots

Screenshot of a new study that reveals that for a composite organization representative of interviewed clients, unifying HR and payroll in a single-database software with automation and streamlined workflows achieved a three-year 362% ROI and resulted in: $1.4M net present value*; over 45% total time saved by HR; 80% time saved on compliance work.Screenshot of IWant, which is a command-driven AI engine in a single database, for instant access to employee data.Screenshot of Direct Data Exchange®, which takes a detailed pulse of how employees interact with Paycom. It automatically assigns a dollar value of savings based on Ernst & Young research.