Paychex vs. PlanSource

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Paychex
Score 6.9 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.N/A
PlanSource
Score 5.8 out of 10
N/A
PlanSource BenefitsOne is an employee benefits engagement platform, from PlanSource headquartered in Orlando, Florida. The solution presents streamlined workflows and real-time integrations, as well as a mobile-friendly enrollment experience that’s designed to maximize HR efficiency and plan adoption.N/A
Pricing
PaychexPlanSource
Editions & Modules
Paychex Flex Pro
Custom Pricing
per month/+$4 per employee
HR Pro
Custom Pricing
HR PEO
Custom Pricing
Paychex Flex Select
Custom Pricing
Paychex Flex Enterprise
Custom Pricing
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PaychexPlanSource
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
PaychexPlanSource
Features
PaychexPlanSource
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.3
275 Ratings
11% below category average
PlanSource
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data7.7222 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history7.8245 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration7.8180 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.9175 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting6.34 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management7.1161 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)6.4148 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.7
316 Ratings
5% below category average
PlanSource
-
Ratings
Pay calculation7.9298 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.73 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment7.3156 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.2177 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.3297 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.0212 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.4121 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.5
160 Ratings
8% below category average
PlanSource
-
Ratings
Approval workflow7.5114 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details7.6152 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.3120 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.2
273 Ratings
13% below category average
PlanSource
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information8.0251 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information7.5263 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.4124 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition5.52 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history7.4187 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
6.2
44 Ratings
26% below category average
PlanSource
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets6.244 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
6.0
179 Ratings
22% below category average
PlanSource
-
Ratings
Report builder6.4149 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports6.6167 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data5.093 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
6.8
175 Ratings
16% below category average
PlanSource
-
Ratings
New hire portal7.0167 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools6.6111 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
9.0
1 Ratings
11% above category average
PlanSource
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
9.0
1 Ratings
13% above category average
PlanSource
-
Ratings
Performance plans9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
7.0
1 Ratings
12% below category average
PlanSource
-
Ratings
Candidate search7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Paychex
5.3
71 Ratings
39% below category average
PlanSource
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management5.137 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting5.234 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media5.629 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting6.036 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention4.634 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking4.740 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts6.165 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PaychexPlanSource
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
UZIO
UZIO
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.1 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PaychexPlanSource
Likelihood to Recommend
6.7
(331 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
7.1
(48 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
7.2
(272 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
5.3
(12 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
7.0
(12 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
6.5
(272 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
4.5
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
8.3
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
5.2
(13 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
5.0
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
5.5
(12 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
5.7
(34 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
6.1
(35 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
PaychexPlanSource
Likelihood to Recommend
Paychex Inc.
It is best suited for payrolls from 1 to 150 employees, because their constant attention and flex system are easy to use. Any problem is taking care by your Paychex Agent, and they always listen to you. Better yet, when you become a client with more than 5 years, you get special discount on your renewal. Honestly, I can't not think on nothing that will be less appropriate.
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PlanSource
Less appropriate for small groups with one very simple health plan. More appropriate for 20+ EE groups with multiple plans and supplementary benefits.
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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.
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PlanSource
  • Puts all of your healthcare selections in one place making changes, drops, and additions are taken care of in one place instead of having to contact every vendor individually.
  • Keeps an accurate record of real time enrollment which helps when you are in an account manager role and handling client questions concerning their health plans.
  • Provides tools to keep the client and yourself organized. Several Open Enrollment messaging tools and places to add any educational documents for the different health plans.
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Cons
Paychex Inc.
  • I understand logging you out is a security function, but I'd prefer it not to log you out so soon.
  • The training we received for the team's meeting was subpar, in my opinion. Probably better geared for people with little to no computer experience. Very slow pace; we could have easily received all of this from some tutorials in a few minutes.
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PlanSource
  • The more advanced options, such as HCM, could have a slightly more user-friendly dashboard for users who are not daily computer users.
  • Needs to be easier to customize the homepage. Clients are always interested in adding in their own pictures, colors, welcome message position, etc.
  • Needs to have a function where the employer can send a document for the employee to sign, open and capture the employee's signature, send back to the employer and save in the employee file.
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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
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PlanSource
No answers on this topic
Usability
Paychex Inc.
Once you are set up in the system, it is very user-friendly and usability is on par with my expectations. Onboarding new employees is simple, employee access is simple and easy for them to use. Tax documentation, reporting, and entering payroll is easy and user-friendly. Running reports and finding information necessary to keep the flow moving foward is easy to do
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PlanSource
No answers on this topic
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.
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PlanSource
No answers on this topic
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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PlanSource
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Paychex Inc.
The dedicated support we are given is good and very responsive. If there is a change to the dedicated support, we are notified quickly and have temporary support in place while we wait for our new rep. The phone support is knowledgeable and quick to help if there is an immediate need. However, the chat support can be the slowest option and doesn't always launch so I rarely use it.
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PlanSource
No answers on this topic
In-Person Training
Paychex Inc.
We did online training only
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PlanSource
No answers on this topic
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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PlanSource
No answers on this topic
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.
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PlanSource
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Paychex Inc.
In addition to the ones listed above, we also used BenePay, a local payroll company. We found Paychex Flex priced in the middle, with ADP the most expensive and too complicated, with many features that were unnecessary for us. We found that Paychex Flex's features and reporting to be sized right for our size (around 30 employees). Paychex Flex also offered a very reasonable service to apply for the ERTC
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PlanSource
I have looked at GoCo, Kronos and Zenefits. I selected PlanSource because I felt it was the most customizable for a variety of clients across the board. The interface seemed functional but slightly professional looking than it competitors. PlanSource also seemed well established and that it was capable of handling my client needs.
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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
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PlanSource
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Paychex Inc.
  • With Paychex Flex we have been able to improve our compliance with required documentation for new/rehires
  • Moving everyone to direct deposit and mobile clock in/out eliminated lines at punching stations and paycheck pickup stations
  • Lost checks is a thing of the past
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PlanSource
  • Positive - Reduces time spent contacting vendors of enrollment changes. When you are dealing with several hundred employees and their dependents across several vendors that time starts to add up.
  • Positive - Point of value when trying to gain or up sell a client.
  • Negative - You do need to meet the minimum number of people on the platform as per your contact to avoid having to pay a fee to PlanSource. If one of your larger clients leaves that could be a potential issue.
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ScreenShots

Paychex Screenshots

Screenshot of Paychex Payroll DashboardScreenshot of Employee Background ChecksScreenshot of Paychex HR DashboardScreenshot of Paychex Flex Perks