Paylocity vs. TriNet HR Platform

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Paylocity
Score 7.8 out of 10
N/A
Paylocity provides 24/7 access to your online payroll and human resource data management. Paylocity offers highly customizable payroll functionality, as well as HR, benefits administration, and time and talent management programs.N/A
TriNet HR Platform
Score 6.8 out of 10
N/A
Zenefits is a free, cloud-based core-HR platform. It primarily services small to mid-sized businesses and provides time management and benefits administration capabilities.
$10
per month
Pricing
PaylocityTriNet HR Platform
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Essentials
$10
per month per employee
Growth
$20
per month per employee
Zen
$33
per month per employee
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
PaylocityTriNet HR Platform
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
PaylocityTriNet HR Platform
Considered Both Products
Paylocity
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is generally better than all these other systems
Chose Paylocity
I like Paylocity more than ADP and Paycor - it is more similar to Zenefits but more focused on a mid-sized company. I think Paylocity could benefit from some of the design features that Zenefits offers. Paylocity is more intuitive to use than ADP in my opinion and is just …
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity was selected as our payroll vendor due to the tight-knit integration with our benefits admin tools and our HRIS/onboarding system. When compared to other ADPs, it is more modern and user-friendly. When compared to Dayforce and UKG it lags behind in power.
Chose Paylocity
Paylocity is easily the worst one. It's clunky and the modules do not talk to each other well. It requires a lot of manual work, the user interface is horrible, and the system is glitchy.
Chose Paylocity
While I loved Zenefits as a user, I have been told that it just was not what we needed as we became a bigger company. Paylocity has been much more reliable and contains all of the important information we need stored. The only thing I would say I miss about Zenefits was that it …
TriNet HR Platform
Chose TriNet HR Platform
I can only compare to paylocity - and Zeneifts has way more features and is way more user-friendly/straight forward. I've recevied better feedback form zenefits users than paylocity users as well. Much better customer service, and the benefit administration is the biggest pro.
Chose TriNet HR Platform
Paylocity was much more customizable, but it was not as intuitive as Zenefits. It didn't integrate like we wanted and that is why we switched.
Chose TriNet HR Platform
pretty good and can serve as the whole hr hub, but pricey
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
PaylocityTriNet HR Platform
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Paylocity
7.8
859 Ratings
0% below category average
TriNet HR Platform
2.3
132 Ratings
109% below category average
Employee demographic data8.5810 Ratings2.5108 Ratings
Employment history8.2791 Ratings2.4103 Ratings
Job profiles and administration7.8726 Ratings2.5102 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.7.6739 Ratings2.6107 Ratings
Organizational charting7.1677 Ratings1.9117 Ratings
Organization and location management7.8659 Ratings1.8119 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.5565 Ratings2.3105 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Paylocity
8.1
847 Ratings
1% above category average
TriNet HR Platform
2.2
117 Ratings
114% below category average
Pay calculation8.6823 Ratings2.3100 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.3390 Ratings1.550 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.5593 Ratings2.363 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.2564 Ratings2.6105 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.9822 Ratings2.3101 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.2650 Ratings2.193 Ratings
Reimbursement management7.9403 Ratings2.465 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Paylocity
7.6
710 Ratings
6% below category average
TriNet HR Platform
1.8
115 Ratings
127% below category average
Approval workflow7.9631 Ratings2.0113 Ratings
Balance details7.4678 Ratings1.7111 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment7.4528 Ratings1.692 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Paylocity
8.3
859 Ratings
2% above category average
TriNet HR Platform
1.9
131 Ratings
124% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information8.5836 Ratings2.1125 Ratings
Update personal information8.6850 Ratings2.3131 Ratings
View company policy documentation8.0676 Ratings1.4118 Ratings
Employee recognition8.3592 Ratings1.363 Ratings
View job history8.3714 Ratings2.2101 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Paylocity
7.5
240 Ratings
3% below category average
TriNet HR Platform
1.1
22 Ratings
150% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets7.5240 Ratings1.122 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Paylocity
7.0
785 Ratings
8% below category average
TriNet HR Platform
1.4
104 Ratings
138% below category average
Report builder7.0751 Ratings1.4100 Ratings
Pre-built reports7.4765 Ratings1.4102 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.5459 Ratings1.364 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Paylocity
8.2
731 Ratings
2% above category average
TriNet HR Platform
4.6
111 Ratings
54% below category average
New hire portal8.3727 Ratings5.0110 Ratings
Manager tracking tools8.0568 Ratings4.290 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Paylocity
7.4
381 Ratings
10% below category average
TriNet HR Platform
8.4
41 Ratings
3% above category average
Corporate goal setting7.4289 Ratings8.337 Ratings
Individual goal setting7.4352 Ratings8.440 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility7.3250 Ratings8.335 Ratings
Performance tracking7.4354 Ratings8.437 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Paylocity
7.4
490 Ratings
7% below category average
TriNet HR Platform
1.5
57 Ratings
136% below category average
Performance plans7.2439 Ratings1.354 Ratings
Performance improvement plans7.2364 Ratings1.351 Ratings
Review status tracking7.4451 Ratings2.152 Ratings
Review reminders7.5453 Ratings1.352 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.6370 Ratings1.348 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Paylocity
7.1
225 Ratings
10% below category average
TriNet HR Platform
7.5
23 Ratings
5% below category average
Create succession plans/pools6.7148 Ratings7.520 Ratings
Candidate ranking7.1183 Ratings7.521 Ratings
Candidate search7.4205 Ratings7.523 Ratings
Candidate development7.4165 Ratings7.622 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Paylocity
7.7
462 Ratings
1% below category average
TriNet HR Platform
7.5
25 Ratings
3% below category average
Job Requisition Management7.8379 Ratings7.420 Ratings
Company Website Posting8.1405 Ratings7.415 Ratings
Publish to Social Media7.7312 Ratings7.514 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting7.7379 Ratings7.516 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.0317 Ratings7.518 Ratings
Applicant Tracking8.0424 Ratings7.417 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts7.9422 Ratings7.622 Ratings
Best Alternatives
PaylocityTriNet HR Platform
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 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 7.3 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
PaylocityTriNet HR Platform
Likelihood to Recommend
7.7
(894 ratings)
1.7
(141 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(86 ratings)
8.5
(11 ratings)
Usability
8.5
(60 ratings)
8.9
(32 ratings)
Availability
8.8
(9 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Performance
9.4
(9 ratings)
8.5
(4 ratings)
Support Rating
7.2
(81 ratings)
8.8
(42 ratings)
Online Training
8.3
(10 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.2
(35 ratings)
9.1
(4 ratings)
Configurability
8.3
(7 ratings)
8.8
(4 ratings)
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
8.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
6.6
(7 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
8.8
(8 ratings)
8.9
(4 ratings)
Professional Services
9.1
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
7.3
(7 ratings)
8.9
(4 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.0
(6 ratings)
8.9
(4 ratings)
User Testimonials
PaylocityTriNet HR Platform
Likelihood to Recommend
Paylocity
Paylocity works well for our organization. Ease of use for our managers and employees is very important. Makes it easier for us in HR to manage. Time and attendance works very well. Efficient and effective. Payroll runs very smoothly. We appreciate the performance and compensation module for tracking employees performance, journals and getting feedback and annual compensation.
Read full review
TriNet
I think as a small business owner, this system gives peace of mind. When I'm onboarding an employee I can automatically integrate the process with Gmail and Quickbooks. I feel like they are always doing work in the background and I don't have to keep checking up on them or verifying the work that's been done
Read full review
Pros
Paylocity
  • Customer Service is always helpful with little wait time.
  • Always improving; for example, the recent change to processing payroll. So much easier.
  • Onboarding makes it simple and the fact that the company can personalize the messaging to new hires allows us to make it more personalized.
  • Having an assigned account manager regardless of company size is definitely a plus.
Read full review
TriNet
  • Payroll services in all 50 states, including payroll tax filings
  • Integrations with tools like QuickBooks, Google Workspace, Slack, and Human Interest (401(k))
  • Simple yet powerful mobile app for employees to access information including paystubs, benefits, and time off requests
  • Streamlined admin portal for People Ops professionals
Read full review
Cons
Paylocity
  • Recruiting piece/ATS could be improved.
  • A candidate being able to save progress on their application is really a must as they can't leave and come back to their application without having to restart, i.e. if they need to get a phone number for a reference for example.
  • Could use more room in entering the job for internal notes.
  • Quirky when doing cut and paste of job details that leaves spaces that aren't in the document being pasted.
Read full review
TriNet
  • Support doesn't exist once you are a customer
  • Tax team has a 3-6 month response time
  • Poor Menu/Navigation structure
  • Fails to pay taxes on time, results in delinquency notices and fees
  • Glitchy UI, sometimes you need to wait a day or two for a section to work again
  • Feels like a perpetual beta product, nothing polished about it
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Paylocity
We have had many issues with the way our platform was set up at implementation that still continue to plague us. In addition, our benefits, in particular our FSA, have been mis-managed causing a balance due from an employee (and also a lot of work for our accounting and HR team, as well as stress for the employee). Our service rep continues to answer incorrectly on many fronts (original response is usually check out this paylocity article, vs. helping) and recently our COBRA management was mishandled (not adding Dental to a person on Cobra who had requested it). So- all in all...we are not particularly happy w/ Paylocity
Read full review
TriNet
We've already renewed after our first year with Zenefits due to the cost savings, ease of administration, reduction in overhead required to perform HR functions, and the employees happily embracing and liking the software. I've found employees generally hate anything new, but we've had no complaints about Zenefits outside the first few weeks of getting used to it.
Read full review
Usability
Paylocity
Overall, in my experience, Paylocity has been easy to use for both staff and administrators. First, the staff has an application and inputting Paid Time Off is easy to do. I then get an alert on my app and I am able to approve it on the spot from my app that gives me access as an employee and an administrator without having to use multiple apps or logins. As an administrator I think the portal is easy to use, Paylocity did a great job showing me tools and rolling out training classes before rollout.
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TriNet
It's extremely user friendly and customer service is super helpful. The app needed help a while back but it has greatly improved. There were issues with files being cut off, and when I was onboarded, it actually cut my offer letter off hiding important information. Since then, it's been fixed so they are continually improving.
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Reliability and Availability
Paylocity
Paylocity support is always available and I never have to wait endlessly on hold. If our dedicated account manage is not available, there is an entire team assigned to our account. Every one of them is knowledgeable about our organization and Paylocity's process.
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TriNet
We have not experienced any application errors or unplanned outages in the two years I have been using this app. Sometimes there is a lag in the time keeping/ confirming your location, however, it quickly resolves itself within seconds and more often than not is an internet connection error
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Performance
Paylocity
pages load in an acceptable amount of time, reports come back quickly, but integration is very complicated and hasn't been possible
Read full review
TriNet
This app always loads extremely quickly and in a reasonable time frame. Like I said, when we do experience lags from this app, it is more often than not an internet connection error
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Support Rating
Paylocity
Everyone wants immediate assistance. Awaiting a response from an email only to ask 2-3 more questions is time consuming. Within the first six months of setup, I would rather respond back to the instructors who provided me the training in each category of my contract.
Read full review
TriNet
Not good at all. Basically I typically feel like they can solve the issue at hand. However, they take forever and it never feels like they really care. It can be frustrating that the agent will never speak with you on the phone or just give you their direct contact info so that you can continue to follow up on the same issue. Once they "close" the issue - you have to go back to the main customer service email or line again, even though it may be related to something you've contacted them about in the past
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In-Person Training
Paylocity
No answers on this topic
TriNet
Can't really say just because I would not know.
Read full review
Online Training
Paylocity
The training was live online, but was with a group of other companies. We did not receive any personalized training with our team. Whenever we would ask for training, we would be sent a peak article link or a video. It felt like the reps we dealt with didn't know the answer to the questions.
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TriNet
It went through successfully.
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Implementation Rating
Paylocity
I had gone through an implementation process of another HR platform (Paycom) in my previous job and was traumatized, it was painful. I was surprised how easy and fast it was with Paylocity, the team was very helpful and set us up for success
Read full review
TriNet
Unfortunately I do not have any insights on the implementation of Zenefits as I was not employed with this company when Zenefits was introduced. Based on how effortless it is to use Zenefits, I wouldn't image there would be many issues with the implementation of Zenefits
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Alternatives Considered
Paylocity
We honestly had a program that only kept track of our Demographics, salaries, etc. then all of our Payroll was done on paper with paper leave slips etc. When I saw Paylocity, I was very excited about how easy it is/would be to use. [...] Our Paylocity rep that I spoke to was super GREAT in the explanation of Paylocity and I didn't even shop around much.
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TriNet
Zenefits has been a better tool for our purposes than Paychex Flex. While Zenefits is a fairly rigid tool without a lot of options for customization, Paychex has even fewer options for customization and their customer services is even more difficult to deal with
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Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Paylocity
I wasn't involved in the sales process. I joined the organization after Paylocity was implemented.
Read full review
TriNet
No answers on this topic
Scalability
Paylocity
You have an account manager assigned to you on a daily basis but that person is barely available to you
Read full review
TriNet
It is very easy to use and does not require the end user to go to multiple sites to obtain many facets of HR/ Payroll information that the app offers
Read full review
Professional Services
Paylocity
Support is quick and proffessional
Read full review
TriNet
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
Paylocity
  • Definitely more consistent processes. Everything is very user friendly and it reduces the amount of time it has taken us in the past before we started using Paylocity. Everything flows super smoothly.
  • We have an improved retention since we have used Paylocity. Before hand, many employees thought it was difficult to find anything like tax forms, pay stubs, benefit elections, etc. when we used other platforms before we implemented our data into Paylocity.
  • Costs have been reduced and the decision-making process has improved and got quicker. Before Paylocity, it would take at least a week to get a salary increase approved, or a job title change approved. Now, it take less than a day and is super easy.
Read full review
TriNet
  • California Meal Break Violations cost a full hour of each employees pay rate. If an employee clocks in 1 minute early it costs us at least 10.50 (minimum wage Ca, 15.00 in Los Angeles) which adds up quickly. We had 37 meal break violations when we first rolled it out. They need to add a feature that disallows them to clock in ahead of 30 minutes, or add a feature that shows them how long they've been on break.
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ScreenShots

TriNet HR Platform Screenshots

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