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Rippling: Best overall alternative
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Gusto: Best payroll software
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ADP TotalSource: Best PEO alternative
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Paychex: Best HR + payroll packages
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BambooHR: Best employee experience
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Papaya Global: Best global PEO
Justworks professional employer organization (PEO) services help small and medium-sized businesses looking to outsource their HR work. Justworks’ transparent pricing plan and 24/7 customer support make it a compelling choice for many companies.
However, Justworks isn’t the right choice for every business’ payroll and HR needs. Whether you’re looking for payroll software online or an Employer of Record (EOR) that can support international expansion, there are options out there for you.
We review six Justworks alternatives below.
Jump to:
- Top Justworks competitors and alternatives: Comparison table
- Top Justworks competitors
- Is Justworks worth it?
- Justworks pros and cons
- Justworks pricing
- Do you need an alternative to Justworks?
- Methodology
Top Justworks competitors and alternatives: Comparison table
Besides pricing, there are many different features that you need to consider when comparing Justworks alternatives.
| Starting price per month | Payroll processing | Benefits administration | Time and attendance | EOR services | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justworks | $59/employee | Yes | Yes | Add-on | No | Try Justworks |
| Rippling | $8/mo./user | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Try Rippling |
| Gusto | $40/mo. + $6/employee | Yes | Yes | Yes | Forthcoming | Try Gusto |
| ADP TotalSource | Contact for quote | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Try ADP |
| Paychex | $39/mo. + $5/employee | Yes | Yes | Add-on | No | Try Paychex |
| BambooHR | Contact for quote | Yes | Yes | Add-on | No | Try BambooHR |
| Papaya Global | $12/mo./employee | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Try Papaya |
Top Justworks competitors
Rippling: Best overall alternative
Rippling is a close competitor to Justworks that allows organizations to manage employee benefits, payroll, compliance, expenses and other HR tasks in one unified application. Rippling uses an intuitive layout and user interface designed to minimize the number of needed clicks to complete a task. It also offers a large number of automation features and integration capabilities to boost its functionality and further cut down on manual work.
Pricing
Rippling starts at $8 a month for every user but doesn’t disclose pricing information beyond that. There is a core required Rippling Unity Platform, and additional HR products (i.e., payroll, benefits, etc.) can be purchased in addition to that.
Features
- Global payroll management.
- Comprehensive benefits management.
- Option to add IT and finance modules.
- EOR services available.
Pros
- User-friendly interface.
- Customizable and scalable.
- Powerful automation tools.
- Comprehensive setup guides.
Cons
- Costs can add up quickly.
- Setup can be time consuming.
- Learning curve can be steep.
- No free trial available.
For more information, read the full Rippling review.
Gusto: Best payroll software
Gusto is a cloud-based, complete human resources solution with several payroll and HR features that make it a leading alternative to Justworks. Previously, Gusto did not provide international payroll capabilities, but earlier this year it partnered with Remote to offer this feature, making it an even closer alternative to Justworks. Gusto also offers a contractor-only payment plan, which may appeal to some international businesses.
Pricing
- Simple: The plan starts at $40 and requires an additional $6 per employee.
- Plus: The plan starts at $80 and requires an additional $12 per employee.
- Premium: Reach out to the sales team for a quote.
- ContractorOnly : The plan has no base pay for six months, and then it increases to $35 per month. It also costs $6 per contractor.
Features
- Payroll and benefits administration.
- Reminders for tax regulations and compliance updates.
- Talent management.
- Time tracking and attendance.
Pros
- Multiple plans to support businesses as they grow.
- Integration with the most popular third-party business apps.
- No integration fee to administer Gusto-brokered employee benefits.
- Free trial and transparent pricing plans.
Cons
- Gusto-brokered medical insurance available in only 37 states.
- No mobile payroll app for employers.
- Additional fee for priority customer service.
- Compliance alerts, HR expert access and HR library access limited to only the most expensive plan.
For more information, read the full Gusto review.
ADP TotalSource: Best PEO alternative
ADP is most well-known for its payroll software, which is one of the most popular payroll platforms in the world. What you might not know is that ADP also offers an excellent PEO service, ADP TotalSource, that is a competitor to Justworks. This full-service HR support can handle payroll, benefits, hiring, compliance and more — all backed by ADP’s long history of helping small businesses with HR.
Pricing
ADP does not disclose for ADP TotalSource. You must contact the sales team for a pricing quote.
Features
- Payroll processing and tax compliance.
- Benefits administration.
- Workers comp and 401K management.
- Recruiting and onboarding.
Pros
- Highly experienced PEO services.
- Excellent range of features.
- Comprehensive HR support.
- Mobile app allows you to access payroll anywhere.
Cons
- Pricing is not transparent.
- Customer support can be slow to respond.
- All the information can be overwhelming for new users.
- Updates can require multiple changes.
Paychex: Best HR + payroll packages
Paychex is a cloud-based payroll and HR software that offers many comparable features to Justworks. It also offers a Paychex PEO option for businesses looking to outsource some of their HR work. Paychex is designed to scale with your business as it grows, and it provides lots of customizations and multiple pricing tiers to support that aim. It’s also affordable, with its base pricing plan costing a little less than Justworks.
Pricing
- Paychex Essential: Starts at $39 a month plus $5 per employee per month.
- Paychex Select: Contact the sales team for a custom quote.
- Paychex Pro: Contact the sales team for a custom quote.
Features
- Payroll processing with multiple payment options.
- Employee benefits administration.
- Hiring and applicant tracking tools.
- Time and attendance.
Pros
- HR services available for PEO, hiring, consulting and more.
- Personalized analytics and reports.
- Business insurance management offered.
- Highly rated mobile apps.
Cons
- No free trial available.
- Pricing could be more transparent.
- Many features are paid add-ons.
- Might be too overwhelming for small businesses.
For more information, read the full Paychex review.
BambooHR: Best employee experience
As a one-stop shop for HR needs, BambooHR can manage the entire employee lifecycle, including hiring, payroll, benefits administration and offboarding. The visually appealing dashboard and organized workflows offer an excellent user experience for both employers and administrators. BambooHR also offers a native applicant tracking system, which is something that Justworks lacks.
Pricing
BambooHR offers two pricing plans, Essentials and Advantage, but it does not actually disclose pricing information on its website. Payroll, benefits administration, performance management and time tracking are all paid add-ons as well.
Features
- Built-in applicant tracking system.
- Employee performance management features.
- Onboarding and offboarding tools.
- Benefits administration.
Pros
- Seamless hiring, onboarding and offboarding.
- Easy-to-navigate interface.
- Many integrations available.
- Open API available on Premium plan.
Cons
- Basic plan lacks hiring and onboarding features.
- Payroll and benefit add-ons are U.S. only.
- Performance management and time tracking are paid add-ons too.
- Pricing is not transparent.
For more information, read the full BambooHR review.
Papaya Global: Best global PEO
Justworks support for non-U.S. employees is limited, which is why Papaya is a much better alternative if you need a global PEO. Its payroll services are available in 160+ countries, making it a great choice for global businesses. Papaya also offers contractor-only and Employer of Record services, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs in each country. With Papaya, your employees can truly work from almost anywhere.
Pricing
- Full-Service Payroll: Starts at $12 per month per employee.
- Payments-as-a-Service: Starts at $3 per month per employee.
- Employer of Record: Starts at $650 per month per employee.
- Contractor Management: Starts at $2 per month per contractor.
Features
- Full-service payroll support.
- Employer of Record services.
- International contractor management.
- Global expertise services.
Pros
- Payroll services available in 160+ countries.
- Many different plans to choose from.
- Transparent pricing plans.
- GDPR and SOC compliant.
Cons
- Expensive compared to some other PEO alternatives.
- Works with EOR aggregators instead of owning all its own entities.
- Lacks some HR features such as performance management.
- Customer support is not 24/7.
For more information, read the full Papaya Global review.
Is Justworks worth it?
Justworks is worth it for small and medium-sized businesses that are based in the U.S. and want PEO support for HR outsourcing. It offers two transparent pricing tiers to choose from, making it easy to decide if Justworks will fit your budget. In addition to 24/7 customer support, it also offers an easy-to-navigate interface that even non-tech-savvy users will be able to understand.
However, there are a couple scenarios where Justworks might not be the best choice. If you’re just looking for payroll software, no payroll outsourcing, there are plenty of other more affordable options out there, like Gusto. And if you are looking to expand in other countries, you’ll need to go with a PEO or EOR provider that operates in more countries, like Papaya Global.
Justworks pros and cons
While Justworks has some advantages, it also has some disadvantages that you should know about.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Transparent pricing plans don’t hide fees. | Must upgrade to Plus plan to get many features. |
| Comprehensive PEO services and HR support. | Applicant tracking only available through an integration with Greenhouse. |
| User-friendly interface. | Time tracking requires an additional paid add-on. |
| 24/7 customer service support. | Too expensive and complicated for businesses that just want payroll software. |
Justworks pricing
Justworks offers two pricing plan tiers:
- Basic: $59 per month per employee for up to 49 employees, then $49 per month for your 50th employee onwards. Includes payroll, expense management and PTO management.
- Plus: $99 per month per employee for up to 49 employees, then $89 per month for your 50th employee onwards. Includes everything in basic plus access to benefits administration, COBRA administration and HSA/FSA accounts.
Do you need an alternative to Justworks?
When deciding whether or not you need an alternative to Justworks, consider whether you need software, HR outsourcing or both. Also, consider what countries you are planning to operate in in the near future. Our payroll services comparison tool can help you pinpoint what features are a must-have and which ones are a nice-to-have to help you narrow down your search.
If you need payroll or HR software, not PEO support, then an alternative such as Gusto, Paychex or BambooHR may be a better fit. There are also organizations such as Rippling and ADP that offer both software and PEO services, so you don’t have to choose between them. And if you need to hire internationally in many different countries, a global PEO service like Papaya Global will be better for your needs.
Methodology
To compare these Justworks competitors, we consulted product documentation and user reviews. We considered factors such as pricing, ease of use, user interface design and customer support. We also considered many different features, such as payroll software, PEO services, benefits administration, time and attendance, talent management and reporting.