OnPay vs. Paychex

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
OnPay
Score 9.8 out of 10
N/A
OnPay's payroll and HR is designed for people who want to spend more time running their business, and less on back-office tasks. The application aims to enable users to: • Run payroll • Automate taxes • Let employees do more themselves • Simplify HR processes • Offer benefits in any state OnPay is $49 plus $6 per person each month. The monthly fee includes integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, and time-tracking software, as well as all quarterly and year-end…N/A
Paychex
Score 5.3 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
Pricing
OnPayPaychex
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Paychex Go
$59
per month/+$4 per employee
Paychex Flex Service
Contact sales team
Paychex Flex Enterprise
Contact sales team
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
OnPayPaychex
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequired
Additional DetailsFirst month free, then $49 + $6 per employee each month.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
OnPayPaychex
Considered Both Products
OnPay
Chose OnPay
Totally buried ADP Run in every way....
Chose OnPay
We used TriNet for over 2 years then they did away with our product and tried to add a bunch of bells and whistles that we didn't need. It wasn't about the money, it was about how awful their sales and support approach was on why we left. That and they had "issues" and missed …
Chose OnPay
Overall OnPay was the best bang for my buck. Had a lot to offer and was cheaper than the rest of the people we looked into
Chose OnPay
OnPay is just a lot more user friendly. It isn't bogged down by a million different features, it really just has everything you need and nothing you don't. It just makes everything really simple and efficient. It's my favorite payroll processing system to use out of several …
Chose OnPay
OnPay was less expensive and easier to learn than QB Payroll.
Chose OnPay
OnPay had everything I would have gotten from ADP for a much better price. Ultimately, the price is what made me choose OnPay. I've stayed because of the quality of the product.
Chose OnPay
We used to use Intuit Online Payroll a while back before they stopped their service. We switched to OnPay and it's been smooth sailing ever since.
Chose OnPay
OnPay is far superior. I would not recommend Gusto. It was a problem from the start. After only a few months we realized Gusto was unable to provide us with a payroll service we could use. Switching to OnPay has been an excellent move. With Gusto it was one major problem after …
Chose OnPay
I've also used 3py payroll/staffing companies. I found those competitors clunky, slower in support, overly complicated, and overpriced. OnPay has been my favorite experience in payroll over the past 20 years.
Chose OnPay
OnPay is the first payroll service we have used, but there has been no reason to justify us looking for a comparable product to make the switch. OnPay has the services we need. It has additional services that we do not currently need, but perhaps in the future if our company …
Chose OnPay
While different payroll software options cater to various business needs, OnPay's standout features in terms of usability, affordability, accuracy, scalability, and support often place it favorably among businesses seeking a reliable and user-friendly payroll solution.
Chose OnPay
ADP Total Source is a way bigger offering and a lot more expensive overall its probably too much for most businesses. OnPay gives you most of the items you need. You will pay a little more for benefits and workers comp insurance but at the end of the day its still significantly …
Chose OnPay
I personally did not like Paychex. I found their reporting antiquated, cumbersome, and not easily readable. Reporting is very important to me as it serves as a marketing tool. I can highlight the quality of our services by providing informative and easy-to-read reports. The …
Chose OnPay
SurePayroll led to fewer errors. OnPay was less expensive monthly cost (although more expensive once you account for penalties and interest charged by state governments)
Chose OnPay
OnPay is tremendously less expensive and technically superior to Quickbooks in my opinion. OnPay is less expensive and offered the ease of managing a restaurant payroll that was better in my opinion than When I Work. My experience when evaluating all of the payroll products …
Chose OnPay
Great value and easy to use without a masters degree in payroll. Great customer service, not having to wait on hold or chat for hours in the hope someone can help you.
Paychex
Chose Paychex
They were alright, some of the same issues. Lots of turnover with payroll consultants.
Chose Paychex
More accessible and cost effective for our small business.
Chose Paychex
Both ADP and Paychex are very good at informing businesses of the latest changes regarding payroll. Not sure which one is better, but very much get the most out of each. Both are informative and always looking at additional topics in a world that is constantly changing. …
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
We use BambooHR in tandem with Paychex. BambooHR is our timesheet service, and Paychex issues the checks/payments to our employees. Ideally we would use one service instead of two to achieve our payment and timesheet needs.
Chose Paychex
Paychex Flex has some room for improvement, I would choose ADP out of the different HRIS's I have used in the past
Chose Paychex
More user friendly works better for self service
Chose Paychex
I far prefer Rippling to Paychex Flex, with its easy to navigate interface and user friendly model. I also appreciate the payday emails from Rippling and the paystub breakdown. It is also very easy and simple to request and view PTO in Rippling. I really dread having to use …
Chose Paychex
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 …
Chose Paychex
I did not select Paychex. It was at 2 companies I started with and ended up having them switch out
Chose Paychex
Looking to switch over to ADP.
I think they are much less expensive
Chose Paychex
Based on what I've noticed, Paychex is comparable to DayForce, which has similar timekeeping functions. I think DayForce has a few easier-to-navigate tools from an Employee Self Service standpoint. iSolved is much better all around from my personal usage. If my company had more …
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
I'm unable to give you a comparison because Paychex is the only payroll service I've used since I started my business over ten years ago. I've had no reason to explore other payroll services or make a change. I trust it will remain that way for as long as I'm in business.
Chose Paychex
The could not match the price we pay for the same service.
Chose Paychex
User interface and functionalities of Paycor edge out Paychex Flex, however, in my experience, Paycor has horrible service resulting in our discontinuation of services. I think Paychex Flex service is leaps and bounds above that of Paycor.
Chose Paychex
We didn't consider any other products.
Chose Paychex
many of your competitors are either more complicated to use or have major mistakes while using
Features
OnPayPaychex
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
OnPay
9.9
Ratings
18% above category average
Paychex
9.2
Ratings
14% above category average
Pay calculation9.90 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Benefit plan administration9.80 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.90 Ratings9.70 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management10.00 Ratings9.20 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.70 Ratings9.60 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
OnPay
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.3
Ratings
7% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
OnPay
-
Ratings
Paychex
8.6
Ratings
7% above category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
OnPay
-
Ratings
Paychex
8.7
Ratings
8% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.40 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings9.80 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
OnPay
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.5
Ratings
7% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
OnPay
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.0
Ratings
7% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.90 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings5.00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
OnPay
-
Ratings
Paychex
6.9
Ratings
14% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings6.30 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
OnPay
-
Ratings
Paychex
7.9
Ratings
2% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings9.40 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Best Alternatives
OnPayPaychex
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.5 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
OnPayPaychex
Likelihood to Recommend
9.8
(0 ratings)
5.5
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.2
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.1
(0 ratings)
7.4
(0 ratings)
Performance
9.1
(0 ratings)
7.3
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.8
(0 ratings)
7.2
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
4.5
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.3
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
6.5
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.1
(0 ratings)
7.4
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
9.1
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.1
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
9.1
(0 ratings)
8.9
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.1
(0 ratings)
9.2
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
OnPayPaychex
Likelihood to Recommend
I'd say if you had someone who wasn't educated on how Payroll should be setup and function OnPay is less ideal. But even then you've got things so well setup and cost efficient, they could afford to put some focus on training. In my mind I imagine OnPay is the best solution for small to mid, even early large, company Payroll processing. We're a small company so I'm unaware of the options provided to streamline importing of large group payrolls, but that might be an area where the interface could provide challenges.
Read full review
It's better for larger businesses (50+) with various types of pay structures. Employees need to be comfortable with technology to take advantage of the self-service features. I've struggled with the default in the state tax section; extra steps must be taken when an employee lives in a different state than they work, and we don't know where they live until after completing their profile. So we have to go into the system and make the corrections, then notify the employee to go in and complete the state-specific withholding forms and follow up to confirm they do so.
Read full review
Pros
  • It is easy to add new employees.
  • It is easy to inactivate employees who leave the company.
  • All quarterly and annual reports are completed and filed on a timely basis.
  • Employees have direct online access to their paycheck as well as their W-2.
Read full review
  • 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
Cons
  • I would like to enter some payroll information in advance of the current payroll runs
  • Adding and changing administrators was a bit cumbersome and took several days
  • It works fine for a small number of people being paid if they can be seen on one screen but it might be cumbersome with more than about 10 people. Probably needs a better or different procedure with more people.
Read full review
  • 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
Likelihood to Renew
We have used OnPay for a few years now and we do continue to renew our annual use of OnPay. We are only a small organization and although OnPay provides a lot of additional services that larger organizations might ind useful, OnPay still meets our limited requirements of running bi-weekly payroll and submitting our quarterly state and federal tax documents, and at a price that we still find affordable.
Read full review
there are a lot of competitors on the market such as BambooHR and Insperity. Paychex need to make significant improvement on their offline customer service in order to compete with the other guys. Everything is online now and timely response to customer's questions is vital. Customers won't enjoy being put on hold for 45 mins every time they have a question regarding their HSA problems
Read full review
Usability
OnPay is very easy to use. The computer interface is setup very well. You can quickly add people, enter your Payroll, print reports, etc. If your Payroll doesn't change from pay period to pay period (example, salaried employees) it takes mere seconds to enter in your Payroll.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
OnPay immediately responds to any of my inquiries.
Read full review
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
Performance
No complaints on OnPay's integration with Xero.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Support Rating
I've only had to call a couple of times, and each time the customer service rep is extremely thorough and helpful. I've never had the experience, like I do with some other companies, of feeling stressed or irritated with the reps. They are competent, educated, and easily walk me through the system
Read full review
Neil Williams makes this entire system work - without our direct contact with our professional advisor - this would be just like any other platform and the relationship would not have the dimension that is has. Using chat or phone support with a new person every time you need support wastes time, as generally the person you are talking to does not have an intimate knowledge of our company. By having an assigned professional representative that knows our companies, this provides a level of confidence of caring coming from the Paychex side.
Read full review
In-Person Training
No answers on this topic
We did online training only
Read full review
Online Training
No answers on this topic
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.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Easy to implement and easy to convert any other payroll reports to the OnPay system when making the switch
Read full review
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
Alternatives Considered
OnPay is tremendously less expensive and technically superior to Quickbooks in my opinion. OnPay is less expensive and offered the ease of managing a restaurant payroll that was better in my opinion than When I Work. My experience when evaluating all of the payroll products that I felt the company could afford was that OnPay had a superior staff of professionals who knew their product and could explain how to use it most clearly.
Read full review
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
Read full review
Scalability
OnPay works.
Read full review
Employees can log in at home and get up to date information on their FSA balance and any medical bill reimbursements they may have uploaded. At renewal time they have the ability to make changes to their FSA or for new employees star the enrollment.
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • Reduces payroll processing time
  • Ability for full electronic employee files
  • The overall cost is the best in the industry, saving us money
  • Ability for on/off-boarding ensures our files our complete
  • There are a few limitations but they work with programmers to get those features setup
Read full review
  • 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
Read full review
ScreenShots

OnPay Screenshots

Screenshot of full-service payrollScreenshot of multiple pay rates and schedulesScreenshot of employee self-onboarding and org charts, which are built-inScreenshot of an e-signable offer lettersScreenshot of calendars, where PTO is managed and approvedScreenshot of centralized finances, viewed with over 20 reports for analyzing employment-related expenses

Paychex Screenshots

Screenshot of Screenshot of Screenshot of