Top Paycor alternatives & competitors for HCM and payroll

Paycor is a human capital management (HCM) and payroll software platform that helps companies hire, manage, and pay employees more efficiently. The solution offers a breadth of services that save time and help with compliance, and its customizable features can work across industries, use cases, and company sizes. 

But is Paycor the best you can get? There’s no shortage of competing HR and payroll software solutions you business may want to consider—each with their own selling points. To help you take full stock of your options, here’s our guide to the best Paycor alternatives.  

Why you may want to look for a Paycor alternative

Paycor offers features that help businesses automate manual work and manage their workforce. The Paycor payroll software is designed to be flexible and compliant, while the HCM Paycor built has features ranging from talent development and scheduling to recruiting and benefits management. 

However, while Paycor may work well for small to medium-sized companies, it lacks some of the advanced features of some of its competitors to help support complex HR functions. For instance, Paycor has limited reporting functionality and does not offer cross-module reporting. And while some Paycor alternatives can automate more than 1,000 administrative tasks out-of-the-box, Paycor’s capabilities may be more limited, offering fewer integrations with third-party vendors.

What’s more, since Paycor is made up of disparate modules from third-party acquisitions and white-labeled solutions, the system may feel disconnected, which can diminish the user experience. 

Paycor also has lower customer support satisfaction scores than other competitors. Users on G2 have cited unresponsive and unhelpful support in addition to long wait times to get assistance. Customers have also cited payroll inaccuracies and lack of actions taken on support tickets. 

The 10 best Paycor alternatives and competitors

If you’re not sold on delegating payroll and HR functions to Paycor, which other providers should you consider? Use the list below to assess the best available alternatives. 

1. Rippling

Rippling is an all-in-one platform that unifies HR, IT, and finance data and workflows in a single system, paving the way for time-saving automations that help businesses manage their workforce. Among its many offerings is a full-service payroll solution that lets companies quickly pay employees and contractors across the US and globe with natively-built software. 

Rippling calculates and files your payroll taxes with the right federal, state, and local agencies with a 100% error-free guarantee every pay run. It also offers 600+ integrations, automatic and accurate tax registration and filing, and a dedicated mobile app where your employees can view their W-2s and paystubs, submit expenses directly, and more. 

As the top-rated HCM, Rippling also offers a full suite of HR solutions—including (but not limited to) an HRIS, time and attendance, benefits administration, performance management, and compensation management. And since every Rippling product is built with employee data as its single source of truth, the all-in-one platform can connect all your workforce management processes and rid the need of cumbersome and error-prone data entry.

For instance, Rippling can automatically adjust payroll when employees get promoted, or even when they move states and become subject to different payroll taxes. You can also ensure time and attendance data syncs with payroll to ensure employees get accurately paid for every hour worked, factoring in leave, overtime, and any relevant employment laws.

Features

• Advanced automations and workflows that allow you to customize HR modules based on over 20 actions and events
• Over 150 pre-built reports that pull data from across HR, IT, and finance systems
• Over 600 integrations with popular apps and software tools, along with in-app integrations
• 360-degree customer care, including live chat, video calls with screen sharing, and a library of tutorials and support materials

Pros

• Easy-to-use interface
• Automation saves time on manual processes
• Advanced reporting capabilities
• Unify HR and payroll with IT and spend management for an all-in-one solution

2. UKG

UKG provides a full suite of HR, payroll, talent, time, and employee management solutions designed to help organizations manage their people more efficiently. Its two main products are UKG Pro for larger enterprise organizations and UKG Ready for small to mid-sized businesses.

Features

• AI-powered recommendations and insights
• Flexible scheduling tools 
• Succession and career development planning
• Ability to manage global payroll across 160+ countries

Pros

• Simplifies HR and payroll tasks for small businesses
• Good selection of benefits for a PEO
• Enables international hiring and contractor payments

3. ADP Workforce Now

ADP is a cloud-based HCM suite designed to streamline HR processes for mid-sized businesses. It has solutions for payroll, time tracking, talent management and benefits, helping organizations to manage their workforce, and manage compliance. 

Features

• End-to-end payroll processing with tax management, direct deposit, global capabilities and mobile access
• Talent suite with recruiting, onboarding, performance reviews, compensation and succession planning
• Time and attendance tracking with employee scheduling, automated workflows and analytics
• Customizable reporting with benchmarking powered by ADP DataCloud's big data insights

Pros

• HR and payroll platform
• Intuitive integration
• Smooth payroll management

4. Paychex Flex

Paychex Flex offers benefits, HR, and payroll solutions for businesses of different sizes. The Paychex payroll service comes with a specialist that provides support. HR features come with onboarding shortcuts, Professional Employer Organization (PEO) services, and time-tracking tools. 

Features

• Payroll specialist
• Garnishment payment services
• Onboarding essentials
• Time and GPS tracking

Pros

• Customizable, with features and add-ons
• 24/7 customer support
• Compliance updates about regulatory changes

5. Paycom

Paycom builds payroll software designed to reduce compensation errors and help teams cut down on manual work. The company also offers HR tools like benefits administration, talent management, and a global HCM. Paycom also has expense management and garnishment features linked to payroll. 

Features

• Employee self-service 
• Payroll processing and tax compliance management
• Talent acquisition tools for recruiting, hiring and onboarding
• Time tracking with physical time clocks, web and mobile apps

Pros

• Simplifies HR and payroll tasks for small businesses
• Good selection of benefits for a PEO
• Enables international hiring and contractor payments

6. Workday

Founded in 2005, Workday provides HR, payroll, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) services to businesses across industries. The platform offers local and global payroll capabilities that include continuous payment processing, general ledger mapping, and reporting tools. The Workday HCM uses AI to streamline HR and recruiting tasks.

Features

• Global workforce management with flexible organizational structures and automated compliance
• A skills-based talent marketplace that aligns workers with internal opportunities
• Analytics that provide data-driven workforce insights through dashboards and reports
• Employee experience features like onboarding journeys, employee surveys, and a social collaboration hub

Pros

• Artificial intelligence for talent management
• Streamlined management of time-off requests, work hours, and timesheets
• Intuitive interface for employees and managers

7. Gusto

Gusto offers payroll and HR solutions geared toward startups and small businesses. The platform allows companies to process payroll for both salaried and hourly employees. It also has an automated feature that lets users schedule pay runs for predetermined dates. 

In addition to payroll, Gusto has HR features including benefits administration that allow small businesses to customize plans, hiring and onboarding workflows, and performance review capabilities. 

Features

• Full-service payroll with automatic tax calculations and filings
• Employee self-onboarding and document management
• Health insurance and financial benefits administration
• PTO tracking and time-off requests
• Workforce costing reports and customizable insights

Pros

• User-friendly interface
• Smooth integration with third-party applications
• Built-in compliance support for payroll taxes and filings

8. Paylocity

Paylocity helps businesses of all sizes simplify payroll and handle multiple HR functions—from benefits to time-tracking and performance management—in the same place. Paylocity offers a customizable payroll setup where companies can adjust time off accruals and reporting to meet their business needs, along with a simple four-step payroll process that helps employers deduct applicable taxes. 

Features

• HR and payroll in a single solution 
• Compliance dashboard to manage key HR requirements 
• Flexible employee self-service to empower staff with mobile access to HR tasks
• Integrated time tracking with geofencing and scheduling

Pros

• Intuitive interface for admins and employees
• Customizable to match business need
• Global payroll in more than 100 countries

9. BambooHR

BambooHR offers payroll solutions and HR functions like time tracking, benefits, hiring and onboarding, and reporting. The platform helps businesses manage employee data, find and onboard talent, review performance, and more. BambooHR’s payroll solution allows teams to cut back on double data entry and manual approval processes. 

Features

• Sync with time-tracking, paid time off, and benefits processes
• Reporting dashboard to look at payroll summaries per employee, gauge deductions, and more
• Hiring, onboarding, and performance management

Pros

• Time tracking and PTO management with easy mobile access for employees
• Intuitive, customizable interface for admins and employees
• Built-in applicant tracking system (ATS) 
• Self-service capabilities for employees

10. Dayforce

Dayforce offers payroll, HR, benefits, recruiting, and other talent management tools to workforces. Capabilities include an on demand pay option, professional compliance monitoring, scheduling tools and AI-assisted hiring recommendations to help companies source candidates. 

Features

• Payroll processing for employees and contractors in more than 160 countries
• AI-powered analytics tools that track employee performance
• Talent management tools for recruiting, onboarding, performance management, and succession planning
• Scheduling tools that organize shifts and track labor costs

Pros

• Self-service apps across multiple HR functions
• Industry-specific HCM solutions
• Prepaid debit cards that allow employees to access net pay on demand

How to choose the right alternative to Paycor

If you’re deliberating between different payroll and HCM solutions, keep the following considerations in mind.

1. Scalability

Think about your business needs now, but also in the future as your company evolves. Barebones HR and payroll features may work well for early stage startups. But if you grow to the point of needing to hire, pay, and manage hundreds of employees across different states or countries—you may need systems designed to accommodate larger workforces. 

While you can always swap systems as you grow, the transition can be a pain. Place a premium on HCM and payroll solutions that can support your workforce as it grows. 

2. Ease of use

An intuitive, user-friendly interface allows employees and administrators to quickly learn and adopt software, reducing training time and associated costs. Look for solutions with self-service portals that allow employees to access pay stubs, request time off, or view their benefits information. And admins can save time if their software automates tedious manual work like sending out offer letters during onboarding or registering employees for taxes. 

3. Integration capabilities

Integrations can expand the capabilities of HR and payroll software and save teams from repeating the same work across different solutions. 

Look for systems that play nice with third party solutions and offer a breadth of native, interoperable products. For instance, running payroll for hourly employees is easier with time and attendance software that syncs directly with your pay data. And an HCM that syncs with expense management software makes it easier to approve reimbursement requests. 

4. Compliance features

Compliance features help businesses navigate complex labor laws, tax regulations, and industry standards. Automated compliance tools reduce the risk of costly errors, such as missed tax filings or wage violations, which can lead to fines and legal issues. They also ensure that payroll and HR processes stay up to date with ever-changing regulations, saving businesses the time and effort of manual updates.

Rippling: The #1 HR and payroll software for your business

The best Paycor alternative? According to TechRepublic, it’s Rippling. 

Rippling Payroll is intuitive, easy to use, and has a 100% error-free guarantee on every pay run. It also offers 600+ integrations, automatic and accurate tax registration and filing, and a dedicated mobile app where your employees can view their W-2s and paystubs, submit expenses directly, and more. With Rippling, you can:

• Pay employees and contractors in the same platform
• Manage time and attendance natively 
• Run unlimited off-cycle pay runs at no extra cost 
• Set up multiple pay schedules, pay rates, and pay types in just a few clicks 
• Add recurring reimbursements (like cell phone payments, gym memberships, etc.) that are automatically paid out every pay period, monthly, or at whatever interval you choose
• Automatically calculate prorated pay runs for new or promoted employees 
• Manage all currency conversions, including payroll adjustments 
• Automatically calculate overtime for every country 
• Make changes after submitting payroll

But Rippling is much more than just payroll software—it’s a powerful HCM that makes your HR department more strategic and productive with time-saving automations, better decision-making, and a modern, intuitive experience employees love. Rippling is the only true all-in-one HR platform. Our product’s breadth and depth mean you’ll save all the time and money you currently spend connecting disparate systems. And unlike Paycor (and payroll companies like Paycor), which acquire third-party apps to add to their product stack, all of Rippling’s modules are natively built on top of a single source of truth for employee data. 

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Paycor and ADP?

Paycor and ADP both offer HR and payroll solutions. Paycor is primarily geared toward mid-size businesses and comes with a standardized feature set. It’s also known to be user-friendly, though users may find the platform’s separate modules to feel more disconnected than a truly unified solution that builds all its apps in-house.

ADP, on the other hand, has a scalable solution that works with businesses of all sizes, but may require users to navigate across different modules to use different features. While companies may find it more scalable than Paycor, it may be less user friendly. 

What industry is Paycor best for?

Paycor works across industries. Since it places a premium on compliance management and has a workforce scheduling tool, it is geared toward highly regulated industries with hourly workforces—like healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and restaurants. 

Is Paycor a good payroll company

Paycor has payroll features that automate manual work and mitigate compliance issues. While it can be a solid option for small or mid-sized businesses in healthcare, manufacturing, and retail, larger enterprises with complex HR and payroll needs may find more value in a solution with more advanced customization capabilities. Prospective customers may want to consider alternatives that offer a more cohesive user experience across modules, more reliable customer service, and more integrations with third party vendors.

This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of January 7, 2025.

Disclaimer: Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.