401(k) Providers
401(k) Providers Comparison
Every 401(k) product we track, side by side: LeadChange Score, published pricing and verified features, each value checked against the vendor’s own documentation.
- products compared
- 7
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LeadChange may earn a fee when you request pricing through our site or follow a sponsored link. Rankings never depend on whether a vendor pays us.
401(k) Providers comparison table
| Product | Score | Starting base fee | Pricing model | SOC 2 Type II | Mobile apps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Human Interest1,2 | 9.4 | $80/mo | Base fee + per employee | Yes | Not disclosed |
 Betterment at Work3–5 | 7.9 | $100/mo | Base fee + per employee | Yes | Yes |
 Fidelity Workplace Investing6,7 | 7.7 | $100/mo | Base fee + per employee | Not disclosed | NetBenefits (web and mobile app) |
 Paychex Retirement Services8–10 | Not scored | Not disclosed | Quote only | Yes | Yes |
 Principal Financial Group11,12 | Not scored | $145/mo | Base fee + per employee | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
 Empower13,14 | Not scored | Not disclosed | Not disclosed | Yes | Yes |
| Vanguard Workplace Solutions15 | Not scored | Not disclosed | Base fee + per employee | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
Not disclosed = the vendor doesn’t publish it.
Price comparison
| Product | Starting price | Pricing model | Pricing details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fidelity Workplace Investing | $100/mo6 | Base fee + per employee | Fidelity Workplace Investing pricing |
| Human Interest | $80/mo + $5/employee/mo1 | Base fee + per employee | What Human Interest costs |
| Betterment at Work | $100/mo + $5/employee/mo3 | Base fee + per employee | Betterment at Work pricing |
| Principal Financial Group | $145/mo + $6/employee/mo12 | Base fee + per employee | Principal Financial Group plans and prices |
| Vanguard Workplace Solutions | See plans | Base fee + per employee | What Vanguard Workplace Solutions costs |
| Paychex Retirement Services | Quote only | Quote only | What Paychex Retirement Services costs |
| Empower | Quote only | What Empower costs |
Lowest published monthly price of a plan for 401(k) providers, cheapest first at 25 employees. “See plans”: priced on another basis; “Quote only”: no published price.
More on 401(k) providers
- All 401(k) providers, ranked
The full ranking, top picks and how to choose.
- 401(k) Providers pricing guide
Published list prices, cost by headcount and fees to ask about.
- 401(k) providers for mid-sized companies
The ranking reweighted for mid-sized companies.
- 401(k) providers for small business
The ranking reweighted for small business.
- 401(k) providers for enterprises
The ranking reweighted for enterprises.
- 401(k) providers for government
The ranking reweighted for government.
Frequently asked questions
Which 401(k) providers has the highest LeadChange Score?
Of the 7 401(k) providers products in this comparison, the highest LeadChange Scores belong to Human Interest (9.4/10), Betterment at Work (7.9), and Fidelity Workplace Investing (7.7).
Do 401(k) providers publish their prices?
Of the 7 products compared, 4 publish a list price we can compare and 2 are quote-only (Paychex Retirement Services and Empower).
Which 401(k) providers in this comparison have SOC 2 Type II?
Human Interest, Betterment at Work, Paychex Retirement Services, and Empower state SOC 2 Type II compliance; Paychex Retirement Services also holds ISO 27001. That is 4 of the 7 products in this comparison.
Which 401(k) providers in this comparison have a mobile app?
Betterment at Work, Fidelity Workplace Investing, Paychex Retirement Services, and Empower confirm a mobile app; 3 of the 7 products in this comparison do not document one.
How we research
Ranked by the LeadChange Score, computed only from verified facts: capability coverage (30%), pricing and value (20%), integrations and API (15%), security (15%), fit and support (10%) and data confidence (10%), times a category fit. Products with too few verified facts are not scored yet and come last. Payment never changes a score or a position.
Facts, not impressions · Missing data is never assumed · Independent of revenue
Facts, not impressions
Every input is a fact verified against vendors’ official documentation, with the date we last checked it.
Missing data is never assumed
Unverified items are left out of the score and lower its coverage; below 60% coverage a product is not scored yet.
Independent of revenue
Rankings never depend on whether a vendor pays us.
How this page was made
What it is built from
22 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Oct 25, 2026.
Method
Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.3. Read the methodology
Independent review
Not reviewed yet by our independent reviewer. How we review
Hands-on testing
We have not tested these products hands-on: this page uses public information only.
Who made it
The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us
Independence and errors
Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction
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Sources
The 15 pages this page's facts come from, with the day we last checked each one. The numbers beside the figures above link here.
Quotes from the sources
- Human Interest humaninterest.com/pricing“Base fee $80 / mo” “$80 /mo base +$5/mo per eligible employee”
- Human Interest security.humaninterest.com“SOC 1 SOC 2 Type 1 SOC 2 Type 2”
- Betterment betterment.com/work/pricing“monthly base fee, billed each calendar year annually ($1,200)” “monthly record-keeping fee per participant”
- Betterment betterment.com/hubfs/PDFs/b4b/employer-dashboard/Betterment%20at%20Work%20Security%20Brochure.pdf“Audit reports are made available to clients, including a SOC 2 Type II with coverage for the security program, as well as a SOC 1 Type II report with coverage for internal controls specifically relevant to us.”
- Betterment betterment.com/work“Weighted avg. app store rating as of 9/3/25 (reviews since: 9/10/10 Apple, 10/30/13 Google).”
- Fidelity Investments fidelity.com/retirement-ira/small-business/401k-plans“$100 monthly fee”
- Fidelity Investments fidelityworkplace.com/s/401ksmallbusiness-details“Your employees will have access to NetBenefits®– Fidelity’s #1-rated web and mobile app¹”
- Paychex paychex.com/retirement-services“The cost of a Paychex 401(k) plan depends on factors like your business size and the services you require.”
- Paychex paychex.com/corporate/security“Paychex maintains SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2 reports over various products and services.”
- Paychex paychex.com/apps/mobile-app“Access to payroll, time, HR, benefits, retirement, and scheduling”
- Principal simplyretirement.com/business-owners“Pricing shown applies when working with a third party administrator (TPA).”
- Principal simplyretirement.com/business-owners/why-simply-retirement“There’s a one-time startup fee of $500 for bundled plans, a monthly recordkeeping fee as low as $145 ($435 billed quarterly), and a $6 monthly fee per participating employee.”
- Empower empower.com/plan-sponsors/about-empower/cybersecurity“Unqualified SOC 2 Type 2 third-party attestation”
- Empower empower.com/plan-sponsors/what-we-offer/small-to-mid“Participants can enroll, adjust contribution rates, track progress, and view their complete financial picture — all in one place, on web or mobile.”
- Vanguard workplace.vanguard.com/content/dam/inst/iig-transformation/offers/vrpa/pdf/build-your-retirement-business-with-Vanguard-Retirement-Plan-Access-Advisor-pricing.pdf“Our bundled program includes both recordkeeping and certain plan administration services.”