Paylocity vs Paychex Flex

Paylocity5.6/10

Paychex Flex7.2/10

Scored in Payroll Software

The short answer

Paylocity quotes every client: a base fee plus per-employee fees that depend on headcount and the products used. Paychex Flex publishes one entry plan, Flex Essentials at $39 a month plus $5 per employee for businesses under 20 workers, and quotes its larger packages.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Nov 2, 2026Based on 21 sources, most recently checked Nov 8, 2026

Paylocity

Best for: US employers wanting payroll, HR, time, benefits and finance from one vendor

Choose Paylocity if

You want expenses, corporate cards and AP automation next to payroll.
You pay people outside the US: Paylocity lists global payroll in 100 countries.
You want 30+ payroll audits with automatic alerts before payroll is submitted.
You need SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 stated by the vendor.

Paylocity plans and prices Paylocity alternatives

Paychex Flex

Starting price: $39/mo + $5/employee/mo (up to 19 employees)1
Best for: Businesses with fewer than 20 employees that want a listed price

Choose Paychex Flex if

You have fewer than 20 employees and want a published price: $39 a month plus $5 per employee.
You want to start fast: self-guided online setup, first payroll as soon as the same day.
You want payroll support at any hour.
You want an employee perks marketplace at no cost in every package.

What Paychex Flex costs Paychex Flex alternatives

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Scorecard

Paylocity wins 2Paychex Flex wins 2

Paylocity vs Paychex Flex by dimension
Dimension	Paylocity	Paychex Flex
PricingPaychex Flex lists Flex Essentials at $39 a month plus $5 per employee and quotes Basic to Complete. Paylocity quotes every client and charges implementation fees, W-2 preparation and time clocks separately.	Quote only	$39/mo + $5/employee/mo (up to 19 employees)
IntegrationsPaylocity lists 435 integrations with an OAuth2 API and webhooks. Paychex Flex offers a REST API with webhooks and lists QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, Xero, NetSuite, BambooHR and When I Work among its integrations. 435 marketplace listings (our count, Oct 9, 2026)2	435 native	15 documented
Fit and supportPaychex lists 24/7 payroll support by phone, chat and email. Paylocity supports from 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Central, Monday to Friday. 24/7 payroll support3	Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises	Small businesses, mid-market companies
SecurityPaylocity states SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001. Paychex names no certification on the Flex pages we reviewed. Yes4	SOC 2, ISO 27001	SOC 2 (type not stated)

Key differences

Where Paylocity and Paychex Flex differ (7)
Attribute	Paylocity	Paychex Flex
Price transparency	Quote only5	Partly published6
Best for	Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises7	Small businesses, mid-market companies8
Deployment	Cloud9	Cloud, mobile8
Mobile apps	iOS, Android, Apple Watch10	Paychex Flex app (iOS), Paychex Flex app (Android), Paychex Flex Time Kiosk app11
Support channels	Phone, Email, PEAK Knowledge Base (in-product)12	Phone, chat, email, in-platform help center13
Founded	199714	197115
Headquarters	Schaumburg, Illinois, US9	Rochester, New York and Cincinnati, Ohio, US (dual headquarters)8

Show 5 attributes where they are the same

Where they are the same (5)
Attribute	Paylocity	Paychex Flex
Pricing model	Base fee + per employee9	Base fee + per employee1
API	16	17
Webhooks	18	19
Automatic tax filing	20	13
Ownership	Publicly traded9	Publicly traded8

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. Paychex Flex lists Flex Essentials at $39 a month plus $5 per employee and quotes Basic to Complete. Paylocity quotes every client and charges implementation fees, W-2 preparation and time clocks separately.

Capabilities. Both cover payroll, time, HR and benefits. Paylocity adds talent management with 600+ learning classes, expense management, corporate cards, procurement and headcount planning.

Integrations. Paylocity lists 435 integrations with an OAuth2 API and webhooks. Paychex Flex offers a REST API with webhooks and lists QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, Xero, NetSuite, BambooHR and When I Work among its integrations.

Fit and support. Paychex lists 24/7 payroll support by phone, chat and email. Paylocity supports from 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Central, Monday to Friday.

Security. Paylocity states SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001. Paychex names no certification on the Flex pages we reviewed.

Neither one?

Patriot Payroll

Patriot Payroll has the highest LeadChange Score in Payroll Software after excluding these two (8.7/10).

From $37/mo + $5/employee/mo (Full Service Payroll plan)21

Patriot Payroll review

More Paylocity comparisons

More Paychex Flex comparisons

Frequently asked questions

Is Paylocity cheaper than Paychex?

Paychex publishes the only price of the two: Flex Essentials costs $39 a month plus $5 per employee, $89 a month for 10 employees, for businesses under 20 workers. Paylocity quotes a base fee plus per-employee fees that grow with the products you add.

Who is Paychex’s biggest competitor?

Our payroll category lists Paychex Flex with ADP RUN, Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll and Paylocity, among others. Paylocity is the broader suite of the two, with finance tools and global payroll; Paychex Flex is the one with a published entry price.

Is Paylocity good for payroll?

Paylocity runs 30+ payroll audits with automatic alerts, explains payroll variances in plain language before submission. It is less suited to buyers who want a published price.

Do Paylocity and Paychex Flex charge for extra payroll runs?

Paychex Flex includes unlimited payroll processing with no additional fees. Paylocity’s per-employee fees depend on headcount and products; it publishes no per-run fee.

Do Paylocity and Paychex Flex include time tracking?

Paylocity collects time by mobile, web, kiosk or time clock, with geofenced clock-ins; time clocks are bought or rented separately. Paychex sells Time & Attendance as a quoted add-on and offers a Time Kiosk app.

Do Paylocity and Paychex Flex use AI?

Yes. Paylocity’s Ignite AI runs agents for pay, time and recruiting; Paychex’s WISE flags missing punches, pay rates and direct deposit approvals before payroll runs and suggests fixes.

Is Paylocity or Paychex Flex more secure?

Paylocity states SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 (unverified for Paychex Flex).

How this page was made

What it is built from
36 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 8, 2026.
Method
Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology
Independent review
Not reviewed yet by our independent reviewer. How we review
Hands-on testing
We have not tested either product 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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Paylocity vs Paychex Flex

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Sources

The 21 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

Paychex paychex.com/payroll/paychex-flex-essentials“Our most affordable option: Only $39/mo. + $5 per employee”
Paylocity paylocity.com/products/capabilities/integrations“Yes, Paylocity offers hundreds of integrations across HR, payroll, benefits, accounting, time tracking, and other systems.”
Paychex paychex.com/corporate/security“Payroll support is available 24/7, 365 days per year.”
Paylocity paylocity.com/company/protecting-our-clients“We engage reputable audit firms who perform annual independent attestations for SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type II, which cover controls related to financial reporting, security, confidentiality, and availability.” “We are ISO 27001:2022 certified.”
Paylocity paylocity.com/pricing“Want to Learn More About Paylocity's Pricing? Contact us and explore our flexible pricing plans that fit your needs. Request Pricing”
Paychex paychex.com/payroll/compare-payroll-solutions“Basic Essential Payroll & HR Request Pricing Foundations AI & HR Features Best Value Request Pricing Advanced Enhanced Service Needs Request Pricing Complete Premium Services Request Pricing”
Paylocity paylocity.com“Small Business (1-99 employees) Midsize Business (100-499 employees) Enterprise (500+ employees)”
U.S. SEC (Paychex Form 10-K, fiscal 2026) sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/723531/000119312526307785/payx-20260531.htm“Paychex Flex® is our proprietary HCM SaaS platform for small and medium-sized businesses. Paycor® is our primary SaaS-based HCM platform for larger businesses with more complex needs.” “Paychex Flex ® is our proprietary HCM SaaS platform for small and medium-sized businesses.”
U.S. SEC (Paylocity Form 10-K) Paylocity annual report, fiscal 2026 (SEC filing)“We are a leading cloud-based provider of human capital management (“HCM”), finance and IT software solutions.” “As of June 30, 2026, our corporate headquarters occupied approximately 272,000 square feet in Schaumburg, Illinois under leases with final expiration in October 2032.”
Paylocity paylocity.com/products/capabilities/mobile“To download Paylocity's HR & payroll Mobile App, simply visit your device's app store … Apple Watch and access your most-used features, like timesheets, and schedules from anywhere.”
Paychex paychex.com/apps/mobile-app“Employees can download the Paychex Flex® app for free from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and log in using their Paychex account credentials.”
Paylocity paylocity.com/contact/client-support/administrator-support
Paychex paychex.com/payroll“Have any questions? We offer flexible support options via phone, chat, or email to help you when you need it.” “We automatically calculate, file, and pay your payroll taxes for you.”
Paylocity paylocity.com/company/about-us“Since 1997, we’ve been partnering with organizations to create workplaces where employees thrive, and businesses excel.”
Paychex paychex.com/corporate“Paychex was founded in 1971 with an insight by B. Thomas Golisano.”
Paylocity developer.paylocity.com/integrations/docs/getting-started“Paylocity offers access to APIs that allow customers and partners to access desired data quickly and securely for building integrations.”
Paychex paychex.com/integrations“Plus, Paychex APIs and developer resources make building applications, connections, and solution integrations easier than ever.”
Paylocity developer.paylocity.com/integrations/docs/impl-best-practices“Utilize Employee APIs and Webhooks to Maintain Synced Database to maintain a near real-time synced employee database.”
Paychex developer.paychex.com/getting-started/paychex-webhooks“Webhooks allow your application to receive real-time notifications whenever specific events occur in Paychex systems (such as record creation, updates, or deletions).”
Paylocity paylocity.com/who-we-serve/multi-state-payroll“Automated federal, state, and local tax filings, ensuring accuracy and reducing administrative burden.”
Patriot Software patriotsoftware.com/pricing“Basic Payroll is $17/month + $4 per worker paid; Full Service Payroll is $37/month + $5 per worker paid.”