SurePayroll is a Paychex subsidiary, and Paychex Flex is Paychex’s cloud payroll and HR platform. SurePayroll serves small businesses and household employers: Full Service costs $29 a month plus $7 per employee and No Tax Filing $20 plus $4.
LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.
Scorecard
SurePayroll wins 0Paychex Flex wins 13 ties
SurePayroll vs Paychex Flex by dimension
Dimension
SurePayroll
Paychex Flex
PricingSurePayroll’s Full Service lists $29 a month plus $7 per employee, $99 for 10; Paychex Flex Essentials lists $39 plus $5, $89 for 10, for businesses under 20 employees. Both bill year-end W-2 and 1099 forms extra; SurePayroll charges $50 plus $5 per form. Multi-state payroll: $9.99 a month (first state included), Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms: $50 base plus $5 per form, billed annually, Accounting software integration: $4.99 a month, Time clock integration: from $5 a month plus $3 per employee, Employment law support: from $30 a month, 401(k): quoted by plan3
$29/mo + $7/employee/mo (Full Service plan)
$39/mo + $5/employee/mo (up to 19 employees)
CapabilitiesBoth run unlimited payrolls with tax filing and pay contractors. Paychex Flex adds time and attendance, HR, benefits and workers' comp modules; SurePayroll adds household payroll, employment law support and 401(k) plans. Yes3
11 of 12 core capabilities
12 of 12 core capabilities
IntegrationsPaychex Flex connects to QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, NetSuite and BambooHR, with a REST API and webhooks. SurePayroll sells its accounting software integration for $4.99 a month and time clock integration from $5 a month plus $3 per employee. Intuit QuickBooks, Sage Intacct, Xero, Oracle NetSuite, Jirav, Connecteam, SwyftOps, When I Work, Mindbody, 7shifts, Employee Navigator, BambooHR, Clover, Instant Financial, goHappy4
1 documented
15 documented
Fit and supportSurePayroll serves small businesses and household employers, with phone and chat support Monday to Friday. Paychex Flex serves small and mid-size businesses, with 24/7 payroll support. Small businesses1
The lowest monthly cost in each row is highlighted.
Monthly list price of each product’s entry plan with published per-employee pricing.
Analysis by dimension
Pricing. SurePayroll’s Full Service lists $29 a month plus $7 per employee, $99 for 10; Paychex Flex Essentials lists $39 plus $5, $89 for 10, for businesses under 20 employees. Both bill year-end W-2 and 1099 forms extra; SurePayroll charges $50 plus $5 per form.
Capabilities. Both run unlimited payrolls with tax filing and pay contractors. Paychex Flex adds time and attendance, HR, benefits and workers' comp modules; SurePayroll adds household payroll, employment law support and 401(k) plans.
Integrations. Paychex Flex connects to QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, NetSuite and BambooHR, with a REST API and webhooks. SurePayroll sells its accounting software integration for $4.99 a month and time clock integration from $5 a month plus $3 per employee.
Fit and support. SurePayroll serves small businesses and household employers, with phone and chat support Monday to Friday. Paychex Flex serves small and mid-size businesses, with 24/7 payroll support.
Security. Neither names a security certification on the 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)12
SurePayroll is a Paychex subsidiary, founded in 2000. It is sold separately from Paychex Flex, with its own plans and prices: $29 a month plus $7 per employee on Full Service.
How much does SurePayroll cost per month?
Full Service, which files federal, state and local payroll taxes, costs $29 a month plus $7 per employee; No Tax Filing costs $20 plus $4. Extras include $9.99 a month for multi-state payroll and $50 plus $5 per W-2 or 1099-NEC at year end. Paychex Flex Essentials costs $39 a month plus $5 per employee.
Which should a household employer choose, SurePayroll or Paychex Flex?
SurePayroll runs household (nanny) payroll as its own product and lists household employers as a focus. Paychex Flex is built for businesses, from one employee up.
Does SurePayroll have 24/7 support like Paychex Flex?
SurePayroll supports customers by phone and chat on weekdays. Paychex Flex offers 24/7 payroll support by phone, chat and email, plus an in-platform help center.
Do SurePayroll and Paychex Flex offer 401(k) and health insurance?
Both do as extras. SurePayroll sells 401(k) plans quoted by plan, health insurance and workers' comp. Paychex Flex adds retirement plans, group health insurance and workers' comp as quoted package add-ons.
Do SurePayroll and Paychex Flex have mobile apps?
Both do. SurePayroll offers mobile apps; Paychex Flex has apps for iOS and Android and a Time Kiosk app for clocking in. Paychex says payroll can run in as little as 30 seconds.
How this page was made
What it is built from
34 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 3, 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
SurePayroll or Paychex Flex? Your answer in 3 questions
Your team size, what matters most and your role: see which one fits more of your answers, from verified facts and list prices.
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The 12 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
SurePayroll (Paychex) surepayroll.com/payroll“Pay employees in minutes, easily access reports, and get payroll taxes filed and deposited automatically.” “Built for solopreneurs and small businesses — automated tax filing, unlimited payroll runs, and on-time pay.”
SurePayroll (Paychex) surepayroll.com/pricing“Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms are billed annually – not monthly – at a $50 base fee plus $5 per form.” “Unlimited payroll runs”
Paychex paychex.com/integrations“Featured Integrations Accounting Intuit Quickbooks Sage Intacct Xero Oracle Netsuite Jirav Time & Attendance Connecteam SwyftOps When I Work Mindbody 7shifts Other Popular Apps Employee Navigator BambooHR Clover Instant Financial goHappy”
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”
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.” “Our common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “PAYX”.”
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.”
Paychex paychex.com/corporate“Paychex was founded in 1971 with an insight by B. Thomas Golisano.”
SurePayroll (Paychex) surepayroll.com/about-us“Tens of thousands of small business owners and families trust SurePayroll by Paychex to pay employees and caregivers right.”
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.”
Patriot Software patriotsoftware.com/pricing“Basic Payroll is $17/month + $4 per worker paid; Full Service Payroll is $37/month + $5 per worker paid.”
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What the LeadChange Score means
A 0–10 editorial assessment built only from verified facts, across six weighted dimensions: capabilities, pricing, integrations, security, fit and support, and data confidence.
High confidence: at least 80% of the critical facts are verified on primary sources.
Medium confidence: at least 50% are; the rest are missing or rely on secondary sources.
Payments, commissions and lead fees are never inputs.