The short answer
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.
SurePayroll wins 0Paychex Flex wins 13 ties
| 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 plan | $20/mo + $4/employee/mo | $39/mo + $5/employee/mo |
| 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. Yes | 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, goHappy | 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 businesses | Small businesses | Small businesses, mid-market companies |
| Attribute | SurePayroll | Paychex Flex |
|---|---|---|
| Price transparency | Published | Partly published |
| Best for | Small businesses | Small businesses, mid-market companies |
| Support channels | Phone, chat | Phone, chat, email, in-platform help center |
| Founded | 2000 | 1971 |
| Ownership | Subsidiary | Publicly traded |
| Attribute | SurePayroll | Paychex Flex |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Base fee + per employee | Base fee + per employee |
| Mobile apps | Paychex Flex app (iOS), Paychex Flex app (Android), Paychex Flex Time Kiosk app | |
| Automatic tax filing | ||
| Contractor payments |
| Employees | SurePayroll No Tax Filing | Paychex Flex Essentials |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | $60/mo (lowest) | $89/mo |
| 50 | $220/mo (lowest) | $289/mo |
| 200 | $820/mo (lowest) | $1,039/mo |
Monthly list price of each product’s entry plan with published per-employee pricing.
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.
Patriot Payroll has the highest LeadChange Score in Payroll Software after excluding these two (9.3/10).
From $17/mo + $4/employee/mo
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Yes, at list price: for 25 employees SurePayroll comes to $120 a month and Paychex Flex to $164 on their lowest published plans, before add-ons. SurePayroll pricing lists every plan.
Your team size, what matters most and your role: see which one fits more of your answers, from verified facts and list prices. Then, if you like, ask to hear from both.
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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.
Payments, commissions and lead fees are never inputs.
