Zenefits vs Paylocity

A detailed comparison of Zenefits and Paylocity. See how they stack up on features, pricing, and user ratings.

Zenefits

HR platform for small and mid-sized businesses covering onboarding, benefits administration, payroll, time-and-attendance, and compliance. Now part of TriNet.

Rating 4.0/5
Best for SMB
Free trial No
Free plan No
Visit Zenefits →

Paylocity

Cloud HCM and payroll platform for mid-sized organisations with modern social collaboration tools, on-demand pay, expense management, and workforce analytics capabilities.

Rating 4.4/5
Best for Mid-Market
Free trial No
Free plan No
Visit Paylocity →

Feature Comparison

Feature Zenefits Paylocity
Workflow Automation
Reporting Dashboard
EEO/OFCCP Compliance
GDPR Compliance
API Access
HRIS Integration
Slack Integration
Zapier Integration
Mobile App

Pricing Comparison

Zenefits

Essentials $8/mo
Growth $16/mo
Zen $27/mo

Paylocity

Platform Custom

Pros & Cons

Zenefits

Pros

  • +Affordable all-in-one HR platform
  • +Good benefits administration
  • +Clean, intuitive interface
  • +Strong for companies with 10-500 employees

Cons

  • -Past compliance issues affected reputation
  • -Payroll is a paid add-on, not included
  • -Limited recruiting and ATS functionality
  • -Customer support has mixed reviews

Paylocity

Pros

  • +Modern HR platform with strong payroll
  • +Community and social features for employees
  • +Good mobile app experience
  • +Data insights and workforce analytics

Cons

  • -Pricing not transparent
  • -Better suited for mid-market than SMB
  • -Some features feel like add-ons rather than core
  • -Implementation timeline can be long

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Zenefits if:

  • • Your company is SMB size
  • • Affordable all-in-one HR platform

Choose Paylocity if:

  • • Your company is Mid-Market size
  • • Modern HR platform with strong payroll
  • • Higher user ratings matter to you (4.4 vs 4.0)