Home > Payroll Software > Paychex > Paychex vs SurePayroll

Paychex vs SurePayroll

Last Updated: November 18th, 2024

Our analysts compared Paychex vs SurePayroll based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Payroll Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

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Product Basics

Paychex provides payment processing, time-keeping and other general human resource software. They offer this to self-employed users, small businesses, medium business and large enterprise ventures. Buyers can choose from various pricing plans and payment options such as direct deposit, real-time transfers and same-day ACH. Most versions have some core HR management and pay processing functionalities.

Based in the cloud, it assists with hiring, onboarding, tax filing, benefits management, business insurance, startup services and more. Users can customize it to meet their specific needs, adding only what they use. This allows administrators to ensure it fits their requirements, whether they be simple or complex.

SurePayroll is a web-based solution suitable for small businesses with less than 100 employees. Users can choose from two versions of the software — one for smaller operations. The other serves the needs of individual households that employ a nanny or other caretakers. The full-service solution assists with managing benefits and workers’ compensation. It can also help with processing pay, employee screening and more. Overall, it’s run over 10 million payrolls and supports more than 6,000 different taxes.

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$29.99 Monthly

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Product Insights

Reduce Errors: Ensure accuracy in payroll processing with the help of a variety of safeguard features, such as sending managers notifications when the system detects potential issues so that these problems are avoided entirely.
User Support: Access 24/7 online support to assist with all aspects of processing, and the option for a dedicated specialist that can act as a personal support expert for both payment and tax needs.
Convenience: The mobile app enables employers and employees to access the system from any device. By leveraging the cloud, they can start work on a desktop and pick up right where they left off directly from their mobile device, allowing them to complete core tasks from anywhere.
Informed Employees: Employees can get information about their time off, upcoming paychecks, benefits information or retirement funds. This saves time from HR and accounting by answering their more pressing questions while also building transparency and trust in the entire process.

Time and Money Saver: Customize the payroll package by adding only necessary features. Cut down on tedious data entry and human error by bringing the process online, streamlining and standardizing it.
More Convenient: Calculate employee pay from any internet-connected device within minutes. Let users access their personal information and use the self-service options to take control of their finances. Run payroll on the same or the next day after scheduling.
Expedited Payroll: Withdraw funds and process payroll from the business in half the time of many other options. Keep payments in account longer with the two-day debit period.
Fix Errors Quickly: Cancel the entire process within a specific window and the payroll won’t run. Suitable for fixing issues that come up unexpectedly.

Products: It has many different products for different applications. Here are the most important:

Payroll: The platform offers payment for businesses with one employee, under 10 employees, from 10-49 employees and from 50 to over 1,000 workers. This includes online payroll, taxes, deductions and many tools to generate reports and look at costs.
Time and Attendance: The online time and attendance function ties in directly to payroll, saving time when trying to calculate paychecks. In addition to the software, it also offers TrueShift physical time clocks and the InVision iris recognition clocks. Users can track team activity in real time through the manager’s dashboard, and allow employees to record time, approve timecards and check schedules through the employee dashboard.
HR: It has a range of HR services and software including employee development, hiring, records administration, compliance, benefits administration, learning management and more.

Professional Employer Organization: This is a full-service HR consulting program that helps organizations with liability issues, daily worker problems, risk management, benefits administration and other related issues.
Hiring Service: The software can make the hiring process easier with applicant tracking, screening, recruiting and onboarding capabilities. Please note, they don’t have employee leasing, temp staffing or contract staff services.
Employee Benefits: Managers and workers alike can get access to health insurance for groups or individuals, financial wellness and retirement planning.

Business Insurance: Users can get property and casualty insurance with the help of agents who assist in the selection and implementation process for the new benefits. This includes business owner policies, cyber liability and workers’ compensation.
Finances and Payments: Besides payroll, this program also has business loans, expense management, tax administration and processing for payments.
Startup Solutions: For new businesses, it offers guides, consulting, advice and more for multiple aspects of the process. They give aid with marketing, the incorporation process, business management and access to free online tools.

Payroll and Tax Filing: Process payroll and automatically calculate taxes. Paychex can calculate, file and pay taxes at the federal, state and local level automatically. The platform can calculate hours, doing setup for direct deposit and setting hours per pay period.
General Ledger: Synchronize payroll data with integrations offered by Paychex. The system is compatible with a variety of popular accounting systems, including QuickBooks Online and Xero.
Reporting and Analytics: Generate custom analytics and reports or choose from over 160 customizable templates to track and visualize relevant data.
Learning and Development: Employees can take advantage of online courses to stay educated on relevant topics. Not only does this increase productivity, but it makes employees feel more invested in.
Core HR: It gives employee feedback, manages employee training and tracks important documents through the system’s interface.
Onboarding: Applicants and new hires can complete new hire documents, such as tax forms, and set up direct deposit directly through the platform.
Paycheck Protection Program: Introduced by the CARES Act as a measure for economic stability during the COVID pandemic, the Paycheck Protection Program loans encourage small businesses to keep or rehire workers that have been furloughed. This system offers a quick way to apply for this loan.

Multiple Pay Options: Process multiple pay rates as well as bonuses. Pay for various types of workers, such as 1099 contractors or W-2 workers. Use physical paychecks, direct deposit and deposit checks into different bank accounts to pay employees.
Auto Payroll: Set up the system to run payroll automatically with unlimited runs. Run both same-day and next-day payroll.
Tax Filing: File and pay taxes automatically at both the state and federal levels. File taxes in all states, including a tax service unique to Pennsylvania. Get peace of mind with a no tax penalty guarantee where SurePayroll promises to resolve issues with the IRS and pay if they are at fault.
HR Services: Helps with HR benefits and tasks such as 401(K), workers’ compensation, health insurance, employment screenings and more through the Payroll Plus option.
Employee Self-Service: Let employees access pay stubs, W-2’s, 1099-MISC forms and more through the mobile app. Receive email notifications when documents are ready to view.
Employee Self-Service: Let employees access pay stubs, W-2’s, 1099-MISC forms and more through the mobile app. Receive email notifications when documents are ready to view.
Employee Profiles: Receive alerts about important dates, such as employee birthdays or anniversaries. Organize employee information to streamline reporting processes.
Integrations: Link various programs to expand functionality with apps for attendance, time, Intuit Quickbooks, Less Accounting and Xero.
Nanny Payments: Pay nannies as a small business and pay Social Security and Medicare. Follow a guide through the specific tax requirements for those employing domestic childcare workers.
Time Tracking: Allow employees to clock-in and clock-out through the platform. Track and approve these submissions.

Product Ranking

#4

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#15

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Analyst Rating Summary

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User Sentiment Summary

83%

of users recommend this product

Paychex has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 83% when considering 2800 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

88%

of users recommend this product

SurePayroll has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 88% when considering 611 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

4.5 (24)

5.0 (14)

4.2 (1342)

4.4 (376)

4.1 (1122)

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4.3 (198)

3.9 (312)

4.7 (23)

Awards

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly UI: A total of 80% of reviewers who mentioned the UI felt it easy to use.

Price Within Budget: Around 50% of reviewers that mentioned price were satisfied with the pricing structure and found that the system was worth it.

Easy to Use: Over 80% of users who talked about usability found the system simple to adopt and navigate.

Excellent Functionality: Reviewers who discussed features were pleased in over 70% of comments.

Expedient Payroll Processing: Just under 70% of users who talked about the payroll functions felt they were quick and easy to use.

Printable Checks: Users liked the ability to print checks in just under 70% of reviews that discussed it.

Knowledgeable Customer Service: Over 60% of users who talked about the support felt they were knowledgeable, responsive and helpful.

Late Submissions and Missed Deadlines: Around 80% of reviewers that mentioned taxes ran into issues, with around 70% saying they had to pay penalties as a result.

Terrible Customer Service: Clients complained that the customer service was rude, unqualified, ill-informed, unhelpful and had high turnover in almost 70% of reviews that mentioned customer service.

Broken Features: Over 50% of reviews that mentioned the features said they were left wanting. The most common issues were communication problems. Just under 20% of all reviewers complained about errors made by either the solution or the staff.

Late Cancellations: Around 20% of reviewers that discussed price complained that they had canceled the program, but it had kept taking money out of their account.

Implementation Issues: Over 80% of reviewers who talked about the setup process said they ran into issues.

Too Pricey for Some: While 56% of commenters said the price was appropriate for small businesses, a significant minority of 44% found it too expensive.

Paychex incorporates a range of different solutions and is used widely by small, medium and large-sized companies. While around 40% of users were happy with the functionality of the system, the majority expressed dissatisfaction with its tax capabilities, pricing and customer service. Many described it as dishonest and complained especially that they were oversold on its capabilities and that the salespeople used pushy tactics to try and upsell them. Other complaints of the system included making errors, overpaying employees or even miscalculating taxes resulting in serious penalties. Current and former clients greatly disliked the service. The UI was the most positively reviewed element of the platform with around 80% expressing satisfaction with the design and navigation. Around 50% were happy with the pricing structure and a minority of around 30% of users said they had positive experiences with some select customer service members. This disparity in experiences may be in part to the high turnover rate in representatives which is mentioned many times during the reviews. This solution could be appropriate for small and medium-sized businesses. It supports larger enterprises, but buyers should make sure it has the necessary functionality before purchasing.

SurePayroll is an online payment management system. Many reviewers were pleased with its performance. They said it was easy to use and learn and were happy with its features, especially the tax calculation and filing abilities. Commenters who required physical checks were delighted that it was easy to print and customize them. Most learners liked the helpful customer service and said that the payroll processing was quick and painless. Setup issues were a recurring complaint, with a couple of commenters saying they had problems with integrations. Last, reviewers were extremely mixed on the price. Some felt it was too pricey for small businesses; some thought it was right in their budget. SurePayroll may be a good option for small and medium-sized organizations.

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FAQ

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