isolved vs Paychex (2026): Pricing, Support and Which Fits
isolved is the better buy for mid-sized employers that want HR, payroll, time and hiring in one system, with support that picks up in seconds. Paychex is the better buy when you want a provider to run payroll and taxes for you, then add 401(k), insurance or a full PEO from the same company.
isolved or Paychex: which should you choose?
Choose isolved if you run 50 to 1,000 people, want payroll, HR, time and hiring in one system, and care most about how fast support answers. Choose Paychex if you want a provider that runs payroll and taxes for you, plus 401(k), insurance or a full PEO under one contract. Neither publishes a price, so you will compare quotes either way.
Verdict from HR Stacks editors, based on vendor pricing and product pages and both full reviews.
Choose isolved if
- You want time, scheduling and HR native to the payroll system
- Support speed has been the problem with your current provider
- A local payroll bureau you trust already resells isolved
Choose Paychex if
- You want 401(k), health and workers’ comp from one provider
- You may move to a PEO as headcount grows
- You need to be live on a new payroll within days
- Customer supportisolved24-second average hold; 4.1 vs 3.5 in our scoring
- HR, time and talent in one systemisolvedTime, LMS and ATS native; Paychex bills time as an add-on
- Client retentionisolved94% stated vs 82% to 83% payroll client retention
- 401(k) and benefitsPaychex130,000 retirement plans; own insurance agency
- PEO and HR outsourcingPaychexOwn PEO; 2.6 million worksite employees served
- Speed to go livePaychexRunning in as few as 48 hours; self, assisted or managed setup
isolved vs Paychex at a glance
Every figure below comes from isolved’s and Paychex’s own product, pricing, support and investor pages, checked in October 2026. Neither vendor publishes a rate card, so price rows say what each one does publish. Shaded cells mark the provider that leads on that row.
| isolved | Paychex | |
|---|---|---|
| Built around | One HCM platform, People Cloud, sold direct or through payroll bureaus and PEOs | Payroll and tax service, with HR, benefits, insurance and PEO layered on |
| Price | Quote only. isolved’s own directory listing shows entry pricing from $9 per employee/month for 50+ employees | Quote only. All four payroll packages and both HR packages say “Request Pricing” |
| Packages | Modular: HR and payroll, benefits, workforce management, talent acquisition, talent management | Basic, Foundations, Advanced, Complete, plus HR Pro and HR PEO |
| Current offer | None listed | Up to 6 free payroll months for 1 to 250 employees, on a one-year agreement signed by October 31, 2026 |
| Time and attendance | Native module in the same platform | Add-on on every payroll package |
| 401(k) and insurance | Through marketplace partners | In-house: 130,000 retirement plans and its own insurance agency |
| PEO | Powers partner PEOs; no isolved-run PEO | HR PEO, run by Paychex |
| Support | 24-second average hold; 85% of requests closed in under 8 hours; Sam AI assistant around the clock | Online support on all packages; phone and a payroll specialist on higher tiers |
| Go-live | Not published | As few as 48 hours after sign-up |
| Reporting | Analytics and AI built into People Cloud | 160+ standard reports; AI Insights on Foundations and up |
| Customers | 200,000+ employers, 9 million employees | About 840,000 customers, 800,000 of them payroll clients |
| Retention | 94% client retention, per isolved | 82% to 83% payroll client retention, per its annual report |
| Founded | 1986; Charlotte, North Carolina | 1971; Rochester, NY, now also Cincinnati after buying Paycor |
HRS score is our editorial rating from the full isolved review and Paychex review.
The core difference: a software platform vs a service company
isolved sells software. People Cloud puts HR, payroll, benefits, time and talent on one employee record, and isolved delivers it two ways: direct, or through hundreds of payroll bureaus and PEOs that resell it under their own service. So two isolved customers can have different prices, different support teams and the same software. Ask early which route your quote comes through.
Paychex sells a service. It runs your payroll, files your taxes through Taxpay and sells the extras itself: 401(k) plans, health and workers’ comp through its own agency, and a PEO for when you want to hand over HR altogether. Each step up its package ladder adds service as much as software. If you are weighing payroll software against a provider who does the work, this is the line between them.
isolved: one platform, two ways to buy it
Paychex: a ladder of service you climb
How isolved and Paychex score
These are the eight parameters we use for payroll software reviews. Paychex leads five and takes the overall score by a tenth, mostly on tax, benefits and setup, where its size and in-house services show. isolved leads the row that decides most switches between these two: support, by a wide margin.
isolved vs Paychex pricing, and what you actually pay
Neither vendor puts a price on its website. Paychex shows a “Request Pricing” button on every package, and isolved has no pricing page at all. Many comparison pages still quote a $39 plus $5 Paychex plan or $5 to $12 isolved tiers; neither figure appears on the vendors’ own sites today.
The one number either vendor has put in public is isolved’s directory listing: entry pricing from $9 per employee per month for companies with 50 or more employees. Treat it as a floor for payroll, not the price of the full platform. With isolved, also ask whether the quote comes from isolved or from a reseller partner, because partners set their own fees.
isolved
- HR and payrollisolved’s own listing: from $9 for 50+ employeesQuote only
- Workforce managementTime, attendance and schedulingQuote only
- Talent acquisitionFour ATS packages, none pricedQuote only
- Benefit ServicesBenefits admin and COBRAQuote only
- Bought through a partnerPartner sets price and service feesPartner quote
Paychex
- BasicEssential payroll and HRQuote only
- FoundationsAdds AI reports; Paychex’s “best value”Quote only
- AdvancedEnhanced service and supportQuote only
- CompleteFull HR, payroll and talent suiteQuote only
- HR Pro and HR PEOHR advisor, or co-employmentQuote only
Costs that don’t appear on either pricing page
Setup fees
isolved: not published.
Paychex: setup fees exist; the amount is set in your quote.
Contract length
isolved: not published.
Paychex: one-year service agreement on the current promotion.
Free months
isolved: none listed.
Paychex: up to 6 free payroll months for 1 to 250 employees, signing by October 31, 2026. Payroll only.
Leaving early
isolved: not published.
Paychex: can claw back the free months, plus any early termination charge in the contract.
One-time fees
isolved: not published.
Paychex: NSF, delivery and premium processing fees named in its terms.
Add-on billing
isolved: priced by module, so each one is a line in the quote.
Paychex: time and attendance and 401(k) services billed outside payroll.
Partner markup
isolved: a reseller adds its own service fees on top of the software.
Paychex: sold direct, so one price list.
Implementation
isolved: not published.
Paychex: self, assisted or managed setup; managed setup is an add-on below Complete.
12-month payroll cost at three team sizes
| Employees | isolved ($9 entry listing) | Paychex | Gusto Plus benchmark ($80 + $12) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 employees | $5,400 | Quote only | $8,160 |
| 100 employees | $10,800 | Quote only | $15,360 |
| 250 employees | $27,000 | Quote only | $36,960 |
Software fees only. isolved’s $9 is its entry payroll rate for 50+ employees, before other modules and any partner fees. Paychex publishes no rate, so we show a published benchmark its quote has to beat. Wages, employer taxes, benefits premiums, setup and add-ons are excluded.
Run your own numbers
Paychex publishes no rate, so both fields start at isolved’s $9 listing. Type in the per-employee figure from each quote, after dividing any monthly base fee by headcount.
Feature comparison
On core payroll they are close: both run unlimited payrolls, file taxes and handle garnishments. The split is in what sits around payroll. isolved builds time, learning and hiring into the platform; Paychex sells benefits, insurance and HR advice as services, and charges for time tracking on every package.
Payroll and tax
Automated payroll with tax, direct deposit and garnishments
Unlimited payroll runs, garnishment payments, W-2 and 1099 processing
Taxpay calculates, files and pays; SUI service available
Paychex Pre-check lets employees review pay first
Direct deposit; earned wage access through marketplace partners
Checks, direct deposit, pay cards, tip disbursement
HR and benefits
Guided open enrollment and Benefit Services, including COBRA
Benefits admin, FSA, HSA and COBRA in HR packages
In-house 401(k), health, dental, vision and workers’ comp
Dedicated HR professional on HR Pro and HR PEO
Powers partner PEOs instead
HR PEO run by Paychex
Compliance tracking across HR and payroll
OSHA and EEO-1 reports, handbooks, labor law posters
Time and talent
Native time, scheduling and mobile clock-in
isolved ATS with AI-assisted hiring
LMS in talent management
Workforce trainings, with an enhanced LMS on higher tiers
Performance, recognition and compensation tools
Engagement system, an add-on below Complete
Platform and integrations
Analytics and AI built into People Cloud
160+ reports; AI Insights answers questions in plain language
Paychex Marketplace, with QuickBooks, Xero and NetSuite listed
iOS and Android app for pay, PTO and clock-in
Paychex Flex app for pay, PTO and approvals
Annual SOC audits; NIST framework; MFA
SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type 2; ISO 27001; MFA
Who each one fits: company size and delivery
Both are US payroll providers that file in every state, so geography rarely decides this. Company size and how you want to buy do. isolved’s listed entry pricing starts at 50 employees and reaches smaller firms mainly through reseller partners. Paychex sells to everyone from one-person companies upward, and its promotion stops at 250.
Size bands reflect where each vendor markets and prices its products, not a hard limit. Hiring abroad needs a separate tool with either; see our employer of record ranking for that.
Implementation and support
Paychex is faster to start: it says it can have you running in 48 hours and pull year-to-date data from your old provider. isolved is faster once you are live. It publishes a 24-second average hold and 85% of requests closed in under eight hours, where Paychex’s public reviews lead with long holds and transfers. One caveat: if you buy isolved through a partner, the partner’s team is usually your first line.
isolved
- Setup
- Led by isolved or your partner; timeline and fees not published.
- Go-live
- Not published; reviewers flag training gaps during implementation.
- Support model
- Dedicated team, 24-second average hold, Sam AI assistant around the clock.
- Employee access
- Mobile app for pay, PTO, benefits and clock-in.
Paychex
- Setup
- Self, assisted or managed setup, depending on package.
- Go-live
- As few as 48 hours after sign-up, per Paychex.
- Support model
- Online chat on all packages; phone and a payroll specialist on higher tiers.
- Employee access
- Paychex Flex app; Pre-check paycheck preview.
Which one to pick for your situation
These are the four buying situations we see most for this pair. How you want to buy decides as many of them as features do. The last one ends with neither, because both are built for teams past the point where a published price is enough.
Restaurant group with hourly staff across six locations
Time, scheduling and payroll sit in one isolved system, with mobile clock-in on the same app employees use for pay. On Paychex, time and attendance is an add-on on every package. A 24-second average hold matters on a Friday payroll with tips to fix.
Professional services firm adding benefits for the first time
Paychex sells all three in-house, runs 130,000 retirement plans and can move you onto its own PEO when HR gets heavier, without changing provider. With isolved, the 401(k) and insurance come from marketplace partners.
Your accountant’s payroll bureau already runs isolved
This is the isolved route most comparisons miss. A bureau that resells isolved gives you the full People Cloud with a local team on payroll day. Compare its all-in quote, including service fees, against a Paychex quote for the same modules.
Eight-person startup that wants a price today
isolved’s listed pricing starts at 50 employees, and Paychex quotes every package. At this size, a published $49 plus $6 per person plan costs $1,164 a year for payroll, with no contract.
Where each one falls short
These are the limitations that matter in this matchup. The full pros and cons for each product live on its review page.
isolved
- Experience depends on who sells itBuy through a partner and that partner sets your price, fees and first-line support.
- Learning curve at setupPublic reviews cite thin training and many screens to finish one task.
- 401(k) and insurance from third partiesNo in-house retirement plans or PEO, so benefits mean another vendor.
Paychex
- Support holds and transfersLong holds and department handoffs lead its public complaints; we score support 3.5.
- Fees beyond the quoteSetup, NSF, delivery and premium processing fees, plus time tracking billed separately.
- Promotions lock you inThe free-months offer needs a one-year term, and Paychex can recover them if you leave early.
What users say about isolved and Paychex
We read public reviews from verified buyers of both. Paychex has about twice the sample, and its open consumer reviews skew heavily negative on billing. isolved’s reviews mix direct customers with clients of reseller partners, so support praise often names the partner.
isolved
Based on 2,300+ public reviews
Praised for
- Payroll that runs smoothly. Entry and processing are the most praised tasks.
- Everything in one place. HR, benefits and time without extra logins.
- People who answer. Reviewers name their support reps and partners.
Criticised for
- Steep learning curve. Training gaps during implementation.
- Too many screens. Simple tasks take several steps.
- Uneven rollouts. Updates arrive without enough testing.
Paychex
Based on 4,430 public reviews
Praised for
- Fast payroll entry. Adding hires and running pay is quick.
- Helpful named reps. Payroll specialists get praised by name.
- Filings handled. Tax payments run without manual work.
Criticised for
- Long support holds. Transfers between departments.
- Unexpected fees. Charges reviewers did not expect.
- Login and cancelling. Lockouts, and billing after cancellation.
Switching between isolved and Paychex
Payroll switches go most smoothly at the start of a quarter, so year-to-date tax filings stay with one provider per quarter. Plan one parallel payroll, and move benefits deductions before the first live run. Leaving Paychex takes more planning, because of its one-year term and its in-house 401(k).
isolved to Paychex
Moderate effort- Check notice terms with isolved, or with your reseller if you bought through one.
- Export year-to-date payroll, tax filings and employee records.
- Paychex loads the data and says it can run payroll within 48 hours.
- Price time tracking separately, since it is an add-on at Paychex.
Paychex to isolved
Higher effort- Check your one-year agreement and any free-month clawback before giving notice.
- Choose isolved direct or a partner, and get each one’s all-in quote.
- Move a Paychex 401(k) to a new recordkeeper, a separate project.
- Rebuild time, benefits and HR workflows in People Cloud.
If neither fits: three alternatives
The usual reason to look past this pair is wanting a price without a sales call, which neither offers. These three publish theirs. Our payroll software ranking compares more options.
Gusto
Self-serve payroll and HR for small teams, month to month, with time tools on Plus.
Read Paychex vs Gusto →OnPay
One flat payroll plan with no implementation fees and multi-state filing included.
Read OnPay vs Paychex →Rippling
Payroll, HR, devices and app access on one platform for growing teams.
Read Paychex vs Rippling →Final verdict
isolved is the better system. Paychex is the bigger service.
If you want payroll, HR, time and hiring on one record and fast answers when payroll breaks, isolved is the stronger pick, especially at 50 to 1,000 employees or through a bureau you already trust. If you want a provider that does the payroll work and sells you 401(k), insurance and eventually a PEO, Paychex covers more of the journey, at the cost of slower support and fees you only see in the quote.
Go with isolved when
- Time, scheduling and HR belong in the payroll system
- Support speed is the reason you are switching
- A trusted local bureau resells it
Go with Paychex when
- You want 401(k) and insurance from one provider
- A PEO is on your roadmap
- You need to be live within days
Get these in writing before you sign
- Per-employee and base fee for each module, not a bundled total.
- Setup and one-time fees as dollar amounts, including NSF and delivery.
- Who supports you: the vendor or a reseller, and your named contact.
- Contract length and renewal cap on yearly price increases.
- Early exit terms, including any promotion clawback.
- What each package includes, with time tracking and 401(k) marked.
- Go-live date and who loads your year-to-date payroll.
- Data export on exit: payroll history, tax filings and employee files.
isolved vs Paychex: FAQs
Is isolved or Paychex cheaper?
Neither publishes prices, so only quotes can settle it. The one public figure is isolved’s own directory listing, which shows entry pricing from $9 per employee per month for companies with 50 or more employees. Paychex quotes all four payroll packages and both HR packages, and its terms add setup, NSF, delivery and premium processing fees.
Does Paychex still sell a $39 plus $5 per employee plan?
Not on its current pricing page. Paychex now lists four payroll packages, Basic, Foundations, Advanced and Complete, each with a Request Pricing button and no price.
Can I buy isolved directly, or only through a partner?
Both. isolved sells People Cloud directly and through hundreds of payroll bureaus, ASOs and PEOs that resell it. Partners set their own pricing and often handle first-line support, so ask who will service your account.
Which has better customer support?
isolved, on the evidence available. It publishes a 24-second average hold time and says 85% of requests close in under eight hours, and we score its support 4.1 against 3.5 for Paychex. Long holds and transfers are the most common complaint in Paychex’s public reviews.
Does isolved offer a PEO or 401(k) plans?
Not directly. isolved powers partner PEOs and offers 401(k) and other benefits through its marketplace partners. Paychex runs its own HR PEO and says it is the top US 401(k) provider by number of employers, with about 130,000 retirement plans.
Is time tracking included with Paychex?
No. Paychex lists time and attendance as an add-on on all four payroll packages and bills it outside payroll. isolved includes time, attendance and scheduling as a native module of People Cloud, priced in your quote.
What is the current Paychex free months offer?
Paychex offers up to six free months of payroll through April 2027 for new clients with 1 to 250 employees who sign a one-year agreement by October 31, 2026. It covers the payroll component only, and Paychex can recover the free months if you leave within the year.
How long does it take to switch to either one?
Paychex says it can have you running payroll in as few as 48 hours and will help pull data from your old provider. isolved does not publish a timeline, and its reviewers mention training gaps during setup, so ask for a dated plan. With either, starting at a new quarter keeps tax filings simpler.
How we compare products
Every HR Stacks comparison uses the same method, so scores line up across all our reviews and comparisons. Affiliate links never change a verdict.
Vendor-sourced pricing
Prices come only from each vendor’s own pages. Unpublished prices are marked quote only.
Same eight parameters
Both products are scored on the parameters we use for every review in the category.
Public review analysis
We read verified buyer reviews for recurring themes, weighted by sample size.
Dated and rechecked
Every comparison shows when its prices were checked and is updated when vendors change pricing.