10 Best Paylocity Alternatives & Competitors 2026

Deel is the platform teams usually switch to when they outgrow Paylocity’s U.S.-focused approach. If you're hiring internationally, Paylocity simply can’t compete with Deel’s payroll coverage, onboarding speed, and built-in compliance layer. I’ve seen companies move to Deel mainly because they wanted to hire talent in new countries without dealing with local entities or complex tax rules.

The onboarding experience feels significantly smoother. HR managers can activate a new country in minutes, contractors get set up quickly, and the built-in country guides remove guesswork. Deel also handles EOR services, global benefits, localized contracts, and tax filings, areas where Paylocity has no native solution.

A Reliable Upgrade for Compliance-Heavy Industries

Paychex is a strong Paylocity alternative if your priority is compliance and payroll accuracy. It’s not the flashiest platform, but it’s dependable. Many businesses choose Paychex because they get access to a dedicated payroll specialist, something Paylocity doesn’t offer at the same level.

If you’re in healthcare, manufacturing, finance, or another regulated industry, Paychex often handles edge cases better. It also has solid tax filing support and a strong presence in industries with complex labor rules.

The Most Complete Paylocity Replacement

Rippling is the platform I’ve seen replace Paylocity most effectively. It’s built for teams that want speed, automation, and a more modern experience. The biggest advantage is that Rippling isn’t just HR software — it also handles IT onboarding, device management, and access control, which Paylocity can’t do at all.

What teams notice immediately is how clean the workflows feel. Tasks that require multiple steps in Paylocity often take one or two clicks in Rippling. Automations are stronger, reporting is more customizable, and everything runs off the same unified employee record.

A PEO-Focused Paylocity Alternative

TriNet is a full-service PEO, so it’s a good replacement when you want HR support rather than just software. Companies choose TriNet when they want benefits administration, HR advisory, payroll, and compliance handled for them under a co-employment model.

If you don’t have dedicated HR staff, this is a more “hands-off” alternative to Paylocity.

A True Enterprise-Level Upgrade

Workday is far beyond what Paylocity offers, both in functionality and scale. It’s designed for large enterprises that need deep financial, HR, and people analytics capabilities. If your company is outgrowing Paylocity due to complexity or multi-location operations, Workday is one of the strongest systems available.

A Strong Enterprise-Level Alternative

UKG Pro is a good fit for larger companies that need deeper HCM functionality than Paylocity offers. It’s known for strong workforce management tools, comprehensive HR analytics, and deeper people insights. Teams with complex HR requirements, multi-location, multi-state, or large workforce operations- see better scalability with UKG.

The reporting and dashboard tools are much more advanced than what Paylocity provides. It’s not the simplest platform to set up, but once configured, it handles enterprise workflows very well.

The Easiest Paylocity Alternative for Small Teams

If Paylocity feels too heavy or too expensive, Gusto is the simplest switch. It’s clean, friendly, and built for smaller teams that want payroll done right without a lot of training. Managers and employees understand it immediately.

Gusto shines in areas Paylocity struggles with, simplicity, predictable pricing, and contractor support. It’s not built for enterprise needs, but for small companies; it covers the essentials beautifully.

A Solid Mid-Sized Team Alternative

Paycor is a reasonable alternative for companies that want more flexibility in scheduling, performance, and employee management. It’s often chosen by companies with hourly workers or shift-heavy environments. Compared to Paylocity, Paycor gives managers a cleaner experience for handling teams on the ground.

It’s not as modern as Rippling and not as simple as Gusto, but it strikes a balance in the mid-market.

Powerful for Workforce-Heavy Organizations

Dayforce is built for companies that need deeper HCM capabilities than Paylocity can offer. It’s especially strong in industries like manufacturing, retail, hospitality, and healthcare, environments where workforce management is critical.

Compared to Paylocity, Dayforce offers more sophisticated compliance tools, better scheduling, and deeper payroll capabilities for large teams.

A Broad, Reliable Paylocity Alternative

ADP is often seen as the “safe choice”, it covers almost everything Paylocity does, but with deeper payroll history and broader capabilities. Companies move to ADP when they want reliability, better payroll accuracy, and more mature infrastructure.