Paychex Flex vs AME Software

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

Paychex Flex Software Tool
AME Software Software Tool

Product Basics

Paychex Flex is a cloud-based compensation and HR solution with the capability to serve thousands of employees. While there is an essential core version that mainly handles financials, it runs a wide range of departments and tasks. Some of its functions include payment management, benefits, talent management, time clocks, attendance, workforce management and more.


It’s a scalable option with unique versions for small, medium and large businesses with different versions for groups of varying sizes, including one to nine, 10 to 49, and 50 to thousands. It also has distinct user roles for workers, managers or administrators. A winner of multiple industry awards, its automation cuts down on time doing manual operations like processing payments, auto calculating taxes and staying up to date with current rates and compliance.
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AME Software offers a comprehensive solution for managing payroll and related tasks, making it particularly well-suited for small to mid-sized businesses. The software streamlines payroll processing, tax calculations, and compliance reporting, which can significantly reduce administrative burdens. Users appreciate its user-friendly interface and robust functionality, which includes features like direct deposit, employee self-service portals, and detailed reporting capabilities.

One of the key benefits of AME Software is its affordability, with pricing typically falling within a moderate range, often based on the number of employees and frequency of payroll runs. This makes it an attractive option for businesses looking to balance cost and functionality. Compared to similar products, users often highlight its ease of use and reliable customer support, which can be crucial for businesses without dedicated payroll staff. Overall, AME Software provides a solid, cost-effective solution for efficient payroll management.

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Product Insights

  • Better Organization: Centralize important files and payroll data in one centralized location, making it easier to access. Assign user roles through administration; organizations control the dissemination of sensitive data.
  • Greater Accuracy: Run auto calculations for taxes and direct deposit and sync the general ledger making it easy to plug the information into an integrated accounting program. Creates a streamlined, easy way to manage all of the relevant data.
  • Increased Efficiency: Save time and work by decreasing the amount of manually input data. Record attendance within the application, making payment more straightforward. Auto-calculate local, state and federal taxes saving tons of manpower and time.
  • Better Scalability: Grow the platform as the company experiences exponential growth. Go from workplaces with as few as two employees to workforces that number in the thousands. Each level comes with more functionality and increased administrative and HR control over the processes.
  • More Open Communication: Use notifications, mass emails and electronic bulletin boards to promote an easy flow of information. Communicate enrollment reminders, announcements or company news seamlessly. Ensure employees, managers, executives, contractors, remote workers and other employees are all on the same page.
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  • Time-Saving Processing: Automate payroll for all employees to save time and eliminate the margin of costly user error. 
  • Customize To Fit Any Business: Maximize the value of a new system by picking the right level of support. Choose between levels of payment and accounting support geared towards businesses small to large. 
  • Increased Security: Protect vulnerable documents and information with encoded checks and built-in data security for sensitive accounting material. 
  • Stay Up To Date with Dynamic Support: Remain compliant and avoid harmful errors with ever-changing local, state and federal requirements with a continuously updated operating system. 
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  • Online Payroll: Handle payroll management. Automatically calculate taxes, payments and files. View critical data, including the cash required for upcoming paydays. Use safeguards such as notifications to prevent errors. Employees can access direct deposit and pay stub information directly. Last, administrators can access documentation and records like cash requirements, the payroll journal and tax deposit notices.
  • Tax Administration: Calculate taxes, add hours to each pay period, file returns and set up direct deposit.
  • Mobile: Access information on W-2s, direct deposit and other important information. For organizations that want to use the solution’s attendance functionality, workers can easily punch in and out on the app. Run it on smartphones and tablets with iOS or Android. It requires iOS 12.0 or higher and an Android OS of 7.0 or higher to run.
  • Reporting: Comes with over 160 dashboards and reports. Access reporting for payroll journals, department summaries, notices of tax deposits and cash requirements. For businesses looking for more robust options, look into the workforce management options.
  • Multiple Versions: Choose from a variety of purchase options to select the option that best meets business needs. The packages include:
    • Small Business Payroll: Use for businesses with under 50 workers. Use payment processing and access to the mobile app. Calculate state, federal and local taxes. Finish onboarding, complete forms, edit personal info and see compensation data. Provide direct deposit, pay cards and paper check for payment options. For businesses with multiple worker types, offer payment hourly, by salary or by contract. Provide help with labor compliance, garnishment payments, new hire reporting and over 160 reports for analytics.
    • Mid-Sized Business Payroll: Use for businesses with 10 to 49 employees. Handle applicant tracking, attendance, recruiting, onboarding, hiring, health benefits, retirement, health insurance and other similar administrative tasks. Expand the platform HR capabilities by including HR record management, an events calendar and reporting and analytics for the department.
    • Enterprise Payroll Management: Use for 50 to over 1,000 workers. Provide more robust HR abilities in addition to compensation management. Works for hiring, recruiting, training, compliance, handling offboarding, applicant tracking, time and attendance, health benefits, HR record management, an events calendar, retirement and expanded HR analytics.
  • Benefits: Complete the benefits management process. Run enrollment and analyze data. Manage group health insurance, retirement, section 125 plans, FSAs, POPs, retirement and more. Update information in real time and change benefit data easily. Give employers more control over invoices, benefit costs and bill reconciliations. Work with financial advisers and educate staff about the retirement plan offerings.
  • Compliance: Keep up with new tax laws and determine the status of essential laws like the Affordable Care Act.
  • Workplace Analytics: Analyze data and create a staff and workforce strategy. Create reports for analytics, HR, payroll and benefits. Generate customized reports for more detail. Provide accountants, financial advisors or bookkeepers with the access they need. Access the quick answers function, giving info on total earnings, net pay, tax liability and hours without pulling a full report. View live reporting to see information as it happens. Export information in various file types, including CSV, fixed-width, PDF and XLS. Send data to third-party software where users can add fields, adjust formatting or even build graphs.
  • Time and Attendance: Provide several options for tracking time and clocking in and out. It integrates with other solutions to track labor costs.
    • Time Kiosk: Allow employers to turn a tablet into a time clock where employees can punch in and out, do job transfer and register lunches and breaks.
    • TrueShift: Offer a time clock that has automated tracking and reporting, making it easy to import to payroll. Use biometric technology to prevent buddy punching. Track up to 500 workers per clock and connect to up to 32 other clocks. Punch in via web or mobile and use a backup camera to verify punches and keep compliant. It can track overtime pay and other wage requirements. Print and email timecard reports and clock in or out with a fingerprint, proximity badge, web punch or PIN entry.
    • InVision Iris Recognition Time Clock: Use iris recognition to ensure employees are working. Integrate with the rest of the HR and time and attendance. Prevent rework and cut down on errors. It works with contacts, goggles, glasses and face masks up to 15 inches away. Track up to 50,000 workers. Unlike a retinal scanner, it doesn’t store images. Instead, encrypt templates to guarantee privacy.
  • Online Learning: Use the built-in learning system. Provide eight free courses to users and customize/build current training, classes, quizzes and videos. Promote skill acquisition, up-skilling and career development. Run classes for on and offsite students. Use the calendar to schedule an in-person training, track transcripts and create content. Access the additional content libraries for purchase and provide surveys so employers can get feedback. Subjects include business, HR compliance, leadership, management, sales, software and workplace safety.
  • Payment Options: Gives options for paying employees, including same-day ACH capability, direct deposit, paper checks and pay cards.
  • Accounting: Manage payment and HR data with the accounting-specific dashboard. Access a library of resources, including tax forms and CPE courses. Import files through the general ledger service and post payroll data through the enterprise solution. Integrate with Sage Intacct, QuickBooks and Xero. Upload or download many files for one or multiple companies from one location.
  • Workers Compensation: Handle workers’ compensation covering medical expenses and lost wages while still ensuring stable cash flow. Provide insurance plans from A-rated national carriers.
  • Onboarding: Give new employees paperwork to fill out online. Customize the experience with personalized messages, welcome videos or other information about the company culture.
  • Payroll Protection: Let managers extend funds from a bank account for up to seven days without services being interrupted or charges for insufficient funds. Process two same-day ACH requests for a last-minute payroll, correcting pay or adding an employee. Help build business credit, deal with fraud, gain small business loans and more.
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  • Employee Payments: Process payments accurately and efficiently for guaranteed correct sums every time. Deposit wages directly into employees’ checking or savings accounts through any compatible third-party processing service. 
  • Digital Filing: Eliminate time-consuming paper trails with automated local, state and federal reporting and filing. Create customized invoices, statements and checks for specific business needs. 
  • Accounting Filing: Record income statements, bank reconciliations and monthly and yearly budgets. File unlimited 1099s and track unlimited vendors. 
  • Employee History: Track employee requests and records for vacation, sick leave and PTO accrual. Manage attendance history on the same platform as wage history. 
  • Electronic Signatures: Sign magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) checks with digital signatures before printing. Save time by simplifying the process of traditional paper checks. 
  • Personal Transmittals: Complete transactions with IRS compatibility for 940s, 941s and DE9s. Pay a rate per number of forms filed per quarter, or pay for a flat fixed rate if filing more than 500 forms. 
  • Tiered Platforms: Select platform support for small business payments and accounting, professional and enterprise payment, general ledger reporting only, direct depositing, check and PDF converting, or everything combined. Add additional state reporting for program tiers that require it. 
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Product Ranking

#6

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Payroll Software

#116

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Payroll Software

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 2205 reviews
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83%
of users recommend this product

Paychex Flex has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 83% when considering 2205 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

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4.5 (24)
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4.2 (1114)
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4.1 (976)
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3.8 (91)
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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly: Just under 50% of reviews said the user experience was good and the interface worked well.
Good Support: Around 40% had good interactions with customer service and were happy with their level of care.
Proper Functionality: One-third of reviewers felt that the system was fully equipped with the tools they needed and especially liked the efficient payroll processing, benefits management, the transparency employees had on their payments and the PTO features.
Value for Price: Around 20% of reviews felt happy with the price and said it was well worth it.
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Ease of Use: Users consistently praise AME Software for its intuitive interface, making it easy to navigate and understand, even for those with limited payroll experience.
Time-Saving Features: AME Software's automation features, such as automatic tax calculations and direct deposit processing, significantly reduce the time spent on manual tasks, allowing payroll professionals to focus on more strategic initiatives.
Reliable Accuracy: Users consistently report high levels of accuracy in payroll calculations, minimizing the risk of errors and ensuring timely and correct payments to employees.
Excellent Customer Support: AME Software's customer support team is highly responsive and knowledgeable, providing prompt assistance and resolving issues efficiently.
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Issues with Features: Just under 40% of reviewers felt the features were lacking. The biggest concerns were that the UI was difficult to learn initially and the reporting wasn’t sophisticated enough.
Time and Attendance Systems: Over 20% of users had problems with the punching system or the biometric clocks.
Poor Customer Service: While users felt that the customer service was helpful overall, they noted a high rate of turnover with their reps which often led to gaps in service.
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Limited Customization: Some users have reported difficulty in tailoring the software to their specific payroll needs, particularly when dealing with unique pay structures or complex deductions. For example, they may find it challenging to set up custom pay periods or integrate with specific third-party applications.
Steep Learning Curve: The software's interface can be overwhelming for new users, requiring significant time and effort to master its functionalities. This can be particularly challenging for smaller businesses with limited IT resources.
Lack of Mobile App: The absence of a dedicated mobile app can be a drawback for businesses that require on-the-go access to payroll information. This can be inconvenient for managers who need to approve time off requests or view employee pay stubs remotely.
Customer Support Issues: Some users have expressed dissatisfaction with the responsiveness and quality of customer support. They may encounter long wait times or find it difficult to resolve technical issues effectively.
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Paychex Flex is a solid payroll processing system best liked for its ease of use, positive customer service interactions, fair price and useful functionality. However, it comes with several drawbacks as well. While it’s easy to use, the onboarding takes time and can be initially frustrating. The customer service is good but the high turnover with representatives can be trying. A small but significant percentage had problems with the time and attendance features, either having issues with their punches not being registered or issues with the physical biometric clocks. Overall, it seems best for small and medium businesses looking to automate their payroll. Any organization with multiple types of workers, complex pay rules or many different kinds of income to report should be sure to demo the system carefully and may want to find a more complex option.

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Is AME Software the "ace" up your sleeve for payroll, or does it leave you feeling confused? User reviews from the past year paint a mixed picture of AME Software, particularly focusing on its payroll capabilities. Some users appreciate its simplicity and affordability, highlighting features like unlimited checks and direct deposit processing as major pluses, especially for smaller businesses. However, a chorus of concern emerges regarding the software's outdated interface and clunky functionality, with some users even likening it to stepping back in time. For instance, one user pointed out that "almost everything has to be done by hand." The recent update to version 3.0 has been met with resistance, with users reporting significant glitches and a preference for the older version. While the company offers live technical support, some users have reported difficulties in getting issues resolved effectively. This mixed bag suggests that AME Software might be best suited for businesses prioritizing affordability and simplicity over modern features and a seamless user experience, particularly those already familiar with the software's quirks. However, businesses seeking a more contemporary and feature-rich payroll solution might find AME Software lacking and should consider exploring alternative options.

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