Paychex vs Wave Payroll

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

Wave Payroll Software Tool

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.
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Wave Payroll is a cloud-based solution designed to provide simplified payroll management solutions. The product allows users to sync data, monitor employee activity, track leave, comply with tax reforms, view journal transactions, generate payslips and process payments.

It uses 256-bit encryption to protect bank data connections and handles credit card and bank account information with PCI Level-1 certification. Other functionalities include income and expense tracking, accounting, monthly receipt uploads, regular reminders, consolidated dashboards and transaction updates.
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$39 Monthly
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Tailored to your specific needs
$46 Monthly
Get a free price quote
Tailored to your specific needs
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Product Assistance

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24/7 Live Support
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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.
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  • Centralized Payroll: Add new employees, manage payments, track salaries, record time offs, manage tax deductions and oversee the overall workforce system with integrated solutions and efficient tools. 
  • Automated Compliance: Stay updated with ever-changing tax laws and compute state, federal and local taxes automatically. Conform to regulatory changes and access accurate calculations with an effective tax engine. 
  • Journal Transactions: Instantly access expenses, money owed to employees and tax authorities, liabilities, total costs and more on a single screen. 
  • Self-Service: Allow employees to access personal details, view pay stubs, edit bank-related information, tax forms and more. 
  • Dashboard: Edit, review, edit and manage payrolls on a consolidated dashboard. Set up schedules, approve runs, view bank account balance, export reminders to the calendar and update timesheets. 
  • Reports: Access comprehensive reports to get in-depth insights into total sales, cash flow, profit and loss statement, transaction volumes and other crucial business metrics. Gauge performance and improve services with comparative reporting. 
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  • 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.
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  • Centralized Payroll: Add new employees, manage payments, track salaries, record time offs, manage tax deductions and oversee the overall workforce system with integrated solutions and efficient tools. 
  • Automated Compliance: Stay updated with ever-changing tax laws and compute state, federal and local taxes automatically. Conform to regulatory changes and access accurate calculations with an effective tax engine. 
  • Journal Transactions: Instantly access expenses, money owed to employees and tax authorities, liabilities, total costs and more on a single screen. 
  • Self-Service: Allow employees to access personal details, view pay stubs, edit bank-related information, tax forms and more. 
  • Dashboard: Edit, review, edit and manage payrolls on a consolidated dashboard. Set up schedules, approve runs, view bank account balance, export reminders to the calendar and update timesheets. 
  • Reports: Access comprehensive reports to get in-depth insights into total sales, cash flow, profit and loss statement, transaction volumes and other crucial business metrics. Gauge performance and improve services with comparative reporting. 
read more...

Product Ranking

#4

among all
Payroll Software

#31

among all
Payroll Software

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Analyst Rating Summary

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Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

Paychex
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Benefits Management Dashboard And Reporting Expense Management Mobile Capabilities Payroll And Tax Management Platform Capabilities Security And Compliance Time And Attendance Management 94 100 100 81 90 100 100 91 0 25 50 75 100
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 2800 reviews
Great User Sentiment 116 reviews
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.

82%
of users recommend this product

Wave Payroll has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 82% when considering 116 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

4.5 (24)
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4.2 (1342)
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4.14 (58)
4.1 (1122)
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4.1 (58)
3.9 (312)
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Awards

SelectHub research analysts have evaluated Paychex and concluded it deserves the award for the Best Overall Payroll Software available today and earns best-in-class honors for Expense Management and Platform Capabilities.

Analysts' Pick Award
Expense Management Award
Platform Capabilities Award

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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.
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Intuitive Design: Users praise Wave Payroll's easy-to-use interface, finding it simple to navigate and complete tasks like setting up payroll and running reports.
Automated Tax Filing: Wave Payroll automatically calculates, files, and pays payroll taxes, saving users time and reducing the risk of errors.
Affordable Pricing: Many users appreciate Wave Payroll's transparent and competitive pricing, especially its free plan for contractors and freelancers.
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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.
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Customer Support Issues: Users have reported experiencing difficulties reaching customer support and receiving timely assistance when encountering problems.
Inaccurate Calculations: Some users have reported instances of Wave Payroll making incorrect calculations, leading to payroll errors and discrepancies.
Limited Features: Wave Payroll may lack certain advanced features that some businesses require, such as comprehensive reporting options or integrations with specific HR systems.
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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.

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Are you riding the wave of payroll success, or are you drowning in paperwork? Recent user reviews of Wave Payroll suggest it's a lifesaver for entrepreneurs and small businesses, but it might not be smooth sailing for everyone. Users rave about Wave Payroll's affordability and ease of use, especially compared to rivals like Gusto or QuickBooks Payroll. They appreciate the intuitive interface, automated tax calculations, and direct deposit features. One user even described hitting the "approve payroll" button as "fun" because it's so simple and stress-free. However, some users have voiced concerns about limited customer support and occasional glitches in the software. A few users also wished for more advanced features, such as HR tools and time tracking integration. Wave Payroll's key differentiator is its price point. Starting at $25 per month, it's significantly cheaper than many competitors, making it a godsend for budget-conscious startups and freelancers. However, this affordability comes with a trade-off: Wave Payroll's automatic tax filing service is only available in a limited number of states. If you're outside those states, you'll need to manually file taxes, which can be a headache. Overall, Wave Payroll is a great fit for entrepreneurs and small businesses looking for a user-friendly and affordable payroll solution. However, if you require robust customer support or advanced features, you might need to explore other options.

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