Top SurePayroll Alternatives & Competitors For 2024

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Looking for alternatives to SurePayroll? Many users crave user-friendly and feature-rich solutions for tasks like Security and Compliance, Payroll and Tax Management, and Platform Capabilities. Leveraging crowdsourced data from over 1,000 real Payroll Software selection projects based on 400+ capabilities, we present a comparison of SurePayroll to leading industry alternatives like Paychex, Gusto, Paychex Flex, and Papaya Global.

SurePayroll Software Tool
Paychex Flex Software Tool
Papaya Global Software Tool

Product Basics

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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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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Gusto is a web-based payroll system for medium-sized organizations. It handles benefits, compliance, direct deposit, employee self-service, employee management, payment processing and taxes. Using automation, calculators and other administrative and HR modules, users can streamline the entire process of paying employees. It integrates with other technologies to offer expanded services such as accounting, bookkeeping, POS, time tracking and other business operations. In addition to filing taxes, it scans the laws of over 50 states to ensure accurate state and federal payments, helping organizations avoid penalties.
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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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Papaya Global simplifies payroll complexities for businesses with globally distributed workforces. Its cloud-based platform streamlines tasks like calculating taxes, managing compliance, and delivering secure payments across 160+ countries. This makes it ideal for companies that hire remote workers, have subsidiaries abroad, or frequently onboard international contractors. Users rave about Papaya's automation tools, which significantly reduce manual work and eliminate human error. The platform's centralized dashboard offers real-time data visibility, providing valuable insights for financial planning and workforce management. Compared to traditional payroll solutions, Papaya offers increased agility, scalability, and cost savings through streamlined processes and reduced compliance risks. Pricing is based on a per-user, per-month model, making it scalable for businesses of all sizes.

Pros
  • Automated payroll
  • Global compliance
  • User-friendly interface
  • Centralized data
  • Scalable pricing
Cons
  • Limited customization
  • Potential integration issues
  • Occasional bugs
  • Limited reporting
  • Customer service response time
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Product Assistance

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24/7 Live Support
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Product Ranking

#15

among all
Payroll Software

#4

among all
Payroll Software

#7

among all
Payroll Software

#6

among all
Payroll Software

#75

among all
Payroll Software

Find out who the leaders are

Analyst Rating Summary

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Benefits Management
Dashboard and Reporting
Expense Management
Platform Capabilities
Security and Compliance
Dashboard and Reporting
Expense Management
Platform Capabilities
Security and Compliance
Benefits Management
Benefits Management
Expense Management
Payroll and Tax Management
Platform Capabilities
Benefits Management
Dashboard and Reporting
Expense Management
Platform Capabilities
Security and Compliance
Benefits Management
Dashboard and Reporting
Expense Management
Platform Capabilities
Security and Compliance

Analyst Ratings for Functional Requirements Customize This Data Customize This Data

SurePayroll
Paychex
Gusto
Paychex Flex
Papaya Global
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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 95 40 90 54 89 87 80 63 0 25 50 75 100
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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 611 reviews
Great User Sentiment 2800 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 2802 reviews
Great User Sentiment 2205 reviews
Great User Sentiment 24 reviews
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.

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.

93%
of users recommend this product

Gusto has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 2802 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

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.

85%
of users recommend this product

Papaya Global has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 85% when considering 24 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

5.0 (14)
4.5 (24)
4.2 (23)
4.5 (24)
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4.4 (376)
4.2 (1342)
4.3 (305)
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Awards

we're gathering data
Analysts' Pick Award
Expense Management Award
Platform Capabilities Award
User Favorite Award
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Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

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.
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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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Easy to Use: Just under 70% of all reviewers found this product easy to use with 10% specifically praising the design.
Great Conflict Resolution: The customer service was noted for being helpful, knowledgeable and excellent at resolving errors.
Helpful Features: Around 40% of reviewers said they appreciated the functionality, particularly praising the tax system, deductions, payroll processing and multiple payment options.
Appropriate Pricing: Over 30% of users felt that the price was well worth the system.
Good for Small Business: This was called a good choice for small businesses in over 10% of reviews.
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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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Saves Time and Effort: Automates manual tasks like tax calculations, payments, and reporting, freeing up HR teams to focus on strategic initiatives.
Improves Accuracy and Compliance: Ensures adherence to local regulations and minimizes the risk of errors and penalties.
Streamlines Global Payroll: Manages payroll for a distributed workforce across 160+ countries with ease and consistency.
Provides Real-Time Insights: Offers a centralized dashboard with real-time data visibility for informed decision-making.
Scales with Your Business: Pay-per-employee pricing model adapts to businesses of all sizes and growth stages.
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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.
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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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Issues with Certain Functionality: While around 40% felt the solution worked well, another 40% reported issues, especially with the time tracking and integration features.
Slow/Pushy Customer Support: Around 10% of users reported negative experiences with customer service. Of them around 50% felt the staff was pushy and trying to upsell them and 50% felt they had to wait too long for answers or couldn't get in touch with them online.
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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: May not fully accommodate unique business processes or reporting needs beyond its standard features.
Potential Integration Challenges: Integration with existing HR systems or third-party tools might require additional setup or workarounds.
Occasional Bugs and Reporting Delays: Users have reported infrequent software bugs and potential delays in accessing certain reports.
Customer Service Response Time: Some users have experienced longer-than-expected wait times for customer support during peak periods.
Higher Cost for Complex Needs: Additional features and services can increase costs for businesses with extensive payroll requirements.
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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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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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Gusto is a well-reviewed payroll solution which many users enjoy for its good design and easy-to-use features. It’s UI and payroll processing abilities in particular make it a popular choice for automating payroll. Many also feel it handles benefits and PTO well. Some say it's an affordable choice given what it does while others note that it’s on the pricey side. The time tracking features aren’t universally loved. Users are split on the integration abilities with around 10% satisfied and around 10% dissatisfied. All in all, it appears to be a good solution for small and medium-sized businesses looking to streamline their payroll. Keep an eye on the price and, as always, demo extensively before buying.

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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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User reviews for Papaya Global paint a vivid picture of a powerful and user-friendly platform aimed at simplifying global payroll. Many users laud its automation capabilities, praising it for saving time and reducing manual work. "Papaya automates everything from tax calculations to payments, freeing up our HR team to focus on strategic initiatives," says one reviewer. This is a major advantage over traditional payroll solutions, often described as cumbersome and prone to errors. However, some users point out Papaya's limitations in customization. While its standardized platform excels in broad strokes, it may not bend to every unique business need. "We love the ease of use," says one reviewer, "but wish there were more options for tailor-made reporting." In comparison, users report that competitors like Deel offer stronger customization options, but at the expense of Papaya's user-friendliness. Papaya's global reach is another key differentiator. With support for payroll in over 160 countries, it simplifies managing a distributed workforce with ease. "Our company has employees all over the world," says one reviewer, "and Papaya handles compliance and payments seamlessly across all locations." Users find this a significant advantage over regional payroll providers, who are often limited to specific countries. Ultimately, user reviews suggest Papaya Global shines for businesses seeking a user-friendly platform to manage global payroll efficiently. Its automation tools and extensive country coverage stand out, but those requiring deep customization may need to explore further. As one reviewer summarizes, "Papaya takes the headache out of global payroll, but be prepared to adapt your processes to its structure."

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