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Try It FreePaylocity has built a strong name as a modern, well-reviewed human capital management (HCM) platform. But a "modern HCM platform" and "what a 15-person shop actually needs" aren't always the same thing.
If you're here, you probably want something different. Maybe that's clearer pricing, an easier setup, built-in time tracking, or a platform sized for a small business.
The best Paylocity alternatives for 2026 are OnTheClock, Gusto, OnPay, Paycom, and Rippling. OnTheClock is the best fit for small, hourly teams that want time tracking and payroll in one place. Below, we'll cover what each one does well, where it falls short, what it costs, and who it fits best.
Quick Picks: The Best Paylocity Alternatives
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OnTheClock: Best for Connected Time Tracking and Payroll
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Gusto: Best for HR Depth Without the Enterprise Overhead
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OnPay: Best for Flat, No-Tier Pricing
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Paycom: Best for Businesses Comfortable With Employee-Driven Payroll Review
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Rippling: Best for Businesses That Want a Broader HR/IT Platform
How We Evaluated These Paylocity Alternatives
Paylocity is built for growing, mid-sized businesses with complex HR and workforce needs. If you're shopping for an alternative, you probably don't want more of that. You want less complexity, clearer pricing, and a system that fits the size of your team.
With that in mind, we evaluated each Paylocity alternative based on:
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Whether pricing is published and predictable, or quote-based and modular
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Whether time tracking is built in or requires a separate product
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Implementation complexity and cost
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Support model and availability
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Overall fit for a small business, not a mid-market one
The Best Paylocity Alternatives for 2026
OnTheClock: Best for Connected Time Tracking and Payroll
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Paylocity is a broad HCM suite. It's modular, it's priced by quote, and it's built for HR teams with complex workforce needs. For many small businesses, that's more software than they signed up for.
OnTheClock takes the opposite approach. Employee time tracking is the foundation, and payroll connects directly to the timecards your team is already using, without a separate module or a separate quote.
What Makes OnTheClock Different From Paylocity?
The biggest differences are size and pricing. Paylocity doesn't publish its prices. Third-party estimates put it at about $26 to $33 per employee per month (PEPM), and setup often adds 10% to 20% of the yearly contract. That model works for mid-sized HR buyers comparing HCM platforms. For a small business, it often means paying for features you won't use. You also may not know the real total cost until you're deep into a sales call.
OnTheClock's pricing is flat and posted upfront. The platform is built for small businesses with hourly teams. It isn't a scaled-down version of an enterprise HR suite.
OnTheClock Key Features
OnTheClock Integrations
OnTheClock Pros
OnTheClock Cons
OnTheClock Pricing
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Time tracking: $5 per month base fee + $4 per hourly employee/month
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Payroll: $40 per month base + $6 per employee/month
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Salaried employees: Time tracking fees are waived for salaried employees enrolled in OnTheClock Payroll.
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Payroll Implementation: One-time $250 payroll implementation fee
For example, a business with 10 hourly employees would pay $145 per month for OnTheClock time tracking and payroll, plus the one-time $250 onboarding fee. That's a fixed, predictable cost, unlike Paylocity's modular, quote-based pricing.
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Gusto: Best for HR Depth Without the Enterprise Overhead
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If Paylocity's HR functionality, structured onboarding, compliance tools, and benefits administration appeal to you, Gusto covers much of the same ground without the quote-based sales process or mid-market implementation timeline.
Gusto's Simple plan starts at $49 per month plus $6 per employee for straightforward single-state payroll. Its Plus plan, $80 per month plus $12 per employee, adds multistate payroll and time tracking, as well as deeper HR tools.
Who Is Gusto Best For?
Gusto makes sense for a business that genuinely wants more than payroll, including structured onboarding, compliance support, and multistate capability, but doesn't want the size and sales complexity of a platform built for much larger companies.
If your main goal is simply getting hourly employee timecards connected to payroll without extra HR overhead, you may be paying for more than you need, even on Gusto's entry tier.
Gusto Key Features
Gusto Integrations
Gusto Pros
Gusto Cons
Gusto Pricing
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Simple: $49/month + $6 per employee (single-state, no time tracking)
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Plus: $80/month + $12 per employee (multi-state, time tracking, deeper HR tools)
OnPay: Best for Flat, No-Tier Pricing
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OnPay's approach is simplicity: one payroll plan, published pricing, and every core payroll feature is included without a tiered structure or a sales quote to negotiate.
For a business coming from Paylocity's modular pricing model, that alone can be a relief. You know the cost before you sign up, not after several conversations with a sales rep.
The trade-off is that OnPay's time tracking is a separate paid add-on, so hours cost extra to track in the same system.
Who Is OnPay Best For?
OnPay fits well for a business that wants predictable, published payroll pricing and doesn't need employee time tracking included in the base price, either because they already have a system they like or don't need one.
OnPay Key Features
OnPay Integrations
OnPay Pros
OnPay Cons
OnPay Pricing
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Flat plan: $49/month base + $6 per employee/month
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No separate tiers; all core features included
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Time tracking add-on: $15/month base + $4 per employee/month
Paycom: Best for Businesses Comfortable With Employee-Driven Payroll Review
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Paycom's signature feature, Beti, lets employees review and approve their own paychecks before payday. It's a distinctive approach that gives employees greater visibility into their pay before payroll is finalized, but it may not appeal to businesses that prefer to keep payroll review primarily within the administrators' purview.
Paycom uses quote-based pricing, so businesses need to contact the company for a customized rate. Reported estimates suggest businesses may also encounter costs beyond the base per-employee rate, including setup, implementation, and per-paycheck processing fees. Because these costs can vary considerably by business and configuration, it's important to request a complete breakdown of both recurring and one-time fees when comparing Paycom with other providers.
Who Is Paycom Best For?
Paycom can fit a business that likes the idea of employees directly reviewing and approving their own pay each cycle and is comfortable with quote-based pricing and a heavier implementation process to get there.
Paycom Key Features
Paycom Integrations
Paycom Pros
Paycom Cons
Paycom Pricing
Reported Pricing Estimates
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Payroll only: approximately $12-$18 per employee per month
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Implementation: reported at 15%-30% of the year-one cost
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Per paycheck: approximately $4-$6 per employee
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Pricing is quote-only; these are reported figures, not a published rate available to every business
Paycom does not publish standard pricing for every business, so these figures should be treated as reported estimates rather than guaranteed rates. Actual pricing depends on the services selected and the quote provided to each business.
Rippling: Best for Businesses That Want a Broader HR/IT Platform
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Rippling is a well-regarded, modular HCM suite that goes well beyond payroll, covering HR, IT device management, and a wide range of add-on modules. Like Paylocity, it's built for businesses that want a broad platform, but for a small business primarily looking for straightforward payroll, that breadth often means more functionality and cost than the job requires.
Payroll on Rippling is sold as a separate module alongside its required core platform. Rippling doesn't publish its rates and instead sends a custom quote based on the HR, IT, finance, and global workforce modules a business selects. Most products are billed per employee, per month, and some include a monthly base fee.
Who Is Rippling Best For?
Rippling makes the most sense for a business that wants a single platform spanning HR, IT, and payroll together and expects to use that broader functionality. For a small business that mainly needs reliable payroll, that's often more system than necessary.
Rippling Key Features
Rippling Integrations
Rippling Pros
Rippling Cons
Rippling Pricing
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Core platform: Required; priced by custom quote
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Payroll: Separate module; priced by custom quote
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Additional modules are priced separately
Paylocity Alternatives: Side-by-Side Comparison
Why Choose OnTheClock?
See how OnTheClock stacks up against other Paylocity alternatives.
| Tool | Best For | Pricing | Time Tracking | Sales Process |
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| OnTheClock | Connected time tracking + payroll | Published, flat | Native | No quote required |
| Paylocity | Mid-market HR depth | Quote-based, modular | Available | Sales quote required |
| Gusto | HR depth without mid-market scale | Published, tiered | Plus tier and above | No quote required |
| OnPay | Flat, no-tier pricing | Published, flat | Paid add-on | No quote required |
| Paycom | Employee-run payroll review, businesses OK with quote-based pricing | Quote-based | Available | Quote required |
| Rippling | Broader HR/IT platform | Quote-based platform + separate payroll module | Available | Quote required |
Prices checked October 13, 2026. Pricing and product capabilities can change. Confirm current pricing and features directly with each provider before making a purchasing decision.
Which Paylocity Alternative Is Best for Your Business?
If Paylocity feels like more platform than your business actually needs, the right alternative depends on what you're actually trying to solve for.
If the core frustration is a disconnect between time tracking and payroll, or you want predictable pricing without a sales quote, OnTheClock is the strongest fit in this comparison for small, hourly-heavy teams.
If you still want meaningful HR depth, just without Paylocity's scale and quote-based pricing, Gusto is worth a look.
If you want the simplest possible pricing structure and don't need time tracking in the base price, OnPay is hard to beat.
If the idea of employees reviewing and approving their own paychecks appeals to you, and you're comfortable with quote-based pricing, Paycom is worth a look. Just be sure to ask for a complete breakdown of recurring and one-time costs when reviewing your quote.
If you want a broader HR and IT platform alongside payroll and expect to use that added functionality, Rippling offers that breadth, with the platform fee and payroll module priced separately.
Frequently Asked Questions About Paylocity Alternatives
What Is the Best Paylocity Alternative for a Small Business?
For a small business with hourly employees, OnTheClock is a strong fit. It connects time tracking and payroll under one published price. Gusto suits businesses that want HR depth without Paylocity's size. OnPay is a good option if you want simple, published payroll pricing and already track time elsewhere.
Why Do Businesses Look for Paylocity Alternatives?
Businesses often look for Paylocity alternatives when they want clearer pricing, an easier setup, built-in time tracking, or fewer HR tools to manage. If you don't need a full HCM platform, a focused payroll and time tracking system may fit better. It can also be quicker to set up and learn.
Is OnTheClock Cheaper Than Paylocity?
It's hard to compare directly, because Paylocity doesn't publish its prices. Its cost depends on the modules you pick during the sales process. OnTheClock posts flat pricing upfront. For example, 10 hourly employees cost $145 per month for time tracking and payroll, plus a one-time $250 onboarding fee.
Is Gusto or Paylocity Better?
Gusto is usually the better fit for small businesses that want published pricing and solid HR tools without a sales quote. Paylocity is built for mid-sized companies with complex HR and workforce needs. If you have a dedicated HR team that will use those extra tools, Paylocity may be worth the longer setup.
Who Is Paylocity's Biggest Competitor?
There isn't one single rival. Paylocity most often goes head to head with other mid-market HCM platforms, such as Paycom, ADP Workforce Now, Paycor, and UKG. For small businesses, simpler tools like OnTheClock, Gusto, and OnPay are common alternatives, since they offer published pricing and a quicker setup.
Is Switching From Paylocity to Another Payroll Provider Difficult?
It depends on your team size, how much payroll history you need to move, and how much setup help your new provider offers. Switching at the start of a calendar year, rather than mid-year, usually makes the process easier. You'll have fewer year-to-date records to move to the new system.
