Employee Navigator vs Namely (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Namely grades higher than Employee Navigator: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Namely grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Employee Navigator
Benefits administration and HR platform sold through insurance brokers
Namely
US HR, payroll and benefits for mid-sized firms, with managed services
Which one is for you
Pick Employee Navigator if
- Fits if you are a US employer whose broker already offers it
- Works for brokers who want enrollment and ACA reporting for their clients
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price, as every tier says Contact Sales
- Not for you if you are outside the US, as it is built for US benefits and ACA
- Watch out: 834 EDI feeds cost $0.45 per employee a month on Enhanced Plus and Elite
- Tight if you want PTO tracking or onboarding, as they start at Elite
Pick Namely if
- Fits if you want HR, payroll and benefits from one US provider
- Works for businesses with hourly staff who clock in at kiosks or on phones
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to try it first, as there's only a guided tour
- Not for you if you employ people outside the US
- Pricey if you want onboarding on Namely Now, which costs extra, or workers' comp, which comes only with Complete
- Watch out: Plus, Plus People and Complete are quoted after a needs review, and contracts can run up to 3 years
- Watch out: the rated Namely app hasn't been updated since 2021, and NamelyONE has no ratings yet
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAEmployee NavigatorWeak | 2.0GPANamelyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published; every tier says Contact Sales. The page is written for brokers, and an employer buys through one. | CNamely Now starts at $9 an employee a month, so a ten-person company pays $90 and up, with the final price quoted. That buys HR and payroll together, which most here don't include. It sits at this category's dearer quarter. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is on record in the listing or on its pricing page. | FNo free plan and no trial, only a guided tour. |
| Features | CBenefits enrollment, ACA reporting, carrier and payroll feeds and HR records. Onboarding and PTO tracking only start at Elite, and there is no payroll. | BPayroll with tax updates for every jurisdiction, time clocks and scheduling, records, time off and onboarding, then recruiting, reviews, compliance training and benefits administration on Plus. The whole job, payroll included. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Open enrollment needs plans, carriers and rules loaded in before staff can use it. | CNo App Store rating on record: the rated Namely app hasn't been updated since 2021, and its replacement, NamelyONE, has no ratings yet. Plans beyond Namely Now are set up through a sales process. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only. Carrier and payroll feeds are described, but no integrations list or apps are on record. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, plus kiosks and biometric clocks for clocking in, and a general ledger export. No integrations list or desktop app on record. |
| Best for | benefits enrollment through a broker | US mid-sized firms wanting HR and payroll |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Employee Navigator and Namely. How we grade
Where they differ
- Namely also covers payroll, shift scheduling, time clock and applicant tracking.
At a glance
| Employee Navigator | Namely | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $9 per employee / month and up, for Namely Now |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Employee Navigator | Namely, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | namely.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Employee Navigator
- No prices are published: every tier on the pricing page says Contact Sales, so the cost is unverified.
- The pricing page is written for brokers, with tiers named Enhanced, Enhanced Plus, Elite and Platinum; an employer buys through a broker.
- 834 EDI feeds are listed at $0.45 PEPM on Enhanced Plus and Elite, free on Platinum, with additional fees noted.
- New hire onboarding and PTO tracking start at the Elite tier.
Namely
- Only Namely Now has a published starting price; the other packages are quoted after a needs review.
- Built for US employers: payroll updates tax calculations for every jurisdiction and issues W-2s; the pages read name no other countries.
- There is no free trial, only a guided tour; contracts run from month to month up to 3 years.
- Onboarding is an extra charge on Namely Now, and workers' comp and shared liability come only with Complete.
Key features
Employee Navigator
- Benefits administration
- Online enrollment, new hire and open enrollment, life events and beneficiary tracking, and customizable plan libraries.
- ACA reporting
- ACA reporting and compliance tools are included in every broker plan tier.
- Carrier and payroll integrations
- The site says it connects with 600+ partners, including carriers, TPAs and payroll providers, and 834 EDI feeds are available on higher tiers.
- Onboarding and HR records
- New hire onboarding, recurring task management and PTO and vacation tracking are listed from the Elite tier.
Namely
- Payroll with tax compliance
- Runs any pay frequency and off-cycle pay runs, keeps tax calculations updated for each jurisdiction, and exports to the general ledger.
- Time, scheduling and clocks
- Staff enter time from a desktop, kiosk, mobile app or biometric clock with geofencing, and managers build schedules with shift swaps.
- HR, onboarding and reporting
- Employee records, file storage, time-off tracking, onboarding for new hires and custom reports with charts.
- Recruiting, performance and compliance
- From Namely Plus: AI-assisted applicant tracking, continuous feedback and goals, and state-mandated training with a living handbook.
- Managed services
- Higher packages hand payroll processing and benefits brokerage to Namely's team, and Complete adds workers' comp and shared liability.
- NamelyOne mobile app
- Employees see pay stubs, W-2s and benefits, request time off and clock in; managers approve leave and check timecards.
Plans
Employee Navigator
Pricing could not be confirmed. See employeenavigator.com.
Namely
Namely Now$9
per employee / month and up
HR and payroll. Onboarding and large-group benefits cost extra. Final price is quoted by sales.
Namely PlusCustom
Adds onboarding, recruiting, performance, compliance, the benefits administration module and time tracking.
Namely Plus PeopleCustom
Namely Plus with Namely's managed payroll and managed benefits services.
Namely CompleteCustom
Adds large-group medical, dental and vision plans, workers' comp, risk and safety management and shared-liability compliance.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Employee Navigator or Namely?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Employee Navigator has no price we could confirm, and Namely starts at $9 per employee / month and up, for Namely Now.
Which has a free plan, Employee Navigator or Namely?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Employee Navigator nor Namely has a free plan.
Which platforms do Employee Navigator and Namely run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Namely lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.