Justworks vs OnPay
We give Justworks a 2.4 GPA and OnPay a 2.6, out of 4.0. Justworks grades higher on ease of use. OnPay grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Justworks
Pay, benefits and HR platform for employers, with an app for staff
OnPay
US payroll with published prices, plus HR and time add-ons
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAJustworksFair | 2.6GPAOnPayGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThe Payroll plan is $50 a month plus $8 an employee, $90 for five, above the middle of this category. Time tracking is another $8 a person. Its EOR plan, a different kind of service, is $599 a person, $2,995 for five, the same as Deel and Remote. | CPayroll Essentials is $49 a month plus $6 a worker, $79 for five, the same as Gusto and just under the middle of this category. Benefits administration and onboarding are in that price rather than sold on top. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on record. You pay from the first month. | CThe first month is free. There's no free plan, and the listing doesn't say whether you need a card to start. |
| Features | BUS payroll with HR tools and expert support, a PEO that brings small teams big-company health plans and 401(k), employer of record abroad, and contractors in 60+ countries. Staff handle pay stubs, time off, expenses and timecards in the app. | BPays employees and contractors in all 50 states, files taxes under an error-free guarantee, onboards new hires with e-signatures, syncs to QuickBooks Online or Xero and sets up health plans with in-house agents. Time and HR are add-ons. |
| Ease of use | A4.84 from about 5,200 App Store ratings for the app staff use for pay stubs, time off and expenses. A shared iPad can be the team's time clock, with a PIN for each person. | B4.83 from 689 App Store ratings, short of the 1,000 an A needs. New hires onboard themselves and sign their I-9s and W-4s online. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, and an iPad can run as a time clock. No desktop app, and the listing names no integrations. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Vestwell, JazzHR, NEXT Insurance and TurboTax. No desktop app. |
| Best for | small teams after big-company benefits | small US firms that want a clear price and benefits |
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: Justworks and OnPay. How we grade
Price against what you get
Justworks starts at $50 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. OnPay starts at $49 a month and scores 3.0.
Justworks scores higher, and starts $1 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other payroll services on the chart, none scores higher than Justworks for less, and 1 scores higher than OnPay for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Justworks starts at $50 per month, plus $8 per employee (Payroll). OnPay starts at $49 per month, plus $6 per worker paid.
- Justworks also covers expense tracking.
- OnPay also covers reports.
At a glance
| Justworks | OnPay | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $50 per month, plus $8 per employee (Payroll) | $49 per month, plus $6 per worker paid |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | First month free |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Justworks, Inc. | OnPay, LLC |
| Price read from | justworks.com | onpay.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Justworks
- Smaller employers that want benefits normally offered by large ones
- Teams that clock in on a shared iPad
- Employers whose staff submit expenses and time off from a phone
OnPay
- Small US businesses that want to know the price without a sales call
- Teams paying employees and contractors in several states
- Owners who want benefits handled in the same place as payroll
Worth knowing
Justworks
- Payroll and the PEO plans are for US teams. Staff abroad go on the $599 employer-of-record plan, or are paid as contractors in 60+ countries at $39 each a month.
- Health insurance through the PEO plans needs the co-employer arrangement; on the Payroll plan it is an $8-a-month add-on per benefits-eligible employee.
- Time tracking is $8 a month per employee on every plan, and dedicated HR consulting is $30 per employee.
- The employee app needs an account set up through an employer that uses Justworks.
OnPay
- Add-ons bought alone cost $15 plus $2 per worker (HR), $15 plus $4 per worker (Time Tracking), $10 (Compliance Resources) and $65 a month (Live HR Support).
- Runs payroll in all 50 US states at no extra charge per state; the pages read mention no other countries.
- Health insurance, workers' comp and 401(k) plans are paid at their premiums on top of the OnPay subscription.
Key features
Justworks
- Pay stubs and earnings
- Employees review payments, share pay stubs and see year-to-date earnings in the app.
- Benefits at hand
- Insurance details are available and shareable from the app, so staff do not need to carry a card.
- Time off requests
- Employees request time off in the app, and managers review and approve requests there.
- Expense reimbursements
- Staff upload receipts when they spend and submit reimbursement requests under the company's rules.
- Time tracking and Terminal Mode
- Clock in and out, manage breaks and shifts and submit timecards; Terminal Mode turns a shared iPad into a PIN-based time clock.
- Company calendar and directory
- A shared calendar of pay dates, holidays, time off and birthdays, and a directory of colleagues grouped by department.
OnPay
- Full-service payroll
- Pay W-2 employees and 1099 contractors by direct deposit, check or prepaid debit card, with unlimited pay runs and garnishment deductions.
- Taxes in all 50 states
- Files and pays federal, state and local taxes and year-end W-2s and 1099s, registers for state taxes, and backs its filings with an error-free guarantee.
- Hiring and onboarding
- Send offer letters for e-signature, have new hires sign I-9s and W-4s and onboard themselves, and file state new-hire reports automatically.
- Accounting sync
- Syncs the general ledger to QuickBooks Online or Xero after every pay run, with line items mapped to your chart of accounts.
- Benefits administration
- Health, dental and vision plans chosen with licensed in-house agents, with open enrollment and payroll deductions; you pay only the premiums.
- Time Tracking add-on
- Time clocks for each worksite, overtime and break rules, supervisor approval and approved hours sent straight to payroll.
Plans
Justworks
Payroll$50
per month, plus $8 per employee
Payroll for US employees with HR tools, expert support and access to time tracking. US-based contractors are $8 a month each.
PEO Basic$79
per employee / month
Justworks becomes the co-employer: payroll, compliance, HR consulting, 24/7 support and 401(k). No base fee.
PEO Plus$124
per employee / month
Everything in PEO Basic plus medical, dental and vision administration, HSA and FSA accounts. Marked popular. No base fee.
EOR$599
per employee / month
Employer of record for hiring full-time staff abroad, with global HR and compliance support. No base fee.
OnPay
Payroll Essentials$49
per month, plus $6 per worker paid
Full-service payroll and tax filing in all 50 states, onboarding with e-signatures, accounting sync, reports and benefits administration.
Payroll, Time Tracking and HR$70
per month, plus $10 per worker paid
Bundle for hourly teams: Payroll Essentials with the Time Tracking and HR add-ons, against $79 plus $12 per worker bought separately.
Payroll, HR and HR Support$120
per month, plus $7 per worker paid
Bundle for salaried teams: Payroll Essentials, HR, Compliance Resources and Live HR Support.
Everything bundle$130
per month, plus $10 per worker paid
Payroll Essentials with Time Tracking, HR, Compliance Resources and Live HR Support.
