Namely vs Paycor
We give Namely a 2.0 GPA and Paycor a 2.2, out of 4.0. Paycor grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Namely
US HR, payroll and benefits for mid-sized firms, with managed services
Paycor
US payroll and HR software, with published prices under 50 staff
How we grade them
| 2.0GPANamelyFair | 2.2GPAPaycorFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CBasic is $99 a month plus $5 an employee, $124 for five: above Gusto and OnPay at $79 and QuickBooks at $85, though under Deel's $145. Onboarding needs Essential, $184 for five. Setup fees are waived and the first 6 months are 50% off. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial, only a guided tour. | FNo free plan or trial. The 50% off for 6 months is a discount on a paid plan, not a way to try it. |
| Features | 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. | BPayroll with federal and state tax filing and unlimited runs, compliance alerts before payroll, early wage access for staff, onboarding with E-Verify from Essential, and HR advice and analytics on Core. The whole job across its bundles. |
| Ease of use | 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. | B4.53 from about 33,700 App Store ratings for Paycor Mobile, where staff see pay stubs, request time off and enroll in benefits. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, iPhone and Android. No desktop app, and the listing names no integrations, though Core adds 401(k) integrations and partner apps handle payroll abroad. |
| Best for | US mid-sized firms wanting HR and payroll | employers under 50 who want HR to grow into |
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: Namely and Paycor. How we grade
Where they differ
- Namely starts at $9 per employee / month and up, for Namely Now. Paycor starts at $99 per month, plus $5 per employee.
- Namely also covers shift scheduling, time clock, applicant tracking, employee records and time off.
- Paycor also covers expense tracking.
At a glance
| Namely | Paycor | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $9 per employee / month and up, for Namely Now | $99 per month, plus $5 per employee |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Namely, Inc. | Paycor, Inc. |
| Price read from | namely.com | paycor.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Namely
- US mid-sized companies wanting HR, payroll and benefits in one system
- Employers that want to hand payroll or benefits to a managed service
- Businesses with hourly staff who clock in at kiosks or on phones
Paycor
- US businesses under 50 employees that want to see a price before calling sales
- Employers that want payroll, onboarding and HR advice from one provider
- Hourly teams that want early wage access and a mobile app
Worth knowing
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.
Paycor
- Runs US payroll across all 50 states; payroll in other countries comes through partner apps in Paycor's marketplace.
- Prices are published only for businesses under 50 employees; larger ones get a quote from sales.
- The same page lists setup fees of $59 to $199, shown as waived, and a sign-up step with lower per-employee charges than the main table.
- Time tracking, scheduling, benefits administration and recruiting cost extra on top of the bundles.
Key features
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.
Paycor
- Payroll and tax filing
- Paycor calculates pay, files federal and state payroll taxes and handles W-2 and 1099 processing, with no limit on payroll runs a month.
- Compliance alerts
- A compliance dashboard flags missing or invalid tax IDs, address problems and direct deposit discrepancies before payroll runs.
- OnDemand Pay
- Employees can draw up to 50% of the wages they have earned before payday, or be paid onto the Paycor Visa card.
- Onboarding and E-Verify
- From Essential, new hires fill in forms, I-9s and tax documents online before their first day and sign documents electronically.
- Paycor Mobile
- Employees view pay stubs and tax forms, request time off, check schedules and enroll in benefits from the iPhone and Android app.
- Add-on modules
- Time and scheduling, benefits administration, recruiting and workers' compensation can be added to any small business bundle.
Plans
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.
Paycor
Basic$99
per month, plus $5 per employee
Payroll with federal and state tax filing, direct deposit, new hire filing, employee self-service, standard reports and OnDemand Pay.
Essential$149
per month, plus $7 per employee
Adds onboarding and E-Verify, the HR Support Center, time-off tracking and labor law posters. The page's sign-up step shows $6 per employee.
Core$199
per month, plus $8 per employee
Shown as COR. Adds on-demand HR advice, Paycor Analytics, 401(k) integrations and wage garnishment payments. The sign-up step shows $7 per employee.
CompleteCustom
Adds Paycor HR, career management, compensation planning and talent development. No price in the main table; the sign-up step shows $199 plus $12 per employee.
Ways to pay less
Namely
No public discounts listed.
Paycor
- Other savings
50% off for the first 6 months
Paycor's small business pricing page offers new customers 50% off for 6 months as a limited-time offer, with some restrictions. Other parts of the page advertise free months of payroll instead.
