Namely vs Paylocity
We give Namely a 2.0 GPA and Paylocity a 2.4, out of 4.0. Paylocity 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
From $9/mo
Paylocity
Payroll, HR, finance and IT platform for US employers, by quote
Paid
How we grade them
| 2.0GPANamelyFair | 2.4GPAPaylocityFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo prices are published: every package is quoted after a demo request, so there's no five-person figure to compare. Expenses, corporate cards and IT tools are sold as separate products on top of payroll. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial, only a guided tour. | FNo free plan, no trial and no self-serve sign-up. A one-month-free payroll offer is advertised for small businesses, without its terms. |
| 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 40+ audits before you process, tax filing in all 50 states and US territories, time and scheduling from phone, kiosk or clock, early wage access, and payroll for staff in 100+ countries. The whole job. |
| 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. | A4.81 from about 681,000 App Store ratings, the most in this category, for the app staff use to check pay, clock in and ask for time off. It works only for staff of client companies. |
| 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, plus kiosks and time clocks for hours. No desktop app, and the listing names no integrations. |
| Best for | US mid-sized firms wanting HR and payroll | US employers with hourly staff and a growing HR team |
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 Paylocity. How we grade
Where they differ
- Namely also covers shift scheduling, time clock, applicant tracking, employee records and time off.
- Paylocity also covers time tracking and expense tracking.
In commonWebiOSAndroidReportsPayroll
At a glance
| Namely | Paylocity | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $9 per employee / month and up, for Namely Now | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Namely, Inc. | Paylocity |
| Price read from | namely.com | Not confirmed |
| 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
Paylocity
- US companies that want payroll, HR and time tracking in one system
- Employers with hourly staff who clock in by phone, kiosk or time clock
- Companies paying some staff abroad alongside US payroll
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.
Paylocity
- No prices are published: the pricing page asks for a demo request form, and quotes follow from sales.
- Tax filing covers the US, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam; payroll in 100+ other countries is a separate global payroll service.
- There is no free trial or self-serve sign-up; the app works only for staff of companies that are already clients.
- Expense management, corporate cards, procurement and IT tools are sold as separate products alongside payroll.
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.
Paylocity
- Payroll with built-in audits
- A Payroll Readiness Dashboard lists tasks before processing day, and more than 40 audits flag likely errors such as unexpected pay spikes.
- Tax services
- Paylocity files as a Registered Reporting Agent with the IRS in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Guam, and checks each employee's tax location.
- Time and scheduling
- Hours are collected by mobile, web, kiosk or time clock, with geofenced clock-in, shift swaps and scheduling rules that feed payroll.
- Expense management and cards
- Employees snap receipts for AI-coded expense reports, and virtual and physical corporate cards come with policy controls and automatic reconciliation.
- Global payroll
- Domestic and international employees are managed and paid from one system, with payroll data gathered across more than 100 countries.
- Mobile app and Community
- Employees check pay, clock in, request time off and draw earned wages early in the app, and Community gives them a company social feed and chat.
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.
Paylocity
Pricing could not be confirmed. See paylocity.com.
Ways to pay less
Namely
No public discounts listed.
Paylocity
- Other savings
One month of free payroll for small businesses
Paylocity's payroll page advertises a limited-time offer of one month of free payroll, and more, for small businesses, without stating the terms.
