Paychex Flex vs SurePayroll
We give Paychex Flex and SurePayroll the same GPA: 2.4 out of 4.0. Paychex Flex grades higher on features. SurePayroll grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Paychex Flex
Paychex's payroll, tax filing and HR platform, priced by quote
SurePayroll
Online payroll for small US businesses and household employers
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAPaychex FlexFair | 2.4GPASurePayrollFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo prices are published: Basic, Foundations, Advanced and Complete are each quoted after a form or a call, so there's no five-person figure to compare. Time and attendance and state unemployment service are add-ons on some or all packages. | BNo Tax Filing is $20 a month plus $4 an employee, $40 for five, inside the cheapest quarter of this category. Full Service, which files taxes, is $64 for five. Year-end forms add $50 plus $5 a form, and multi-state is $9.99 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan or trial. New clients who sign a one-year deal for Foundations or above by 31 October 2026 pay no payroll fees until April 2027, but that's a contract, not a trial. | FNo free plan or trial. New customers get every other month free in their first year, which is a good deal, but it's a discount on a paid plan, not a trial. |
| Features | BUnlimited payroll runs, Taxpay filing federal, state and local taxes, checks for missing punches before payday, OSHA and EEO-1 reports, e-signatures and a self-service portal. The whole job, with more HR in the higher packages. | CPayroll done fully: unlimited and automatic runs, employees and contractors together, tax filing on Full Service and a household plan for nannies. A smaller job, though, with no HR tools beyond paid employment-law help. |
| Ease of use | A4.84 from about 576,000 App Store ratings for the Paychex Flex app, where staff see pay stubs and W-2s. Chat support comes with every package; phone and email agents are add-ons on the lower ones. | A4.7 from about 6,100 App Store ratings for the employer app, where owners run payroll and check reports. Staff get their own app for pay stubs. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct and NetSuite for accounting and When I Work and 7shifts for scheduling. No desktop app. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with apps for owners and for staff. No desktop app, and accounting sync is a $4.99-a-month add-on rather than built in. |
| Best for | growing firms that may add benefits or a PEO later | tiny businesses and families paying a nanny |
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: Paychex Flex and SurePayroll. How we grade
Where they differ
At a glance
| Paychex Flex | SurePayroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $20 per month, plus $4 per employee |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Paychex, Inc. | SurePayroll, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | surepayroll.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Paychex Flex
- US businesses that want payroll taxes filed by a large provider
- Companies planning to add benefits, 401(k) or a PEO later
- Employers who want staff to find pay stubs and W-2s themselves
SurePayroll
- Small US businesses with a handful of employees
- Families paying a nanny, caregiver or housekeeper
- Owners who want to run payroll from a phone
Worth knowing
Paychex Flex
- No prices are published: Basic, Foundations, Advanced and Complete are each quoted after a form or a sales call.
- Time and attendance, applicant tracking, state unemployment service and job costing are add-ons on some or all packages.
- Online chat support comes with every package; phone and email agents and a dedicated payroll specialist are add-ons on the lower packages.
- The pages read describe US payroll only: federal, state and local tax filing, and W-2 and 1099 forms.
SurePayroll
- Runs US payroll; the first state is included, multi-state payroll is $9.99 a month and local taxes carry a separate fee.
- Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms are billed once a year at $50 plus $5 per form.
- Accounting sync is $4.99 a month, time clock import from $5 a month plus $3 per employee, and employment law help from $30 a month.
- Household employers buy a separate Nanny & Household plan at $39 a month, including one employee, marked down from $45.
Key features
Paychex Flex
- Unlimited payroll runs
- Enter hours, salaries, bonuses and time off, then pay by direct deposit, paper check, pay card or tip disbursement, from a computer or the app.
- Taxpay tax administration
- Calculates, pays and files federal, state and local payroll taxes with the right agencies, and provides W-2s and 1099s online.
- AI checks before payday
- Automations flag missing time punches and other issues before payroll is due, check employee data and handle timesheet entries.
- HR and compliance tools
- Depending on the package: OSHA and EEO-1 compliance reports, document management with e-signatures, HR approval workflows and a custom employee handbook.
- Employee self-service and Perks
- Staff see pay stubs and W-2s in a 24/7 portal and app, and Paychex Flex Perks adds discounts and earned wage access at no extra cost.
- Accounting and time integrations
- Connects to QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct and NetSuite for accounting, and to scheduling apps such as When I Work and 7shifts.
SurePayroll
- Unlimited and automatic payroll
- Every plan includes unlimited payroll runs, and payroll can be scheduled to run on its own on the chosen pay dates.
- Tax filing on Full Service
- Full Service calculates, files and deposits federal, state and local payroll taxes and gives access to Forms 940, 941, W-2 and 1099.
- Free 2-day direct deposit
- Direct deposit with a two-day lead time is included, and pay stubs and reports stay available online at any hour.
- Employees and contractors
- W-2 employees and 1099 contractors are paid in the same payroll, with multiple pay rates, bonuses and new hire reporting.
- Employer and employee apps
- Owners run payroll and review reports from the SurePayroll app, and employees see their own pay stubs and account details in theirs.
- Household payroll
- A separate Nanny & Household plan files household payroll taxes and prepares Schedule H and W-2 forms for families.
Plans
Paychex Flex
Pricing could not be confirmed. See paychex.com.
SurePayroll
No Tax Filing$20
per month, plus $4 per employee
The Full Service features, except that you file and deposit all payroll taxes yourself.
Full Service$29
per month, plus $7 per employee
Payroll taxes filed and deposited, unlimited payroll runs, free 2-day direct deposit and W-2 and 1099 workers. The first state is included.
Ways to pay less
Paychex Flex
- Other savings
Free payroll until April 2027
New clients with 1 to 250 employees who sign a one-year agreement for Foundations, Advanced or Complete between October 12 and 31, 2026 pay no payroll fees through April 2027.
SurePayroll
- Other savings
Every other month free for the first year
New customers get every alternating month free during their first 12 months, which SurePayroll advertises as 6 free months. Terms apply.
