Paycom vs Paycor (2026): which should you pick?

Pick Paycom if

• Fits if you want payroll, time and hiring from one vendor
• Works for employers who want a dedicated specialist to set it up

Look elsewhere if

• Watch out: no prices are published, and every quote is custom
• Watch out: Core is the minimum every client uses, with other tools added on top
• Not for you if you want self-serve setup, as each customer is assigned a specialist
• Skip it if you want a free plan or a trial, as neither is listed

Pick Paycor if

• Fits if you have under 50 employees and want to see a price before calling sales
• Works for hourly staff who want to draw some of their pay before payday

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you're small, at $124 a month for five against $79 at Gusto or OnPay
• Skip it if you need onboarding on the lowest plan, as it starts on Essential
• Not for you if you have 50 or more staff and want a published price, as those go to sales
• Watch out: time tracking, scheduling, benefits administration and recruiting cost extra on every bundle
• Watch out: setup fees of $59 to $199 are shown as waived, and the sign-up step shows lower per-employee charges than the table

Paycom

• No prices are published: every quote is customized, and the pricing page is a contact form.
• Paycom says its Core package is the minimum every client uses, with other tools added on top.
• Each customer is assigned a dedicated specialist rather than self-serve setup.
• Paycom lists Global HCM as covering over 190 countries; whether payroll runs there is not stated on the pages read.

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.

Paycom

Self-starting payroll

Payroll begins automatically each pay period, checks live employee data for errors and guides employees to correct them before it is submitted.

Time and labor management

Time and attendance, time clocks and terminals, geofencing, time-off requests, scheduling and labor allocation, with approved time flowing into payroll.

Talent acquisition

Applicant tracking, onboarding, background checks and E-Verify, with candidate data carried into the employee record without re-entry.

Benefits and compliance

Benefits administration with carrier connections and COBRA, plus ACA reporting, garnishment administration and payroll tax management.

Employee self-service and mobile app

Employees see their own pay and HR data in the Paycom app, which has listings on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

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.

Paycom

Pricing could not be confirmed. See paycom.com.

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.

Paycom

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.