Paycom vs Paylocity (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 Paylocity if

• Fits if your hourly staff clock in by phone, kiosk or time clock
• Works for paying a few people abroad alongside US payroll

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a price or a trial before a sales demo
• Not for you if you want to sign up and start the same day, as there's no self-serve route
• Tight if you want it all on one bill, as expenses, cards, procurement and IT are sold separately
• Watch out: payroll in 100+ countries outside the US and its territories is a separate global service
• Watch out: the one-month-free payroll offer for small businesses is advertised without its terms

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.

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.

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.

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.

Paycom

Pricing could not be confirmed. See paycom.com.

Paylocity

Pricing could not be confirmed. See paylocity.com.

Paycom

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.