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

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

Pick Payfit if

• Fits if you want a provider to run your UK payroll
• Works for firms from 25 employees up to 300 or more

Look elsewhere if

• Watch out: no prices are published, so cost cannot be compared in advance
• Skip it if you pay staff outside the UK, as the pages read describe UK payroll only
• Skip it if you want a free plan or a trial, as neither is listed
• Watch out: sizes described run from small firms of up to 25 employees to 300-plus

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.

Payfit

• No prices are published; the site offers a demo and a Try now button, so cost cannot be compared in advance.
• The pages read from this location describe UK payroll; availability and features in other countries are not shown on them.
• Payfit says it takes legal responsibility for HMRC compliance on the payroll it runs.
• Pages describe sizes from small businesses of up to 25 employees to mid-market firms of 300 or more.

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.

Payfit

Payroll run by Payfit's team

UK payroll experts, described as CIPP-qualified, prepare and check each pay run; the client reviews and approves before payday.

HMRC and pension submissions

Sends Full Payment Submissions and Employer Payment Summaries to HMRC, applies tax code changes, and submits to pension providers including NEST, Smart Pension, Aviva, NOW Pensions and People's Pension.

Starters, leavers and statutory pay

Handles new-starter notifications, P45s, notice-pay calculations and statutory pay entitlements, and generates P11Ds at no extra cost.

Payments

Pays staff through Telleroo or produces a BACS file for upload to the company's bank.

Connected HR modules

Leave and absence, expenses, performance reviews and reporting sit on the same platform as payroll.

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.

Payfit

Pricing could not be confirmed. See payfit.com.

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.

Payfit

• Other savings

  First month free for new clients until 30 November 2026

  A site banner offers a free first month to new clients who subscribe on or before 30 November 2026.