Paycor vs Payworks (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 Payworks if

• Fits if you run a Canadian business of 1 to 75 employees
• Works for firms that want a specialist to handle set-up

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you pay staff outside Canada, as it serves Canadian employers only
• Watch out: no prices are published, so cost cannot be compared before contact
• Not for you if you want self-serve signup, as onboarding goes through a specialist
• Too light for larger employers, who are pointed to corporate solutions

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.

Payworks

• No prices are published; the site offers an instant quote form, so cost cannot be compared before contact.
• Serves Canadian employers only.
• The small business offering is aimed at 1 to 75 employees; larger employers are pointed to corporate solutions.
• Onboarding is handled through a five-step implementation with a dedicated specialist rather than self-signup.

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.

Payworks

Payroll with remittances

Automatic overtime and statutory pay calculations, preset provincial rules, and government remittances submitted for the client at no extra charge, according to the site.

Year-end filing

Tax form information is submitted to the CRA and Revenu Quebec on the client's behalf, with year-end checklists.

Employee and manager self service

Staff and managers can see pay statements and shared calendars and punch in and out from anywhere.

Shared payroll and HR database

Payroll and HR products share one database, so employee data is entered once.

Franchise and accountant offerings

Separate solutions cover franchises with multiple locations and POS data import, and accountants and bookkeepers who manage a book of clients.

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.

Payworks

Pricing could not be confirmed. See payworks.ca.

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.

Payworks

No public discounts listed.