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The Justworks Insider’s Guide

Everything we know about Justworks in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.

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ToolGPAOctober 2026

Justworks

The Insider’s Guide

Pay, benefits and HR platform for employers, with an app for staff

Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among payroll services, read from Justworks’s own pages.

Made by Justworks, Inc. · checked Oct 17, 2026 · toolgpa.com

2.4GPA

Contents

  1. 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
  2. 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
  3. 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
  4. 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
  5. 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
  6. 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
  7. 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from Justworks’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Justworks’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 17, 2026.

Part 01 · Overview

Welcome

What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first

2.4

GPA, above 6 of the 18 other payroll services we grade

Justworks is a platform for running a company's pay, benefits and HR, with support from people and access to corporate-level benefits. Its mobile app shows employees their pay stubs, earnings and insurance details, and lets them request time off, submit expenses and clock in and out. A shared iPad can serve as the team's time clock.

To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Justworks, taken from its own pages and our grades.

A shared iPad can be the team's time clock, with a PIN for each person.
From our grade for ease of use
  1. 1

    Best for small teams after big-company benefits

    Time tracking costs extra on every plan, and there's no trial.

  2. 2

    Paid plans start at $50 a month

    As its pricing page puts it: $50 per month, plus $8 per employee (Payroll).

  3. 3

    It runs on 3 platforms

    Web, iOS and Android.

  4. 4

    Pay stubs and earnings

    Employees review payments, share pay stubs and see year-to-date earnings in the app.

  5. 5

    Benefits at hand

    Insurance details are available and shareable from the app, so staff do not need to carry a card.

  6. 6

    Time off requests

    Employees request time off in the app, and managers review and approve requests there.

  7. 7

    A 2.4 GPA, above 6 of 18

    That is against the other payroll services we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.

  8. 8

    Keep it

    To replace Justworks you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

Justworks at a glance

Pricing
Paid, from $50 per month, plus $8 per employee (Payroll)
Free plan
No
Free trial
None stated
Runs on
Web, iOS, Android
Made by
Justworks, Inc.
Category
Payroll
Our grade
2.4 GPA, fair
Store rating
4.8 on the App Store, 5,181 ratings

The report card

Best for small teams after big-company benefits

Justworks is payroll with people behind it, and its PEO is the draw: small teams get the kind of health plans and 401(k) big employers offer. Plain payroll is $90 a month for five people. Time tracking costs extra on every plan, and there's no trial.

ToolGPA report cardJustworksGraded Oct 17, 2026
SubjectGradeComment
Value for moneyCThe Payroll plan is $50 a month plus $8 an employee, $90 for five, above the middle of this category. Time tracking is another $8 a person. Its EOR plan, a different kind of service, is $599 a person, $2,995 for five, the same as Deel and Remote.
Free plan and trialFNo free plan and no trial on record. You pay from the first month.
FeaturesBUS payroll with HR tools and expert support, a PEO that brings small teams big-company health plans and 401(k), employer of record abroad, and contractors in 60+ countries. Staff handle pay stubs, time off, expenses and timecards in the app.
Ease of useA4.84 from about 5,200 App Store ratings for the app staff use for pay stubs, time off and expenses. A shared iPad can be the team's time clock, with a PIN for each person.
Platforms and integrationsBWeb, iPhone and Android, and an iPad can run as a time clock. No desktop app, and the listing names no integrations.
Grade point averageFair, out of 4.02.4

An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.

Who Justworks is for

  • Great if you want health insurance as good as a big employer's, through the PEO
  • Handy when your team clocks in on a shared iPad
  • Good for staff who'd rather send expenses and time-off requests from their phone

Who it is not for

  • Pricey if you need time tracking, at $8 a person on top of every plan
  • Skip it if your overseas people are employees, since they go on the $599-a-person EOR plan
  • Not for you if you want to try it first, as there's no trial on record

Good to know

Good for

  • Smaller employers that want benefits normally offered by large ones
  • Teams that clock in on a shared iPad
  • Employers whose staff submit expenses and time off from a phone

Worth knowing

  • Payroll and the PEO plans are for US teams. Staff abroad go on the $599 employer-of-record plan, or are paid as contractors in 60+ countries at $39 each a month.
  • Health insurance through the PEO plans needs the co-employer arrangement; on the Payroll plan it is an $8-a-month add-on per benefits-eligible employee.
  • Time tracking is $8 a month per employee on every plan, and dedicated HR consulting is $30 per employee.
  • The employee app needs an account set up through an employer that uses Justworks.

Part 02 · Pricing

What it costs

Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved

$50

A month to start

Justworks is a paid product, starting at $50 per month, plus $8 per employee (Payroll).

  • Payroll

    $50

    per month, plus $8 per employee

    Payroll for US employees with HR tools, expert support and access to time tracking. US-based contractors are $8 a month each.

  • PEO Basic

    $79

    per employee / month

    Justworks becomes the co-employer: payroll, compliance, HR consulting, 24/7 support and 401(k). No base fee.

  • PEO Plus

    $124

    per employee / month

    Everything in PEO Basic plus medical, dental and vision administration, HSA and FSA accounts. Marked popular. No base fee.

  • EOR

    $599

    per employee / month

    Employer of record for hiring full-time staff abroad, with global HR and compliance support. No base fee.

Read from justworks.com on Oct 17, 2026.

Part 03 · Features

What it does

Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it

3

Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android

Pay, benefits and HR platform for employers, with an app for staff. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: time tracking, expense tracking, payroll.

Staff handle pay stubs, time off, expenses and timecards in the app.
From our grade for features
Pay stubs and earnings
Employees review payments, share pay stubs and see year-to-date earnings in the app.
Benefits at hand
Insurance details are available and shareable from the app, so staff do not need to carry a card.
Time off requests
Employees request time off in the app, and managers review and approve requests there.
Expense reimbursements
Staff upload receipts when they spend and submit reimbursement requests under the company's rules.
Time tracking and Terminal Mode
Clock in and out, manage breaks and shifts and submit timecards; Terminal Mode turns a shared iPad into a PIN-based time clock.
Company calendar and directory
A shared calendar of pay dates, holidays, time off and birthdays, and a directory of colleagues grouped by department.

Where it runs

  • Web
  • iOS
  • Android

What it works with

Its own pages name no integrations.

Justworks is made by Justworks, Inc.

Part 04 · Standing

Where it stands

Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own

6/18

Other payroll services it is graded above

Justworks's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 18 other payroll services we grade, and level with 9.

It stands best on ease of use (A, above 9 of 18) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).

Its paid plans start at $50 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 11 of the 13 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 19 payroll services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Justworks’s own letter is outlined.

  • CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 18
  • FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 18
  • BFeaturesAbove 6 of 18
  • AEase of useAbove 9 of 18
  • BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 18

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 14 payroll services. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Justworks is the marked dot.

C2.0B3.0A4.0$5$10$20$50$100More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessJustworksDeelSquare PayrollOnPayRoll by ADPPaycor

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

Keep it, or make your own?

Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.

Keep it

To replace Justworks you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

It costs $600 a year.

What you could make

  • Time tracking and expense tracking: an app builder makes these well.

What you could not

  • Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
  • A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
  • Sharing with other people, which means accounts and invitations.
  • The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.

What this rests on. Justworks’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

Part 05 · Alternatives

The alternatives

The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side

Gusto, Rippling, Deel, OnPay and Paychex Flex

The 5 tools Justworks is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.

Part 06 · Questions

Quick answers

The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two

12

Questions, each answered in a line or two

The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.

Is Justworks free?

No. Justworks is a paid product, starting at $50 per month, plus $8 per employee (Payroll).

How much does Justworks cost?

Justworks lists 4 plans. Payroll: $50 per month, plus $8 per employee.

What platforms does Justworks work on?

Justworks is available on Web, iOS and Android.

How is Justworks rated?

Justworks's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.8 out of 5 from 5,181 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026.

Does Justworks have a Windows app?

No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Justworks is listed for Web, iOS and Android.

Does Justworks have a macOS app?

No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Justworks is listed for Web, iOS and Android.

Is Justworks open source?

Justworks is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.

Who makes Justworks?

Justworks is made by Justworks, Inc.

What are the alternatives to Justworks?

The closest alternatives to Justworks in our directory are Gusto, Rippling, Deel, OnPay and Paychex Flex.

How does Justworks compare with other payroll services?

Justworks's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 6 of the 18 other payroll services we grade, and level with 9.

Is Justworks good value for money?

ToolGPA grades Justworks C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $50 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 11 of the 13 others that charge start lower.

Could I make my own version of Justworks?

To replace Justworks you would be making payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.

Where this guide comes from

The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Justworks’s own pages on Oct 17, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 17, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Justworks' own pages on 17 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Justworks' pricing page turned our reader away on 17 October 2026, so its prices are as the listing has them. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Justworks, Inc. Prices change, so check justworks.com before you buy.

Part 07 · About

About ToolGPA

Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

1,858

Tools graded, in 46 categories

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

  • 1,858

    tools graded

  • 46

    categories

  • 426

    price changes on record

  • 579

    apps priced in 12 countries

What else is on toolgpa.com

Scan for the live page

Prices and grades as they are today

Quoting this guide?

Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:

ToolGPA, "Justworks: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 17, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/justworks

Know someone choosing between payroll services?

Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/justworks/guide

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See our other guides

The best-graded payroll services after Justworks, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.

ToolGPA

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Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›

Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Justworks’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. ToolGPA uses affiliate links and may earn a commission from them, and it works with sponsors; anything paid for is labelled, and no one can pay for a grade. Justworks is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Justworks, Inc. Prices and plans change: check justworks.com before you buy.