Namely
US HR, payroll and benefits for mid-sized firms, with managed services
Namely report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 18, 2026
Best for US mid-sized firms wanting HR and payroll
Namely puts HR and payroll together for US mid-sized companies, and its bigger packages hand payroll and benefits to Namely's own team. But only the entry package has a starting price, there's no trial, and it's built for the US alone.
Who Namely is for
- Great if you want HR, payroll and benefits from one US provider
- Handy when you'd rather hand payroll and benefits to a managed service
- Good for businesses with hourly staff who clock in at kiosks or on phones
Who Namely is not for
- Skip it if you want to try it first, as there's only a guided tour
- Not for you if you employ people outside the US
- Pricey if you want onboarding on Namely Now, as it costs extra
Why Namely gets a 2.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyNamely Now starts at $9 an employee a month, so a ten-person company pays $90 and up, with the final price quoted. That buys HR and payroll together, which most here don't include. It sits at this category's dearer quarter.
- FFree plan and trialNo free plan and no trial, only a guided tour.
- BFeaturesPayroll with tax updates for every jurisdiction, time clocks and scheduling, records, time off and onboarding, then recruiting, reviews, compliance training and benefits administration on Plus. The whole job, payroll included.
- CEase of useNo App Store rating on record: the rated Namely app hasn't been updated since 2021, and its replacement, NamelyONE, has no ratings yet. Plans beyond Namely Now are set up through a sales process.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android, plus kiosks and biometric clocks for clocking in, and a general ledger export. No integrations list or desktop app on record.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Namely's own pages on 18 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/namely#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/namely.svg" alt="Namely: 2.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Namely stands among HR software
Namely's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 1 of the 9 other HR software we grade, and level with 3.
It stands best on features (B, above 1 of 9) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $9 a month for each person, against a middle price of $9 for the category: 3 of the 6 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 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 10 HR software we grade, cut by the letter each got. Namely’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 9, level with 7
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 9, level with 4
- BFeaturesAbove 1 of 9, level with 8
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 9, level with 8
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 9, level with 9
Keep Namely, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Namely 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.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 5 of the 9 other HR software grade higher. It costs $108 a year.
What you could make
- Employee records, time off, applicant tracking and reports: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you.
- Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when.
- A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Namely’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.
What is Namely?
Namely is an HR, payroll and benefits platform for US mid-sized companies. Its entry package covers HR records and payroll, and larger packages add onboarding, recruiting, performance, compliance training, benefits administration and time tracking, then managed payroll and benefits services and finally workers' comp and shared-liability coverage. Namely merged with Vensure Employer Solutions and PrismHR in 2022.
Namely is a paid product, starting at $9 per employee / month and up, for Namely Now. See every plan
Good for
- US mid-sized companies wanting HR, payroll and benefits in one system
- Employers that want to hand payroll or benefits to a managed service
- Businesses with hourly staff who clock in at kiosks or on phones
Worth knowing
- Only Namely Now has a published starting price; the other packages are quoted after a needs review.
- Built for US employers: payroll updates tax calculations for every jurisdiction and issues W-2s; the pages read name no other countries.
- There is no free trial, only a guided tour; contracts run from month to month up to 3 years.
- Onboarding is an extra charge on Namely Now, and workers' comp and shared liability come only with Complete.
Key features
- Payroll with tax compliance
- Runs any pay frequency and off-cycle pay runs, keeps tax calculations updated for each jurisdiction, and exports to the general ledger.
- Time, scheduling and clocks
- Staff enter time from a desktop, kiosk, mobile app or biometric clock with geofencing, and managers build schedules with shift swaps.
- HR, onboarding and reporting
- Employee records, file storage, time-off tracking, onboarding for new hires and custom reports with charts.
- Recruiting, performance and compliance
- From Namely Plus: AI-assisted applicant tracking, continuous feedback and goals, and state-mandated training with a living handbook.
- Managed services
- Higher packages hand payroll processing and benefits brokerage to Namely's team, and Complete adds workers' comp and shared liability.
- NamelyOne mobile app
- Employees see pay stubs, W-2s and benefits, request time off and clock in; managers approve leave and check timecards.
Namely pricing
- Starts at
- $9 per employee / month and up, for Namely Now
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Namely Now | $9per employee / month and up | HR and payroll. Onboarding and large-group benefits cost extra. Final price is quoted by sales. |
| Namely Plus | Custom | Adds onboarding, recruiting, performance, compliance, the benefits administration module and time tracking. |
| Namely Plus People | Custom | Namely Plus with Namely's managed payroll and managed benefits services. |
| Namely Complete | Custom | Adds large-group medical, dental and vision plans, workers' comp, risk and safety management and shared-liability compliance. |
Read from namely.com on Oct 18, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Namely before you buy.
Namely alternatives
- Namely vs BambooHR
Free trial · from $250/mo
- Namely vs HiBob
Paid
- Namely vs Paycor
From $99/mo
Common questions
Is Namely free?
No. Namely is a paid product, starting at $9 per employee / month and up, for Namely Now.
How much does Namely cost?
Namely lists 4 plans. Namely Now: $9 per employee / month and up. Namely Plus: custom pricing. Namely Plus People: custom pricing. Namely Complete: custom pricing. Prices were read from namely.com on Oct 18, 2026.
What platforms does Namely work on?
Namely is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Namely have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Namely is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Namely have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 18, 2026. Namely is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Namely open source?
Namely is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 18, 2026.
Who makes Namely?
Namely is made by Namely, Inc. It dates from 2012.
What are the alternatives to Namely?
The closest alternatives to Namely in our directory are BambooHR, HiBob, Rippling, Paylocity and Paycor. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Namely.
How does Namely compare with other HR software?
Namely's GPA of 2.0 is higher than 1 of the 9 other HR software we grade, and level with 3. It stands best on features (B, above 1 of 9) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Is Namely good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Namely C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $9 a month for each person, against a middle price of $9 for the category: 3 of the 6 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Could I make my own version of Namely?
To replace Namely 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. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 5 of the 9 other HR software grade higher. It costs $108 a year. What you could not make: Payroll taxes worked out and filed with the government for you. Clocking in from a phone, checked against where and when. A rota the whole staff sees on their phones, with swaps and alerts. A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 18, 2026.