Paycor
US payroll and HR software, with published prices under 50 staff
Paycor report card
Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026
Best for employers under 50 who want HR to grow into
Paycor is payroll and HR from a business that's now part of Paychex, and unlike Paychex it shows prices for employers under 50 people. Basic is $124 a month for five. You get early wage access and compliance alerts on it, but onboarding waits for Essential.
Who Paycor is for
- Great if you have under 50 employees and want to see a price before calling sales
- Handy when hourly staff want to draw some of their pay before payday
- Good for employers who'll want HR advice and analytics later on
Who Paycor is not for
- 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 cheapest 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
Why Paycor gets a 2.2
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- CValue for moneyBasic is $99 a month plus $5 an employee, $124 for five: above Gusto and OnPay at $79 and QuickBooks at $85, though under Deel's $145. Onboarding needs Essential, $184 for five. Setup fees are waived and the first 6 months are 50% off.
- FFree plan and trialNo free plan or trial. The 50% off for 6 months is a discount on a paid plan, not a way to try it.
- BFeaturesPayroll with federal and state tax filing and unlimited runs, compliance alerts before payroll, early wage access for staff, onboarding with E-Verify from Essential, and HR advice and analytics on Core. The whole job across its bundles.
- BEase of use4.53 from about 33,700 App Store ratings for Paycor Mobile, where staff see pay stubs, request time off and enroll in benefits.
- BPlatforms and integrationsWeb, iPhone and Android. No desktop app, and the listing names no integrations, though Core adds 401(k) integrations and partner apps handle payroll abroad.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Paycor's own pages on 17 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/paycor#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/paycor.svg" alt="Paycor: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Paycor stands among payroll services
Paycor's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 3 of the 18 other payroll services we grade, and level with 2.
It stands best on features (B, above 6 of 18) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $99 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 13 of the 13 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 19 payroll services we grade, cut by the letter each got. Paycor’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 1 of 18, level with 11
- FFree plan and trialAbove 0 of 18, level with 13
- BFeaturesAbove 6 of 18, level with 12
- BEase of useAbove 5 of 18, level with 3
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 18, level with 16
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 14 payroll services. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Keep Paycor, or make your own?
Keep it
To replace Paycor 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: 13 of the 18 other payroll services grade higher. It costs $1,188 a year.
What you could make
- Reports 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.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Paycor’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 Paycor?
Paycor is payroll and HR software for US employers, from small businesses to companies with more than 1,000 staff. It runs payroll and files payroll taxes, and adds onboarding, time tracking, analytics and recruiting in higher bundles. Paycor is now a standalone business unit of Paychex, Inc.
Paycor is a paid product, starting at $99 per month, plus $5 per employee. See every plan
Good for
- US businesses under 50 employees that want to see a price before calling sales
- Employers that want payroll, onboarding and HR advice from one provider
- Hourly teams that want early wage access and a mobile app
Worth knowing
- 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.
Key features
- 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.
Paycor pricing
- Starts at
- $99 per month, plus $5 per employee
- Free plan
- None
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $99per 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 | $149per 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 | $199per 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. |
| Complete | Custom | 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. |
Read from paycor.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Paycor before you buy.
Ways to pay less
- Other savings50% 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.
Stated on paycor.com
How people rate the Paycor app
4.5
out of 5 for the iPhone and iPad app
- 5 stars78%
- 4 stars12%
- 3 stars2%
- 2 stars1%
- 1 star6%
33,689 ratings on the App Store in the United States, read Oct 17, 2026. It rates the app, not everything the product does. See the listing
Paycor alternatives
- Paycor vs Gusto
From $49/mo
Common questions
Is Paycor free?
No. Paycor is a paid product, starting at $99 per month, plus $5 per employee.
How much does Paycor cost?
Paycor lists 4 plans. Basic: $99 per month, plus $5 per employee. Essential: $149 per month, plus $7 per employee. Core: $199 per month, plus $8 per employee. Complete: custom pricing. Prices were read from paycor.com on Oct 17, 2026.
What platforms does Paycor work on?
Paycor is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Paycor offer any discounts?
Paycor publicly lists the following: 50% off for the first 6 months.
How is Paycor rated?
Paycor's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.5 out of 5 from 33,689 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 17, 2026. That is the store's rating of the app, not a score from us.
Does Paycor have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Paycor is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Paycor have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Paycor is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Paycor open source?
Paycor is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.
Who makes Paycor?
Paycor is made by Paycor, Inc.
What are the alternatives to Paycor?
The closest alternatives to Paycor in our directory are Paychex Flex, Paylocity, RUN Powered by ADP, Gusto and Rippling. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Paycor.
How does Paycor compare with other payroll services?
Paycor's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 3 of the 18 other payroll services we grade, and level with 2. It stands best on features (B, above 6 of 18) and worst on free plan and trial (F, above 0).
Is Paycor good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Paycor C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $99 a month, against a middle price of $29 for the category: 13 of the 13 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 3 tools score higher and cost less.
Could I make my own version of Paycor?
To replace Paycor 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: 13 of the 18 other payroll services grade higher. It costs $1,188 a year. What you could not make: 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. The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. 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 17, 2026. What people say is linked where it appears.