Paylocity vs Paycor: Mid-Market HCM Battle

The Mid-Market HCM Contenders

Paylocity and Paycor compete for the same market: companies with 50-500 employees who've outgrown Gusto/OnPay but don't need Workday's enterprise complexity. Both offer full HCM suites—payroll, HR, benefits, talent management, time tracking—in one platform.

Paylocity (founded 1997, publicly traded) is the premium choice—modern platform, best-in-class features, stronger product. Think of it as the "BMW" of mid-market HCM.

Paycor (founded 1990, publicly traded) is the value choice—solid features, better pricing, exceptional support. Think of it as the "Honda" of mid-market HCM—reliable and affordable.

What Both Platforms Offer

As comprehensive HCM suites, both include:

• Payroll: Full-service processing, tax filing, multi-state, direct deposit
• Core HR: Employee database, document management, org charts
• Benefits: Enrollment, carrier integrations, ACA compliance
• Time & Attendance: Time clock, scheduling, PTO tracking
• Talent: Recruiting (ATS), onboarding, performance, learning
• Reporting: Analytics, compliance reports, custom dashboards
• Employee Self-Service: Mobile apps, portals

You're buying an all-in-one people platform. Differences are in execution, UX, and pricing.

When Paylocity Wins

Superior User Experience

Paylocity's platform is beautiful and modern:

• Clean, intuitive interface (employees actually enjoy using it)
• Mobile-first design (app is exceptional)
• Consistent UX across all modules
• Fast, responsive, minimal clicks

Paycor's UI is functional but feels older—more cluttered, more clicks to complete tasks.

Best-in-Class Talent Management

Paylocity's talent suite is stronger:

• Recruiting: Full ATS with AI-powered candidate matching
• Onboarding: Exceptional experience (welcome videos, task automation)
• Performance: Continuous feedback, 360 reviews, goal tracking
• Learning (LMS): Course library, compliance training, certifications
• Succession planning: Identify and develop future leaders

Paycor has these features too, but they're less polished and integrated.

Better Benefits Administration

Paylocity's benefits platform is more comprehensive:

• Integrated marketplace (compare plans, enroll seamlessly)
• Carrier connections (direct feeds from major insurers)
• Benefits portal (employees compare plans side-by-side)
• COBRA & FSA administration
• Benefit statements (total comp reporting)

Paycor's benefits admin is solid but less automated.

Advanced Analytics

Paylocity's reporting is more powerful:

• Pre-built dashboards (turnover, headcount, diversity, compensation)
• Custom report builder (drag-and-drop)
• Predictive analytics (forecast attrition, hiring needs)
• Benchmarking (compare to industry peers)

Paycor has good reporting, but Paylocity's is more visual and insightful.

Community & Social Features

Paylocity includes unique engagement tools:

• Community: Internal social network (like Facebook for employees)
• Recognition: Peer-to-peer kudos, badges, awards
• Surveys: Pulse surveys, engagement tracking
• Events: Company calendar, RSVP tracking

Paycor doesn't have these culture-building features.

Better Mobile App

Paylocity's mobile app is consistently rated best-in-class:

• Fast, intuitive, full-featured
• Employees can do everything (view paystubs, request PTO, update info, enroll benefits)
• Managers approve requests, view team schedules

Paycor's mobile app is functional but less polished.

When Paycor Wins

Better Customer Support

Paycor's support is their biggest strength:

• Dedicated customer success manager
• Phone support answers quickly (US-based)
• Implementation team holds your hand through setup
• Industry-specific expertise (healthcare, restaurants, retail)

Paylocity's support is good, but Paycor's is consistently rated higher. If you need help, Paycor delivers.

Lower Pricing

Paycor is typically 20-30% cheaper than Paylocity for comparable features:

• More transparent pricing
• Fewer hidden fees
• Flexible modules (don't pay for what you don't use)

For budget-conscious businesses, Paycor offers better value.

Strong Time & Scheduling

Paycor's time & attendance is excellent:

• Scheduling with labor cost forecasting
• Shift swaps and approvals
• Geofencing and mobile clock-in
• Overtime alerts
• Integrates tightly with payroll

Both platforms are strong here, but Paycor has more scheduling sophistication (similar to Deputy).

Industry-Specific Features

Paycor offers tailored solutions for specific industries:

• Healthcare: Credential tracking, shift differentials, union rules
• Restaurants: Tip pooling, cash tips, POS integration
• Retail: Multi-location scheduling, commission tracking
• Manufacturing: Shift schedules, safety training, certifications

Paylocity is more generalist—works for all industries but less specialized.

Better for Smaller Mid-Market (20-100 Employees)

Paycor's pricing and support model scales down better. If you're 20-100 employees, Paycor feels more approachable.

Paylocity is ideal for 50-1,000 employees—below 50, it can feel like overkill.

Pricing Deep Dive

Paylocity Costs (Estimated)

Paylocity doesn't publish pricing, but typical estimates:

• Payroll + Core HR: ~$15-18/employee/month
• + Benefits Admin: +$3-5/employee
• + Time & Attendance: +$3-5/employee
• + Talent Management: +$5-8/employee
• Full suite: ~$20-25/employee/month

100 employees, full suite: ~$2,000-2,500/month = $24,000-30,000/year

Paycor Costs (Estimated)

Paycor also doesn't publish pricing. Estimates:

• Payroll + Core HR: ~$12-15/employee/month
• + Benefits Admin: +$2-4/employee
• + Time & Attendance: +$2-4/employee
• + Talent Management: +$3-5/employee
• Full suite: ~$15-20/employee/month

100 employees, full suite: ~$1,500-2,000/month = $18,000-24,000/year

Cost Comparison

For 100 employees with full suite:

• Paylocity: ~$24,000-30,000/year (premium features, better UX)
• Paycor: ~$18,000-24,000/year (20-30% cheaper, solid features)

Savings: ~$6,000/year with Paycor. But is Paylocity worth the premium? Depends on your priorities.

Real Customer Feedback

Paylocity

Pros: Beautiful UI, best mobile app, employees love it, strong talent features, great analytics
Cons: Expensive, implementation can be slow, support tier-based, reporting learning curve

G2 Rating: 4.4/5 | Capterra: 4.3/5

Paycor

Pros: Excellent support, affordable, strong time tracking, industry-specific features
Cons: UI is dated, mobile app is basic, less polish than Paylocity

G2 Rating: 4.0/5 | Capterra: 4.4/5

Who Should Choose What?

Choose Paylocity if you're:

• 50-1,000 employees
• Competing for talent (employee experience matters)
• Want best-in-class technology
• Budget allows premium pricing
• Modern company culture (tech, professional services)
• Value mobile-first design

Choose Paycor if you're:

• 20-500 employees
• Budget-conscious (need 20-30% savings)
• Healthcare, restaurant, retail, or manufacturing
• Value customer support over flashy features
• Need strong time & scheduling
• Smaller HR team (need help with implementation)

What About ADP, Paychex, Workday?

ADP/Paychex: Older platforms, similar price, worse UX. Paylocity and Paycor are more modern.
Workday: Enterprise-grade ($50+/employee), overkill unless you're 1,000+ employees.
Rippling/BambooHR: Cheaper (~$10-15/employee) but less comprehensive for 100+ employees.

The Bottom Line

Our honest take: Paylocity is objectively better—more polished, more features, better UX. But Paycor offers 80% of the value at 70% of the cost, with better support. If money is no issue, Paylocity. If you're budget-conscious, Paycor.