Looking for a Paylocity alternative? See exactly how Netchex compares.
Paylocity is known for its social feed and mobile app. Netchex is known for getting payroll right and picking up the phone. Here’s the real, side-by-side comparison: features, support scores, and what actual switchers say.
7,500+ organizations trust Netchex
Netchex vs. Paylocity, in one paragraph.
Paylocity is a feature-rich HCM platform built around employee engagement tools like social feeds, peer recognition, and a strong mobile app. It’s a solid fit for mid-market companies with a dedicated HR team that want culture-building software. Netchex is built for lean HR teams at hourly, multi-location, and service-based businesses (50-5,000 employees) that need dependable payroll and real support when something breaks. Paylocity holds a slightly higher G2 star rating. Netchex holds the higher support score (8.9/10 vs. 7.7/10) and has no documented tax-filing complaints on record.
Choose Paylocity if:
you’re a mid-market company with a dedicated HR team, you value social and engagement features, and you can tolerate some support unpredictability as you scale.
Choose Netchex if:
you run an hourly or multi-location team, your HR department is lean, and you need a support team that answers the phone and actually fixes the problem instead of opening a ticket.
Netchex and Paylocity, side by side.
| Netchex | Paylocity | |
|---|---|---|
| G2 rating | 4.5/5 (7,500+ businesses) | 4.4-4.5/5 (6,243 reviews) |
| G2 support score | 8.9/10 | 7.7/10 |
| Trustpilot rating | Not flagged in this research | 1.5/5 |
| Best fit company size | 50-5,000 employees | 100-2,500 employees |
| Implementation | Free, project-managed, about 6 weeks, dedicated Implementation Manager | Setup fee reported by users* |
| Ongoing support | Dedicated Account Manager. 90% of calls answered in under a minute, with first-call resolution. | Rotating reps. Users report rarely reaching the same rep twice (G2).* |
| Shift differential pay | Native | Requires configuration |
| Piece rate pay | Native | Limited |
| OSHA and safety tracking | Built in | Not available |
| Multi-EIN / multi-entity | Single login | Possible with configuration |
| Mobile app | Strong, high daily adoption | Strong. A genuine Paylocity strength. |
| Employee engagement and social tools | Practical, high-adoption tools | Social feed, peer recognition, video messaging |
| Documented tax filing issues | None reported | Multiple reported (see below)* |
*Rows marked with an asterisk cite third-party review sources (G2, BBB, Capterra, Trustpilot). Data collected as of July 2026 and subject to change.
Why companies switch from Paylocity to Netchex.
Tax filing and W-2 accuracy
Multiple reviewers report incorrect W-2s and a full year of unprocessed federal withholding, discovered only when they filed their own taxes.
“We noticed after 2 pay periods that our year to dates were not correct. Incorrect W-2s were put on the app and mailed out.”– Business Manager, Trustpilot
Overtime compliance exposure
A Gartner Peer Insights reviewer reported that Paylocity set up multiple pay rates without disclosing the FLSA weighted-averaging overtime requirement. That triggered a three-year self-audit on the client’s end.
“Weighted averaging of the overtime rate was never expressed to us, either verbally or through a pop-up. By federal law this is required. We are now in the process of self-auditing for the last 3 years.”– Gartner Peer Insights
Support consistency
G2 shows “Poor Customer Support” as Paylocity’s top complaint category, with 502 mentions. That’s more than double the next-highest complaint.
“Customer service is always available and very knowledgeable. I can always reach someone and they always resolve my issue on the same call.”– Verified Netchex Reviewer, G2 (shown here for contrast)
Account management continuity
Multiple sources report account managers changing mid-implementation, and clients say they rarely reach the same rep twice.
| Netchex | Paylocity | |
|---|---|---|
| Calls answered in under 1 minute | 90% | Not published |
| First-call resolution | 90% | Not published, mixed reviews reported |
| Customer satisfaction | 98% (97% most recent reading) | Not published |
| Account manager | Dedicated | Reported rep turnover |
| Ranking | #1 on G2 for Service | Not top-ranked |
Where Netchex and Paylocity actually differ.
On-time payroll, with no surprises at tax time.
Netchex guarantees accurate, on-time payroll with no documented tax-filing failures. Paylocity has multiple public reports of W-2 errors and missed federal withholding.
Built for hourly and multi-location teams.
Netchex includes native shift differentials, piece rate pay, and geofenced or biometric clocking. Paylocity requires manual configuration for shift differentials and has limited piece rate support. It’s built more for general HR than for operational, hourly workforces.
A dedicated team, from rollout to renewal.
Every Netchex client gets a dedicated Implementation Manager for a free, project-managed rollout that typically takes about 6 weeks. After that, a dedicated Account Manager stays on the account for the life of the relationship. Paylocity’s own reviewers cite implementation as a common pain point, and coverage often gets inconsistent after go-live.
Where Paylocity genuinely leads.
This is a real Paylocity strength: a social feed, peer recognition, video messaging, and a well-reviewed mobile app. If culture-building software is the priority and there’s IT or HR bandwidth to manage it, that’s worth something. Netchex keeps mobile and engagement tools focused on daily-use essentials such as self-service, recognition, and PTO, with high adoption among hourly teams.
Fewer surprises on the invoice.
No published numbers here, direction only. Netchex includes free, project-managed implementation and data import with no setup fee. Paylocity users have publicly reported a setup fee plus per-employee charges for W-2 filing, on top of the base subscription. In third-party buyer research, cost is one of the top reasons companies actively look to leave Paylocity. The fees add up faster than the sticker price suggests.
What switching to Netchex actually sounds like.
“Coming from an in-house payroll company and moving to Netchex has opened so many wonderful doors. Netchex provides so much assistance with my payroll and HR needs, allowing me more time with other important duties.”
“I love the integrated platform. With our old payroll company you would have to make the same change in several different areas of the software. With Netchex, it only takes once. This system is so user-friendly, it makes training a breeze. And the customer service is second to none!”
“Netchex has been fantastic. We enjoy personalized service, we know the people that we deal with, and they bend over backward to get what we need done.”
“Netchex is wonderful. Everyone has been continuously impressed by the services they provide. Back when the new ACA regulations went into place, and even now with the whole COVID-19 situation, Netchex just continues to knock it out of the park.”
“We used to print out each email and application, sometimes hundreds a day, write who it was for, and then go stick it in that manager’s mailbox. Now we don’t have to do any of that since we use NetRecruiter. So much less paper and so much less time spent on it.”
“Netchex has the best support of any service provider I’ve ever worked with. There aren’t any hoops to jump through with Netchex support.”
Paylocity vs. Netchex, answered.
Do Paylocity and Netchex offer similar payroll and HR features?
What size companies are the best fit for Paylocity vs. Netchex?
Who has better customer service, Paylocity or Netchex?
How does Paylocity pricing compare to Netchex?
Do Paylocity and Netchex have mobile apps?
How does Paylocity compare to Paychex?
Comparing other HR and payroll providers?
See how Netchex stacks up against other full-service payroll and HR platforms.
See why 7,500+ businesses picked Netchex over Paylocity.
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