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A landscaping company in Lake Worth adding a second crew truck. A medical practice in Delray Beach that just outgrew its PEO. Both types of South Florida business run into PayMaster sooner or later, a Boynton Beach bureau that’s been around since 1995 and pitches itself hard as the alternative to a PEO. Plenty of businesses are happy with it. Others start looking at PayMaster alternatives once they want to know exactly who built the software running their payroll.
PayMaster is a founder-led shop covering payroll, tax, HR, time and benefits, with a local phone line answered weekdays until 7pm Eastern and a confirmed A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Here are five alternatives worth a look, and where each one actually fits.
5 Best PayMaster Alternatives for South Florida Small Businesses
- Netchex – Best overall for hourly and multi-location businesses that want payroll, time, HR and benefits from one company that builds its own software.
- Paycor – A modern-interface HCM platform, now a standalone business unit of Paychex.
- Paychex Flex – A national name with local reps and a PEO option, though service quality depends heavily on the rep.
- ADP – Product tiers from RUN for small businesses up to Workforce Now, plus a large third-party marketplace.
- Gusto – Simple, self-serve payroll built for very small teams with straightforward pay.
How We Evaluated These PayMaster Alternatives
Most businesses comparing PayMaster alternatives aren’t unhappy with the payroll runs themselves. They want to know who actually built the platform, what happens when something breaks, and whether HR, time and benefits genuinely live in one system or get stitched together from separate pieces. So that’s what we weighed each option on, alongside fit for hourly, multi-location South Florida employers. PayMaster details come from its own website plus BBB and Birdeye. Details on the other providers come from their own sites, independent review platforms and Netchex’s records, as of September 2026.
#1 Netchex – Best Overall PayMaster Alternative
Netchex was founded in Louisiana more than 20 years ago for restaurants, hotels, dealerships, clinics and the other businesses that keep America running. Where PayMaster’s platform is likely licensed from a third party, Netchex builds and owns its payroll, time, HR and benefits platform outright, so there’s no second vendor to loop in when something goes wrong.
For a growing South Florida operation, that means time and attendance and Scheduler share one system with payroll, so shift changes and overtime land in pay without re-entering anything. OneScreen Payroll gets most teams through a run in under 15 minutes. Benefits enrollment, ACA Central and Netchex Recruit share the same employee record, and ACA Central files Forms 1094-C and 1095-C directly. A US-based, FPC-certified team answers 90% of calls in under a minute, with a dedicated Account Manager for every customer. Implementation is free and project-managed, and Netchex works with the CPA and benefits broker you already have.
The entire staff, from sales to implementation to service, has been stellar in their delivery. The culture of Netchex is one of a company that demonstrates the importance of relationships with clients.
– David Faunce, Partner, KM Consulting
| Strengths | Considerations |
| ✓ Payroll, time, HR and benefits on one platform Netchex builds and owns | ✗ No global payroll for teams outside the US |
| ✓ 4.8/5 customer satisfaction and 8.9/10 G2 Quality of Support | |
| ✓ Free, project-managed implementation with a 96% satisfaction score |
#2 Paycor – Modern Interface, New Ownership
Paycor is known for a modern interface and a broad HCM feature set, and it’s now a standalone business unit of Paychex following an acquisition. Customers stay on the Paycor platform with the same service-team relationships, at least for now.
For hourly, multi-location operations, look closely at what’s included. Time tracking and scheduling are sold as add-ons on some plans rather than bundled in. Support is the recurring complaint across reviews.
The lack of knowledgeable customer support is appalling.
– Verified Reviewer, Capterra
| Strengths | Considerations |
| ✓ Modern interface and broad HCM feature set | ✗ G2 Quality of Support score of 7.5/10 |
| ✓ Now backed by Paychex | ✗ Time tracking and scheduling sold as add-ons on some plans |
| ✓ Existing customers keep their current platform | ✗ Trustpilot score of 1.6/5 across 164 reviews |
More detail: Netchex vs. Paycor.
#3 Paychex Flex – National Brand, Local Reps
Paychex has local reps across most of Florida, a retirement plan services arm, and a PEO option for employers who want to hand off more of HR entirely. For a business used to calling one local bureau, a national name with a nearby rep can feel like a natural next step.
It doesn’t always play out that way. Several reviewers describe getting bounced between multiple reps on the same unresolved issue, which is exactly the kind of account-continuity problem a smaller shop like PayMaster is built to avoid.
Paychex has FAILED to file quarterly reports and now the EDD is sending a Notice of Intent to Lien. We have been assessed thousands of dollars in penalties.
– Verified Reviewer, G2
| Strengths | Considerations |
| ✓ Local reps across most US markets | ✗ Trustpilot score of 1.7/5 across 826 reviews |
| ✓ Retirement plan services and a PEO option | ✗ G2 Quality of Support score of 8.3/10 |
| ✓ Well-known national brand | ✗ Account continuity depends on which rep you’re assigned |
More detail: Netchex vs. Paychex.
#4 ADP – Room to Scale, Bigger Support Queue
ADP’s tiers run from RUN for small businesses through Workforce Now, so a business can, in theory, start small and grow into a bigger plan without switching vendors entirely. ADP also brings a sizeable third-party marketplace and global payroll for companies with staff outside the US, something neither PayMaster nor Netchex offers.
The trade-off shows up in support. Reviewers routinely describe long hold times and menus that bury simple tasks, a sharp contrast to the same-day, local-office responsiveness PayMaster leans on as its core pitch.
ADP can feel a bit complicated at first… Complex menus can make simple tasks feel buried or take extra clicks.
– Verified G2 Reviewer
| Strengths | Considerations |
| ✓ Product tiers from small business to enterprise | ✗ Trustpilot score of 1.2/5 across 3,097 reviews |
| ✓ Large third-party marketplace | ✗ G2 Quality of Support score of 7.9/10 for Workforce Now |
| ✓ Global payroll for multinational teams | ✗ Reviewers describe complex menus and long hold times |
More detail: Netchex vs. ADP.
#5 Gusto – Simple Payroll for Very Small Teams
Gusto is built for small employers, mostly under 100 people, with unlimited payroll runs and month-to-month plans. It publishes its pricing online, which is more than PayMaster or most of the other vendors on this list do. For a five-person office with simple, single-rate pay, it’s easy to like.
It gets harder once pay gets more complicated. According to reviewers, larger headcounts strain the platform, and it isn’t built for the kind of multi-rate, multi-location complexity a growing South Florida operation eventually runs into.
We process payroll for over 700 teammates and it frequently times out… They can’t accommodate multiple pay rates.
– Verified G2 Reviewer, Mid-Market
| Strengths | Considerations |
| ✓ Unlimited payroll runs on every plan | ✗ Trustpilot score of 1.9/5 across 2,512 reviews |
| ✓ Publishes its pricing | ✗ G2 Quality of Support score of 8.2/10 |
| ✓ Month-to-month plans, no contracts | ✗ Reviewers describe strain at higher headcounts and multiple pay rates |
More detail: Netchex vs. Gusto.
How the PayMaster Alternatives Compare
| Capability | Netchex | Paycor | Paychex Flex | ADP | Gusto |
| Best for | Hourly, multi-location South Florida operators | Mid-market teams wanting a modern HCM interface | Small businesses wanting local reps or a PEO option | Businesses planning heavy growth, or going global | Very small teams with simple, single-rate pay |
| Support model | ✅ Dedicated Account Manager | ⚠ Recurring support complaints in reviews | ⚠ Varies by assigned rep | ⚠ Long hold times reported | ⚠ No default account manager, per review sites |
| G2 Quality of Support | ✅ 8.9/10 | 7.5/10 | 8.3/10 | 7.9/10 (Workforce Now) | 8.2/10 |
Frequently Asked Questions
For hourly or multi-location South Florida employers, Netchex is the strongest overall fit. It builds and owns its payroll, time, HR and benefits platform, so there’s no separate software vendor in the loop, and its US-based team answers 90% of calls in under a minute. Every customer gets a dedicated Account Manager.
PayMaster covers a broad service list on paper, from payroll to benefits to HR add-ons, and pitches itself as a PEO alternative. Businesses usually start comparing when they want to confirm who actually built the underlying software, when they add locations or EINs, or when they want time, benefits and HR to run as one connected system instead of several.
Not anymore. Paycor built its name on a modern interface and broad HCM features, but Paychex has since acquired it, and it now operates as a standalone business unit of Paychex. Existing customers stay on the Paycor platform for now. If you’re evaluating it, ask how the ownership change affects support and product plans going forward.
Ask who actually built the software behind your payroll, who you call when something breaks, whether time tracking and benefits are included or sold as add-ons, and how ACA reporting actually gets filed. Get any implementation timeline in writing, and check independent reviews rather than relying only on testimonials a company posts on its own site.
Ready to See Netchex Alongside Your Other PayMaster Alternatives?
See how Netchex handles payroll, time, HR and benefits for South Florida businesses, all from one company that builds its own platform.
Related: Netchex vs. PayMaster | Netchex vs. Paychex | Netchex vs. ADP
This guide reflects publicly available product information and independent reviewer data (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, Reddit, Software Advice, GetApp) as of 2026. Feature availability may vary by plan. Contact each provider for current details.
Disclaimer: Any product roadmap or future plans provided herein are for informational purposes only. They do not represent a commitment to deliver any material, code, feature, or functionality. Plans may change without notification. The development, release and timing of any features or functionality described remain at the sole discretion of Netchex, its affiliates, and partners. Netchex does not give legal, tax, or accounting advice. You are responsible for ensuring your use of Netchex product meets your individual business and compliance requirements.
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