Netchex vs. LandrumHR: Which HR and Payroll Platform Is Right for Your Business in 2026?

Read the payroll FAQ on Landrum’s website and one phrase jumps out. Landrum says it handles the taxes on “wages paid to its employees.” Those employees are your staff. That one word, its, is the whole story of Netchex vs. LandrumHR, and it matters more than any feature list.

LandrumHR, now marketed as Landrum HR Solutions, is a family-owned PEO based in Pensacola, Florida. Its roots go back to 1970, and it’s been an IRS-Certified PEO since 2017. It serves employers across the Gulf Coast and Southeast. Netchex is payroll and HR software, founded in Louisiana in 2003, that keeps you as the only employer your people have.

Last updated: September 2026. Netchex data sourced from G2. Landrum details come from Landrum’s own site, its press releases, and the IRS Certified PEO listing, checked September 2026.

The Short Version

Landrum is a well-established PEO. It carries IRS certification, runs its own workers’ comp program with Liberty Mutual, and gives each PEO client an assigned HR Business Partner. The tradeoff is the structure itself. Landrum becomes a co-employer, your team puts in requests instead of making changes, and the bill tracks your headcount.

Netchex covers payroll, HR, benefits administration, and time tracking without taking any of it from you. You stay the sole employer on your own EIN, with your own benefits plans and your own broker. And a US-based, FPC-certified team answers 90% of calls in under a minute, with 8.9/10 for Quality of Support on G2.

Company Overview

	Netchex	LandrumHR
Business model	Payroll and HR software, you remain the sole employer	Professional Employer Organization (co-employment)
Headquarters	Louisiana	Pensacola, Florida
Founded	2003	1970 as a staffing agency; PEO division since 1983
Ownership	Privately held	Family-owned, second generation (parent: Landrum, Inc.)
Benefits	Your own plans, your own broker, administered in Netchex	Health coverage through Landrum’s PEO plans
Technology	One system for payroll, time, benefits, recruiting, onboarding, and performance	MyLandrum HRIS portal

Netchex vs. LandrumHR: Whose Employees Are They?

Landrum doesn’t hide how co-employment works, and credit to it for that. Its FAQ says Landrum takes responsibility for paying wages and for the federal and state taxes on them. It also notes that most states recognize the PEO as the employer of record for workers’ comp coverage. Your people still work for you every day. Legally, they now have a second employer.

You’ll feel that in benefits first. Employees get health coverage through Landrum’s PEO plans, not a plan your company owns. Workers’ comp runs under Landrum’s policy. If you ever want out, all of it has to come home: coverage, tax accounts, and payroll history.

Landrum’s certification is real, and worth understanding. An IRS-Certified PEO takes on specific federal employment tax liability for the wages it pays. Landrum’s own release notes that clients have to elect a CPEO contract to get that arrangement. It doesn’t change who sits between you and your team.

With Netchex, nobody sits there. There’s no co-employer and no shared tax responsibility. Your wages report under your EIN, and the benefits your employees choose come from plans you picked with your own broker.

Structure	Netchex	LandrumHR
Who employs your people	You, as the sole employer	You and Landrum, as co-employers
Who is responsible for wage taxes	You, under your own EIN	Landrum, per its own FAQ
Whose health plan it is	Yours, with your broker	Landrum’s PEO plans
IRS-Certified PEO protections	Not applicable, no co-employment	✅ CPEO since 2017, for clients who elect a CPEO contract

Who Holds the Controls

A PEO runs the work, not just the software. At Landrum, payroll processing, tax filing, benefits enrollment, and compliance all move through Landrum’s service model and the MyLandrum system. The assigned HR Business Partner is a real perk. It’s also another reminder of whose process you’re working inside.

Think about the changes a payroll admin makes every month. A new shift differential for a clinic that just opened. A different approval chain for a branch manager. A labor-cost report your CFO actually wants to read. In a co-employment setup, those turn into requests, and someone else’s calendar sets the timing.

Netchex hands those controls back. Payroll, time and attendance, benefits administration, recruiting, onboarding, and performance share one system your team configures directly. Most teams run payroll in about 15 minutes with OneScreen Payroll. Support is there when you want it, not as a gate you pass through.

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!

Source: Chris Hayes, Payroll Specialist, Netchex customer

What It Costs as You Grow

Landrum’s service pages end with a “Get Your Free Quote” form, not a rate card. That’s standard in the PEO world. So is the fee structure behind the quote: typically per employee or a percentage of payroll.

Here’s why that matters for a growing credit union, medical group, or multi-branch business. The fee rises with every hire. A percentage-of-payroll fee rises with every raise, too. And it’s layered on top of wages, employer taxes, benefit premiums, and workers’ comp, which you’re paying regardless.

Clients of other big PEOs have said as much in public reviews. Capterra reviewers of TriNet point to rising per-employee costs at scale. G2 reviewers of VensureHR describe unexpected fees after signup. Whatever PEO you’re considering, ask for the quote at your three-year headcount, not just today’s.

Netchex doesn’t charge you a co-employment fee, because there’s no co-employment. You pay for software and service, and your benefits stay your own.

Service and Support

Landrum takes service seriously. It has won ClearlyRated’s Best of HR Services award, and its client testimonials, many from credit unions, community banks, and medical practices, praise fast, personal responses. That’s a genuine strength, and you should weigh it.

Netchex brings its own record, and it’s easy to check. Every customer gets a dedicated Account Manager. A US-based, FPC-certified team answers 90% of calls in under a minute, with first-call resolution. G2 reviewers rate Netchex 4.5/5 overall and 8.9/10 for Quality of Support. The difference is what that support does. It helps your team run its own payroll instead of running payroll for you.

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.

Source: Mary Lang, Accounting and Financial Control Director, Atlanta Air Charter, Inc.

Service factor	Netchex	LandrumHR
Who you work with	Dedicated Account Manager for every customer	Assigned HR Business Partner for PEO clients
What support is for	Helping your team run its own payroll and HR	Running HR, payroll, and benefits on your behalf
Where support is based	US-based, FPC-certified team	Pensacola headquarters with Southeast offices

Ownership and Stability

Landrum is the rare PEO that hasn’t been rolled up by private equity. It’s still run by the founding family, with Britt Landrum III as CEO. It has grown by buying smaller PEOs in Florida and the Carolinas, and it’s held ESAC accreditation for 30 years. For a co-employer, that’s a steady track record.

Stability doesn’t change the model, though. A family-run co-employer is still a co-employer. Your benefits, your workers’ comp, and your wage tax filings still run through someone else’s company.

Switching Considerations

Leaving Landrum means standing your company back up as the employer of record. Payroll returns to your EIN, you need new benefits in your company’s name, workers’ comp gets placed with your own carrier, and your payroll history moves over.

Netchex runs that transition as a real project. Implementation is free, project-managed, includes your data import, and takes about six weeks, with 96% implementation satisfaction. Netchex works directly with your benefits broker and CPA, so the pieces line up without your HR lead chasing every one of them.

Which One Fits Your Business

Choose Landrum if: you’re a smaller Southeast employer that wants to hand HR, benefits, and workers’ comp to one family-owned firm, you value CPEO certification and a dedicated HR Business Partner, and you’re fine with a co-employer handling your wage taxes.

Choose Netchex if: you want your own team running payroll and HR, your employees to stay yours alone, and costs that don’t climb with a co-employment fee every time you hire. It’s built for hourly, multi-location businesses with lean HR teams.

Comparing more than two? See the 5 best LandrumHR alternatives for Gulf Coast and Southeast businesses. Or start broader with 5 Best PEO Alternatives for Growing Businesses.

Frequently Asked Questions

This guide reflects publicly available product information and independent reviewer data as of September 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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