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

A dental practice in Auburn is trying to get through open enrollment before the holidays hit. Down the road, a small manufacturer is juggling a shift differential nobody set up right. Both could end up calling Payroll Management, Inc., a family-owned payroll firm that’s been answering the phone in Maine since 1989. If you’re comparing Netchex vs. Payroll Management Inc, here’s what actually separates the two.

The short version: Payroll Management Inc runs its payroll on Payentry, a platform another company owns and builds. Netchex builds its own software and staffs its own support team. That single fact shapes most of what follows.

Last updated: September 2026. Payroll Management Inc information comes from the company’s own website and public business listings. Netchex figures come from G2 and Netchex’s own customer data.

The Short Version

Payroll Management, Inc. is a family-owned and operated company founded in 1989 by Gary K. Hemenway, who now serves as President, with Elaine Hemenway as Co-Owner. It’s based in Auburn and serves businesses throughout New England. About thirty-five employees keep the operation running, and every client gets a dedicated Client Services Representative. That’s a real strength for an owner who’d rather talk to a name than a queue.

Netchex was founded in Louisiana more than 20 years ago for the businesses that keep America running: restaurants, hotels, dealerships, clinics. It’s one company from the code to the phone line. The US-based, FPC-certified support team answers 90% of calls in under a minute, customers rate that service 4.8 out of 5, and Netchex holds an 8.9/10 Quality of Support score on G2.

Company Overview

Netchex vs. Payroll Management Inc on Payroll and Time

Picture a Friday close for a Portland retailer. Two employees clocked in on the wrong pay code, a new hire’s direct deposit hasn’t landed in the system yet, and the office manager needs everything squared away before lunch. What matters in that moment is whether time and payroll actually talk to each other.

Payroll Management Inc lets clients submit payroll by phone, email, fax or online, which is a nice option for an owner who isn’t glued to a laptop. Its time and attendance runs on Swipeclock’s TimeWorks Plus, a separate system from the payroll engine itself, which runs on Payentry. Two vendors, two logins, one paycheck at the end.

Netchex owns its payroll engine and its time and attendance module, with Scheduler built into the same system. Hours and shift rules flow straight into payroll with no second platform in between. OneScreen Payroll pulls onboarding, overtime, benefits and taxes into one readiness view, and most teams finish a run in under 15 minutes.

HR, Benefits and Compliance

Payroll Management Inc’s site lists HR support, background checks, labor law posters and pay-as-you-go workers’ comp, along with 401(k) interfaces and tip allocation for IRS reporting. It also runs free employment and income verification for clients’ employees at no extra charge, which is a small touch that saves an office manager a phone call.

Netchex handles the same ground inside one platform. With its in-house benefits solution, enrollment, ACA tracking, onboarding and hiring through Netchex Recruit all share one employee record, so nobody re-keys a new hire’s details three times. ACA Central tracks hours and coverage offers across full-time, part-time and seasonal staff, and Netchex files Forms 1094-C and 1095-C. (The IRS reporting rules for applicable large employers spell out what’s required.) Netchex also works directly with a client’s existing benefits broker and CPA.

Fewer systems talking to each other means fewer places for a number to go missing.

Service and Support

Service is Payroll Management Inc’s whole pitch, and it’s been that way since Gary Hemenway started the company after seventeen years in the payroll industry. Every client is guaranteed a dedicated Client Services Representative, someone who, per the company’s own site, always answers as a real person who knows the account. For a small dental practice or a family-run shop, that kind of continuity matters.

Here’s the catch worth asking about. Payentry builds the software underneath, so when something breaks at the platform level, Payroll Management Inc has to take it to Payentry. Neither company publishes a G2 or Capterra rating for Payroll Management Inc itself, so there’s no independent review data to check against the testimonials on its own site.

Netchex keeps support to one call. The company that writes the code also answers the phone. Ninety percent of calls get picked up in under a minute with first-call resolution, and every customer gets a dedicated Account Manager.

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.

– Mary Lang, Accounting and Financial Control Director, Atlanta Air Charter

Implementation and Switching

Nobody switches payroll providers for the fun of it. What matters is how much of the work lands on your desk.

Netchex implementation is free and project-managed, usually wrapping up in about six weeks, with free data imports and a 96% implementation satisfaction score. One team owns it from the first data pull to the first live payroll.

Payroll Management Inc doesn’t publish an implementation timeline. If you’re evaluating it, ask for one in writing, and ask which steps its team handles directly and which get routed through Payentry.

Who Each Is Built For

Payroll Management Inc may fit if: you’re a small or mid-sized business in Maine or New England, you want a named Client Services Representative who picks up the phone, and you’re comfortable with Payentry as the software underneath.

Netchex may fit if: you run hourly or multi-location teams, you want time and payroll in one native system instead of two, and you’d rather have one company accountable for the software and the service. For more on how Netchex compares to a national name, see our Netchex vs. Paychex.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related: 5 Best Payroll Management, Inc. Alternatives | Netchex vs. Paychex | Netchex vs. Paylocity

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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