OnPay vs Paylocity: HR & Payroll Comparison (2026)

OnPay and Paylocity are both HR & Payroll platforms with distinct focuses. OnPay emphasizes a user-friendly experience with features like direct deposit, PTO management, and 401(k) retirement. Paylocity, on the other hand, highlights automated workflows, global payroll support, and AI-powered touchless invoice capture. Both offer employee self-service and mobile access.

AI Citation Scorecard

How often each is cited by major AI engines when buyers ask hr & payroll questions. Last 90 days across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot.

Paylocity leads overall10% cited vs OnPay 0% across 60 probes.
ChatGPT
OnPay
0 / 6 probes
0%
Invisible
Paylocity
0 / 6 probes
0%
Invisible
Perplexity
OnPay
0 / 6 probes
0%
Invisible
PaylocityLeads
1 / 6 probes
17%
Average
Gemini
OnPay
0 / 6 probes
0%
Invisible
PaylocityLeads
1 / 6 probes
17%
Average
Claude
OnPay
0 / 6 probes
0%
Invisible
Paylocity
0 / 6 probes
0%
Invisible
Copilot
OnPay
0 / 6 probes
0%
Invisible
PaylocityLeads
1 / 6 probes
17%
Average
Scale:NoneLowFairStrongExcellent

Probes run hourly; each (engine × query) combo retests every ~3 days.

Pricing

OnPay
Starting price
$49/user/month
Free tier
onpay.com
Paylocity
Starting price
Free tier
paylocity.com

Key Features

OnPay
  • Direct deposit
  • Hiring and onboarding
  • Health insurance
  • Built-in reporting
  • PTO management
  • 401(k) retirement
  • Mobile friendly
  • Employee self-service
Paylocity
  • Automated payroll workflows
  • Global payroll support for 100+ countries
  • 24/7 access through self-service portal
  • Automated time and attendance tracking
  • Social collaboration hub with chat features
  • Real-time access auditing and controls
  • AI-powered touchless invoice capture
  • Centralized candidate communication

When to choose OnPay

You prioritize a clear pricing structure starting at $49/user/month, and specific integrations with platforms like QBO, Slack, and Salesforce. Your needs include PTO management and 401(k) retirement features, coupled with a user-friendly interface and strong customer support.

When to choose Paylocity

You require automated payroll workflows with global support for over 100 countries, and features like AI-powered touchless invoice capture and a social collaboration hub. You value customizable modules for HR, Finance, and IT with integrated solutions and robust implementation support, and can accommodate a non-publicly specified pricing model.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key differences in payroll capabilities?
OnPay offers direct deposit, and Paylocity provides automated payroll workflows with global payroll support for over 100 countries.
What are the differences in integrations?
OnPay integrates with QBO, Slack, Salesforce, Zapier, Gusto, Trello, and HubSpot. Paylocity integrates with HR solutions, finance tools, IT platforms, and offers APIs for custom integrations.
What are the differences in HR features?
OnPay includes hiring and onboarding, health insurance, PTO management, and 401(k) retirement. Paylocity offers automated time and attendance tracking, a social collaboration hub, real-time access auditing and controls, and centralized candidate communication.
Are there differences in reporting and analytics?
OnPay includes built-in reporting. Paylocity features real-time access auditing and controls.
What about mobile access and employee self-service?
Both OnPay and Paylocity offer mobile-friendly access and employee self-service portals.

More HR & Payroll Comparisons