Paycor Review and Pricing

Why We Chose Paycor for Analytics

We love that Paycor offers advanced analytics charts and graphs that not many competitors in the HR software space provide. Some of the analytics tools that impressed us most are those that show workforce data broken down into categories. Paycor can use previous data to project workforce trends, which is a unique way to help you plan for future events or modify your employee management. Additionally, we like that Paycor offers data benchmarking, meaning it can compare specific workforce trends from your company with industry standards.

When we tested the Paycor software, we appreciated that it highlights possible drivers of certain workforce trends in your organization. This is valuable information for staying competitive and retaining top talent. In addition, Paycor includes the features typically included in HR platforms, such as functions for hiring employees, tracking time, processing payroll and administering benefits. All together, these tools make for a well-rounded solution for businesses that are especially interested in incorporating analytics into their human resources management.

Ease of Use

When we tried the Paycor software, we found it to be modern-looking and easy to navigate. We appreciate that the platform has some automation and workflow functions that can streamline HR processes. [Read our review of Rippling and our GoCo review for alternative HR software providers that particularly excel at custom workflows and automation.]

We like how Paycor users can customize their dashboard homepage. Not all competitors offer this, and it’s a great way to modify the product to fit your needs. As a cloud-based platform, Paycor makes it easy for employers and employees to access the system whether they’re in the office or working remotely.

Paycor has a user-friendly, customizable dashboard. Source: Paycor

The Paycor platform can integrate with more than 300 third-party applications, which is competitive with other HR software on the market. This capability adds to Paycor’s overall usability for small businesses, as does the product’s user-friendly mobile app.

Paycor Features

The specific features you have access to will depend on which Paycor plan you choose. Here are some of the core functions available, beginning with the one we found most noteworthy: analytics and reporting.

Analytics and Reporting

While many HR solutions provide some level of standard or custom HR reporting, we found Paycor to be especially strong in analytics. The company offers hundreds of pre-built dashboards, charts and graphs to help you visualize your workforce data. 

For example, when we tested the platform, we were impressed by the data charts. You can see information such as head count broken down by employment type, such as full-time or part-time. Another cool feature is that the software offers predictive data based on your company’s HR history, which helps you prepare for future personnel trends. This isn’t something we found in other HR software we reviewed.

Paycor offers insight into future workforce trends so you can make informed decisions. Source: Paycor

Another unique analytics tool is Paycor’s data benchmarking, which provides a clear look at how your business compares with others in your industry. This tool can break down key drivers of certain metrics to explain why a specific trend might be occurring. This is useful for determining what changes your organization should make to improve workforce trends.

If you’re trying to improve workplace diversity, the software can provide company demographic data and benchmarking. If you operate multiple organizations or locations, it can provide heat maps comparing specific data sets. The latter is particularly useful for distributed workforces.

Recruiting and Onboarding

Every Paycor plan except the Basic package comes with essential features to automate employee onboarding, which is on a par with the industry standard. Paycor also offers tools for advanced talent management. For example, you can view candidate flow and status during the recruitment process and schedule phone screen interviews with Outlook and Google Calendar integrations.

Paycor integrates with popular background check providers, as well as with essential job boards such as Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn and ZipRecruiter. When you onboard new hires, the information the person entered during the application process auto-populates in their employee profile. This is great for streamlining the onboarding process and reducing errors.

If you want to take your recruitment to the next level, you can purchase Paycor’s recruiting and hiring software. With this product, you can access features such as candidate dashboards, custom hiring workflows, AI-powered job descriptions, interview scorecards, career pages, employee referrals and candidate texting. We especially like that Paycor can provide analytics to help you improve your recruitment process — another way this platform shines in harnessing the power of data.

Performance Management

Once someone joins your team, you can oversee their performance through a wealth of Paycor tools. When we tested the software, we particularly enjoyed the performance management features that help facilitate one-on-one meetings, performance reviews (with templates), goal tracking, 360-degree feedback and pulse surveys. The platform also lets employees chart their career progress against specific competencies and recognize their peers’ accomplishments.

Paycor gives administrators an overview of how well the performance management function is being used. We didn’t see this feature in competing products, and it can be a great way to keep your organization on track.

You can survey your employees in a variety of formats. Source: Paycor

Time Tracking and Payroll

Paycor makes it easy to create employee schedules and track hours worked. In fact, the vendor offers more ways for employees to punch in and out than most providers we reviewed. For example, card readers, proximity badge readers, fingerprint scanners, facial recognition scanners, web punching, kiosk apps with facial recognition, mobile punching, web time sheet entry and telephone punching options are available. We also appreciate that the time records are unified with Paycor’s payroll solution for seamless recordkeeping and payroll processing.

Paycor’s scheduling and time-tracking features integrate with its payroll program. Source: Paycor

Paycor runs your payroll and handles payroll taxes for you, which is common among HR solutions. You can run off-cycle pay runs if needed, and employees can be paid via multiple payment options, like direct deposit, paycards, checks and even on demand. We like that the system triggers pay warnings to help ensure your payroll is accurate each pay period. Select plans even offer compensation planning, which isn’t something we saw all rival HR companies provide. This function can be beneficial for any size business.

Benefits Administration

When we tested the Paycor platform, we found its benefits administration features to be highly competitive with others in the sector. Employees can view and manage their benefits easily and log life-event changes. The Paycor benefits administration module also comes with automated workflows, which is a great way to ensure no benefit details are missed. If employees need assistance with benefit selections, a Paycor bot can help them choose. This is especially useful for companies with dispersed or remote employees who cannot get in-person assistance from their company’s human resources team. 

Paycor offers employers and employees assistance with benefits administration. Source: Paycor

Paycor Pricing

Paycor has plans geared toward small businesses (fewer than 50 employees) and midsize companies (50 to 1,000 employees). We like that the vendor doesn’t require an employee minimum, unlike some competitors we reviewed.

If you’re seeking a small business HR software package for fewer than 50 employees, you can choose from four tiers.

• Basic: This package gives you access to essential payroll features, like payroll and tax services, wage garnishments, multiple pay options and online reporting. While Paycor no longer lists pricing online, this plan was previously priced at $99 per month, plus $6 per employee per month.
• Essential: This level includes everything in the Basic plan, plus other useful features, like employee onboarding, time-off management, e-verification, an HR support center and more advanced reporting options. It also facilitates recruitment and hiring for three jobs and basic analytics. It was last priced at $159 per month, plus $9 per employee per month.
• Core: This plan includes everything in the Essential package, plus advanced HR features, employee importing and expense management. It also facilitates recruitment and hiring for five jobs instead of three. Paycor says this tier is its most popular option; it previously cost $199 per month, plus $12 per employee per month.
• Complete: This tier includes everything in the Core plan, plus compensation planning, talent development, career management and advanced analytics. It also facilitates recruitment and hiring for an unlimited number of jobs. It previously sold for $299 per month, plus $16 per employee per month.

It’s important to note that Paycor no longer provides pricing on its website, so you will need to contact the vendor directly for the up-to-date costs of each plan. If you operate a midsize business with 50 to 1,000 employees, you can use Paycor’s online tool to select which features you’d like and generate a custom price quote. In any case, we like that Paycor also offers add-on services for things such as time and scheduling, recruitment, workers’ compensation and benefits administration.

Implementation and Onboarding

The Paycor platform is fairly comprehensive, so it can take anywhere from six weeks to six months to fully implement it. However, the average implementation time is between two and three months. During this period, a company representative will work with you to ensure you have access to all of the features you need and that your existing employee data is transferred successfully. 

While Paycor isn’t transparent about its pricing, one thing we especially like is that the vendor outlines its entire implementation and onboarding process online. That way, businesses have a clear idea of what to expect for the setup process. This isn’t something we saw other competitors offer, and it’s a good way to set proper expectations. 

Once the software is implemented and ready to use, it allows for automated onboarding to help speed up the hiring process.

Customer Service

Paycor facilitates self-guided support through a variety of online resources, such as a support center, webinars, guides and whitepapers, an HR glossary and an employee knowledge base. Meanwhile, registered account administrators can contact customer service by phone on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET for payroll assistance and between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET for all other needs. 

Paycor offers contact forms, email, web chat and one-on-one support from certified HR professionals. If dedicated support is high on your wish list, check out our review of Bambee. Although this vendor doesn’t have the same level of analytics as Paycor, it does provide employers with a dedicated HR manager for personalized customer service.

Also, while Paycor seems to have ample support options, many customer reviews say the customer service team can be somewhat challenging to reach. However, we like that Paycor is accredited with the Better Business Bureau and has an A+ rating.

Limitations

One thing to consider before signing up for Paycor is how long it takes to implement the software. HR solutions, in general, can support a lot of data and information, which is partly why it takes a while to transfer and set up all of your workforce details. In Paycor’s case, it can take anywhere from six weeks to six months to implement, with an average implementation time of about two to three months. Although some competing products can take even longer, it’s still something to keep in mind when you’re weighing whether this platform is right for you. 

If you need HR software that you can implement almost immediately, check out our review of Gusto. Besides its appealing setup time, this rival vendor provides transparent pricing on its website.

Methodology

We evaluated dozens of HR systems to identify the best HR software for small and midsize businesses. As we investigated and tried each product, we examined pricing, contracts, recruitment and onboarding capabilities, employee benefits administration, time tracking, payroll processing, performance management features, reports, integrations, legal compliance assistance, usability and customer support. We also watched product videos, participated in demos and used trial accounts when possible.

When determining the best HR software for businesses that are especially interested in human resources analytics, we prioritized features such as time and pay recordkeeping, data collection, reporting, workforce analytics, usability and security. Learn more about our methodology.

Bottom Line

We recommend Paycor for …

• SMBs that want access to clear insights about employee data and trends.
• Employers that want to offer employee self-service HR features.
• Businesses that want intuitive, easy-to-use HR software.

We don’t recommend Paycor for …

• Businesses that need implementation within weeks, not months.
• Companies that don’t want to contact vendors for pricing.