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Paychex Flex vs BambooHR

Verified ratings, feature by feature comparison and real pricing. Everything a North American business needs to pick between these two.

Paychex Flex logo

Paychex Flex

Payroll with a named human attached to the account

3.8(87)
Visit Paychex website
BambooHR logo

BambooHR

The HR system small companies actually finish implementing

4.3(294)
Visit BambooHR website

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Ratings

Every score, at a glance

Verified user ratings across every dimension. Paychex Flex against BambooHR, nothing weighted.

Dimensions won

04Paychex Flex 0, BambooHR 4

Paychex Flex vs BambooHR, across 5 rating dimensions

Widest rating gap

+1.4

BambooHR leads on ease of use

Verified reviews

381

87 for Paychex Flex, 294 for BambooHR

Paychex Flex logoPaychex Flex
3.8 out of 5

87 verified reviews

BambooHR logoBambooHR
4.3 out of 5

294 verified reviews

Ratings by dimension

  • Paychex Flex
  • BambooHR
Overall
3.8
4.3
Ease of use
3.4
4.8
Value for money
3.0
4.1
Customer service
4.1
4.5
Functionality
4.0
4.0

Share of verified reviews

Which product reviewers actually write about.

381verified reviews
  • Paychex Flex87
  • BambooHR294

Cost to get started

Cheapest paid plan, shown per month.

Paychex Flex$39/mo
BambooHR$10/mo

BambooHR is the cheaper way in. Lower is not automatically better, so weigh it against the ratings above.

Head to head

Where each one wins

Row by row, with the stronger score highlighted. Straight from verified reviews.

Paychex Flex against BambooHR, row by row
Paychex FlexBambooHR
Overall rating3.84.3
Reviews87294
Ease of use3.44.8
Value for money3.04.1
Customer service4.14.5
Functionality4.04.0
Starting price$39/mo$10/mo
Free trialYesYes
Free versionNoNo

Features

Feature by feature, checked off

Everything each product ships, side by side. No marketing gloss.

Features Paychex Flex and BambooHR each ship
FeaturePaychex FlexBambooHR
Full service US payroll
Dedicated payroll specialist
Automatic federal, state and local filing
Garnishment payment service
New hire reporting
Benefits administration
HR support and handbook builder
Time and attendance
Workers compensation
Employee self service
General ledger integration
Central employee record with permissions
Onboarding with electronic I-9 and W-4
Time off tracking with accrual rules
Performance management on Pro and above
Applicant tracking available
Employee satisfaction surveys
Headcount and turnover reporting
Mobile app employees actually use
Electronic signature for HR documents
US payroll available as a separate product

Pricing

Both price lists, side by side

Every plan from both vendors, side by side, priced in US dollars.

Paychex Flex plans

Essentials

$39 base plus $5 per person. Self service payroll and filings.

$39/mo

per month

Start free trial
  • Full service payroll
  • Automatic federal and state filing
  • New hire reporting
  • Employee self service
  • 24/7 support

Select

Quoted. Adds a dedicated specialist and more HR tooling.

Custom

quoted by the vendor

Get a quote
  • Everything in Essentials
  • Dedicated payroll specialist
  • Learning management
  • Garnishment payment service
  • General ledger integration

Pro

Quoted. Full HR support and analytics.

Custom

quoted by the vendor

Get a quote
  • Everything in Select
  • HR professional access
  • Employee handbook builder
  • Workers compensation administration
  • Advanced analytics
Straight from the vendor

Get current pricing

These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with Paychex for the figure you will actually pay.

Visit Paychex

BambooHR plans

Core

Per employee per month at 25 employees and above.

$10/mo

per month

Start free trial
  • Employee records and documents
  • Time off tracking and approval
  • Onboarding and offboarding
  • Standard reporting
  • Mobile app
  • Under 25 employees is a flat rate from 250 a month

Pro

Per employee per month. Adds performance and deeper workflows.

$17/mo

per month

Start free trial
  • Everything in Core
  • Performance management
  • Employee satisfaction surveys
  • Advanced workflows and approvals
  • Company branded experience
  • Advanced reporting

Elite

Per employee per month. Adds priority support and migration help.

$25/mo

per month

Start free trial
  • Everything in Pro
  • Priority support
  • Dedicated migration assistance
  • Multi tier approvals
  • Enhanced implementation
Straight from the vendor

Get current pricing

These are list prices and vendors adjust them from time to time. Check with BambooHR for the figure you will actually pay.

Visit BambooHR