Ava AbbottZenefits is a human resources (HR) software company based in San Francisco, California. Parker Conrad and Laks Srini founded the company in 2013. Its cloud-based SaaS platform helps businesses manage payroll, employee onboarding, and benefits in one place. In August 2020, Zenefits launched People Hub and Employee Engagement Surveys to enhance collaboration and streamline remote workforce management.
Zenefits was one of the fastest-growing firms in Silicon Valley, with a $4.5 billion valuation. However, its value declined after co-founder and CEO Conrad resigned. Francisco Partners took control of Zenefits in a financing deal in 2021. In February 2022, TriNet acquired Zenefits and renamed it to TriNet Zenefits. [1]
TriNet Zenefits is a leading SaaS human capital management (HCM) platform for SMBs. Users can manage employee benefits, performance, and well-being. They can also access human resources and payroll advisors and leverage built-in tools to streamline HR functions. In October 2022, the company partnered with Visier to launch TriNet Zenefits People Analytics Powered by Visier. This solution helps businesses make data-driven decisions to transform workplace programs.
TriNet Zenefits serves around 23,000 SMBs and their over 600,000 employees. However, Zenefits isn’t the only HR solution on the market. The company faces stiff competition from ADP, Rippling, Paychex, Paylocity, Namely, Paycor, BambooHR, UKG Pro, and Workday. [2]
Here is an in-depth analysis of Zenefits’ top 15 competitors and alternatives:
1. ADP Workforce Now
Year founded: 1949
Headquarter: Roseland, New Jersey
ADP Workforce Now is a leading all-in-one HCM solution offered by ADP. The platform bundles full-service payroll with benefits and personnel management, time tracking, and HR features. In 2022, ADP had around 58,000 employees.
ADP Workforce Now mainly caters to midsize businesses; however, the platform has enough HR features to support large companies. In October 2023, ADP launched ADP Workforce Now for Construction. This HCM solution helps construction firms address their payroll and HR challenges. ADP Workforce Now is the top Zenefits competitor and alternative. [3]
2. Rippling
Year founded: 2016
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Rippling is an HCM startup founded by Zenefits co-founder and former CEO Parker Conrad. As of May 2022, Rippling had an $11.25 billion valuation, two and a half times more than Zenefits at its peak. Its value increased by over 70% from $6.5 billion in October 2021. [4]
Rippling serves small to mid-sized companies with 2-2,000 employees. Its Global Workforce Management (GWM) platform includes HRIS that adapts from country to country, a payroll system, and compliance automation tools. In October 2023, Rippling’s GWM won the Top HR Product of the Year award from the HR Executive. US News also named Rippling the Best HR Software of 2023, making it a fierce rival for Zenefits. [5]
3. Paychex Flex
Year founded: 1971
Headquarter: Rochester, New York
Paychex is an industry-leading HCM company. It offers HR, employee benefits, insurance, payroll, and advisory services. As of August 2023, Paychex had over 16,600 employees and served around 740,000 customers.
Paychex pays one in every twelve American private sector employees. Like Zenefits, Paychex helps SMBs manage payroll, benefits, and HR operations. In August 2023, Paychex won a Tech Cares Award from TrustRadius for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. Paychex is one of the best alternatives to Zenefits. [6]
4. Paylocity
Year founded: 1997
Headquarter: Schaumburg, Illinois
Paylocity is a cloud-based HCM and payroll software solutions provider. It offers an intuitive product suite that helps companies achieve the best business outcomes through automation, data-driven insights, and engagement. According to G2, Paylocity has a 4.4-star rating out of 5 from 2,361 customer reviews.
Paylocity offers benefits administration, data insights, employee and talent management, HR, and payroll. Customers can use videos to communicate and leverage features like chat, file sharing, and discussion groups to collaborate. In July 2023, Paylocity won the Best Human Capital Technology Solution in the SIIA Business Tech Codie Awards. Paylocity is a worthy alternative to Zenefits. [7]
5. Namely
Year founded: 2012
Headquarter: New York City, New York
Namely is a leading HR platform for mid-sized companies. It is part of the VensureHR and PrismHR family, offering solutions that address the unique HR needs of SMBs. In 2022, Namely had around 500 employees.
Namely offers an all-in-one platform with solutions to simplify recruiting, onboarding, time and attendance, performance management, benefits administration, compliance, payroll, and HR analytics. In February 2023, the company launched two new product enhancements to help advance the employee experience in hybrid and remote work environments. Namely is one of the top competitors for Zenefits. [8]
6. Paycor
Year founded: 1990
Headquarter: Cincinnati, Ohio
Paycor is an HCM software provider. Its HCM platform modernizes employee management, from recruiting to onboarding, payroll, career development, and retention. As of August 2023, Paycor served over 30,000 customers.
Paycor offers a unified HR platform, which integrates with third-party apps and provides advanced analytics and talent development tools. Customers can configure the technology to support their unique business needs. In August 2023, Paycor won a Tech Care Award from TrustRadius for its corporate social responsibility (CSR). Paycor is a worthy competitor for Zenefits. [9]
7. BambooHR
Year founded: 2008
Headquarter: Lindon, Utah
BambooHR is an HR and payroll platform for growing businesses. It offers cloud-hosted HR software solutions with intuitive HR tools, insights, and support. As of May 2023, BambooHR served 3 million employees across over 30,000 organizations.
BambooHR helps companies deliver the best employee experience. It serves startups, SMBs, and global giants like Asana, Foursquare, Change.org, Stance, and Postmates. In May 2023, BambooHR was named to Inc. Magazine’s annual Best Workplaces list. BambooHR is one of the best alternatives to Zenefits for HR departments. [10]
8. UKG Pro
Year founded: 2020
Headquarter: Lowell, Massachusetts, and Weston, Florida
UKG is a multinational tech company offering HR, payroll, and workforce management. Over 75,000 organizations globally use UKG Pro to anticipate and adapt to their employees’ needs. In early 2023, the company introduced FleX by UKG. This platform uses behavior-focused AI and an open architecture to help businesses streamline their workflows and leverage emerging applications.
UKG’s cloud payroll solution helps organizations boost engagement and productivity. The main competitive advantage of UKG is its innovative life-work technology approach to HR, payroll, and workforce management. In March 2023, Nucleus Research awarded UKG the top overall ranking in the HCM Technology Value Matrix for the second year. UKG is one of the top competitors for Zenefits. [11]
9. Workday HCM
Year founded: 2005
Headquarter: Pleasanton, California
Workday is a cloud-based HCM software company. SMBs and over 50% of Fortune 500 firms use Workday HCM to streamline financial management, recruiting, planning, payroll, and student administration. As of January 2023, Workday had 17,744 employees.
Workday is a leader in enterprise-grade finance and HR cloud apps. In 2022, the company introduced Workday Extend and next-gen skills technology built on an AI/ML foundation. Organizations can leverage these solutions to develop applications and deliver personalized employee experiences. The HCM platform was named a Leader in Cloud HCM Suites. Workday is a formidable competitor for Zenefits. [12]
10. Paycom Software, Inc.
Year founded: 1998
Headquarter: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Paycom is an American cloud-based HCM software provider. The company offers online payroll and HR solutions to businesses in the US and internationally. In 2022, Paycom had around 6,300 employees.
Paycom developed one of the first fully online payroll solutions. Employees can use its industry-first Beti platform to do their payroll and fix costly errors before submitting their paperwork. According to G2, Paycom has 4.2 stars out of 5 from 1,117 customer reviews. Paycom is a worthy alternative to Zenefits. [13]
11. Gusto
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Gusto is a cloud-based HR management system (HRMS) platform. Over 300,000 businesses in all 50 US states use Gusto to streamline employee onboarding, collaboration, managed time-off, payroll, and benefits. In February 2023, Gusto laid off 126 employees, or about 5% of its staff. [14]
Gusto is a leading payroll and HR services provider. The company has processed over two-thirds of a trillion dollars in payroll for hundreds of thousands of US employers. In September 2023, Chase Payment partnered with Gusto to leverage Gusto Embedded. This platform allows Chase to provide payroll solutions to its business payment customers. Gusto is one of the best alternatives to Zenefits. [15]
12. Papaya Global
Year founded: 2016
Headquarter: New York City, New York
Papaya is a professional employer organization (PEO). It helps international firms simplify global payroll, hiring, and workforce management. As of June 2023, Papaya had around 700 employees and served over 1,000 companies across 160 countries.
Papaya helps global companies connect the dots between finance, HR, and payroll. Its user-friendly platform consolidates and optimizes people and HR processes. In September 2023, Papaya partnered with HiBob to provide a unified HR and payroll management solution. Papaya is one of the best alternatives to Zenefits for international payroll. [16]
13. Patriot Software
Year founded: 1986
Headquarter: Canton, Ohio
Patriot offers cloud-based accounting, payroll, time and attendance management, and HR solutions. The company helps US businesses with 2-500 employees simplify administrative tasks. In June 2023, Patriot was named the Best Affordable Option in Money’s Top Payroll Software Services list. [17]
Patriot and Zenefits compete in the payroll industry, but Patriot also helps tens of thousands of US businesses simplify complex accounting processes using its intuitive software. In July 2023, Patriot added enhanced manager permission add-ons in its HR platform and time and attendance solution. Patriot is a budget-friendly alternative to Zenefits. [18]
14. Justworks
Year founded: 2012
Headquarter: New York City, New York
Justworks is a professional employer organization (PEO). The tech company offers software and partners with small businesses to help manage their teams and operations. In September 2023, Justworks acquired the international employment platform Via to deliver global solutions and a talent pool to SMBs. [19]
Justworks’ platform helps small businesses adopt robust self-service capabilities to meet payroll, tax, HR, and compliance needs. Unlike Zenefits, Justworks offers HR software and managed PEO services. So, companies can hand over workforce management to Justworks and focus on revenue generation. Justworks is one of the best alternatives to Zenefits for PEO.
15. OnPay
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: Atlanta, Georgia
OnPay is a payroll and HR software provider. The company helps small businesses simplify payroll, benefits, and HR functions. In 2022, OnPay was named PCMag Editors’ Choice and recognized by Forbes and The Motley Fool Ascent.
The main competitive advantage of OnPay over Zenefits is its straightforward pricing with enhanced customer support. OnPay offers only one paid plan, including employee self-service, full-service payroll, software integrations, HR solutions, benefits administration, and PTO management. In 2022, OnPay recorded significant growth and doubled its workforce. OnPay is a fast-growing Zenefits competitor. [20]
References & more information
- TriNet (2022, Feb 15). TriNet completes the acquisition of Zenefits. TriNet.com
- Vizier (2022, Oct 18). Visier Announces Embedded Partnership with TriNet Zenefits to Enable People Analytics for SMBs. Yahoo Finance
- ADP (2023, Oct 19). ADP launches the first All-in-One HCM Solution for the Construction Industry. ADP Media Center
- Feldman, A. (2022, May 11). Parker Conrad’s Rippling Hits $11.25 Billion Valuation As Former Zenefits CEO Rebounds With HR Software. Forbes
- The Rippling Team (2023, Oct 11). Rippling’s Global Workforce Management is named Top HR Product of the Year. Rippling.com
- Paychex, Inc. (2023, Aug 11). Paychex Earns 2023 Tech Cares Award from TrustRadius. Paychex.com
- Paylocity (2023, Jul 13). Paylocity wins 2023 Best Human Capital Management solution in SIIA CODiE – Business Technology Awards. Paylocity.com
- Namely (2023, Feb 14). The latest HR Product Enhancements from Namely help employers address employee experience. Globe Newswire
- Paycor HCM, Inc. (2023, Aug 9). Paycor Wins 2023 Tech Cares Award from TrustRadius. PRNewswire
- Bamboo HR LLC (2023, May 10). BambooHR ranks among Highest-Scoring Businesses on Inc. Magazine’s Annual List of Best Workplaces for 2023. PRNewswire
- UKG (2023, Mar 28). UKG Ranked Top Overall in HCM for Second Consecutive Year. Business Wire
- Workday Inc. (2022, Nov 29). Workday Announces Fiscal 2023 Third Quarter Financial Results. PRNewswire
- Paycom Software, Inc. (2023, Oct 11). Paycom Software, Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2023 Earnings Release Date and Conference Call. Business Wire
- Cohen, M. (2023, Feb 8). Gusto lays off 5% of staff. Accounting Today
- PYMNTS (2023, Sep 15). Chase Payment Solutions partners with Gusto to add payroll. PYMNTS
- PYMNTS (2023, Sep 5). HiBob and Papaya Global partner on HR and payroll solutions. PYMNTS
- Patriot Software (2023, Jun 14). Patriot Software is the Best Payroll for Affordability, According to Money.com. PRWeb
- Patriot Software (2023, Jul 29). Patriot Software Brings Enhanced Manager Permissions to HR and Time & Attendance Software. Yahoo Finance
- Justworks, Inc. (2023, Sep 12). Justworks Announces Merger Agreement to Acquire Via, an International Employment Platform, to Accelerate its Global Solutions for Small Businesses. PRNewswire
- OnPay (2022, Nov 16). OnPay more than doubled its headcount and positioned for further growth with its new Atlanta headquarters. Business Wire
- Featured Image by Scott Graham
Tell us what you think? Did you find this article interesting? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below.
Kevin Johnson
Add comment