Paycor review

Paycor, a human capital management (HCM) platform that is cloud based, offers payroll, HR, and other services for small and mid-sized businesses.

Paycor was founded in 1990, is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has a worldwide customer base, with notable customers including Wendy’s, Pure Dental Brands, and the Detroit Zoo.

It counts more than three decades’ experience in HCM under its belt, and also boasts that it supports 30,000 businesses in the US alone, spanning 2.3 million users. Another area of the site says the business count stands at more than 50,000.

It sees itself competing with the likes of ADP, Paycom, Paylocity, Zenefits, Gusto and UKG, as well as industry giants Rippling who create one of the most extensive and easy-to-use ecosystems on the market.

• Our guide to the best payroll software

Paycor: Plans and pricing

Although Paycor does provide some visibility into the membership tiers available, pricing details are not explicitly mentioned. This is a red flag from any company, and is unfortunately becoming increasingly normal in this sector.

Core is the most popular tier, but there’s also a more expensive Complete + ASO plan. These are marketed as solutions for companies with fewer than 50 employees.

Although precise costs aren’t mentioned, the company does push limited-time offers on occasion. At the time of writing, a 50% off for six months deal was running, which is more than you get elsewhere, but there doesn’t seem to be a free trial.

Bigger businesses with 50-1,000+ are directed to get in touch with sales instead, but there is mention of an HCM Core tier and one month free trial.

Paycor: Features

Paycor is primarily an HR and HCM platform, but it does offer some payroll and other services at the same time.

These include full payroll services with tax filing, but these are mostly a byproduct of Paycor’s incredible workplace management solution.

For example, while the HR functionalities extend to performance reviews, goal tracking, feedback, surveys, career development and further planning, it also serves as a one-stop shop for everything you need to make sure your workers are where they say they are.

This includes mobile punching, geofencing and facial recognition where appropriate to provide HR teams with real-time visibility, helping with things like staffing analytics and predictions, overtime and labor costs.

By using the platform’s surveys, conducting pulse checks, and gathering valuable feedback to identify areas for improvement, Paycor reckons it can help organizations boost engagement while providing actionable insights to drive initiatives that boost employee morale, motivation, and productivity.

Paycor also helps with the recruitment stage as well as the existing workforce, with applicant tracking, recruiting, onboarding and document signing on offer, which means they’ll enter the system from day one, avoiding the need to add workers once they’re successful at interview stage.

There are customizable templates and automations to streamline onboarding even further.

Businesses can access a vast library of templates, guides, and best practices curated to help them navigate complex employment laws and regulations.

Teams can also create custom reports and dashboards to analyze trends and insights, and export data to various formats for further reporting.

Paycor’s software is so rich in functionality that the company promotes consultations across its site for organizations who may be looking to join.

Paycor: Ease of use

On the whole, the interface makes sense and so it should be fairly easy to navigate around the site, but some users have reported minor bugs and glitches that suggest Paycor may have the HR expertise, but many not the tech expertise.

The desktop and web version can feel a bit cumbersome, particularly for reporting or less common workflows.

On the flip side, mobile usability is often praised for giving employees access to schedules, requesting time off and more, which is a surprise because normally mobile experiences lag behind the full desktop version.

Paycor: Support

Paycor offers an HR support center equipped with a wealth of resources to help businesses navigate HR complexities confidently, so you’ll get just as much business advice as you will product support.

The searchable database gets divided into sections – a public employee area and a password-protected administrator section. On the employee side, there are the expected topics, such as setup and use of the mobile app, and we appreciate that some of this info is presented via short and easy to understand videos.

Apart from the knowledge center and old-school ticket-based support, you can also use phone and live chat channels to get in touch with a human agent in real time.

Note you’ll only be able to get in touch during office hours, which is pretty standard, but user feedback doesn’t paint a glowing picture. Many note issues with reponse delays, a lack of follow-through on open tickets and inconsistent answers.

Some also noted concerns about hidden fees or unexpected cost increases.

Paycor: Final verdict

We think Paycor is best for medium-sized companies who don’t need overly complex demands, but it’s just a shame that pricing is hidden and prospective customers will have to set aside time to talk to the sales department to see if the product is even within budget for them.

By using Paycor's HCM solution, SMBs can streamline their operations, reduce administrative burdens and focus on more important and productive work.

Still, there are some areas for improvement, such as easier and quicker access to support and the interface, which might be acceptable, but trails behind rivals.

• Read our guide to the best payroll software