With its intuitive interface, employee-friendly mobile app, and focus on simple compliance, Zenefits is a solid contender in the world of online payroll systems.
WRITTEN & RESEARCHED BY
Expert Contributor
Last updated onUpdated
REVIEWED BY
Lead Staff Writer
| Total Rating | 4.2 |
|---|---|
| Pricing3.3 | |
| Ease Of Use4.5 | |
| Features4.4 | |
| Customer Service4.0 | |
| User Reviews3.9 | |
Payroll Processing Time
2-4 DaysPricing Range
Starting at $10/month per employee ($8/month billed annually) + $6/month per employeeBusiness Size
Small to enterprise-sized businesses with at least 5 employeesTable of Contents
Zenefits is human resources (HR) software with a full suite of employee management, payroll, benefits administration, recruitment, and time-tracking solutions for small to mid-sized businesses.
This cloud-based software boasts an intuitive interface, an employee-friendly mobile app, and a focus on simple compliance, all aimed at creating a powerful HR/BA solution that ranks among the best HR software for small businesses.
| Pricing3.3 |
|---|
| Software Plans 4.5 |
| Pricing Transparency 3.0 |
| Pricing Customization 3.0 |
Zenefits’ 3.3/5 star pricing rating was bolstered by the software’s affordability, free trial, and pricing transparency. However, the software’s rating took some hits in the pricing customization options category, as Zenefits Payroll is not available as a standalone product.
Additionally, each of Zenefit’s base plans and add-ons require a five-employee minimum, so while businesses with fewer than five employees can use Zenefits’ services, they’ll be paying for at least five employees by default.
Zenefits has three different base plans and four add-on services with options for annual or monthly subscriptions. If you opt for an annual Zenefits subscription, you’ll pay anywhere from $8-$27/month per employee for Zenefits base plans. Monthly subscription plans for Zenefits range from $10-$33/month per employee.
Here’s a look at Zenefits’ pricing plans:
| Zenefits Plans | Price | When To Use |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials | $10/month per employee ($8/month billed annually) | If you need strong HR and employee management tools for your small business |
| Growth | $20/month per employee ($16/month billed annually) | If you need dedicated HR and hiring tools to manage your business growth |
| Zen | $33/month per employee ($27/month billed annually) | If you need compliance support and enhanced employee management tools with payroll included |
| Payroll Add-On | $6/month per employee | If you want to add payroll services to Zenefits' Essentials or Growth plans |
Zenefits add-on services cost $5-$8/month per employee plus the subscription price of your Zenefits base plan and include payroll, benefits administration (with your own broker), and advisory services. Zenefits’ recruiting services add-on starts at $35/month for annual plans and $62/month for monthly plans.
The Zenefits Essentials plan costs $10/month/employee for monthly subscribers or $8/month/employee for annual subscribers, and includes:
The Zenefits Growth plan costs $20/month/employee for monthly subscribers or $16/month/employee for annual subscribers, and includes everything from the Essentials plan, plus:
The Zenefits Zen plan costs $33/month/employee for monthly subscribers or $27/month/employee for annual subscribers, and includes everything from the Growth plan, plus:
| Zenefits Extra Costs | Price |
|---|---|
| Payroll | $6/month per employee |
| Advisory Services | $8/month per employee |
| Benefits Administration (Using Your Own Broker) | $5/month per employee |
| Recruiting | Starting at $62/month ($35/month billed annually) |
Zenefits’ base pricing doesn’t cover its add-on services, including payroll, advisory services (HR and payroll), and benefits administration. If you opt for any of these additional services, you’ll need to pay anywhere from $5-$8/month per employee. Zenefits also offers a recruiting services add-on that starts at $62/month for monthly subscribers and is discounted to $35/month for annual subscribers.
If your business needs either payroll services or professional HR or payroll advising, it may be worth looking for other payroll software options. Adding these services to Zenefits’ base price can cause the software’s cost to become burdensome, especially for smaller businesses.
| Ease Of Use4.5 |
|---|
| Set Up 4.6 |
| Software Reliability 5.0 |
| Everyday Use 5.0 |
| Integrations 4.0 |
Zenefits earned a 4.5/5 star rating in the ease of use category and was carried by its easy set up options for new users, reliability, and integration options. Zenefits only lost points due to its cost for white glove set up and limited time and attendance software integrations.
Zenefits is cloud-based, sleek, sports a social-media coolness, and functions with a simple and intuitive interface. Zenefits has all the capabilities of clunkier HR programs, but it runs very smoothly.
Small business owners with years of HR experience (or those who have SaaS experience) might find Zenefits gets the job done, but it doesn’t give much flexibility around how to use/implement features.
| Features4.4 |
|---|
| Payroll Processing 3.6 |
| Employee Management & PTO 5.0 |
| Time Tracking 3.8 |
| Payroll Tax Support 4.5 |
| Reporting & Tax Forms 4.6 |
| Onboarding & HR 5.0 |
| Benefits Administration 4.7 |
| Niche Features 5.0 |
With a solid 4.4/5 star rating, Zenefits is a feature-rich payroll software option. The software performed well overall, but lost points because it offers limited payroll processing deadline options, lacks support for auto-scheduling payroll runs, has limited time tracking integration options, and could stand to flesh out some of its available features.
Ultimately, Zenefits has all the tools your business needs to run payroll, handle benefits administration, track time, manage payroll taxes, and more. The software’s features are robust and can compete with other options on the market. However, Zenefits may not be a good match for business operations with very complex payroll and HR needs.
HR managers who are used to robust customization might find that there’s a bit more hand-holding, stay-in-the-lines type of management. That’s awesome for small businesses growing into HR or starting to offer benefits and streamlined services, but it may not meet the needs of larger businesses.
Although Zenefits only offers payroll as an add-on service, its features are on the same level as other top payroll software contenders.
Here’s a look at Zenefits’ most notable payroll features:
Zenefits has many features to help you manage your employees and contractors from a single interface. Additionally, the software allows you to manage time off for your employees with just a few clicks.
Zenefits employee management and PTO features include:
Keeping track of hours worked is essential to running payroll. Any great payroll solution has a quality time-tracking feature that integrates well with other time-tracking programs, and Zenefits is no different.
The software’s time-tracking features include:
Zenefits is a full-service payroll, which means that it will calculate, withhold, and pay the IRS its share of taxes. The company will also expertly handle employee and contractor tax forms.
Here’s a look at the tax support features you can expect from Zenefits:
Zenefits calls its reporting system “Business Intelligence.” This system contains a ton of built-in reports based on various business categories, including time and attendance, payroll, HR, and more.
The following features are a part of Zenefits’ reporting system:
If you already work with a broker, there is an extra fee to facilitate the union of your benefits administration with the program. If you do not yet offer benefits, Zenefits can set you up with a broker — if you opt for an annual subscription plan.
Here’s what you can expect from Zenefits’ benefits administration features:
| Customer Service4.0 |
|---|
| Personal Support 4.2 |
| Self-Service 3.8 |
Zenefits offers good customer support options and earned a 4/5 stars in the category. The software’s rating was helped by its extended customer support hours and its wealth of support options. However, the Zenefits’s rating in this category was hurt by customer complaints and limitations in its self-service options.
Zenefits customer service team is reachable 5 AM-4 PM PST Monday-Friday. Customer service seems to be a recurring customer complaint for Zenefits’ clients. Users have cited lengthy response times and inconsistent troubleshooting support from the Zenefits customer care team.
Zenefits’ customer service options include:
| Zenefits Customer Service | Availability |
|---|---|
| Phone Support | |
| Email Support | |
| Support Tickets | |
| Live Chat | |
| Dedicated Support Representative | |
| Knowledge Base or Help Center | |
| Videos & Tutorials | |
| Company Blog | |
| Social Media |
Zenefits stays consistent with other SaaS payroll services in that customers have a hard time finding someone who can answer specific tax questions or problems. It has an A+ Better Business Bureau rating but is not accredited through the site — and the bulk of the complaints are customer-service-related.
Zenefits has a solid foundation of integrations already available — it partners with top payroll-related apps (such as QuickBooks Time and Truework) — and it has an API available. However, Zenefits lacks a robust selection of time and attendance tracking software integrations compared to other top payroll solutions.
With 43 integrations available for productivity, applicant tracking, performance management, health and wellness, financial, legal, and accounting, Zenefits works hard to incorporate the programs you already love.
| User Reviews3.9 |
|---|
| Customer Feedback 4.0 |
| Review Site Aggregate 3.8 |
Zenefits was unable to break four stars with a low 3.9/5 star rating in the reviews category. Although the overall sentiment regarding the software is positive, its average 3.8/5 star user rating definitely brought its rating down.
The vast majority of Zenefits’ customer complaints centered around poor customer support and tax issues. Conversely, customers were very satisfied with Zenefits’ features and services.
Zenefits has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau and averages solid scores on other review sites. Zenefits replies to every negative review on the BBB, and filing a complaint appears to speed up a solution if you’ve been stuck feeling unsatisfied.
Despite the company’s struggles in its early years, Zenefits doesn’t have a history of data breaches.
Here’s a look at Zenefits’ security features:
| Zenefits | Gusto | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $70/month for basic payroll | From $40/month + $6/employee to $80/month + $12/employee |
| Business Size | Small to enterprise-sized businesses | Small to large-sized businesses |
| Number Of States Supported | 50 | 50 |
| Payroll Processing Time | 2-4 day | Next-day to 4 day |
| Quality Of Features | Good | Excellent |
| Quality Of Support | Fair | Good |
The main, eye-catching features of Zenefits and Gusto are similar, but there are several key differences. Both platforms have easy-to-use interfaces that allow for customizable features and a range of services. Gusto tends to dominate the payroll processing side of the feature battle, whereas Zenefits is in its greatest element with HRMS and HR data connectivity capabilities.
| Zenefits Review Summary | |
|---|---|
| Pricing Range | Starting at $10/month per employee ($8/month billed annually) + $6/month per employee |
| Choose If You Need |
|
Merchant Maverick’s final verdict is that Zenefits is a really good HR platform with a simple payroll add-on, but it wouldn’t be our first choice until some payroll growing pains are worked out.
For small businesses seeking both payroll and HR features, Zenefits offers a cost-effective and feature-rich option. If sleek usability and an easy-to-navigate system are your top priorities, Zenefits is a decent option. It is easy for both employees and administrators, and everything is in one location. You can sign up for a free demo of Zenefits to see if this HR option is right for your business.
Small businesses that may not be looking for a full HR platform yet could explore other payroll options. Start with learning about the best payroll software for small businesses.
We research, evaluate, and test each payroll software app that we review at Merchant Maverick, placing special emphasis on key characteristics to generate granular ratings.
Our exhaustive, 76-point rubric guides the star rating of each payroll provider we review, examining pricing, ease of use, features, customer service, and user reviews. Each section is weighted differently.
When rating payroll software, we are looking for very specific qualities. The speed and cost of payroll runs and the availability of tax filing services are given high weight, as are the quality and availability of accounting, time-tracking, HR integrations, and user onboarding services. We also look for the presence of client and employee portals, benefits administration, PTO and time management tools, and many more vital features.
Learn more about how we rate payroll software providers.
The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆
Zenefits |
|---|
After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see Zenefits for yourself.
The Merchant Maverick Seal of Approval 🏆
Zenefits |
|---|
After hours of in-depth research and evaluation, we can confidently recommend this brand to our readers. Get started today and see Zenefits for yourself.
Let us know how well the content on this page solved your problem today. All feedback, positive or negative, helps us to improve the way we help small businesses.
Give Feedback
Want to help shape the future of the Merchant Maverick website? Join our testing and survey community!
By providing feedback on how we can improve, you can earn gift cards and get early access to new features.
Our team of experts spends hours on every review so that we can find the best companies to recommend to our readers. Zenefits made the cut.
Learn More
Help us to improve by providing some feedback on your experience today.
The vendors that appear on this list were chosen by subject matter experts on the basis of product quality, wide usage and availability, and positive reputation.
Merchant Maverick’s ratings are editorial in nature, and are not aggregated from user reviews. Each staff reviewer at Merchant Maverick is a subject matter expert with experience researching, testing, and evaluating small business software and services. The rating of this company or service is based on the author’s expert opinion and analysis of the product, and assessed and seconded by another subject matter expert on staff before publication. Merchant Maverick’s ratings are not influenced by affiliate partnerships.
Our unbiased reviews and content are supported in part by affiliate partnerships, and we adhere to strict guidelines to preserve editorial integrity. The editorial content on this page is not provided by any of the companies mentioned and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone.
Our team of experts spends hours on every review so that we can find the best companies to recommend to our readers. Zenefits made the cut.
Learn More
"*" indicates required fields
