Professional employer organizations (PEO), such as TriNet or Justworks, can help you manage recruitment, payroll and human resources (HR) with ease. The decision between which PEO is best for your small business depends on a number of factors, so we put TriNet vs. Justworks to the test in a head-to-head comparison based on key features, ease of use, pricing, support, reviews and more.
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Rippling
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$35/month plus $8 PEPM
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OnPay
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$40 per month + $6 per user
3
Paychex Flex
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$39-plus per month, depending on company size and needs (6 month free offer)
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Gusto
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$40 per month plus $6 per user
TriNet vs. Justworks: At a Glance
If you’re looking for a self-managing HR solution for your employees, TriNet and Justworks could fit your needs. It will come down to specific features and cost for most businesses. Both platforms offer payroll and PEO services, but they have different strengths in these areas.
TriNet goes beyond HR basics to include performance tracking, recruitment and leadership training. Your employees can manage their own account and benefits via a self-service portal, and they’ll get a choice among some of the biggest names in health insurance.
Justworks is more of a payroll service that also works as a PEO. You can expect paid time off (PTO) management, a mobile app for employees to manage their accounts and 24/7 support.
Starting price Must contact for a quote
Direct deposit Yes four to five days Performance management Yes
Must contact for a quote
Yes four to five days
Yes
TriNet combines enough features from other HR information systems (HRIS) to reduce the software your HR department needs. Manage talent acquisition, workers’ compensation, benefits, payroll and time tracking from this single PEO. Some of the larger insurance companies partner with TriNet include Blue Shield, UnitedHealth and Aetna, so there’s a lot of choice. However, these national options may not be convenient for your employees if they would prefer a local or regional option. It’s going to be difficult to make a decision on whether TriNet is right for your company until you know what the per-employee cost is—and TriNet doesn’t disclose pricing. You’ll have to contact the company for a quote. Our research shows that you can expect to pay about $150 per employee, per month to offer benefits and run payroll. Customer support is available from 6 a.m. to midnight Eastern time weekdays via phone. Live chat is available 24/7 through your account. Support doesn’t get great reviews from users, though. There are multitudes of complaints about support agents not providing help, but rather referring callers to their portal to find an answer. TriNet
Justworks
Starting price
$59 per employee
per month
Direct deposit
Yes
two to four days
Performance management
No
$59 per employee
per month
Yes
two to four days
No
Justworks focuses on providing payroll services to small- to medium-sized businesses, which includes regular payroll and off-cycle payroll runs and W-2, 1099 and payroll tax processing. Other features include harassment training, PTO management and a mobile app for employees to manage their own benefits.
As it is with most PEOs, you can get workers’ compensation sorted, set up 401(k) for employees and provide perks, such as fitness memberships. Justworks offers access to national benefits providers, such as Kaiser Permanente, United Healthcare and Aetna. What you’re able to offer employees comes down to which plan you choose.
The Basic plan from Justworks covers what you need for your employees for $59 per employee, per month. If you want to offer access to medical, dental and vision insurance, plus health savings accounts (HSA) and flexible spending accounts (FSA), choose the Plus plan for $99 per employee, per month. There’s also a $10-per-employee-per-month discount for 50 and more employees.
Justworks offers 24/7 customer support via phone, live chat and email. This service is available to you, as an employer and to your employees. The most common complaint from users about Justworks is that there are so few insurance provider choices.
Also, you can get time tracking as an add-on with Justworks Hours, but it comes at an added cost: $20 per month, plus $5 per user, per month, or $45 per month, plus $9 per user, per month, with the high-tier plan offering a dedicated account manager, expense management and different pay classifications.
- Affordable plans
- Unlimited off-cycle payroll runs
- Mobile app for employees
- 24/7 support
- Automatic tax filing
- Few insurance provider options
- Time tracking is a paid add-on
How TriNet vs. Justworks Stack Up
To choose the best PEO for your small business, you need to decide what’s most important to you; what services do you want to consolidate and manage through a single platform? Comparing TriNet vs. Justworks as it pertains to cost is difficult, but based on research, Justworks is a much more affordable option—and it’s even more affordable for medium-sized businesses with more employees.
Both TriNet and Justworks are one-stop solutions for payroll, benefits administration and time tracking, but you have to pay for an add-on to track time with Justworks. Given that Justworks is likely less expensive than TriNet, it balances out regardless of which you choose. These PEOs offer national brands of insurance, so you can give your employees medical, dental and vision insurance, but both lack local and regional options—TriNet includes more options overall.
The self-service portals and mobile apps for both PEOs make it easy for employees to access their accounts, manage their benefits and see their paychecks and tax info. Only TriNet gives you more HR management features that you’d have to get separately or track manually if you choose Justworks, including performance management and talent acquisition.
Bottom Line
In our comparison of TriNet vs. Justworks, it’s clear to see that either PEO could serve a small business well for payroll, taxes and as a benefits solution. Growing businesses that want to combine the most HR management features may want to consider the likely pricier TriNet to reduce the use of other services and software. Small businesses that have slower growth or outsource recruitment and want to handle the performance of employees with an HR team should consider the more affordable Justworks.
Featured Partners
1
Rippling
Yes
Yes
$35/month plus $8 PEPM
2
OnPay
Yes
Yes
$40 per month + $6 per user
3
Paychex Flex
Yes
Yes
$39-plus per month, depending on company size and needs (6 month free offer)
4
Gusto
Yes
Yes
$40 per month plus $6 per user
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why is TriNet listed as my employer?
Many PEOs serve as co-employers to a business that uses it, so it serves as the HR department and partner of an employer. This is why TriNet, Justworks or another PEO may appear as the employer of record.
Who are TriNet's competitors?
There are multiple PEO competitors of TriNet, including Paychex, Justworks and ADP.
Does Justworks have a free trial?
There is no free trial with Justworks. You pay for the plan on a month-by-month basis and cancel at any time.
What's a PEO?
A PEO is a service that employers use to outsource HR services, such as benefits administration, performance management and payroll. The PEO handles these services on behalf of the employer, which reduces cost and overhead for a business.
