Payroll · head to head
Extend vs Paylocity
Extend
Payroll
Virtual card issuing and spend controls layered onto existing business credit cards
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Paylocity
Payroll
HR and payroll solutions to drive employee engagement
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Extend has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Extend it depends on an existing business credit card relationship, so a company without a qualifying Amex, Visa or Mastercard business card cannot use it as a standalone card issuer.; Paylocity the Internet Archive's capture of Paylocity's homepage on 3 January 2021 named a wide suite of modules, including Payroll, On Demand Payment, HR Edge, Recruiting, Performance Management, Compensation Management and a Learning Management System, all sold via 'Request a Demo' with no price figures published.
- They diverge on capability: Extend covers Virtual card issuing, Paylocity covers Payroll.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Extend and Paylocity actually diverge.
Identical on both: platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Payroll).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Extend
- Virtual card issuing
- Per-card spend controls
- Approval workflows
- Receipt auto-matching
- ERP integrations
- API access
Only in Paylocity
- Payroll
- HR Management
- Benefits Administration
- Time and Labor
- Talent Management
- Employee Engagement
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Extend
- A small business wanting free vendor-level virtual card controls without opening a new card programmenot Paylocity
- A company with an existing Amex or bank business card wanting tighter per-vendor spend limitsnot Paylocity
- A finance team wanting predictable per-user pricing rather than a private quote for spend managementnot Paylocity
- A larger business wanting API-driven automated card issuance tied to its existing card relationshipnot Paylocity
Paylocity
No use cases recorded yet. See the Paylocity review.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Extend
- It depends on an existing business credit card relationship, so a company without a qualifying Amex, Visa or Mastercard business card cannot use it as a standalone card issuer.
- The free Starter plan is capped at five users and 100 cards a month, which small but growing teams will outgrow quickly and need to upgrade past.
- The Pro plan enforces a ten-user minimum, so a company with only two or three people who need virtual cards pays for unused seats.
- Rewards, credit terms and dispute resolution still run through the underlying card issuer, so Extend cannot improve or change those terms; it only adds a control layer on top.
- Deeper ERP integrations such as NetSuite and Dynamics 365 are reserved for the custom-quoted Enterprise tier, so companies needing them lose the pricing transparency of the published Starter and Pro plans.
Paylocity
- The Internet Archive's capture of Paylocity's homepage on 3 January 2021 named a wide suite of modules, including Payroll, On Demand Payment, HR Edge, Recruiting, Performance Management, Compensation Management and a Learning Management System, all sold via 'Request a Demo' with no price figures published.
Pricing, plan by plan
Extend
Free- StarterFree
- Up to 5 users and 10 guests
- Up to 100 virtual cards per month
- One expense category
- Pro$11.99/month
- 10 user minimum
- Up to 500 virtual cards per month
- Custom approval workflows and QuickBooks Online integration
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Unlimited users and virtual cards
- API access for automated card issuance
- NetSuite and Dynamics 365 integration, dedicated account manager
Paylocity
On request- Core Payroll$undefined/month
- Payroll Processing
- Tax Services
- Direct Deposit
- Complete HCM$undefined/month
- All Core features
- HR
- Benefits
Which should you pick?
Choose Extend if
- You need virtual card issuing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want per-card spend controls.
Choose Paylocity if
- You need payroll.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want hr management.
Questions people ask
- Is Extend or Paylocity better?
- Neither clearly leads. Extend starts at Free and Paylocity at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Extend or Paylocity?
- Extend has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Extend and On request for Paylocity.
- Does Extend or Paylocity run on more platforms?
- Extend runs on Web, iOS, Android. Paylocity runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Extend for free?
- Yes. Extend has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Paylocity starts at On request.
- What is Extend best used for?
- Extend is most often used for a small business wanting free vendor-level virtual card controls without opening a new card programme, a company with an existing amex or bank business card wanting tighter per-vendor spend limits, a finance team wanting predictable per-user pricing rather than a private quote for spend management, a larger business wanting api-driven automated card issuance tied to its existing card relationship. Of those, a small business wanting free vendor-level virtual card controls without opening a new card programme and a company with an existing amex or bank business card wanting tighter per-vendor spend limits are not what Paylocity is typically brought in for.
- What can Extend do that Paylocity cannot?
- Extend covers Virtual card issuing, Per-card spend controls, Approval workflows, Receipt auto-matching. Paylocity covers Payroll, HR Management, Benefits Administration, Time and Labor.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Extend: Does Extend replace our business credit card?
No, it issues virtual cards against an existing American Express, Visa or Mastercard business credit line rather than opening a new card programme.
Extend: Is there really a free plan?
Yes, the Starter plan is free for up to five users, ten guests and 100 virtual cards a month.
Extend: What does Pro cost?
11.99 dollars per user per month billed annually, or 12 dollars monthly, with a ten-user minimum.
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