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HR · head to head

Insperity vs SmartHR

Insperity logo

Insperity

HR

US professional employer organisation providing co-employed HR, payroll and pooled benefits for small and mid-sized companies

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SmartHR logo

SmartHR

HR

Japanese back-office cloud for labor management, payroll and talent management

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Insperity insperity employs staff only in the United States, so the moment you hire a person abroad you need a separate employer of record and end up running two employment models side by side.; SmartHR no specific pricing published on vendor website
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Insperity and SmartHR actually diverge.

Attributes where Insperity and SmartHR differ
AttributeInsperitySmartHR
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (HR).

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 Insperity

  • Co-employment PEO
  • Master health plan
  • Assigned HR specialists
  • Payroll processing
  • Workers compensation
  • Insperity Premier portal
  • Retirement plan
  • Recruiting services

Only in SmartHR

Nothing recorded that Insperity does not also cover.

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Insperity

  • A 40 person US company that cannot get competitive medical rates on its own and wants pooled large-group covernot SmartHR
  • A firm hiring across several states that does not want to open and maintain employment tax registrations in each onenot SmartHR
  • A founder-run business with no HR function that needs defensible advice on terminations and classificationnot SmartHR
  • A company that wants workers compensation, benefits and payroll under one contract rather than three vendorsnot SmartHR

SmartHR

  • Reducing combined processing time by 88% across HR functionsnot Insperity
  • Centralizing employee information through onboarding to offboardingnot Insperity
  • Distributing payroll and salary statements via mobile appnot Insperity
  • Automating document distribution and employee communicationsnot Insperity
  • Integrating with 120+ external systems for extended functionalitynot Insperity

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Insperity

  • Insperity employs staff only in the United States, so the moment you hire a person abroad you need a separate employer of record and end up running two employment models side by side.
  • Benefit plan design, carrier and network are set across the whole pool, so a client cannot chase a better local network or a cheaper plan without leaving the PEO entirely.
  • Leaving mid-year restarts state unemployment wage bases in several states, which produces an unbudgeted tax bill in the year you exit and effectively locks clients into January transitions.
  • Pricing is quoted per employee per month or as a percentage of payroll and is repriced annually alongside pooled medical renewals, so a good first-year number tells you very little about year three.
  • The Insperity Premier technology has lagged standalone HRIS products on reporting, workflow and integrations, which is why the company has turned to a joint build with Workday rather than closing the gap alone.

SmartHR

  • No specific pricing published on vendor website
  • Requires direct quotation for customized pricing
  • Multiple plan options create complexity in pricing structure

Pricing, plan by plan

Insperity

On request
  • Workforce Optimization$undefined/year
    • Full-service co-employment PEO
    • Master medical, dental and vision plan
    • Payroll and employment tax filing
  • Workforce Synchronization$undefined/year
    • Lighter co-employment for larger organisations
    • Client retains more benefit plan control
    • Payroll and compliance administration

SmartHR

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the SmartHR review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Insperity if

  • You need co-employment peo.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want master health plan.
Insperity review

Choose SmartHR if

Nothing in the data separates SmartHR from Insperity on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

SmartHR review

Questions people ask

Is Insperity or SmartHR better?
Neither clearly leads. Insperity starts at On request and SmartHR at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Insperity or SmartHR?
Insperity starts at On request and SmartHR at On request.
Does Insperity or SmartHR run on more platforms?
Insperity runs on Web, iOS, Android. SmartHR runs on Web.
What is Insperity best used for?
Insperity is most often used for a 40 person us company that cannot get competitive medical rates on its own and wants pooled large-group cover, a firm hiring across several states that does not want to open and maintain employment tax registrations in each one, a founder-run business with no hr function that needs defensible advice on terminations and classification, a company that wants workers compensation, benefits and payroll under one contract rather than three vendors. Of those, a 40 person us company that cannot get competitive medical rates on its own and wants pooled large-group cover and a firm hiring across several states that does not want to open and maintain employment tax registrations in each one are not what SmartHR is typically brought in for.
What can Insperity do that SmartHR cannot?
Insperity covers Co-employment PEO, Master health plan, Assigned HR specialists, Payroll processing.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Insperity: Does Insperity publish its pricing?

No. It quotes per employee per month or as a percentage of payroll after reviewing your headcount, state mix and claims history, and it reprices at each annual renewal.

SmartHR: How much does SmartHR cost?

SmartHR pricing is customized per organization based on features and user count. The vendor does not publish standard pricing rates. Customers must use the estimation tool or contact the vendor directly to receive a personalized quote. No additional charges are assessed beyond monthly usage fees.

Source
Insperity: Am I still the employer?

You direct the work and decide who is hired and fired. Insperity is co-employer for tax, benefits and certain compliance purposes, and it holds the registrations that wages are reported under.

SmartHR: What is SmartHR's free tier?

SmartHR offers a free plan (¥0プラン) for small businesses with up to 30 employees. This tier provides basic employee data management without additional charges, making it suitable for very small organizations or trials.

Source
Insperity: Can Insperity employ people outside the United States?

No. It is a US-only PEO. International hiring needs a separate employer of record such as Deel or Velocity Global.

SmartHR: What are SmartHR's plan options?

SmartHR provides multiple plans including HR Strategy Plan (labor and talent management), Essential Plan (labor management focus), Talent Management Plan (employee growth focus), and a specialized plan for companies with 50 or fewer employees. Optional add-ons including payroll, attendance tracking, and recruitment are available.

Source
Insperity: What happens to my benefits if I leave?

You have to source your own carriers and plans from scratch and your employees move to new networks, which is why most exits are timed for 1 January.

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