Payroll · head to head
Justworks vs Namely
Justworks
Payroll
Professional employer organisation with published per-employee pricing and a separate payroll-only tier
- From
- $8/month
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Justworks the published per-employee fee is the platform charge, not your cost; health insurance premiums and workers' compensation are billed on top and are usually several times larger, so the transparent price is transparent about the smaller number.; Namely limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions
- They diverge on capability: Justworks covers Co-employment PEO, Namely covers HR Management.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Justworks and Namely actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 Justworks
- Co-employment PEO
- Large-group benefits
- Payroll and filings
- Workers' compensation
- Compliance support
- Standalone payroll
- International contractors
- HR consulting
Only in Namely
- HR Management
- Payroll
- Benefits Administration
- Time Off Management
- Performance Management
- Onboarding
- Slack
- Google Workspace
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Justworks
- A twenty-person US startup that wants health insurance comparable to a large employer without an insurance broker relationshipnot Namely
- A company hiring across several US states that does not want to register as an employer and file taxes in each of themnot Namely
- A founder replacing a bookkeeper-run payroll with something that will not produce a state tax penalty noticenot Namely
- A team that wants payroll and benefits administration only, without co-employment, at the $8 per employee tiernot Namely
Namely
- Processing payroll for employees across multiple states with different tax rulesnot Justworks
- Collecting 360-degree feedback and managing performance reviewsnot Justworks
- Automating onboarding workflows and document e-signature collectionnot Justworks
- Managing benefits enrollment and annual open enrollment periodsnot Justworks
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Justworks
- The published per-employee fee is the platform charge, not your cost; health insurance premiums and workers' compensation are billed on top and are usually several times larger, so the transparent price is transparent about the smaller number.
- Leaving a PEO is a project, not a cancellation: you must source your own health plan, obtain your own state employer registrations and unemployment accounts, and time the switch to a plan year, which typically takes months.
- Coverage is United States only, so the moment you hire your first employee in another country you are running a second system and Justworks handles them only as a contractor.
- PEO Basic looks like a cheaper way in but excludes the Justworks health plans, which is the main reason companies choose a PEO at all, so most buyers end up on Plus.
- Benefit plan choice is constrained to what Justworks has negotiated, and a company with strong preferences about carriers or network coverage in a specific region may find the options do not fit.
Namely
- Limited customization for complex HR processes: workflows and customization options are limited compared to enterprise solutions
- Payroll limitations: better served for less complex organizations and struggles with complex time-and-attendance or multi-FEIN scenarios
- Missing ATS and surveys: lacks built-in applicant tracking system and pulse survey capabilities
- Slow support response times: pod-based support model has led to slow response times for customers
- Designed for specific market segment: best fit is mid-sized companies with 50-350 employees
Pricing, plan by plan
Justworks
$8/month- Payroll$8/month
- Plus a $50 monthly base fee
- Payroll, tax filing and benefits administration
- No co-employment, so no access to Justworks health plans at PEO rates
- PEO Basic$79/month
- Full co-employment PEO
- Payroll, tax filing and compliance
- Does not include access to Justworks-sponsored health plans
- PEO Plus$109/month
- Everything in Basic
- Access to Justworks health, dental and vision plans
- Premiums are billed separately and are the larger cost
- Dedicated HR consulting$30/month
- Add-on to PEO plans
- Named HR adviser support
Namely
$18/employee/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Namely review.
Which should you pick?
Choose Justworks if
- You need co-employment peo.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want large-group benefits.
Questions people ask
- Is Justworks or Namely better?
- Neither clearly leads. Justworks starts at $8/month and Namely at $18/employee/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Justworks or Namely?
- Justworks starts at $8/month and Namely at $18/employee/month.
- Does Justworks or Namely run on more platforms?
- Justworks runs on Web, iOS, Android. Namely runs on Web.
- What is Justworks best used for?
- Justworks is most often used for a twenty-person us startup that wants health insurance comparable to a large employer without an insurance broker relationship, a company hiring across several us states that does not want to register as an employer and file taxes in each of them, a founder replacing a bookkeeper-run payroll with something that will not produce a state tax penalty notice, a team that wants payroll and benefits administration only, without co-employment, at the $8 per employee tier. Of those, a twenty-person us startup that wants health insurance comparable to a large employer without an insurance broker relationship and a company hiring across several us states that does not want to register as an employer and file taxes in each of them are not what Namely is typically brought in for.
- What can Justworks do that Namely cannot?
- Justworks covers Co-employment PEO, Large-group benefits, Payroll and filings, Workers' compensation. Namely covers HR Management, Payroll, Benefits Administration, Time Off Management.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Justworks: What does co-employment actually mean?
Justworks becomes the employer of record for payroll tax and benefits purposes while you retain full control over hiring, management and day-to-day work. It is a legal arrangement, not an outsourcing of your team.
Namely: Does Namely support global payroll?
Namely primarily focuses on mid-sized US-based companies with 50-350 employees. While it can handle complex payroll scenarios, it is better served for less complex organizations and does not have extensive global payroll capabilities compared to enterprise platforms.
SourceJustworks: Is the $79 figure my total monthly cost per employee?
No. It is the platform fee. Health insurance premiums, dental, vision and workers' compensation are additional and typically dwarf it.
Namely: What is included in Namely's Premium pricing?
Premium plans cost $18-24 per employee per month plus implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs. Plans include payroll, HR, benefits administration, time management, and talent management features.
SourceJustworks: Can Justworks employ people outside the US?
No. It can pay international contractors, but it is not an employer of record abroad.
Namely: Does Namely include performance management features?
Yes, Namely offers customizable performance review modules enabling dynamic, ongoing feedback rather than traditional annual-only reviews. This is one of Namely's standout features.
SourceJustworks: What is the difference between the Payroll plan and the PEO?
The Payroll plan handles payroll and benefits administration under your own EIN at $8 per employee per month plus a base fee. The PEO adds co-employment and pooled large-group insurance at $79 or $109.
Namely: How long does Namely implementation typically take?
Namely is designed for mid-sized companies and implementation timelines vary based on complexity. The platform includes implementation fees of 10-25% of annual software costs in addition to monthly per-employee pricing.
SourceRelated pages
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