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Payroll · head to head

Justworks vs Payactiv

Justworks logo

Justworks

Payroll

Professional employer organisation with published per-employee pricing and a separate payroll-only tier

From
$8/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Payactiv logo

Payactiv

Payroll

Earned wage access and financial wellness benefit, free to employers and free for standard transfers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Payactiv has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Payactiv heavy repeat use of wage advances by an employee is a sign that base pay does not cover living costs, and offering the benefit does not address that underlying compensation problem.
  • They diverge on capability: Justworks covers Co-employment PEO, Payactiv covers Earned wage access.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Justworks and Payactiv actually diverge.

Attributes where Justworks and Payactiv differ
AttributeJustworksPayactiv
Starting price$8/monthFree
Pricing modelPer employee per monthFree for employers, fees apply only to expedited transfers
Free tierNoYes

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 Justworks

  • Co-employment PEO
  • Large-group benefits
  • Payroll and filings
  • Workers' compensation
  • Compliance support
  • Standalone payroll
  • International contractors
  • HR consulting

Only in Payactiv

  • Earned wage access
  • Payactiv Card
  • Free standard transfers
  • Bill pay and marketplace
  • Financial wellness tools
  • Broad HCM integration

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 Payactiv
  • A company hiring across several US states that does not want to register as an employer and file taxes in each of themnot Payactiv
  • A founder replacing a bookkeeper-run payroll with something that will not produce a state tax penalty noticenot Payactiv
  • A team that wants payroll and benefits administration only, without co-employment, at the $8 per employee tiernot Payactiv

Payactiv

  • A hourly-wage employer in retail, healthcare or hospitality wanting to reduce payday-loan reliance among staffnot Justworks
  • An HR team wanting earned wage access with no employer subscription feenot Justworks
  • A company already on ADP, Paychex or another supported HCM system wanting minimal integration effortnot Justworks
  • An employer wanting bundled financial wellness and bill pay features alongside wage advancesnot 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.

Payactiv

  • Heavy repeat use of wage advances by an employee is a sign that base pay does not cover living costs, and offering the benefit does not address that underlying compensation problem.
  • The product depends entirely on accurate, timely data from the employer's time-and-attendance and payroll systems, so errors upstream translate directly into wrong advance calculations for employees.
  • Free tiers apply to standard delivery only, and employees who need funds immediately outside the free instant-transfer conditions pay expedited fees that are easy to trigger without realising it.
  • Employer coverage and card acceptance skew toward the United States, so it does not serve multinational workforces without a country-specific alternative.
  • As an intermediary sitting between payroll and the employee, it introduces another vendor with access to sensitive payroll and time data, which adds a data governance and vendor risk conversation many employers underestimate before rollout.

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

Payactiv

Free
  • PayactivFree
    • No employer subscription cost
    • Free standard 1 to 3 day ACH and qualifying instant transfers
    • Fees apply only to expedited delivery options

Which should you pick?

Choose Justworks if

  • You need co-employment peo.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want large-group benefits.
Justworks review

Choose Payactiv if

  • You need earned wage access.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want payactiv card.
Payactiv review

Questions people ask

Is Justworks or Payactiv better?
Neither clearly leads. Justworks starts at $8/month and Payactiv at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Justworks or Payactiv?
Payactiv has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $8/month for Justworks and Free for Payactiv.
Does Justworks or Payactiv run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Payactiv for free?
Yes. Payactiv has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Justworks starts at $8/month.
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 Payactiv is typically brought in for.
What can Justworks do that Payactiv cannot?
Justworks covers Co-employment PEO, Large-group benefits, Payroll and filings, Workers' compensation. Payactiv covers Earned wage access, Payactiv Card, Free standard transfers, Bill pay and marketplace.

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.

Payactiv: Does it cost the employer anything?

No, the core benefit is free to employers, and standard employee transfers are also free; only expedited delivery options carry a fee.

Justworks: 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.

Payactiv: How is the advance calculated?

From wages already earned according to the employer's time and attendance or payroll data, not a loan against future unearned pay.

Justworks: Can Justworks employ people outside the US?

No. It can pay international contractors, but it is not an employer of record abroad.

Payactiv: Which payroll systems does it integrate with?

More than 70, including ADP, Paychex, Kronos, Workday and UKG.

Justworks: 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.

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