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Payroll · head to head

Justworks vs PayFit

Justworks logo

Justworks

Payroll

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

From
$8/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
PayFit logo

PayFit

Payroll

Native payroll and HR for small and mid-sized companies in a small number of European countries

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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.; PayFit coverage is limited to a handful of European countries and the company withdrew from Germany in 2023, so any buyer with expansion plans should assume the country they need next will not be supported.
  • They diverge on capability: Justworks covers Co-employment PEO, PayFit covers Native payroll engine.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Justworks and PayFit actually diverge.

Attributes where Justworks and PayFit differ
AttributeJustworksPayFit
Starting price$8/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer employee per monthquote

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 PayFit

  • Native payroll engine
  • Statutory filing
  • Payslip generation
  • Time off management
  • Expenses
  • Employee records
  • Automated variable pay
  • Accounting export

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

PayFit

  • A French company of 50 people leaving a payroll bureau that charges per payslip and returns work slowlynot Justworks
  • A Spanish or Italian employer that needs payroll calculated in-country rather than routed through an intermediarynot Justworks
  • A UK subsidiary of a European group that wants payroll on the same platform as the parent where the country is supportednot Justworks
  • A finance team that wants payroll journals exported directly into the local accounting system without manual mappingnot 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.

PayFit

  • Coverage is limited to a handful of European countries and the company withdrew from Germany in 2023, so any buyer with expansion plans should assume the country they need next will not be supported.
  • There is no employer of record capability, so hiring one person in an unsupported country means adding a separate vendor and a separate employment model.
  • The HR modules cover time off, expenses and records but do not replace an HRIS, and companies with performance, learning or ATS requirements will run PayFit alongside another system.
  • Pricing is quoted per country as a platform fee plus a per employee charge, which makes cross-border cost comparison awkward and means a small subsidiary can carry a disproportionate fixed cost.
  • The product is built for small and mid-sized employers, and companies past a few hundred employees report hitting limits in complex collective agreement handling and in bulk data correction workflows.

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

PayFit

On request
  • PayFit$undefined/year
    • Monthly platform fee plus a charge per paid employee
    • Pricing differs by country of employment
    • Payroll calculation and statutory filing

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 PayFit if

  • You need native payroll engine.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want statutory filing.
PayFit review

Questions people ask

Is Justworks or PayFit better?
Neither clearly leads. Justworks starts at $8/month and PayFit at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Justworks or PayFit?
Justworks starts at $8/month and PayFit at On request.
Does Justworks or PayFit run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 PayFit is typically brought in for.
What can Justworks do that PayFit cannot?
Justworks covers Co-employment PEO, Large-group benefits, Payroll and filings, Workers' compensation. PayFit covers Native payroll engine, Statutory filing, Payslip generation, 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.

PayFit: Which countries does PayFit actually calculate payroll in?

It runs its own payroll engine for the countries it sells in, currently France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom, and it closed its German operation in 2023.

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.

PayFit: Is it native payroll or aggregation through a local partner?

Native. Country rules are written and maintained in the company own domain-specific language, so calculation and filing are PayFit responsibilities rather than a partner obligation.

Justworks: Can Justworks employ people outside the US?

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

PayFit: Can PayFit employ staff on my behalf?

No. It is payroll software for entities you already have. Employment in a country without your own entity needs an employer of record.

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.

PayFit: Does it handle collective bargaining agreements?

Common French and Spanish agreements are supported, but unusual or heavily negotiated agreements can require manual handling.

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