Softwr

Payroll · head to head

Justworks vs UKG Pro

Justworks logo

Justworks

Payroll

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

From
$8/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
UKG Pro logo

UKG Pro

Payroll

Our purpose is people

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.; UKG Pro no access to super-user privileges or advanced database customization
  • They diverge on capability: Justworks covers Co-employment PEO, UKG Pro covers HR Management.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Justworks and UKG Pro actually diverge.

Attributes where Justworks and UKG Pro differ
AttributeJustworksUKG Pro
Starting price$8/monthOn request
Pricing modelPer employee per monthUnknown
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Mobile (iOS/Android), Cloud (Hosted)
FoundedUnknown2020

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 UKG Pro

  • HR Management
  • Payroll
  • Benefits Administration
  • Talent Management
  • Workforce Management
  • Analytics
  • Salesforce
  • Microsoft 365

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

UKG Pro

No use cases recorded yet. See the UKG Pro review.

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.

UKG Pro

  • No access to super-user privileges or advanced database customization
  • Limited system procedure access for advanced administrative functions
  • No direct host access via SSH, Telnet, or remote desktop connectivity
  • Requires paid technical support subscription for assistance beyond standard support

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

UKG Pro

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the UKG Pro 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.
Justworks review

Choose UKG Pro if

  • You need hr management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile (iOS/Android), Cloud (Hosted).
  • You also want payroll.
UKG Pro review

Questions people ask

Is Justworks or UKG Pro better?
Neither clearly leads. Justworks starts at $8/month and UKG Pro at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Justworks or UKG Pro?
Justworks starts at $8/month and UKG Pro at On request.
Does Justworks or UKG Pro run on more platforms?
Justworks runs on Web, iOS, Android. UKG Pro runs on Web, Mobile (iOS/Android), Cloud (Hosted).
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 UKG Pro is typically brought in for.
What can Justworks do that UKG Pro cannot?
Justworks covers Co-employment PEO, Large-group benefits, Payroll and filings, Workers' compensation. UKG Pro covers HR Management, Payroll, Benefits Administration, Talent 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.

UKG Pro: What databases does UKG Pro support?

UKG Pro is a cloud-based HCM platform that manages payroll, benefits, and HR across 160+ countries in a single integrated system.

Source
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.

UKG Pro: Does UKG Pro handle multi-country payroll?

Yes. UKG Pro can manage global payroll complexity and ensure accurate, compliant payroll processing across 160+ countries, all in one seamless experience.

Source
Justworks: Can Justworks employ people outside the US?

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

UKG Pro: What features are included in time and attendance tracking?

Time and Attendance module monitors employee working hours, attendance, and related data to drive accurate payroll processing and compliance.

Source
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.

UKG Pro: Does UKG Pro offer reporting and analytics?

Yes. UKG Pro provides customizable reporting and analytics for actionable workforce insights, enabling data-driven human capital decisions.

Source
UKG Pro: What is UKG Talk?

UKG Talk is a built-in collaboration platform within UKG Pro that enables real-time team communication and engagement features.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Justworks

More on UKG Pro

Keep looking

Other head to heads