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Payroll · head to head

Openwage vs Paylocity

Openwage logo

Openwage

Payroll

UK earned wage access charging a transparent 1 percent transfer fee, free for employers

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paylocity logo

Paylocity

Payroll

HR and payroll solutions to drive employee engagement

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Openwage it is UK-only, tied to UK payroll cycles and regulation, so it is not usable for international workforces.; Paylocity the Internet Archive's capture of Paylocity's homepage on 3 January 2021 named a wide suite of modules, including Payroll, On Demand Payment, HR Edge, Recruiting, Performance Management, Compensation Management and a Learning Management System, all sold via 'Request a Demo' with no price figures published.
  • They diverge on capability: Openwage covers On-demand pay, Paylocity covers Payroll.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Openwage and Paylocity actually diverge.

Attributes where Openwage and Paylocity differ
AttributeOpenwagePaylocity
Pricing modelPer-transfer fee, paid by the employeequote
FoundedUnknown1997

Identical on both: starting price (On request), 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 Openwage

  • On-demand pay
  • Transparent per-transfer fee
  • Payroll and T&A integration
  • No credit impact
  • Automatic payday reconciliation
  • Employer-free deployment

Only in Paylocity

  • Payroll
  • HR Management
  • Benefits Administration
  • Time and Labor
  • Talent Management
  • Employee Engagement
  • Slack
  • Microsoft Teams

What people use each for

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

Openwage

  • A UK employer with shift or hourly staff wanting an on-demand pay benefit at no cost to the businessnot Paylocity
  • An employee wanting to know the exact cost of an advance before requesting one, rather than an opaque feenot Paylocity
  • A company already running standard UK payroll and time and attendance systems wanting straightforward integrationnot Paylocity
  • An HR team comparing earned wage access providers on published unit economics rather than sales quotesnot Paylocity

Paylocity

No use cases recorded yet. See the Paylocity review.

Where each one falls short

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

Openwage

  • It is UK-only, tied to UK payroll cycles and regulation, so it is not usable for international workforces.
  • Even a published, low fee still means employees effectively pay to access their own earned money, and frequent use compounds that cost over a year.
  • The 50% cap on gross (not net) earned pay can overstate what an employee can actually draw once tax and deductions are accounted for, creating confusion at the point of request.
  • As with all earned wage access, dependency on the product is a symptom of insufficient pay cadence or amount that the advance itself does not fix, and can mask a deeper compensation problem an employer should address directly.
  • Accuracy is entirely dependent on the employer's payroll and time and attendance data being current, so errors upstream produce incorrect available-balance figures for employees.

Paylocity

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Paylocity's homepage on 3 January 2021 named a wide suite of modules, including Payroll, On Demand Payment, HR Edge, Recruiting, Performance Management, Compensation Management and a Learning Management System, all sold via 'Request a Demo' with no price figures published.

Pricing, plan by plan

Openwage

On request
  • Openwage$undefined/month
    • Free for employers to offer
    • 1% fee per transfer, minimum £1, paid by the employee
    • No interest and no credit check

Paylocity

On request
  • Core Payroll$undefined/month
    • Payroll Processing
    • Tax Services
    • Direct Deposit
  • Complete HCM$undefined/month
    • All Core features
    • HR
    • Benefits

Which should you pick?

Choose Openwage if

  • You need on-demand pay.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want transparent per-transfer fee.
Openwage review

Choose Paylocity if

  • You need payroll.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want hr management.
Paylocity review

Questions people ask

Is Openwage or Paylocity better?
Neither clearly leads. Openwage starts at On request and Paylocity at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Openwage or Paylocity?
Openwage starts at On request and Paylocity at On request.
Does Openwage or Paylocity run on more platforms?
Openwage runs on Web, iOS, Android. Paylocity runs on Web, Ios, Android.
What is Openwage best used for?
Openwage is most often used for a uk employer with shift or hourly staff wanting an on-demand pay benefit at no cost to the business, an employee wanting to know the exact cost of an advance before requesting one, rather than an opaque fee, a company already running standard uk payroll and time and attendance systems wanting straightforward integration, an hr team comparing earned wage access providers on published unit economics rather than sales quotes. Of those, a uk employer with shift or hourly staff wanting an on-demand pay benefit at no cost to the business and an employee wanting to know the exact cost of an advance before requesting one, rather than an opaque fee are not what Paylocity is typically brought in for.
What can Openwage do that Paylocity cannot?
Openwage covers On-demand pay, Transparent per-transfer fee, Payroll and T&A integration, No credit impact. Paylocity covers Payroll, HR Management, Benefits Administration, Time and Labor.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Openwage: Who pays the fee?

The employee, at 1% of the amount transferred with a minimum of £1; the employer benefit itself is free.

Openwage: Is it a loan?

No, Openwage states it is not a loan or credit product; there is no interest and no credit score impact.

Openwage: How much can an employee access?

Up to 50% of gross wages already earned in the current pay period.

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