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Payroll & Benefits · head to head

Paychex Flex vs Plex Manufacturing Cloud

Paychex Flex logo

Paychex Flex

Payroll & Benefits

Payroll and HR solutions that grow with you

From
$39/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
P

Plex Manufacturing Cloud

ERP & Business Operations

Cloud-native ERP for smart manufacturers

From
$500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Paychex Flex paychex publishes no rate card for Paychex Flex: the payroll page names the Select, Pro and Enterprise packages but gives no per employee fee, no base monthly fee and no setup fee; Plex Manufacturing Cloud the Internet Archive's capture of Plex Systems' homepage on 24 December 2019 named two distinct products, Plex Manufacturing Cloud and Plex Classic, sold only via 'Product Demo' with no price figure published.
  • They diverge on capability: Paychex Flex covers Payroll Processing, Plex Manufacturing Cloud covers Manufacturing execution.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Paychex Flex and Plex Manufacturing Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Paychex Flex and Plex Manufacturing Cloud differ
AttributePaychex FlexPlex Manufacturing Cloud
Starting price$39/month$500/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidCloud, Mobile, Web
CategoryPayroll & BenefitsERP & Business Operations
Founded19711995

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Paychex Flex

  • Payroll Processing
  • Tax Administration
  • HR Services
  • Benefits Administration
  • Time and Attendance
  • Retirement Services
  • QuickBooks
  • Xero

Only in Plex Manufacturing Cloud

  • Manufacturing execution
  • Supply chain visibility
  • Quality management
  • Financials
  • Inventory
  • IoT sensors
  • Industry 4.0 devices
  • Mobile applications

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Paychex Flex

  • Running payroll and filing payroll taxes for small and mid sized US businessesnot Plex Manufacturing Cloud
  • Combining payroll with benefits administration and HR services from one vendornot Plex Manufacturing Cloud
  • Handling multi state payroll compliance and year end tax formsnot Plex Manufacturing Cloud

Plex Manufacturing Cloud

  • Smart factory transformationnot Paychex Flex
  • Real-time production monitoringnot Paychex Flex
  • Supply chain transparencynot Paychex Flex
  • Industry 4.0 implementationnot Paychex Flex

Where each one falls short

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

Paychex Flex

  • Paychex publishes no rate card for Paychex Flex: the payroll page names the Select, Pro and Enterprise packages but gives no per employee fee, no base monthly fee and no setup fee
  • Pricing is obtained only by requesting a quote or calling sales
  • Product capability is split across three packages, so features are tied to a tier whose price is not disclosed

Plex Manufacturing Cloud

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Plex Systems' homepage on 24 December 2019 named two distinct products, Plex Manufacturing Cloud and Plex Classic, sold only via 'Product Demo' with no price figure published.

Pricing, plan by plan

Paychex Flex

$39/month
  • Essentials$39/month
    • Payroll Processing
    • Tax Services
    • Direct Deposit
  • Select$undefined/month
    • All Essentials features
    • HR Administration
    • Onboarding

Plex Manufacturing Cloud

$500/month
  • Standard$500/month
    • Core manufacturing
    • Financials
    • Inventory
  • Enterprise$1500/month
    • Advanced modules
    • IoT integration
    • Advanced analytics

Which should you pick?

Choose Paychex Flex if

  • You need payroll processing.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want tax administration.
Paychex Flex review

Choose Plex Manufacturing Cloud if

  • You need manufacturing execution.
  • You work on Cloud, Mobile, Web.
  • You also want supply chain visibility.
Plex Manufacturing Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is Paychex Flex or Plex Manufacturing Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Paychex Flex starts at $39/month and Plex Manufacturing Cloud at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Paychex Flex or Plex Manufacturing Cloud?
Paychex Flex starts at $39/month and Plex Manufacturing Cloud at $500/month.
Does Paychex Flex or Plex Manufacturing Cloud run on more platforms?
Paychex Flex runs on Web, Ios, Android. Plex Manufacturing Cloud runs on Cloud, Mobile, Web.
What is Paychex Flex best used for?
Paychex Flex is most often used for running payroll and filing payroll taxes for small and mid sized us businesses, combining payroll with benefits administration and hr services from one vendor, handling multi state payroll compliance and year end tax forms. Of those, running payroll and filing payroll taxes for small and mid sized us businesses and combining payroll with benefits administration and hr services from one vendor are not what Plex Manufacturing Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can Paychex Flex do that Plex Manufacturing Cloud cannot?
Paychex Flex covers Payroll Processing, Tax Administration, HR Services, Benefits Administration. Plex Manufacturing Cloud covers Manufacturing execution, Supply chain visibility, Quality management, Financials. Both handle Web support.
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