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Paylocity vs Spendesk

Paylocity logo

Paylocity

Software

HR and payroll solutions to drive employee engagement

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Spendesk logo

Spendesk

Software

Smart spend management for modern teams

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Spendesk no publicly available pricing, requires custom quote
  • They diverge on capability: Paylocity covers Payroll, Spendesk covers Company cards.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Paylocity and Spendesk actually diverge.

Attributes where Paylocity and Spendesk differ
AttributePaylocitySpendesk
Starting priceOn request$29/month
Pricing modelquotesubscription
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Mobile iOS, Mobile Android
Founded19972016

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

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 Paylocity

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

Only in Spendesk

  • Company cards
  • Expense management
  • Invoice payments
  • Budget management
  • Spend analytics
  • Xero
  • Sage
  • SOC 2

Both cover

  • NetSuite
  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Paylocity

No use cases recorded yet. See the Paylocity review.

Spendesk

  • Expense managementnot Paylocity
  • Spend controlnot Paylocity
  • Finance automationnot Paylocity

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Spendesk

  • No publicly available pricing, requires custom quote
  • Strong European presence but limited in some non-EU markets
  • High implementation costs due to extensive integration requirements

Pricing, plan by plan

Paylocity

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

Spendesk

$29/month
  • EssentialsFree
    • Virtual cards
    • Expense tracking
    • Approvals

Which should you pick?

Choose Paylocity if

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

Choose Spendesk if

  • You need company cards.
  • You work on Web, Mobile iOS, Mobile Android.
  • You also want expense management.
Spendesk review

Questions people ask

Is Paylocity or Spendesk better?
Neither clearly leads. Paylocity starts at On request and Spendesk at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Paylocity or Spendesk?
Paylocity starts at On request and Spendesk at $29/month.
Does Paylocity or Spendesk run on more platforms?
Paylocity runs on Web, Ios, Android. Spendesk runs on Web, Mobile iOS, Mobile Android.
What can Paylocity do that Spendesk cannot?
Paylocity covers Payroll, HR Management, Benefits Administration, Time and Labor. Spendesk covers Company cards, Expense management, Invoice payments, Budget management. Both handle NetSuite, Web support, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Spendesk: What is included in Spendesk's platform?

Spendesk combines corporate cards, a mobile receipts app, approval workflows, automated reconciliation, accounts payable, procurement, and spend controls into one platform.

Source
Spendesk: How does Spendesk handle expense receipts?

Spendesk captures receipts via mobile photo upload with OCR technology, automatically matching receipts to transactions and generating automated expense reports with 98% of expense receipts collected on time.

Source
Spendesk: What integrations does Spendesk offer?

Spendesk integrates with accounting software including Sage, Xero, NetSuite, and SAP, plus HR systems and tools like Slack for comprehensive spend management.

Source
Spendesk: Is Spendesk profitable?

Yes. Spendesk became the first spend management platform to reach profitability in 2025, processing over £10 billion in spend across 35+ countries.

Source
Spendesk: What is Spendesk's valuation?

Spendesk is a unicorn company with a valuation of $1.5 billion, with 2025 revenue of $52 million ARR.

Source
Spendesk: How much time can Spendesk save on bookkeeping?

Organizations using Spendesk save an average of 4 days per month on bookkeeping, equivalent to over 380 hours per year returned to the business.

Source
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