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Payroll · head to head

Paylocity vs Wagestream

Paylocity logo

Paylocity

Payroll

HR and payroll solutions to drive employee engagement

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Wagestream logo

Wagestream

Payroll

Financial wellbeing platform with flexible pay, savings and coaching for UK and US employers

From
On request
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.; Wagestream employees pay a flat fee of around 1.95 pounds per transfer, so frequent users pay a meaningful annual sum to access wages they have already earned.
  • They diverge on capability: Paylocity covers Payroll, Wagestream covers Stream pay.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Paylocity and Wagestream actually diverge.

Attributes where Paylocity and Wagestream differ
AttributePaylocityWagestream
Founded1997Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), 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 Paylocity

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

Only in Wagestream

  • Stream pay
  • Build savings
  • Track
  • Coaching
  • Employer subsidy
  • Rostering integration

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.

Wagestream

  • A care provider with thousands of shift workers using flexible pay to fill unpopular shiftsnot Paylocity
  • A retailer under ESG scrutiny that wants to subsidise the transfer fee and evidence a genuine benefitnot Paylocity
  • An employer whose staff use payday lending and who wants a cheaper alternative inside payrollnot Paylocity
  • A logistics operator wanting savings-from-pay alongside early access rather than advances alonenot 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.

Wagestream

  • Employees pay a flat fee of around 1.95 pounds per transfer, so frequent users pay a meaningful annual sum to access wages they have already earned.
  • Employers who do not subsidise the fee are, in effect, offering a benefit funded by their lowest-paid staff, which is an awkward position when unions or ESG reporting examine it.
  • Transfers are capped at a share of earned wages, commonly around half a month, so it does not resolve a genuine income shortfall and can delay someone seeking real debt help.
  • It needs accurate payroll and rostering feeds; employers with legacy or multiple payroll systems face long integrations before launch.
  • Uptake concentrates in a minority of staff who use it repeatedly, so headline adoption figures overstate how broadly the benefit is felt across a workforce.

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

Wagestream

On request
  • Wagestream$undefined/year
    • Employer platform fee quoted, commonly per employee per month
    • Employee pays roughly 1.95 per wage transfer unless subsidised
    • Employer can part-subsidise or fully fund the transfer fee

Which should you pick?

Choose Paylocity if

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

Choose Wagestream if

  • You need stream pay.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want build savings.
Wagestream review

Questions people ask

Is Paylocity or Wagestream better?
Neither clearly leads. Paylocity starts at On request and Wagestream at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Paylocity or Wagestream?
Paylocity starts at On request and Wagestream at On request.
Does Paylocity or Wagestream run on more platforms?
Paylocity runs on Web, Ios, Android. Wagestream runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What can Paylocity do that Wagestream cannot?
Paylocity covers Payroll, HR Management, Benefits Administration, Time and Labor. Wagestream covers Stream pay, Build savings, Track, Coaching.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Wagestream: What does an employee pay?

A flat fee of roughly 1.95 pounds per transfer, unless the employer subsidises part or all of it.

Wagestream: Is it a loan?

No. It is access to wages already earned, netted off at payroll, so there is no interest and no credit agreement.

Wagestream: Can employers cover the fee?

Yes. Employer subsidy is a standard option and is the difference between a genuine benefit and a cost passed to staff.

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