Paylocity vs BambooHR Pricing (2026)
Compare / Paylocity vs BambooHR
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Team size
25 seats

Paylocity vs BambooHR

HR/HRIS pricing comparison · 2026

Paylocity pricing ranges from $20–$40/user/month, while BambooHR ranges from $6–$25/employee/month. BambooHR is typically 57% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit BambooHR pricing
Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · HR/HRIS
Side-by-side · live
Paylocity
Paylocity is a cloud-based HCM and payroll software platform designed for mid-sized busine
verified 22d ago
$17K $42K
View pricing →
BambooHR
BambooHR pricing is not publicly listed.
verified 27d ago
$17K $42K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
BambooHR saves $25K vs Paylocity · 25 seats
Cheapest $17K
Spread 60%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Professional
$9.0K/yr
year 1 license · $30/seat
Pro
$5.1K/yr
year 1 license · $17/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
Median annual
$42K/yr
Vendr · n=13
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$17K/yr
Vendr · n=0 · limited data avg 9.79% negotiated
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 17 sourced facts
11 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 3w ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 11 sourced facts
9 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median
Last verified 3w ago
Confidence High confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Annual Price Increases
    5-10% of license costs
    1 source
  • BaseHR Package Requirement
    $1,000-$3,000
    1 source
  • Implementation Support Time
    $5,000-$15,000
    2 sources
  • Customer Service Delays
    10-20% additional labor time
    3 sources
  • FSA Administration Issues
    5-10 hours/month administrative time
    2 sources
4 documented
  • Add-on Features Cost Extra
    15-25% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Custom Pricing Lacks Transparency
    5-10%
    2 sources
  • Add-on Module Fees
    15-30% of license costs
    3 sources
  • Opaque Pricing Model
    5-10% of license costs
    2 sources
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Paylocity
BambooHR
Auto-renewal
✓ No
Yes
Cancellation
No official renewal required
Typically 30 days written notice before annual renewal
Commitment
Typically 1 year
Annual contracts standard; multi-year discounts available
Price escalation
Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in.
—
Can downgrade
✓ Yes
—
Based on 4 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
9.2/5 (5)
Trustpilot
1.2/5 (25)
Best for
Small to mid-sized businesses needing payroll and basic HR
Watch out
Extremely long customer service hold times (1.5+ hours)
TrustRadius
9/5
Best for
Small businesses needing core HR
Watch out
New features always cost extra
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Visit BambooHR pricing
Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
HR/HRIS

Paylocity

$20–$40
/user/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
HR/HRIS

BambooHR

$6–$25
/employee/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

Paylocity and BambooHR both operate in the hr/hris category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Paylocity BambooHR
Core $20 /user/month $10 /employee/month
Professional $30 /user/month $17 /employee/month
Enterprise $40 /user/month $25 /employee/month

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Paylocity

6 scenarios
$20/month
Starter Setup
$30/month
Growing Business
Custom pricing — typically negotiated annually, contact sales for quote
Enterprise (100+ users)
See all 6 scenarios →

BambooHR

5 scenarios
$10/month
Starter Setup
$22/month
Growing Business
$250/month
Enterprise Setup
See all 5 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

Paylocity

Median annual cost
$42,240
Based on
13 deals

BambooHR

Median annual cost
$17,045
Average negotiated discount
9.79%

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Paylocity 6 hidden costs

medium
Annual Price Increases 5-10% of license costs
medium
BaseHR Package Requirement $1,000-$3,000
medium
Implementation Support Time $5,000-$15,000
high
Customer Service Delays 10-20% additional labor time
medium
FSA Administration Issues 5-10 hours/month administrative time
See all Paylocity hidden costs →

BambooHR 4 hidden costs

medium
Add-on Features Cost Extra 15-25% of license costs
low
Custom Pricing Lacks Transparency 5-10%
medium
Add-on Module Fees 15-30% of license costs
low
Opaque Pricing Model 5-10% of license costs
See all BambooHR hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Paylocity BambooHR
Auto-renewal No Yes
Cancellation No official renewal required Typically 30 days written notice before annual renewal
Minimum commitment Typically 1 year Annual contracts standard; multi-year discounts available
Price escalation Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in. —
Can downgrade Yes —

Continue researching

Paylocity

BambooHR

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