Connecteam vs Paylocity

Connecteam and Paylocity look similar but target totally different business needs. Connecteam is the streamlined choice built for deskless, frontline teams. Paylocity is a far broader HR, Finance, and IT suite for large organizations. The decision comes down to operational simplicity versus integrated enterprise depth.

Connecteam
Connecteam

Essential Management Tool for Deskless Teams

Ciroapp review
4.7
#1 in Human Resources Management System

We find Connecteam delivers an exceptionally comprehensive suite tailored perfectly for deskless teams, consolidating communication, scheduling, and HR tasks into a simple mobile application. Overall, it’s a highly valuable solution that offers unparalleled features, particularly through the generous free tier for small businesses.

Pros

  • Incredible value provided by the permanent free plan (up to 10 users).
  • Highly user-friendly interface that is easily customized for specific business needs.
  • Excellent all-in-one platform replaces the need for using multiple, disparate tools.
  • Streamlines essential operations like scheduling, shift management, and payroll prep.

Cons

  • One strong critique noted isolated issues with customer support responsiveness.
  • Some users found the scheduling feature lacked a traditional calendar view.
  • Specific system integration options could be expanded in the future.
Pricing
$0/mo
Free trial14 days
Money-back
Best for
Deskless teams in construction, cleaning, or security, Teams needing easy time tracking with GPS/shift scheduling, Small businesses or startups requiring a free essential HR tool
Paylocity
Paylocity

Strong Platform, Severely Lacking Support.

Ciroapp review
2.1
#9 in Human Resources Management System

Paylocity offers a highly comprehensive platform uniting HR, Finance, and IT capabilities, which is flexible and modular for various business needs. We noted the powerful feature set, but external feedback consistently highlights serious execution failures in critical areas like customer service and implementation quality. Overall, we recommend approaching Paylocity cautiously due to significant, recurring issues with tax accuracy and client support responsiveness.

Pros

  • Unified platform covering core HR, Finance, and IT management functions.
  • Flexible, modular pricing allows businesses to select only necessary solutions.
  • Comprehensive features including global payroll support and integrated expense management.
  • Supports 24/7 access through a dedicated employee self-service mobile application.

Cons

  • Critically poor and highly non-responsive customer service and support teams.
  • Implementation and onboarding processes are reportedly slow, complicated, and tedious.
  • Frequent reports of high error rates in quarterly payroll and state tax filings (up to 30%).
  • Lack of consistent, properly trained, or dedicated account representatives.
Pricing
Not explicitly stated
Free trial
Money-back
Best for
Large enterprises needing integrated HR, Finance, and IT, Mid-market companies focused on strategic talent management and development, Organizations requiring deep financial controls (AP, Expense, Corporate Cards)
Quick verdict
Choose Connecteam if you manage a deskless workforce in industries like field services, construction, or cleaning and prioritize ease of use
Choose Paylocity if you are a mid-market or enterprise organization needing deep integration across HR, Finance, and IT functions

AboutConnecteam

Connecteam is designed specifically to help managers of deskless teams. It provides an impressive suite of smart work tools all in one simple mobile app. This platform ensures your workforce stays connected wherever they are, right on their phone. You can simplify complex processes from scheduling to payroll, making work flow much easier for everyone. It’s built to fit your industry, whether you’re in Construction, Cleaning, or Security. 💡

AboutPaylocity

Paylocity is designed as the ultimate platform for today's workforce. It unifies essential business functions—HR, Finance, and IT—to empower your internal teams. The flexible solutions enable smarter decisions, fuel growth, and inspire confident leadership. Paylocity proudly supports businesses across the board, from small teams (1-99 employees) up through midsize and large enterprises (500+). Paylocity helps transform your workforce and ensures employees access everything daily, often right within the dedicated app. 💡

Highlights

Quick winners by category at a glance.
Ease of Use
Connecteam is consistently praised as intuitive for deskless employees and managers. Paylocity is criticized for glitches and complexity.
Feature Set
Paylocity has broader, deeper features spanning HR, Finance, and IT functions. Connecteam offers a tighter, specific operational feature set.
Tie
Value for Money
Connecteam offers robust features starting at $10/month and provides a functional free plan. Paylocity is expensive and quote-based.
Customer Support
Connecteam guarantees 24/7 support with under five-minute response times. Paylocity reports critically non-existent support often.
Mobile Experience
Connecteam is mobile-first, designed specifically to unify operations for frontline, deskless workers.
Scalability
Paylocity is built for full enterprise scale (500+ employees) across all key business functions.

Feature Comparison

Compare key features side by side
Primary Audience Focus
Connecteam:Deskless/Frontline Workers
Paylocity:Unified HR, Finance, IT
Tie
All-in-One Platform Scope
Connecteam:HR, Operations, Communications
Paylocity:HR, Finance, IT Management
Tie
Payroll Processing
Connecteam:Time Tracking/Prep for Payroll
Paylocity:Dedicated Core Payroll Feature
Tie
Time Clock with GPS Tracking
Connecteam:
Paylocity:
Tie
Digital Forms & Checklists
Connecteam:Yes (Core operational tool)
Paylocity:Not specified
Connecteam
Advanced Financial Solutions (AP/Expense)
Connecteam:Basic via integrations only
Paylocity:Yes (AI-powered, Corporate Cards)
Tie
Strategic Talent Management
Connecteam:Basic (Learning/HR Hub)
Paylocity:Deep (360 feedback, Comp Planning)
Tie
IT Asset Management
Connecteam:
Paylocity:Yes (Track devices, SSO/MFA)
Paylocity
Learning Management System (LMS)
Connecteam:Yes (Bite-sized courses)
Paylocity:Yes (Interactive Compliance Training)
Tie
In-App Messaging/Collaboration
Connecteam:Yes (Communications Hub)
Paylocity:Yes (Employee Experience Platform)
Tie
Free Plan Available
Connecteam:
Paylocity:
Connecteam
Free Trial Offered
Connecteam:14-day trial
Paylocity:No
Connecteam
Published Pricing Available
Connecteam:Yes (Starts at $10)
Paylocity:No (Custom quote only)
Connecteam
Global Payroll Support
Connecteam:Not explicitly stated
Paylocity:Yes (100+ countries)
Paylocity
Customer Support Availability
Connecteam:24/7 Live Support (Stated)
Paylocity:Critically Poor (Reported by users)
Tie
Integration via Developer APIs
Connecteam:Limited/Not specified
Paylocity:Yes (Robust APIs and SDKs)
Paylocity
Feature Comparison Summary
4
Connecteam
9
Ties
3
Paylocity

Features Overview

We highlight the main differences and pick a winner for each feature.

Core Purpose & Audience

Connecteam is built for frontline workers; Paylocity aims for comprehensive back-office unification.

Tie

Connecteam is designed specifically for deskless teams like security or cleaning staff. It centralizes scheduling, clocking, and communication via mobile access. Connecteam makes operations simple and highly accessible for employees on the go. Paylocity focuses on combining HR, Finance, and IT under one highly modular umbrella. This platform suits organizations that need strategic data integration across all corporate functions. Connecteam provides specialized operational ease-of-use; Paylocity delivers deep enterprise feature depth. If your team lives in the field, Connecteam’s focused design is ideal.

Payroll Reliability

Connecteam ensures accurate payroll data; Paylocity's core payroll execution is widely criticized.

Connecteam

Connecteam simplifies payroll preparation via precise time clock, GPS tracking, and timesheet approvals. This reduces manual errors leading to overall better payroll accuracy. Paylocity offers a complete core payroll engine with support across 100+ global countries. Sadly, numerous user reviews critically cite late and inconsistent direct deposit processing. While Paylocity has the full payroll engine, Connecteam’s reliability and execution are safer. Paylocity’s documented execution failures pose a major financial risk to employee trust.

Advanced Financial Tools

Paylocity offers extensive Finance automation; Connecteam concentrates purely on workforce operations.

Paylocity

Connecteam does not inherently offer robust financial tools like expense management or AP automation. Its strength is maximizing field operations visibility and compliance. Paylocity features AI-powered expense management and corporate cards with built-in policy controls. It also includes Accounts Payable automation for streamlined invoice processing. If you absolutely need to manage company spend and automate complex AP processes, Paylocity is necessary. Connecteam users must rely on external software for comprehensive financial management functions.

Pricing & Affordability

Connecteam is transparent and cheap for small teams; Paylocity only uses high-cost custom quotes.

Connecteam

Connecteam offers a functional free plan and clearly published starting prices from $10. It is deliberately budget-friendly for small teams and operational headquarters. Paylocity requires contacting sales for a custom, quote-based plan; the cost signaling major enterprise commitment. This custom structure means Paylocity is almost certainly significantly more expensive than Connecteam. Connecteam provides accessible, transparent entry into workforce management for growing businesses.

Customer Support Quality

Connecteam guarantees 24/7 support; Paylocity reviews report critically non-existent assistance.

Connecteam

Connecteam advertises 24/7 live support with a stated response goal under five minutes. Users typically praise the responsiveness during implementation and operational issues. Paylocity clientele frequently reports a severe lack of human support and high account manager turnover. Reviews describe having “absolutely no support available” when needed. Connecteam offers guaranteed accessibility as a core product feature. Paylocity's poor customer service is a massive risk to ongoing operations and user satisfaction.

Ease of Use

Connecteam is simple for frontline staff; Paylocity is an integrated behemoth with a steeper learning curve.

Connecteam

Connecteam is consistently praised for its intuitive interface, designed for non-technical deskless workers. Onboarding is smooth, supported by excellent training resources. Paylocity offers vast, modular depth across HR, IT, and Finance, inherently creating complexity. While powerful, many users cite glitches and difficulty using core functions like timesheets. Connecteam achieves simplicity by expertly controlling its feature scope. Paylocity accepts complexity in exchange for unified business management.

Talent Management Depth

Paylocity delivers sophisticated talent tools; Connecteam covers only basic HR and basic learning.

Paylocity

Connecteam provides essential HR functions, file storage, and bite-sized learning courses for compliance. It focuses on necessary workforce record-keeping and forms digitization. Paylocity includes robust strategic features like 360-degree feedback and compensation planning tools. Specialized modules enhance deep employee development strategies. Connecteam specializes in operational task management for compliance. Paylocity excels at fostering employee growth and complex talent strategies.

IT Management & Security

Paylocity handles enterprise IT infrastructure; Connecteam focuses on data compliance only.

Paylocity

Connecteam’s security primarily focuses on audit-ready records and digital documentation compliance. It does not offer specific tools for IT infrastructure or device control. Paylocity incorporates full IT solutions like secure SSO, MFA, automated provisioning features. It also offers centralized asset management to track employee devices. Paylocity provides enterprise-grade infrastructure management, essential for larger businesses with high IT security needs.

Our Verdict

Objective guidance based on features, pricing, and user fit.

This comparison is a choice between reliability and comprehensive feature breadth. Connecteam is the clear winner for operational ease and user satisfaction. Paylocity offers unmatched enterprise integration but introduces major execution risks. Connecteam's superpower is simplifying complicated operational workflows for the deskless workforce. Its mobile-first design makes scheduling, time clocking, and training seamless for frontline staff. The accessible pricing and guaranteed 24/7 support provide immense value for small to mid-sized organizations. Paylocity's strength lies in its unified vision across HR, Finance, and IT departments. If you need deep talent management, complex expense control, or IT asset tracking, Paylocity delivers those modules. It is explicitly built to serve large enterprise organizations with complex feature demands. The deciding factor must be execution and reliability, specifically around payroll and support. Connecteam's excellent user reviews attest to reliable service and responsive support. Conversely, Paylocity faces severe criticism regarding payroll inconsistencies and poor customer service. If you manage a deskless team and prioritize a reliable, easy experience, choose Connecteam. If your enterprise absolutely requires unified Finance, HR, and IT modules, Paylocity *may* be your only fit despite the high implementation risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is better for small businesses: Connecteam or Paylocity?

Connecteam is significantly better for small businesses and mid-sized deskless teams. It offers a free plan and transparent pricing starting at $10. Paylocity uses custom enterprise quotes and is generally much more expensive.

Does Connecteam offer advanced financial tools like Paylocity?

No, Connecteam focuses on workforce operations like scheduling and time tracking. Paylocity provides deep financial tools like AP automation and corporate card management. Connecteam users often need a separate accounting integration.

Why are Paylocity's user reviews so much worse than Connecteam's?

Paylocity scores poorly (2.0 rating) due to major complaints about customer support quality and payroll inconsistency. Connecteam (4.7 rating) is praised for reliable performance and fast, responsive support. This difference is critical.

Which platform is best for managing a frontline or deskless workforce?

Connecteam is explicitly designed for deskless teams in industries like construction and cleaning. It centralizes operations, communication, and training in a mobile app. Paylocity focuses more on office-based, strategic HR functions.

Is Paylocity worth the custom quote cost over Connecteam?

Paylocity is worth the cost only if your business absolutely requires its deeply unified HR, IT, and Finance modules. Connecteam offers significantly better overall value if you only need staff scheduling and communication features.

Does Paylocity have a free trial option or free entrance tier?

No, Paylocity does not offer a free trial or free plan; you must request a demo and custom quote. Connecteam is much more accessible, offering both a 14-day free trial plus a permanent free tier.

Ready to Choose?

Both tools have their strengths. Choose based on your specific needs.