Top Papaya Global Alternatives

Papaya Global is a cloud-based platform for global payroll, onboarding, contractor payments, and compliance. Enterprises use it to manage payroll and payments across the world. But it’s not perfect. Smaller Human Resources (HR) teams may find it heavy and expensive for basic payroll needs. These limitations have led some companies to explore alternatives that are simpler, more affordable, or more specialized.

In this guide, we will review the top 10 Papaya Global alternatives to help you find the perfect software. For each option, we will cover:

  • How it compares to Papaya Global
  • Key pros and cons
  • Pricing details

TL;DR: What’s the best alternative to Papaya Global? Deel stands out as the best Papaya Global alternative. It combines global HR, payroll, and contractor management with in-house payroll, local experts, and streamlined compliance for efficient workforce management.

Our Top 10 Papaya Global Alternative Recommendations

1. Deel

Best For: Hiring And Managing Global Teams

Overall Rating: 4.8 (16 reviews)

Free Trial: No

Deel is a unified platform for global payroll, HR, and contractor management. It is designed to simplify hiring, onboarding, and compliance. It also consolidates EOR, PEO, payroll, and contractor services into a single system. This reduces administrative overhead and ensures legal compliance.

Compared to Papaya Global, Deel owns the majority of the entities where it provides services. It is supported by local in-country experts across HR, legal, mobility, and payroll. This ensures faster, more accurate onboarding and compliance.

We recommend Deel because it operates payroll in-house for all countries where it offers EOR and payroll services.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Deel?

Pros

Cons

  • Fast expense uploads for easier contract management
  • Automates onboarding and contractor management, cutting administrative workload
  • Centralized payroll and multi-currency withdrawals simplify invoice management
  • Some payout and withdrawal methods can be slow or limited
  • Advanced reporting and feature options may feel rigid

How Much Does Deel Cost?

Deel offers four main product categories, each with multiple modules and different pricing options:

  • Deel Payroll: Starting at $0 (For up to 3 months)
  • Deel HR: Starting at $5/employee/month
  • Deel IT: Starting at $9/device/month
  • Deel Services: Custom pricing

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

2. ApplicantStack

Best For: Affordable Applicant Tracking And Onboarding

Overall Rating: 4.4 (506 reviews)

Free Trial: Yes

ApplicantStack is a straightforward Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and onboarding platform that is designed to make hiring fast, efficient, and simple. It allows employers to post jobs, screen candidates, and automate workflows, all from just one place. From posting to job boards and social media to tracking applications and scheduling interviews, ApplicantStack keeps the process structured without adding unnecessary complexity.

Where it really stands out is in its focus. Unlike global payroll platforms like Papaya Global, ApplicantStack is built purely for recruitment and onboarding.

If hiring speed and ease of use are the top priorities, ApplicantStack is a strong choice.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of ApplicantStack?

Pros

Cons

  • Onboarding supports videos, handbooks, forms, and digital signatures
  • Centralized candidate tracking streamlines hiring workflow
  • Automated form requests simplify onboarding data collection
  • Manager roles lack admin-level privilege customization
  • Hiring and onboarding split into separate modules limits workflow continuity

How Much Does ApplicantStack Cost?

The vendor offers four subscription plans with a 14-day free trial:

  • Starter – $29.99/month
  • Growth – $49.99/month
  • Recruit – $109.99/month
  • Bundle – $159.99/month

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

3. Gusto

Best For: Payroll, Benefits, And HR for SMBs

Overall Rating: 4.4 (509 reviews)

Free Trial: N/A

Gusto HR software brings payroll, HR, and benefits together in a single platform for small and mid-sized businesses. From automated payroll and tax filings to benefits management and onboarding, employees can handle much of the work themselves, making HR simpler for everyone.

Its standout feature is the employee self-service portal, which reduces admin tasks and lets team members manage pay, paid time off (PTO), and benefits directly.

Gusto is a smart choice. It streamlines domestic payroll, keeps benefits and HR in one place, and helps employees get up to speed fast, saving time and keeping the process smooth for small teams.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Gusto?

Pros

Cons

  • Simplifies payroll and PTO handling, lowering the chance of errors
  • Efficiently handles multiple roles and varied pay rates
  • Provides up-to-the-minute leave tracking
  • Hours cannot be recorded ahead of time
  • Customization options in reporting are limited

How Much Does Gusto Cost?

Gusto offers two modules, one for Teams and one for Solo:

  • Solo - $49/month

Teams:

  • Simple - $49/month
  • Plus - $80/month
  • Premium - $180/month

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

4. ADP Workforce Now

Best For: All-In-One Payroll

Overall Rating: 4.5 (236 reviews)

Free Trial: N/A

ADP Workforce Now is an all-in-one HR and payroll platform built for mid-market and enterprise organizations. It brings together payroll, time and attendance, benefits administration, and talent management in a single, AI-powered solution. Everything is designed to scale smoothly across U.S. and Canadian locations.

What sets ADP apart is its solid compliance support and reporting capabilities. The system helps organizations stay on top of federal, state, and local regulations by providing actionable insights into workforce trends, pay competitiveness, and employee retention.

It’s a strong choice for companies that need a configurable, enterprise-grade payroll and HCM solution.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of ADP Workforce Now?

Pros

Cons

  • Centralized payroll, compliance, docs, training in one system for efficient management
  • Integrates with other tools and automates workflows to save time
  • Robust reporting capabilities for better insights and decision-making
  • Retro pay calculations lack mid-cycle accuracy
  • Some processes require too many manual steps

How Much Does ADP Workforce Now Cost?

ADP Workforce Now offers three pricing plans:

  • Select
  • Plus
  • Premium

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

5. Calamari

Best For: Leave, Time, And Attendance

Overall Rating: 4.5 (186 reviews)

Free Trial: Yes

Calamari HR software makes managing time off and attendance simple by helping teams ditch spreadsheets for a more efficient approach. It lets employees request leave, track hours, and manage timesheets all in one place, all the while managers get instant visibility into absences and attendance patterns.

What really sets it apart is how intuitive it is. Time tracking, leave approvals, and timesheets are all built to work seamlessly with Slack software, Microsoft Teams, and other everyday apps, so teams don’t waste time switching tools.

For small or growing distributed teams, Calamari is a practical solution. It’s perfect when the goal is quick deployment, easy PTO tracking, and simple HR recordkeeping, giving managers more time to focus on their team rather than paperwork.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Calamari HR Software?

Pros

Cons

  • Automates leave tracking via Slack and Calendar, keeping teams aligned
  • API integration supports invoicing and workflow automation, saving time and reducing errors
  • Improves visibility and planning by centralized tracking of entitlements and vacation trends
  • Limited feature set restricts advanced HR needs
  • Outage communication and downtime transparency could improve

How Much Does Calamari HR Software Cost?

Calamari offers modular pricing based on employee count, starting at 10 employees, with a 14-day free trial:

  • Time Off: $2.5/employee/month
  • Time & Attendance: $3/employee/month
  • Core HR: $2.5/employee/month
  • Performance: $3/employee/month

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

6. UZIO

Best For: AI-Powered Payroll

Overall Rating: 4.4 (131 reviews)

Free Trial: N/A

UZIO brings Artificial Intelligence (AI) right into payroll and HR, making traditionally tedious tasks much simpler. The platform covers payroll, tax admin, HRIS, benefits, time, and expenses, all with AI-driven automation to help teams focus on higher-impact work. It streamlines approvals, cleans up timesheets, and automatically detects anomalies to prevent payroll errors.

The AI features are what really make UZIO stand out. Automated payroll agents and AI Copilot streamline the entire process, catching mistakes before they happen and speeding up approvals. Even complex tasks like payroll anomaly detection or tip distribution are handled efficiently with minimal manual intervention.

Organizations that want a forward-looking payroll solution will appreciate UZIO. It’s especially useful for teams comfortable with newer, AI-first tools, offering smart verification, simplified HR workflows, and faster, more reliable payroll processing.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of UZIO?

Pros

Cons

  • Reduces administrative effort by tracking time-off requests with simple approval workflow
  • Manages HR docs and PTO in a unified platform
  • Combines benefits, time-off, and data access with progress-saving, streamlining HR tasks
  • Missing option for hosting training videos and onboarding docs
  • No feature to forecast future PTO balance

How Much Does UZIO Cost?

UZIO offers the following pricing:

  • UZIO Core – $30/month base + $13/employee/month
  • UZIO Essential – $50/month base + $22/employee/month
  • UZIO Premium – $80/month base + $27/employee/month

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

7. TriNet

Best For: Full-Service HR Solutions

Overall Rating: 3.4 (17 reviews)

Free Trial: N/A

TriNet (previously known as Zenefits) is a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that helps small and medium businesses handle HR without headaches. From payroll and onboarding to benefits and compliance, their platform brings all the essentials together so SMBs can run smoothly and focus on growing their team.

Compared to Papaya Global, TriNet shines when it comes to U.S.-focused benefits and hands-on HR support. While Papaya leans into global payroll, TriNet offers bundled benefits, expert consulting, and compliance guidance that make managing employee perks and regulations much simpler.

If you’re looking for a partner to handle the heavy lifting of HR and benefits, TriNet is a trusted option. Their platform and services keep everything organized, help you stay compliant, and free up time so your team can focus on what really matters—growing the business.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of TriNet?

Pros

Cons

  • Unified HR, payroll, and benefits in one platform simplifies administration
  • Benefit enrollment and payroll info are easily accessible for employees
  • Compliance resources and legal updates help small teams stay informed
  • Time tracking and payroll systems remain disconnected, requiring manual steps
  • Limited flexibility in benefits options when switching insurance providers

How Much Does TriNet Cost?

Trinet offers custom pricing based on the service and number of employees.

8. JazzHR

Best For: Recruitment For Small Businesses

Overall Rating: 4.1 (89 reviews)

Free Trial: N/A

JazzHR is built for teams that want hiring to be fast, easy, and collaborative. It focuses on sourcing candidates, screening resumes, running interviews, and keeping the whole process organized—perfect for small and growing companies.

Unlike Papaya Global, which covers broader HR and payroll needs, JazzHR hones in on recruiting. Its tools streamline pipelines and automate assessments, so teams can hire faster without extra modules they don’t need.

If hiring is your top priority, JazzHR is the way to go. SMBs and recruiting teams benefit from an affordable, user-friendly ATS that speeds up collaboration and helps fill roles faster.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of JazzHR?

Pros

Cons

  • Automated workflows streamline candidate screening and emails, saving significant time
  • Calendly integration enables candidate self-scheduling
  • AI Talent Fit tool accelerates candidate-job matching, improving hiring accuracy
  • Offer letter stage lacks auto-assigned signature fields
  • Reporting tools lack depth for actionable insights

How Much Does JazzHR Cost?

The vendor provides the following plans:

  • Hero – $75/month
  • Plus – $269/month
  • Pro – Custom pricing

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

9. BambooHR

Best For: Complete HR For IT

Overall Rating: 4.3 (79 reviews)

Free Trial: Yes

BambooHR is a user-friendly HR platform for small to mid-sized businesses, bringing together hiring, onboarding, time tracking, performance management, and reporting. Employees and HR teams benefit from an experience-focused design that keeps processes smooth and intuitive. Payroll and compensation features are included in select plans.

The platform shines when it comes to centralizing people's data and insights. HR teams can easily track performance, manage compensation, and analyze workforce trends without the complexity of global payment systems.

For organizations that value employee experience, strong analytics, and streamlined HR processes over international payroll capabilities, BambooHR is a solid choice. It makes HR simple, smart, and employee-focused.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of BambooHR?

Pros

Cons

  • Smooth workflows with multi-tool integrations for seamless HR collaboration
  • Auto job postings save HR teams time and reduce manual effort
  • One-click onboarding accelerates new hire setup efficiency
  • Limited native integrations require manual data handling across systems
  • Reporting lacks advanced customization for deeper analytics

How Much Does BambooHR Cost?

BambooHR offers a free trial and three different pricing plans, starting at just $10/user/month:

  • Core
  • Pro
  • Elite

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

10. Namely

Best For: All-In-One HCM

Overall Rating: 4.2 (71 reviews)

Free Trial: N/A

Namely HR is a mid-market Human Capital Management (HCM) platform that brings HR, payroll, benefits, and time tracking together in one place, with optional managed services to keep operations smooth. It’s designed to make managing HR less of a headache.

Its edge over Papaya Global comes from this combination of tech plus managed services. Teams don’t just get software—they get support for payroll and benefits without building a large internal HR function.

If your company wants an easy-to-use HCM and the flexibility to outsource payroll and benefits tasks, Namely fits the bill perfectly.

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Namely?

Pros

Cons

  • Org charts, and employee directory simplify team structure navigation
  • Efficient HR and payroll automation saves time and supports reporting
  • Integrates with external tools like Adobe Sign for smooth document signing
  • HRIS and payroll systems not fully integrated so duplicate data entry required
  • Limited employee survey creation and analytics functionality

How Much Does Namely Cost?

The vendor offers four pricing plans catering to different organizational needs:

  • Namely Now: Starts at $9/employee/month
  • Namely Plus: Custom pricing
  • Namely Plus People: Custom pricing
  • Namely Complete: Custom pricing

Disclaimer: The pricing is subject to change.

How We Chose Our Papaya Global Alternatives?

  • Feature Assessment: Each alternative offers strong HR, payroll, or recruiting tools tailored to its focus. Automation, reporting, and integrations were compared to Papaya Global to highlight solutions that simplify workflows or provide unique capabilities
  • Industry Expert Input: Collaborating with HR and payroll specialists, we identified core requirements for small, mid-market, and enterprise teams, assessing how each platform addresses these specific needs
  • Customer Insights: We reviewed user ratings, case studies, and testimonials to prioritize solutions with proven reliability, strong support, and measurable outcomes in real-world deployments
  • Usability And Setup: Platforms with intuitive interfaces, fast deployment, and flexible workflows were favored, ensuring teams can adopt tools quickly without heavy technical overhead
  • Recommendation Focus: Our final selections highlight alternatives that best tackle the limitations of Papaya Global while offering unique strengths like AI payroll, streamlined benefits, or specialized ATS capabilities

Ready To Make The Switch?

Finding the right Papaya Global alternative depends on your company’s size, payroll needs, and HR focus. Some teams prioritize streamlined onboarding, AI-assisted payroll, or domestic benefits over global payroll complexity.

This guide highlights platforms designed to reduce complexity and costs while enhancing productivity. Examine features, test trials, and review real user insights to confidently choose a solution that fits your HR strategy and drives lasting value.