Justworks vs Peoplifi

Justworks Alternative: Direct-Hire HR + Payroll + Time Tracking

Justworks bundles a PEO and benefits umbrella into a single price. Peoplifi is a direct-hire alternative for teams that already have a benefits broker and just want clean HR + payroll + time tracking.

Quick Verdict

Justworks is the right call if you want PEO benefits (group health rates, co-employment compliance) bundled into one bill. If you already have a broker (Sequoia, Newfront, OneDigital) or you do not need PEO services, Peoplifi delivers the HR + payroll core for roughly half the per-employee cost.

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Who is Justworks?

Justworks is a US PEO and HR platform serving 9,000+ small businesses. Through co-employment, Justworks offers small businesses access to large-group health insurance rates, simplified compliance, and unified billing. Pricing starts at $59 per employee per month for Basic and rises to $99+ for Plus with medical.

Where Justworks wins

  • PEO co-employment unlocks Fortune-500-style group health rates for small teams
  • Single bill for payroll + benefits + workers' comp + compliance
  • Compliance on payroll tax, ACA, and employment forms is shared with Justworks
  • 401(k) and HSA admin bundled
  • Strong customer support reputation in PEO category

Where Peoplifi wins

  • 50%+ lower cost when you already have a benefits broker relationship
  • Built-in desktop time-tracking agent — Justworks Hours is a separate product
  • Multi-currency contractor payments (Justworks is US-only)
  • Performance reviews, OKRs, and 360 feedback included
  • No co-employment relationship — your company is the sole legal employer
  • Self-serve setup, no PEO compliance review delay

Pricing Comparison

Justworks

Justworks Basic: $59/employee/mo (no medical). Plus with Medical: $99+/employee/mo. PEO co-employment relationship required.

Peoplifi

Starter $3/seat/mo. Growth $6/seat/mo. Business $12/seat/mo. No PEO, no co-employment. Time tracking included.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

FeaturePeoplifiJustworks
PEO co-employmentNo (direct-hire only)Yes
Bundled medical / benefitsBYO brokerYes (PEO group rates)
Desktop time trackingBuilt-inJustworks Hours (separate product)
Productivity analyticsYesNo
Multi-currency contractorsYesUSD only
Per-employee cost$3 to $12/seat/mo$59 to $99+/employee/mo
Self-serve setupYes (24h)PEO onboarding (~2 weeks)

Which One Is Right for You?

Best for Justworks

US small businesses (5 to 100 employees) without an existing benefits broker, who want bundled PEO services and group health rates.

Best for Peoplifi

Teams that already work with a benefits broker, agencies and BPOs that want time tracking included, and any company that wants to remain the sole legal employer.

How to Migrate from Justworks

  1. Talk to your existing benefits broker about replacing Justworks-bundled medical with a small-group plan or ICHRA
  2. Export employee, salary, and PTO data from Justworks (Settings → Export)
  3. Open a Peoplifi 14-day trial
  4. Import the CSV — Peoplifi auto-maps Justworks's standard schema
  5. Run parallel payroll for one cycle to validate net-pay matches
  6. Coordinate with Justworks on the co-employment termination effective date (typically the start of a calendar month)

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I lose my health insurance if I leave Justworks?

You will lose the PEO group rate, but a broker can typically replace coverage with a small-group plan or an ICHRA. Many teams find rates only slightly higher, and the per-employee savings on Justworks fees more than cover the difference.

Is co-employment risky to give up?

Co-employment shifts some compliance risk to the PEO. Without it, your company carries more direct compliance responsibility — but Peoplifi automates the most error-prone areas (W-2, ACA forms, multi-state tax filing) so the marginal risk is small for most SMBs.

Can Peoplifi handle ACA reporting like Justworks?

Yes. Peoplifi tracks 1095-C eligibility data and exports IRS-ready 1094-C / 1095-C forms each January.

How much do most teams save?

A 25-person team on Justworks Plus with Medical pays roughly $30,000 per year in PEO fees. The same team on Peoplifi Growth pays $1,800. Add a small-group health plan at $400/employee/month and the all-in cost is often 30 to 40% lower than Justworks.

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