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

Sage HR vs Paylocity

HR/HRIS pricing comparison · 2026

Sage HR pricing ranges from $5–$165/employee/month, while Paylocity ranges from $20–$40/user/month. Sage HR is typically 80% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Sage pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · HR/HRIS
Side-by-side · live
Sage HR
Sage HR is a cloud-based human resources management system designed for small to medium-si
verified 5w ago
$150 $42K
View pricing →
Paylocity
Paylocity is a cloud-based HCM and payroll software platform designed for mid-sized busine
verified 26d ago
$150 $42K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
Sage saves $42K vs Paylocity · 25 seats
Cheapest $150
Spread 100%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Core HR Package
$1.8K/yr
year 1 license · $6/seat
Professional
$9.0K/yr
year 1 license · $30/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$150/yr
Vendr · n=14
Median annual
$42K/yr
Vendr · n=13
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 8 sourced facts
2 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 17 sourced facts
11 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
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
2 documented
  • Manual Workarounds for Leave Policy Calculation Bugs
    5-10% of license costs
    1 source
  • Extended Platform Downtime from Unresolved Known Bugs
    5-15% of license costs
    1 source
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
REF · 04

Contract terms

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

Sage
Paylocity
Auto-renewal
Yes
✓ No
Cancellation
—
No official renewal required
Commitment
—
Typically 1 year
Price escalation
Users report subscriptions increasing over time; one reviewer notes fees "just keep going up and up"
Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in.
Can downgrade
—
✓ Yes
Based on 6 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
Trustpilot
1.8out of 5 (24)
Best for
Small to medium businesses needing basic HR functionality
Watch out
Time off policies confusing to configure, with unexpected behavior for long-term leave and PTO accrual interactions
TrustRadius
9.2out of 5 (5)
Trustpilot
1.2out of 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)
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Sage pricing
Discount programs →
Visit Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → 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

Sage HR

$5–$165
/employee/month
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
HR/HRIS

Paylocity

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

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

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Sage HR Paylocity
Core HR + Leave Management $5.50 /employee/month $20 /user/month
Core HR Package $6 /employee/month $30 /user/month
Performance Add-on Custom $40 /user/month
Timesheets Add-on Custom —

Cost at Scale

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

Sage HR

3 scenarios
$137.50/month (25 × $5.50/employee for Core HR + Leave)
Small Business HR
$300/month (50 × $6/employee for complete Core HR)
Growing Company Setup
$600
Performance-Focused Organization
+/month (Core HR plus Performance module pricing)

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 →

Market Intelligence

Sage HR

Median annual cost
$150
Based on
14 deals

Paylocity

Median annual cost
$42,240
Based on
13 deals

What Users Say

Sage HR

Trustpilot
1.8out of 5 (24)
Top complaints
  • Time off policies confusing to configure, with unexpected behavior for long-term leave and PTO accrual interactions
  • Recurring platform errors (404s) acknowledged as known bugs but unresolved for extended periods
  • Customer support slow or unable to resolve complex edge-case issues

Paylocity

Trustpilot
1.2out of 5 (25)
TrustRadius
9.2out of 10 (5)
Top complaints
  • Extremely long customer service hold times (1.5+ hours)
  • Unresponsive support - no callbacks or email responses
  • FSA card repeatedly declines legitimate medical expenses

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Sage HR 2 hidden costs

medium
Manual Workarounds for Leave Policy Calculation Bugs 5-10% of license costs
medium
Extended Platform Downtime from Unresolved Known Bugs 5-15% of license costs
See all Sage HR hidden costs →

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 →

Contract Terms

Term Sage HR Paylocity
Auto-renewal Yes No
Cancellation — No official renewal required
Minimum commitment — Typically 1 year
Price escalation Users report subscriptions increasing over time; one reviewer notes fees "just keep going up and up" Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in.
Can downgrade — Yes

Continue researching

Sage HR

Paylocity

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