Quick summary
- OfficePortal vs Justworks in one line: OfficePortal is HR software where you stay the only employer; Justworks is a US payroll and PEO provider.
- OfficePortal Premium costs $4 per user per month billed yearly, with no base fee, and covers attendance, shifts, leave, performance reviews and payroll.
- Justworks Payroll costs $50 a month plus $8 per employee, Time Tracking adds $8 per employee, and its PEO plans cost $79 or $124 per employee per month.
- Justworks has no built-in performance reviews, and its Payroll and PEO plans are for US employees.
- For 10 people with attendance tracking, OfficePortal costs $40 a month against $210 on Justworks Payroll plus Time Tracking.
PEO vs HR software: what's the difference?
A professional employer organisation (PEO) co-employs your staff. It runs payroll, files payroll taxes under its own tax registration and pools employees from many companies to buy benefits. HR software such as OfficePortal keeps you as the only employer and gives your team the tools to run attendance, leave, performance and payroll yourselves. Justworks offers both: a payroll-only plan and two PEO plans.
Why OfficePortal is the best Justworks alternative
OfficePortal gives growing companies complete HR tools at a software price. Attendance tracking, shift scheduling, the leave management system, performance management and payroll software share one employee record, and every price is on our pricing page.
- No base fee. Pay per user only, and the Standard plan is free for up to five users.
- Attendance included. Web and biometric check-in, with GPS and selfie add-ons, rather than an $8-per-employee add-on.
- Shift scheduling and overtime. Build rosters and calculate overtime automatically.
- Performance reviews built in. Review cycles, assessments and goals come with Premium, with no separate tool to integrate.
- You stay the only employer. No co-employment, and your policies stay entirely yours.
- Teams in any location. Run attendance, leave and performance for people wherever they work.
- Hands-on onboarding. The OfficePortal team helps with setup, data migration and training.
- Mobile apps and security. Android and iOS apps, AES-256 encryption, SOC 2 compliant infrastructure and 99.9% uptime.
OfficePortal vs Justworks on attendance, leave and performance
Justworks covers PTO policies and requests on its plans, and offers clock-in by app, web, Slack or tablet through its paid Time Tracking add-on. It doesn't include performance reviews; it points customers to integrations such as 15Five instead.
OfficePortal includes attendance, shift rosters, overtime, leave policies and structured review cycles in one plan, and runs payroll from the same approved records. For more, see our guides to shift rosters and performance reviews.
OfficePortal vs Justworks pricing
Justworks publishes its prices, and they add up by employee and by add-on. Comparing OfficePortal Premium billed yearly with Justworks Payroll plus Time Tracking:
- 10 people: OfficePortal $40 a month; Justworks $210.
- 50 people: OfficePortal $200 a month; Justworks $850.
- 200 people: OfficePortal $800 a month; Justworks $3,250.
On PEO Basic, the same teams would pay $790, $3,950 and $15,800 a month. None of the Justworks figures include performance reviews.
Justworks disadvantages: why companies look for alternatives
- Base fee plus per-employee pricing. Payroll costs $50 a month plus $8 per employee, so costs rise steadily with headcount.
- Time tracking costs extra. Clock-in and timesheets are an $8-per-employee add-on.
- No built-in performance reviews. Reviews and goals need a separate tool.
- Rising PEO prices. PEO Plus rose to $124 per employee in June 2026, and PEO Basic went up by about a third in 2025.
- Co-employment on PEO plans. Justworks becomes your co-employer and files payroll taxes under its own registration.
- US-only payroll and PEO. Employees outside the US need its employer-of-record service, at $599 per employee per month in select countries.
- No free plan. Justworks runs time-limited promotions instead.
- Reviewer feedback. Some reviewers mention support issues, costs that weigh on smaller teams, limited benefit choices and missing mobile app features.
What to look for in a Justworks alternative
When you compare Justworks alternatives, check for these, and how OfficePortal covers each one:
- Pricing without a base fee that stays predictable as you grow.
- Attendance and shifts included, not sold per employee.
- Performance reviews in the same system as payroll.
- Control as the only employer, with your own policies.
- Support for teams in different locations.
- Hands-on onboarding and mobile apps.
Is Justworks ever the better choice?
Yes, for small US companies that want a PEO. Justworks gives access to large-group health benefits, handles workers' compensation and payroll tax filing, and offers round-the-clock support on its PEO plans. OfficePortal doesn't provide benefits or file US payroll taxes. If you want HR, performance and payroll tools you run yourself, OfficePortal is the better fit.
Leaving a PEO: what to plan
- Arrange new benefits and insurance before your last PEO pay run, so coverage doesn't lapse.
- Set up your own employer accounts for payroll taxes and insurance if the PEO held them.
- Export year-to-date pay, taxes, deductions, leave balances and employee records.
- Switch at the start of a pay period or quarter, and run one payroll in parallel.
How to switch from Justworks to OfficePortal
- Book a demo. The OfficePortal onboarding team helps with setup, data migration and training, and maps your salary structures.
- Set up attendance rules, shifts and leave policies, then run one payroll in parallel before you switch fully.
- Start a pilot team on the free Standard plan, then move to Premium.
Comparing more tools? See how OfficePortal compares with Gusto, ADP and others on our HR software alternatives page.