JustworksBuild your business. Run it on Justworks.
vs
WaveClear books. Confident decisions.
Comparison · Payroll · weekly run Nov 3
Justworks vs Wave
Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?
The short answer
Justworks is the stronger AI pick in Payroll: it has a visibility score of 5.1 versus 2.3 for Wave, and ranks ahead in 50% of the answers that name both.
Choose Justworks if…
- You want the brand AI engines rank higher (5.1 vs 2.3)
- You want a lower entry price ($8 vs $19)
- You need IRS CPEO certification (2017) or ESAC accreditation (2020) coverage
- You prefer a larger, established vendor (1,001–5,000 employees)
Choose Wave if…
- You want a free plan to start
- AI answers describe it more positively (38% vs 30% positive)
- Flat tiers pricing suits your budget better than per seat
- Free accounting and invoicing for micro-businesses
AI visibility side by side
Latest weekly run · Nov 3
| Metric | Justworks | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility score | 5.1% | 2.3% |
| Change vs last week | New | New |
| Rank in Payroll | #18 | #23 |
| Share of voice | 2.2% | 0.9% |
| Mentions this run | 10 | 4 |
| Positive in AI answers | 30% | 38% |
The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.
Visibility score trend
Weekly runs over the last 60 days
Justworks 0pp · Wave 0pp over 0 weekly runs.
Engine by engine
Justworks leads on 3 of 3 engines
ChatGPT
AI Mode
Perplexity
JustworksWave
Head to head in AI answers
2 engine answers name both brands
1Justworks ranked higher
1Wave ranked higher
| Prompt | Engine | Justworks | Wave |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alternatives to the most popular payroll platform | Perplexity | #8 | #10 |
| Which payroll platform has transparent pricing? | AI Mode | #5 | #4 |
Features, pricing & fit
| Dimension | Justworks | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per seat | Flat tiers |
| Entry price | $8 per seat / mo | Free; paid from $19 / mo |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Onboarding fee | Included | — |
| Deployment | SaaS | Cloud-based web application with a mobile app |
| Integrations | 30+ | — |
| Compliance | IRS CPEO certification (2017), ESAC accreditation (2020) | — |
| Support | 24/7 support, Phone support, Chat support, Dedicated HR consulting | Live chat and email support, Monday to Friday 9 AM to 4:45 PM Eastern, Wave Advisors bookkeeping and coaching (paid add-on) |
| Founded | 2013 | 2009 |
| Headquarters | New York City, NY | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Employees | 1,001–5,000 | 201–500 |
| Funding | Series B · $130M raised | Series D |
| Best for | Small businesses that want payroll, benefits, HR and compliance in one platform, with human support. | Freelancers, solopreneurs, contractors and consultants who run small businesses and want simple books and invoicing without accounting expertise |
Plans side by side
Justworks
Payroll$8per employee per month, plus $50/month base fee
PEO Basic$79per employee per month, no base fee
PEO Plus$124per employee per month, no base fee
Global EOR$599per employee per month, no base fee
Wave
Starter$0month
Pro$19month per business (billed monthly); $190/year billed annually
Wave Advisors$149month (starting at)
Pros and cons
Themes from the AI answers that mention each brand
Justworks
- Co-employment PEO model for HR and compliance
- Enterprise-grade health insurance for small companies
- Published per-employee pricing tiers
- Outsourced HR administration
- Strong shortlist option for payroll and HR
Wave
- Free accounting and invoicing for micro-businesses
- Well suited to freelancers and very small businesses
- Ongoing free plan rather than a time-limited trial
- Affordable and reliable for small businesses
- Clear public pricing
- Free plan mainly suits a single user, not teams
- Free products offer fewer controls and growth features
Data collected ·ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Mode·coverage 100%·next run
Cite as: SlateIndex, “Justworks vs Wave”, https://slateindex.ai/compare/justworks-vs-wave, data of Nov 3, 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.