PaylocityA Solution For HR, Finance, and IT, Tailored to You
vs
WaveClear books. Confident decisions.
Comparison · Payroll · weekly run Nov 3
Paylocity vs Wave
Which one do AI engines recommend, and how do they differ on price, fit and features?
The short answer
Paylocity is the stronger AI pick in Payroll: it has a visibility score of 4.8 versus 2.3 for Wave.
Choose Paylocity if…
- You want the brand AI engines rank higher (4.8 vs 2.3)
- You need ISO 27001:2022 or SOC 1 or SOC 2 Type II coverage
- You prefer a larger, established vendor (5,000+ employees)
- Modern user experience
Choose Wave if…
- AI answers describe it more positively (38% vs 27% positive)
- Free accounting and invoicing for micro-businesses
- Well suited to freelancers and very small businesses
- Ongoing free plan rather than a time-limited trial
AI visibility side by side
Latest weekly run · Nov 3
| Metric | Paylocity | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility score | 4.8% | 2.3% |
| Change vs last week | New | New |
| Rank in Payroll | #19 | #23 |
| Share of voice | 1.9% | 0.9% |
| Mentions this run | 9 | 4 |
| Positive in AI answers | 27% | 38% |
The stronger value in each row is marked with a ✓.
Visibility score trend
Weekly runs over the last 60 days
Paylocity 0pp · Wave 0pp over 0 weekly runs.
Engine by engine
Paylocity leads on 2 of 3 engines
ChatGPT
AI Mode
Perplexity
PaylocityWave
Head to head in AI answers
0 engine answers name both brands
0Paylocity ranked higher
0Wave ranked higher
Features, pricing & fit
| Dimension | Paylocity | Wave |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | — | Flat tiers |
| Entry price | — | Free; paid from $19 / mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Deployment | Web and mobile app | Cloud-based web application with a mobile app |
| Compliance | ISO 27001:2022, SOC 1, SOC 2 Type II | — |
| Support | 24/7 access through self-service portal, Expert benefit support assistance, Phone support at 1-800-520-2687 | Live chat and email support, Monday to Friday 9 AM to 4:45 PM Eastern, Wave Advisors bookkeeping and coaching (paid add-on) |
| Founded | 1997 | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Schaumburg, Illinois | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Employees | 5,000+ | 201–500 |
| Funding | Follow-on offering · $110M raised | Series D |
| Best for | Mid-sized employers, roughly 50 to 500 employees, that want payroll, HR, finance and IT in one system | Freelancers, solopreneurs, contractors and consultants who run small businesses and want simple books and invoicing without accounting expertise |
Plans side by side
Paylocity
Pricing not available.
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
Paylocity
- Modern user experience
- Strong analytics
- High workforce management automation
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, “Paylocity vs Wave”, https://slateindex.ai/compare/paylocity-vs-wave, data of Nov 3, 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.