Paychex Flex vs Aurion

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Our analysts compared Paychex Flex vs Aurion based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Payroll Software, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Paychex Flex Software Tool

Product Basics

Paychex Flex is a cloud-based compensation and HR solution with the capability to serve thousands of employees. While there is an essential core version that mainly handles financials, it runs a wide range of departments and tasks. Some of its functions include payment management, benefits, talent management, time clocks, attendance, workforce management and more.


It’s a scalable option with unique versions for small, medium and large businesses with different versions for groups of varying sizes, including one to nine, 10 to 49, and 50 to thousands. It also has distinct user roles for workers, managers or administrators. A winner of multiple industry awards, its automation cuts down on time doing manual operations like processing payments, auto calculating taxes and staying up to date with current rates and compliance.
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Aurion is a cloud-based HRIS platform for compensation management, time tracking and employee operations. It offers HTML5 elements and a 24-hour self-service portal on any device. All management solutions are ISO certified and STP compliant. It accommodates small and large businesses and bases pricing on company requirements and number of employees.
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Product Assistance

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Knowledge Base
24/7 Live Support
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24/7 Live Support

Product Insights

  • Better Organization: Centralize important files and payroll data in one centralized location, making it easier to access. Assign user roles through administration; organizations control the dissemination of sensitive data.
  • Greater Accuracy: Run auto calculations for taxes and direct deposit and sync the general ledger making it easy to plug the information into an integrated accounting program. Creates a streamlined, easy way to manage all of the relevant data.
  • Increased Efficiency: Save time and work by decreasing the amount of manually input data. Record attendance within the application, making payment more straightforward. Auto-calculate local, state and federal taxes saving tons of manpower and time.
  • Better Scalability: Grow the platform as the company experiences exponential growth. Go from workplaces with as few as two employees to workforces that number in the thousands. Each level comes with more functionality and increased administrative and HR control over the processes.
  • More Open Communication: Use notifications, mass emails and electronic bulletin boards to promote an easy flow of information. Communicate enrollment reminders, announcements or company news seamlessly. Ensure employees, managers, executives, contractors, remote workers and other employees are all on the same page.
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  • Streamlined Operations: Hire faster and increase employee engagement by collecting employee data for performance career management. Save time during the workday by automating workflows and approval processes. 
  • Better Tailored Solutions: Meet the needs of any department by choosing between outsourced or in-house software management. Make informed finance management choices with expert advice and personalized services from legislation experts. 
  • Heightened Security: Secure the user experience under industry-leading security accreditation. Protect vulnerable data with multiple forms of verification. 
  • End-to-End Employee Support: Increase employee productivity and streamline record keeping in a centralized dashboard. Increase employee satisfaction with faster compensation and personnel processing. 
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  • Online Payroll: Handle payroll management. Automatically calculate taxes, payments and files. View critical data, including the cash required for upcoming paydays. Use safeguards such as notifications to prevent errors. Employees can access direct deposit and pay stub information directly. Last, administrators can access documentation and records like cash requirements, the payroll journal and tax deposit notices.
  • Tax Administration: Calculate taxes, add hours to each pay period, file returns and set up direct deposit.
  • Mobile: Access information on W-2s, direct deposit and other important information. For organizations that want to use the solution’s attendance functionality, workers can easily punch in and out on the app. Run it on smartphones and tablets with iOS or Android. It requires iOS 12.0 or higher and an Android OS of 7.0 or higher to run.
  • Reporting: Comes with over 160 dashboards and reports. Access reporting for payroll journals, department summaries, notices of tax deposits and cash requirements. For businesses looking for more robust options, look into the workforce management options.
  • Multiple Versions: Choose from a variety of purchase options to select the option that best meets business needs. The packages include:
    • Small Business Payroll: Use for businesses with under 50 workers. Use payment processing and access to the mobile app. Calculate state, federal and local taxes. Finish onboarding, complete forms, edit personal info and see compensation data. Provide direct deposit, pay cards and paper check for payment options. For businesses with multiple worker types, offer payment hourly, by salary or by contract. Provide help with labor compliance, garnishment payments, new hire reporting and over 160 reports for analytics.
    • Mid-Sized Business Payroll: Use for businesses with 10 to 49 employees. Handle applicant tracking, attendance, recruiting, onboarding, hiring, health benefits, retirement, health insurance and other similar administrative tasks. Expand the platform HR capabilities by including HR record management, an events calendar and reporting and analytics for the department.
    • Enterprise Payroll Management: Use for 50 to over 1,000 workers. Provide more robust HR abilities in addition to compensation management. Works for hiring, recruiting, training, compliance, handling offboarding, applicant tracking, time and attendance, health benefits, HR record management, an events calendar, retirement and expanded HR analytics.
  • Benefits: Complete the benefits management process. Run enrollment and analyze data. Manage group health insurance, retirement, section 125 plans, FSAs, POPs, retirement and more. Update information in real time and change benefit data easily. Give employers more control over invoices, benefit costs and bill reconciliations. Work with financial advisers and educate staff about the retirement plan offerings.
  • Compliance: Keep up with new tax laws and determine the status of essential laws like the Affordable Care Act.
  • Workplace Analytics: Analyze data and create a staff and workforce strategy. Create reports for analytics, HR, payroll and benefits. Generate customized reports for more detail. Provide accountants, financial advisors or bookkeepers with the access they need. Access the quick answers function, giving info on total earnings, net pay, tax liability and hours without pulling a full report. View live reporting to see information as it happens. Export information in various file types, including CSV, fixed-width, PDF and XLS. Send data to third-party software where users can add fields, adjust formatting or even build graphs.
  • Time and Attendance: Provide several options for tracking time and clocking in and out. It integrates with other solutions to track labor costs.
    • Time Kiosk: Allow employers to turn a tablet into a time clock where employees can punch in and out, do job transfer and register lunches and breaks.
    • TrueShift: Offer a time clock that has automated tracking and reporting, making it easy to import to payroll. Use biometric technology to prevent buddy punching. Track up to 500 workers per clock and connect to up to 32 other clocks. Punch in via web or mobile and use a backup camera to verify punches and keep compliant. It can track overtime pay and other wage requirements. Print and email timecard reports and clock in or out with a fingerprint, proximity badge, web punch or PIN entry.
    • InVision Iris Recognition Time Clock: Use iris recognition to ensure employees are working. Integrate with the rest of the HR and time and attendance. Prevent rework and cut down on errors. It works with contacts, goggles, glasses and face masks up to 15 inches away. Track up to 50,000 workers. Unlike a retinal scanner, it doesn’t store images. Instead, encrypt templates to guarantee privacy.
  • Online Learning: Use the built-in learning system. Provide eight free courses to users and customize/build current training, classes, quizzes and videos. Promote skill acquisition, up-skilling and career development. Run classes for on and offsite students. Use the calendar to schedule an in-person training, track transcripts and create content. Access the additional content libraries for purchase and provide surveys so employers can get feedback. Subjects include business, HR compliance, leadership, management, sales, software and workplace safety.
  • Payment Options: Gives options for paying employees, including same-day ACH capability, direct deposit, paper checks and pay cards.
  • Accounting: Manage payment and HR data with the accounting-specific dashboard. Access a library of resources, including tax forms and CPE courses. Import files through the general ledger service and post payroll data through the enterprise solution. Integrate with Sage Intacct, QuickBooks and Xero. Upload or download many files for one or multiple companies from one location.
  • Workers Compensation: Handle workers’ compensation covering medical expenses and lost wages while still ensuring stable cash flow. Provide insurance plans from A-rated national carriers.
  • Onboarding: Give new employees paperwork to fill out online. Customize the experience with personalized messages, welcome videos or other information about the company culture.
  • Payroll Protection: Let managers extend funds from a bank account for up to seven days without services being interrupted or charges for insufficient funds. Process two same-day ACH requests for a last-minute payroll, correcting pay or adding an employee. Help build business credit, deal with fraud, gain small business loans and more.
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  • Strategic Recruiting: Publish job vacancies, track time taken to fill positions and schedule interviews from one location. Collaborate with new applicants by automating responses to frequently asked questions. View resumes with highlighted performance indicators to make informed hiring decisions. 
  • Compensation Planning: Develop payment plans adjusted for salaried, hourly or commission wages. Accurately disburse superannuation benefits and reduce tax discrepancies by streamlining compliance. 
  • Timekeeping Tracker: Customize timesheets and scale shift availability using the Timekeeper Workbench. Automate timesheet approvals or capture and upload timestamps from swipe cards and other tracking devices. 
  • Career Development: Increase employee engagement by using 360-degree feedback to submit evaluations. Identify skill gaps or assign training using employee advancement tools. Create and monitor individual professional development plans. 
  • Mobile Accessibility: Access a full range of features on any device 24/7. Download pay stubs, apply for leave and view employment information in real time through the mobile app. 
  • Integration: Save time by integrating with existing management systems. Configure timekeeping solutions with external rosters from Time Target or Kronos to adjust employee status. Import employee time and leave data through one-way integrations with Tanda. 
  • Security Standards: Provide secure solutions that are ISO-certified and ASAE accredited. Prevent theft or fraud using effective security controls like code, fingerprint or face ID to sign in to the app. 
  • Expert Guidance: Consult with trained experts who provide data and comprehensive support for compliance, wage and security concerns. 
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Product Ranking

#6

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Payroll Software

#85

among all
Payroll Software

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User Sentiment Summary

Great User Sentiment 2205 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 1 reviews
83%
of users recommend this product

Paychex Flex has a 'great' User Satisfaction Rating of 83% when considering 2205 user reviews from 4 recognized software review sites.

100%
of users recommend this product

Aurion has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 100% when considering 1 user reviews from 1 recognized software review sites.

4.5 (24)
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4.2 (1114)
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4.1 (976)
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5.0 (1)
3.8 (91)
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Awards

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Aurion stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

User-Friendly: Just under 50% of reviews said the user experience was good and the interface worked well.
Good Support: Around 40% had good interactions with customer service and were happy with their level of care.
Proper Functionality: One-third of reviewers felt that the system was fully equipped with the tools they needed and especially liked the efficient payroll processing, benefits management, the transparency employees had on their payments and the PTO features.
Value for Price: Around 20% of reviews felt happy with the price and said it was well worth it.
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Streamlined Onboarding: Aurion streamlines the onboarding process for new employees, automating tasks like tax file number declarations and superannuation choices, which reduces paperwork and manual data entry for HR teams.
Automated Award Interpretation: Aurion's built-in award interpretation engine ensures compliance with complex Australian awards and agreements, automatically calculating correct pay rates, allowances, and entitlements, minimizing the risk of errors and underpayments.
Employee Self-Service: The employee self-service portal empowers employees to manage their personal information, leave requests, and payslips, reducing administrative burden on HR staff and providing employees with greater control over their data.
Comprehensive Reporting: Aurion offers a wide range of reporting options, allowing HR and payroll teams to gain insights into workforce costs, leave liabilities, and other key metrics, facilitating informed decision-making.
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Issues with Features: Just under 40% of reviewers felt the features were lacking. The biggest concerns were that the UI was difficult to learn initially and the reporting wasn’t sophisticated enough.
Time and Attendance Systems: Over 20% of users had problems with the punching system or the biometric clocks.
Poor Customer Service: While users felt that the customer service was helpful overall, they noted a high rate of turnover with their reps which often led to gaps in service.
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Limited Customization: Users have expressed frustration with the inflexibility of the platform, particularly when it comes to tailoring the system to their specific needs. For example, setting up unique pay rules or generating custom reports can be cumbersome.
Complex User Interface: Navigating the software can feel overwhelming due to its intricate design and multiple layers. This complexity can make simple tasks time-consuming and lead to user errors.
Integration Challenges: Seamlessly integrating Aurion with other business systems, such as time and attendance or HR platforms, has proven difficult for some users. This lack of smooth integration can create data silos and increase manual workarounds.
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Paychex Flex is a solid payroll processing system best liked for its ease of use, positive customer service interactions, fair price and useful functionality. However, it comes with several drawbacks as well. While it’s easy to use, the onboarding takes time and can be initially frustrating. The customer service is good but the high turnover with representatives can be trying. A small but significant percentage had problems with the time and attendance features, either having issues with their punches not being registered or issues with the physical biometric clocks. Overall, it seems best for small and medium businesses looking to automate their payroll. Any organization with multiple types of workers, complex pay rules or many different kinds of income to report should be sure to demo the system carefully and may want to find a more complex option.

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Is Aurion the real deal, or is it just a flash in the pan? User reviews from the last year paint a somewhat mixed picture. While some users praise Aurion for its robust features and comprehensive reporting capabilities, others find it clunky and difficult to navigate. One recurring theme is that Aurion is a powerful tool, but it comes with a steep learning curve. Users appreciate the software's ability to handle complex payroll scenarios, such as multi-state taxes and union dues, but they also point out that it can be time-consuming to set up and configure. Compared to competitors like ADP and Paychex, Aurion is often perceived as a more customizable solution, but one that requires more technical expertise. This makes it a good fit for larger organizations with dedicated HR and IT staff, but perhaps not the best choice for small businesses looking for a plug-and-play solution. Ultimately, Aurion is a powerful payroll and HR management tool that can deliver significant value, but only if you're willing to invest the time and resources to learn its intricacies.

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