Justworks is a PEO (Professional Employer Organization) that's carved out a niche by being the approachable alternative to traditional co-employment providers. Founded in 2012 by Isaac Oates, it's based in New York and serves small businesses across all 50 states. The core pitch is simple: you co-employ your team through Justworks, and in return you get access to large-group health insurance rates, automated payroll, tax filing, compliance support, and workers comp, all in one platform.
What makes Justworks stand out from other PEOs is transparency. They publish their pricing on the website (a rarity in this space), the interface is clean enough that non-HR people can manage it, and customer support consistently gets high marks in reviews. The PEO Basic plan runs $59/employee/month (or $49 at 100+ employees), which includes payroll, benefits administration, compliance, and HR tools. PEO Plus adds medical, dental, vision, and COBRA administration for $109/employee/month.
In 2024-2025, Justworks expanded beyond PEO into standalone payroll ($50/mo + $8/employee), EOR services in 11 countries with their own entities (plus 100+ via partners at $599/employee/month), and international contractor payments in 60+ countries. They also added time tracking as an add-on for $8/employee/month.
The downsides are real. PEO pricing gets expensive as you scale, especially compared to standalone payroll providers like Gusto. The integration library is tiny (roughly 13 native integrations) compared to Rippling's 600+. The mobile app only works in the US. And while day-to-day support is good, complex issues can take weeks to resolve. If you're a small US team that wants PEO benefits without the traditional PEO headache, Justworks is a strong pick. If you need deep customization or a large integration ecosystem, look elsewhere.
- Small US businesses (5-100 employees) that want access to enterprise-level health insurance and benefits through a PEO, with transparent pricing and a modern interface. Great for startups that need to offer competitive benefits to attract talent.
- Companies over 200 employees where PEO per-employee costs become prohibitive. Businesses needing extensive third-party integrations. Organizations requiring advanced performance management or workforce planning tools. International-first companies that need a dedicated global payroll provider.
- Clean, intuitive interface that's one of the most DIY-friendly PEO platforms available.
- Responsive, human customer support with 24/7 availability.
- Transparent published pricing and access to enterprise-level health insurance plans for small teams.
- PEO pricing ($59-109/employee/month) gets expensive as headcount grows.
- Only ~13 native integrations, far fewer than competitors like Rippling or Gusto.
- Mobile app is US-only, and some users report glitchy behavior and frequent session logouts.
Payroll only: $50/mo base + $8/employee. PEO Basic: $59/employee/month (under 100), $49 (100+). PEO Plus: $109/employee/month (under 100), $99 (25-99), $79 (100+). Time tracking add-on: $8/employee/month. Domestic contractors: $8/contractor/month. International contractors: $39/contractor/month. EOR: $599/employee/month. No implementation fees or long-term contracts.