Updated October 2026 · 27 PEOs
Most "best PEO" lists cover the same handful of national names and rate them all 9 out of 10. We list every PEO we could verify, national to regional to industry specialist, with the price (or a labeled estimate), certification status, minimum headcount and contract terms side by side.
The short answer for each situation, with price, certification and minimum headcount.
| Best for | PEO | Price | Pricing | Certified | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transparent pricing, no contract | Justworks | $79–$124/employee/mo | Published | CPEOESAC | None |
| Industry-specific benefits | TriNet | ~$80–$150/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | Not published |
| Hands-on HR support | Insperity | ~$150–$210/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | 5 employees |
| Scale and payroll infrastructure | ADP TotalSource | ~$70–$200/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | 5 employees |
| Paychex payroll customers | Paychex PEO | Quote only | Quote only | CPEOESAC | 5 employees |
| HR and IT in one platform | Rippling PEO | ~$85/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEO: NoESAC: No | Not published |
| Service through a broker | ExtensisHR | ~$40–$200/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | 10 employees |
| Compliance depth | Engage PEO | ~$40–$160/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | Not published |
| Lowest published price | Remote PEO | $99/employee/mo | Published | CPEO: Check entityESAC: Not confirmed | Not published |
| Very small teams | Amplify HR | ~$100–$180/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC: Not confirmed | None |
Compare prices
Filter by certification, headcount and contract terms. Tick up to three to compare them in columns.
PEO admin fee, per employee per month
Bars span the low-to-high range; a dot is a single published price. Admin fees only: benefits, workers' comp and state taxes are extra. Click a row to compare.
Rippling PEO adds a platform fee (about $35 plus $8 per user). Insperity reports an onboarding fee of about $500–$2,000.
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The list
Who each PEO suits, who should skip it, and what we could verify about price and certification.
Best for transparent pricing
A self-serve PEO with published prices and month-to-month terms.
Who it's for: Startups and small teams that want a known monthly price and no long contract.
Skip it if: Companies over about 100 employees: the per-employee price never drops as you grow.
Best for industry-specific benefits
A PEO organized around industry verticals: tech, life sciences, financial services, nonprofits and more.
Who it's for: Companies of 10–500 that want benefits and compliance built for their industry.
Skip it if: Buyers who need a price before a sales call.
Best for hands-on HR support
A high-touch, consultative PEO with a dedicated HR team and a new Workday-based tier, HRScale.
Who it's for: Companies of 20–200 that want an HR team they can call, not just software.
Skip it if: Cost-first buyers: Insperity is priced as a premium service.
Best for scale and payroll infrastructure
The PEO arm of ADP, the largest payroll brand, with annual benefits benchmarking.
Who it's for: Companies of 10–200 that want a large, established provider.
Skip it if: High-risk industries that may be declined at underwriting, and buyers who want short contracts.
Best for Paychex payroll customers
Paychex's PEO, which absorbed Oasis in 2018; Paychex also closed its Paycor acquisition in 2025.
Who it's for: Businesses already on Paychex Flex that want to move into a PEO without switching systems.
Skip it if: Buyers who want transparent pricing or a modern interface.
Best for an all-in-one HR and IT platform
A PEO layered on Rippling's HR, IT and finance platform, which you keep if you leave the PEO.
Who it's for: Tech-forward companies of 10–500 that want one system for HR, devices and apps.
Skip it if: Buyers who require IRS CPEO certification or ESAC accreditation.
Best for service and retention
A service-led PEO from New Jersey, usually sold through benefits brokers, with a 93% reported renewal rate.
Who it's for: Companies of 10–250 that work with a benefits broker and value service.
Skip it if: Buyers who want to see pricing without a broker.
Best for compliance depth
A boutique PEO whose HR consultants are all licensed employment attorneys.
Who it's for: Small and mid-size businesses that want attorney-level HR compliance help.
Skip it if: Buyers who want the scale of a national brand.
Best for multi-state teams
A PE-owned PEO focused on companies with employees in several states.
Who it's for: Companies of 10–150 with staff spread across states.
Skip it if: Buyers who want a long certification track record: CoAdvantage became a CPEO in July 2026.
Best for safety and workers' comp support
Sells both PEO and ASO plans, with training, safety and workers' comp support and no long-term contract.
Who it's for: Companies of 10+ that want workers' comp and safety help and the option of an ASO plan.
Skip it if: Teams under 10, and anyone who needs a mobile app.
Best national reach through acquired brands
A roll-up of many PEO brands (108 acquisitions) serving 161,000+ businesses.
Who it's for: Small businesses and staffing firms that want a national provider with local brands.
Skip it if: Buyers who want consistent service: quality varies across acquired brands.
Best for broker-led buying
A fast-growing, broker-friendly PEO that has made six acquisitions, most recently O2 Employment Services in January 2026.
Who it's for: Small businesses buying through a benefits broker.
Skip it if: Buyers who want published pricing.
CPEO-certified option
An IRS-certified PEO. We're still gathering verifiable pricing and service details.
Who it's for: Buyers comparing certified PEOs who want another quote.
Skip it if: Buyers who need published pricing.
CPEO-certified option
An IRS-certified PEO. We're still gathering verifiable pricing and service details.
Who it's for: Buyers comparing certified PEOs who want another quote.
Skip it if: Buyers who need published pricing.
Best for teams hiring in the US and abroad
Deel's US PEO, launched alongside its global employer-of-record platform, at a published $125 PEPM.
Who it's for: Remote-first companies hiring both in the US and internationally.
Skip it if: Buyers who require an IRS-certified PEO.
Lowest published PEO price
Remote's US PEO, priced from $99 per employee per month, beside its global EOR.
Who it's for: Remote-first startups that want the lowest published PEO price.
Skip it if: Buyers who require an IRS-certified PEO.
Best for very small teams
A regional PEO from Northbrook, Illinois that takes very small teams.
Who it's for: Businesses of 1–25 that most national PEOs won't take or won't prioritize.
Skip it if: Growing companies that want the lower per-employee price of a larger PEO.
Best for workers'-comp-heavy trades in Texas
A Texas PEO founded in 1989 that focuses on workers' comp and safety.
Who it's for: Texas trades and field businesses where workers' comp drives cost.
Skip it if: Companies outside its regional footprint.
Regional option in Utah
A Provo, Utah PEO. It does not appear on the IRS CPEO list.
Who it's for: Utah businesses that want a local provider.
Skip it if: Buyers who require IRS CPEO certification.
Best for venture-backed startups
A PEO for VC- and PE-backed tech companies, built around startup benefits and compensation.
Who it's for: Funded startups of 5–250 that compete for talent on benefits.
Skip it if: Companies outside the venture-backed tech world.
Best for construction companies
An Ohio PEO where about a quarter of clients are in construction.
Who it's for: Contractors that need certified payroll, prevailing wage and OSHA support.
Skip it if: Non-construction businesses outside its region.
Best for restaurants and hospitality
A PEO for restaurants, bars, hotels and clubs, part of the Fourth hospitality software family.
Who it's for: Hospitality operators with tipped staff and predictive-scheduling rules.
Skip it if: Businesses outside hospitality.
Best for independent medical practices
A newer PEO built for independent medical practices, backed by an $8.75M seed round.
Who it's for: Independent physician and specialty practices.
Skip it if: Buyers who want an established provider with a long track record.
Staffing-focused option in Florida
A Florida PEO that focuses on staffing companies.
Who it's for: Florida staffing firms with high-volume temporary payroll.
Skip it if: Businesses outside staffing.
Staffing-focused option
A PEO that focuses on staffing companies. It does not appear on the IRS CPEO list.
Who it's for: Staffing firms that want a staffing-specialist PEO.
Skip it if: Buyers who require IRS CPEO certification.
Best for cannabis businesses nationwide
A PEO serving cannabis businesses nationwide, spun off from Resourcing Edge.
Who it's for: Licensed cannabis operators that many PEOs won't take.
Skip it if: Businesses outside cannabis.
Cannabis option in Colorado
A Colorado PEO that serves cannabis businesses.
Who it's for: Colorado cannabis operators.
Skip it if: Businesses outside Colorado.
It depends on size and priorities. Justworks publishes prices and runs month-to-month; TriNet specializes by industry; Insperity offers the most hands-on HR help; ADP TotalSource brings scale. Use the quiz above to match on your headcount, industry and contract needs.
Most PEOs charge $40–$160 per employee per month or 2–12% of payroll for administration. Justworks publishes $79 for its Basic plan; most others quote.
Because you're choosing a PEO, not us. Every PEO we can verify is listed, and payment never changes order or inclusion.
Changelog. Oct 27, 2026: list published; CPEO status checked against the IRS list dated Aug 7, 2026.