Updated October 2026 · 6 PEOs
Many PEOs set a minimum of 5 or 10 employees. These take very small teams.
The short answer for each situation, with price, certification and minimum headcount.
| Best for | PEO | Price | Pricing | Certified | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for transparent pricing | Justworks | $79–$124/employee/mo | Published | CPEOESAC | None |
| Best for hands-on HR support | Insperity | ~$150–$210/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | 5 employees |
| Best for scale and payroll infrastructure | ADP TotalSource | ~$70–$200/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | 5 employees |
| Best for Paychex payroll customers | Paychex PEO | Quote only | Quote only | CPEOESAC | 5 employees |
| Best for venture-backed startups | Sequoia One | Quote only | Quote only | CPEOESAC: Not confirmed | 5 employees |
| Best for 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.
Not sure yet?
Question 1 of 6
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 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 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 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.
Yes. Justworks and Amplify HR take teams from one employee. ADP TotalSource, Insperity and Paychex PEO report a 5-employee minimum.
Changelog. Oct 27, 2026: list published; CPEO status checked against the IRS list dated Aug 7, 2026.