Best PEO Services in 2027: Compared & Ranked

A professional employer organization (PEO) takes payroll, benefits, workers’ comp and a big slice of HR compliance off your plate by becoming the co-employer of your team. For a 10- to 200-person US business, that can mean large-company health plans and fewer compliance headaches. It can also mean paying a lot for services you don’t use. We compared seven of the main PEOs on pricing transparency, benefits, service model and how easy they are to leave.

Quick answer: Justworks is the best PEO for most small businesses thanks to published, flat per-employee pricing. Rippling PEO is the best pick for fast-growing teams that expect to outgrow co-employment. Insperity suits owners who want high-touch HR service, TriNet suits companies in specialist industries, ADP TotalSource fits multi-state mid-market firms, Paychex PEO suits existing Paychex customers, and Deel PEO works for US teams that also hire abroad.

Last updated November 2026. Prices checked on November 5, 2026; vendors change pricing often, so confirm before you buy.

Some links in this guide are partner links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It does not affect our rankings.

Quick comparison

Platform	Best for	Starting price	Free trial/plan
Justworks	Most small businesses	$79 per employee/month (PEO Basic)	No
Rippling PEO	Fast-growing teams	Custom pricing	No
Insperity	High-touch HR service	Custom pricing	No
TriNet	Industry-specific benefits	Custom pricing	No
ADP TotalSource	Multi-state mid-market firms	Custom pricing	No
Paychex PEO	Existing Paychex customers	Custom pricing	No
Deel PEO	US teams that also hire abroad	$125 per employee/month	No (promotional fee credit on 2-year terms)

All PEO fees above are administrative fees. Health insurance premiums, payroll taxes and workers’ comp premiums are billed on top, so your real per-employee cost will be higher.

PEO vs EOR vs HRIS: which do you need?

These three get mixed up constantly, and picking the wrong one is the most expensive mistake in this category.

PEO (professional employer organization): You keep your own US entity and run the business; the PEO becomes co-employer for payroll tax, benefits sponsorship, workers’ comp and compliance. Your employees join the PEO’s large-group benefit plans.
EOR (employer of record): The provider is the sole legal employer, usually in a country where you have no entity. It’s the tool for hiring abroad, and it costs far more: Justworks and Deel both list EOR at $599 per employee per month, against $79 to $125 for their US PEOs.
HRIS (human resources information system): Software only. You stay the sole employer, buy your own benefits through a broker and handle compliance yourself, but you pay much less per head. See our guide to the best HR software and our look at payroll software that saves time and money.

As a rule of thumb: if your team is mostly in the US and you want better benefits plus outsourced compliance, look at a PEO. If you’re hiring in countries where you have no entity, you need an EOR. If you already have an HR lead and a good benefits broker, an HRIS plus payroll is usually cheaper.

The best PEO services in 2027

1. Justworks

Justworks is a PEO built for small US businesses, and it is one of very few major PEOs that publishes its prices. You pick a plan, multiply by headcount, and know your admin fee before talking to sales.

Best for: Small businesses that want predictable costs and solid benefits without a long sales process.

Payroll, tax filings, W-2s and 1099s for employees and contractors
Employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) and state unemployment insurance administration on both PEO plans
24/7 support and standard HR consulting included
Medical, dental and vision administration, HSA/FSA accounts, mental health and fertility benefits on PEO Plus
Add-ons for time tracking, dedicated HR consulting, ICHRA health reimbursements and international EOR

Pricing: PEO Basic is $79 per employee per month and PEO Plus is $124 per employee per month, with no base fee and no implementation fee. A non-PEO Payroll plan costs $8 per employee per month plus a $50 monthly base fee. Add-ons include Time Tracking ($8 per employee per month) and Dedicated HR Consulting ($30 per employee per month).

Limitations: Health plan administration only comes with PEO Plus, which is a big step up from Basic. Workers’ comp through Justworks is required for PEO customers. It offers a general small-business service model rather than industry-specific teams.

Skip it if: You’re in a specialist industry that needs tailored benefits or risk support, or you already have strong benefits and only need payroll.

2. Rippling PEO

Rippling PEO is a co-employment service that sits on top of Rippling’s HR, payroll and IT platform. Its standout feature is the exit route: Rippling lets you turn the PEO off and keep using the same software, or swap the PEO health plan for your own benefits, without migrating data or changing employee logins.

Best for: Fast-growing companies that want big-company benefits now but expect to bring HR in-house later.

Co-employment covering payroll tax, benefits sponsorship, workers’ comp and EPLI
Automatic state tax registration as you hire in new states
Option to move off the PEO onto Rippling’s HR platform or HR Services without re-implementing
One system for HR, payroll, devices and app access
Global payroll and EOR available on the same platform

Pricing: Custom pricing. Rippling does not publish PEO rates; its pricing page says the platform starts at $8 per employee per month plus a base fee, with PEO and other modules quoted on top.

Limitations: Modular pricing makes it hard to estimate your total cost until you have a quote, and each add-on increases the bill. The platform is broad, which can feel like more than a very small team needs.

Skip it if: You want a published price list, or you’re a five-person team that just needs payroll and a health plan.

3. Insperity

Insperity is one of the longest-established US PEOs. Its flagship PEO is now called Insperity HR360 (formerly Workforce Optimization). It also sells HRCore, a technology-and-service package without co-employment, and HRScale, a PEO built with Workday for growing midsize companies, which became generally available in February 2026.

Best for: Businesses without an HR team that want hands-on service and strategic HR guidance.

Co-employment with Insperity-sponsored benefit plans, administered end to end
Payroll, time and attendance, and employee self-service
HR compliance support and strategic HR guidance
A clear upgrade path from HRCore to HR360 to HRScale
Workday-based technology on HRScale for more complex organizations

Pricing: Custom pricing. HRCore is priced per employee per month; HR360 and HRScale are quote on request.

Limitations: No public rates, so comparing quotes takes effort. Some users find the platform’s reporting less intuitive than newer, software-first rivals.

Skip it if: You want self-serve software and transparent pricing more than a service relationship.

4. TriNet

TriNet is a large PEO that organizes clients into industry verticals, such as technology, life sciences, financial services and nonprofits, with benefits and support tailored to each. It also offers HR Plus, an outsourced HR service without co-employment.

Best for: Companies in specialist industries that want benefits and HR support shaped around their sector.

Flat per-employee-per-month admin fee, which TriNet says is never a percentage of payroll
Some fees stop automatically once employees hit tax thresholds such as the Social Security wage cap
Industry-specific benefits packages and support teams
Payroll, benefits, workers’ comp and compliance under one agreement
HR Plus option if you want support without co-employment

Pricing: Custom pricing. TriNet publishes its fee model but not its rates, and it requires a minimum number of worksite employees.

Limitations: Every price is a quote. Under the full PEO you use TriNet’s benefit plans, so you can’t bring your own medical carrier.

Skip it if: You’re a very small team below its minimum, or you want to keep your existing health plan.

5. ADP TotalSource

ADP TotalSource is ADP’s PEO. Each client gets a dedicated HR business partner as its main contact, backed by ADP’s payroll, tax and benefits teams. ADP says TotalSource has the buying power of 722,000 worksite employees, which it uses to negotiate benefit plans.

Best for: Mid-market companies with employees in several states that want an established, compliance-heavy partner.

Dedicated HR business partner for compliance and policy questions
Payroll and tax in one state or all 50, with a payroll business partner
Large-group health plans plus 401(k) and workers’ comp
Self-service compliance database with regulatory updates
Training, hiring and retention support

Pricing: Custom pricing. ADP does not publish TotalSource rates.

Limitations: Pricing is opaque, and reviewers on sites such as Capterra often mention fee increases at renewal. Very small businesses may fall below its minimum headcount; confirm eligibility early.

Skip it if: You’re a sub-10-person startup that wants a fast, self-serve setup and a published price.

6. Paychex PEO

Paychex PEO pairs Paychex’s payroll scale with co-employment, a master health plan and bundled workers’ comp. It runs on the Paychex Flex platform, so it’s a natural step up for companies already using Paychex payroll.

Best for: Existing Paychex customers and businesses that want a big-name provider with named service contacts.

Medical, dental and vision on the Paychex master plan
401(k) through Paychex Retirement Services
Workers’ comp under the PEO’s master policy
HR business partner and a named service team
Same Paychex Flex platform for payroll and HR

Pricing: Custom pricing. Paychex lists its PEO as “request pricing”.

Limitations: No published rates, and Paychex PEO has historically required at least five employees. Paychex publishes its full PEO terms of service; read the termination and fee clauses carefully before signing.

Skip it if: You’re a micro team or you want to compare prices without a sales call.

7. Deel PEO

Deel is best known for global EOR and contractor payments, and its US PEO covers co-employment in all 50 states on the same platform. That makes it a practical choice if most of your team is in the US but you also hire abroad.

Best for: US companies with international employees or contractors that want one platform for both.

US co-employment in all 50 states with benefits included
Managed payroll, tax filings and reporting across PEO and EOR employees
Healthcare, dental, vision, mental health and fertility benefits
EOR in 130+ countries and contractor payments on the same platform
Month-to-month pricing with no long-term commitment, according to Deel’s pricing FAQ

Pricing: US PEO starts at $125 per employee per month; EOR starts at $599 per employee per month. Deel is running a promotion for new PEO order forms signed by December 31, 2026 on terms of at least two years: three months of platform fees credited at the end of the initial term, repayable in full if you terminate early.

Limitations: At $125 it’s the most expensive of the published PEO prices here, and Deel’s PEO pricing has changed several times over the past two years. The promotion ties you into a two-year term.

Skip it if: Your whole team is in the US and you have no plans to hire abroad.

How to choose a PEO

Compare total cost, not the admin fee. Ask every vendor for a quote that includes health premiums, workers’ comp, state unemployment and any add-ons, for your actual census. A low admin fee on an expensive health plan isn’t a bargain.
Check the fee model. Flat per-employee fees (Justworks, TriNet, Deel) don’t rise when you give raises. Percentage-of-payroll fees do.
Ask about renewals. Get the year-two benefits renewal process in writing, and ask how increases have looked for companies like yours.
Plan your exit. Ask about notice periods, termination fees and what happens to your data and benefits if you leave. Rippling is the only provider here built around switching the PEO off without changing software.
Check certification. The IRS publishes a list of Certified Professional Employer Organizations (CPEOs). Certification affects who is liable for federal employment taxes, so check the specific entity you’d contract with.
Look at what’s not included. Most PEOs cover payroll and benefits well but leave recruiting to you. If hiring is your bottleneck, pair your PEO with an applicant tracking system; we also cover ATS options for small businesses.

FAQ

What does a PEO do?

A PEO becomes the co-employer of your staff and takes on payroll tax filing, benefits sponsorship, workers’ comp and much of your HR compliance. You still hire, manage and direct your team day to day.

How much does a PEO cost?

Of the PEOs that publish prices, Justworks charges $79 or $124 per employee per month and Deel starts at $125. Most others, including Rippling, Insperity, TriNet, ADP TotalSource and Paychex, quote individually. Health insurance premiums and payroll taxes are always extra.

Is a PEO worth it for a small business?

A PEO is usually worth it when you need competitive health benefits and don’t have in-house HR or compliance expertise. If you already have an HR lead and a good benefits broker, HR software plus payroll is often cheaper.

What’s the difference between a PEO and an EOR?

A PEO co-employs staff through your own US entity, while an EOR is the sole legal employer, typically in countries where you have no entity. EORs cost much more; Justworks and Deel both list EOR at $599 per employee per month.

Can you leave a PEO?

Yes, but check your contract’s notice period and termination fees first, and plan for new benefits and payroll accounts. Rippling lets you switch the PEO off and keep using its HR platform, which makes the move simpler.

Can UK or EU companies use a US PEO?

Only for staff employed through a US entity, since PEOs co-employ US workers. To hire in the UK or EU without a local entity, you need an EOR such as Deel, Rippling or Justworks’ EOR service.