13 Best Benefits Administration Software for Startups 2024

Benefits administration systems can do many things; they help manage eligibility requirements, enroll employees, and determine the best benefits package to give your business a competitive advantage when searching for and retaining top talent. 

To choose the right benefits administration software for your startup, you should have a good idea of the type of service you’re looking for. For example, if you need payroll or HR tools as well, you may be best suited to a comprehensive employee management solution rather than a standalone benefits management tool. 

We’re here to help you determine the right software for your startup and its team by breaking down the best benefits administration software for startups, their advantages and disadvantages, and the key considerations you need to make in order to select the best software for your business.

1. Gusto - Best Benefits Administration Software Overall
2. OnPay - Best for Small Businesses 
3. ADP - Best for Big Businesses 
4. Rippling - Best for A La Carte Pricing
5. TriNet - Best for Data-Driven Benefits Selection
6. Deel - Best for Global Teams
7. Justworks - Best for Competitive Benefits Packages
8. Paychex - Best for Full Suite of HR Features 
9. Benefitfocus - Best Benefits-Centered Service 
10. GoCo - Best Platform for Automations 
11. BambooHR - Best for Employee Self-Service 
12. Workday - Best for Reporting and Analytics
13. Namely - Best HR Package Varieties 

Gusto is a one-stop shop for employee management tools. On the platform, users can not only find solutions for payroll and HR tasks, they can also administer benefits for employees. Gusto makes it easy to find affordable medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees. Plus, users benefit from a myriad of other services and features with Gusto’s packages. 

With Gusto, health insurance administration is included in even their lowest-price package. For businesses that prefer to use a non-Gusto broker, you can do so by opting for their Premium package or paying extra for the integration as an add-on on any plan. 

Pros

• Health insurance transfers at no additional cost
• Receive ultimate flexibility with pick-your-cost health reimbursement options 
• Payroll, HR, and tax features included in packages 
• No administration fees 

Cons

• No option to select benefits features a la carte 
• External broker integration costs extra 

Pricing

Gusto offers three plans with benefits administration: Simple at $40/month plus $6 per user, per month, Plus at $80/month plus $12 per user per month, and Premium, which requires custom pricing.

With services for benefits, HR, and payroll, OnPay is an all-in-one employee management software built for small businesses. OnPay connects employers with top insurance providers from Humana to BlueCross BlueShield, offering pay-as-you-go workers' compensation plans, 401(k) retirement plans,  as well as medical, vision, and dental coverage. 

While OnPay offers only one plan, employers are able to select from a variety of benefits inclusions to customize their package and provide the best benefits packages for their employees. 

Pros

• Variety of benefits, including insurance, retirement, and workers’ compensation
• Insurance plans by premium providers 
• Benefits features included in the plan at no additional cost 
• Automation means onboarding new employees fast 

Cons

• There is only one plan to choose from 
• No a la carte benefits administration features available 

Pricing

OnPay only offers one plan, which is priced at $40 per month plus $6 per month per user. While the lack of variety may pose an issue for some users, there are no hidden fees or additional charges with OnPay – just a flat monthly fee.

ADP is a trusted name in business software. From payroll to benefits administration, ADP is used by businesses of all types and sizes to manage their employees using their PEO solutions. The platform breaks down services into sizes, ranging from one to 1,000 employees, to ensure your package includes the features and functionality needed to manage your team. 

ADP partners with many top insurance providers such as Aetna, Cigna, and Aflac and allows users to integrate with benefit carriers for a seamless user experience. 

Pros

• Integrations connect benefits and payroll seamlessly 
• Automatic payroll deductions to manage voluntary benefits 
• Employee communications are handled through ADP 
• Integrations with many top insurance providers 

Cons

• Pricing is confusing 
• You must request a demo to learn more about their software 

Pricing

ADP doesn’t offer pricing information on its website. To learn more about the cost of ADP’s benefits administration services,  you must request a demo on the website.

Rippling is an innovative, highly-rated workforce software solutions provider. Whether you’re opting for their HR Cloud, IT Cloud, or Finance Cloud, Rippling offers comprehensive, feature-rich services that are tailored to your business needs. 

Their benefits administration services include everything from medical, vision, and dental insurance to retirement plans. Customers can request quotes, assess, and enroll in over 4,000 insurance plans from many top providers, including Humana and Blue Cross Blue Shield. Plus, with a focus on automation, Rippling takes the headache out of managing benefits, saving you time and making providing benefits for new and existing employees simple. 

Pros

• No additional costs to use an external broker 
• Quick and easy coverage transfers 
• Automated enrollment for new employees saves you time 
• Automated compliance with the Affordable Care Act and COBRA 

Cons

• Little pricing information is included on the website 
• Rippling does not serve as a broker like some competitors 

Pricing

Rippling doesn’t offer standardized pricing. Their plans start at $8 per month per user and scale based on services you would like to include in your plan.

TriNet, formerly known as Zenefits, is an HR-focused platform that offers a range of services, including benefits administration. Their platform offers features beyond securing health insurance from leading providers, they also offer health savings accounts, pet insurance, retirement plans, and more. Essentially, everything your business needs to create a competitive benefits plan to attract and retain top talent. 

In addition to its wide range of services, TriNet also offers a benefits decision support tool that makes choosing benefits far easier for employees. 

Pros

• Wide variety of benefits to build the ultimate package for your employees 
• Expert benefits compliance ensures your business is meeting all requirements 
• Benefits decision support tools help employees choose the right benefits for them 
• Several plans to choose from, giving your business flexibility

Cons

• Pricing is confusing due to the level of add-ons required 
• Plans do not include many ideal features 
• Higher cost than many competitors 

Pricing

TriNet offers three basic HR plans: Essentials at $10 per user per month, Growth at $20 per user per month, and Zen at $33 per user per month. However, this does not include any benefits features. In order to access benefits administration, you will need to pay an additional $5 per user per month.

Deel is an HR software solution built for teams that span beyond the US. Deel provides support for hiring in over 150 countries, allowing you to appeal to international workers and compete with other businesses for top global talent. Plus, the service offers immigration and sponsor visa support. 

This service is best suited for businesses that either already boast a global workforce or plan to hire full-time employees in different countries and provide them with benefits. 

Pros

• Features built to support global teams 
• Compatible with global hiring compliance 
• Benefits tool makes choosing inclusions simple 
• Variety of different packages are available 

Cons

• Pricing information is limited for benefits administration 
• Some packages are high cost compared to competitors 

Pricing

Pricing information for Deel is limited. The platform offers a free package, Deel HR, but to receive benefits features, you will need to opt for Deel’s Global Payroll plan, which requires a custom quote or the EOR package starting at $599 per month. However, it is important to note that the EOR package is built to support you in countries you don’t have entities in.

Justworks is an innovative workforce management company shaking up the benefits administration space with its wellness-focused services. Plus, with their all-in-one platform, managing chosen benefits is easy for employees and administrators alike. 

Justworks connects with top-tier providers such as Kindbody, Talkspace, and Aetna to provide more than just medical, dental, and vision coverage. With Justworks, employees benefit from a variety of services for fertility and mental health, setting your benefits apart from competing businesses and allowing you to attract top talent. 

Pros

• More than standard benefits offered, giving your business a competitive edge 
• Several services available on the platform, such as payroll, HR, and compliance 
• Data-driven underwriting process helps companies save on benefits 
• 24/7 customer support for administrators and employees

Cons

• Higher cost than some competitors 
• Few plans to choose from 

Pricing

Justworks has two plans available: Basic at $59 per month per employee and Plus at $99 per month per employee.

Paychex is a popular software for HR, payroll, and benefits. Their benefits administration software, Flock, allows employees to make benefits adjustments as needed with support built-in to navigate any questions that arise. 

Startups already using Paychex for payroll or human resources will benefit from their fully integrated application, which blends seamlessly with their other products. 

Pros

• Mobile application allows users to manage benefits from anywhere 
• Compatible with existing brokers 
• Real-time reporting on employee changes and benefits data 
• Higher accuracy and fewer errors with the Flock app saves time and money

Cons

• No pricing information for benefits administration is included on the website 
• Steep learning curve for some users 

Pricing

Paychex doesn’t include pricing on its website for benefits administration. To obtain pricing, you will need to request a custom quote.

Businesses looking for a comprehensive benefits platform will find what they are looking for in Benefitfocus. Unlike many competitors, Benefitfocus is entirely focused on the benefits side of employee management. This results in a platform with robust features for administrators and employees to get the most out of their benefits administration services. 

On the platform, users can easily manage eligibility and enrollment, review data from integrations for payroll or third-party software, and communicate with employees. It is important to note that if you are looking for a service with additional functionality for payroll or human resources, this may not be the right service for your business. This platform is best suited to business owners looking for the most holistic, dedicated benefits administration software. 

Pros

• Robust sets of features for both administrators and employees 
• Built for benefits management 
• Communicative features allow administrators to connect with employees on the platform
• Increased utilization of benefits, services, and programs reported 

Cons

• Users looking for a holistic employee management platform will not find that with Benefitfocus
• No pricing information available 

Pricing

Benefitfocus doesn’t include pricing information on its website. You will need to request a quote from them directly to review pricing options.

GoCo is a comprehensive employee management platform offering services for everything from payroll to onboarding to benefits administration. Whether you’re looking to offer health insurance, commuter benefits, or retirement plans, it is possible with GoCo. 

GoCo’s platform is built to reduce administrative burdens by offering a self-service portal for employees, helpful automations, and notifications for enrollment. Plus, the platform boasts features for syncing payroll and benefits, compliance with ACA and COBRA, and integrations to sync directly with insurance providers. 

Pros

• Ideon integration connects you with insurance carriers to reduce error 
• Automatic contributions and deductions 
• Employees are notified automatically when it is time to enroll 
• Payroll and benefits are tracked together to ensure they stay in sync 

Cons

• Custom pricing can add up quickly 
• There is no free trial available 

Pricing

GoCo doesn’t offer standardized package pricing; instead, they offer customized quotes. Their services start at $5 per user per month and increase depending on services requested.

BambooHR’s benefits administration services include all the essentials for you to create a benefits package and for your team to select and change benefits independently. Available as an add-on, their benefits administration software easily connects with the service’s other products 

BambooHR’s dashboard makes benefits election easy for both employees and employers. By allowing employees to elect all benefits on their own with an easy-to-use interface, companies spend less time walking employees through the process, allowing them to focus on their business. 

Pros

• Automated carrier connections with leading providers 
• Robust reporting features 
• Super fast election approvals gets your employees their benefits faster 
• Free trial available 

Cons

• Doesn’t offer pricing information on the website 
• Only provides services for US-based employees 

Pricing

Unfortunately, BambooHR doesn’t include pricing on its website. However, you can request a quote on the website.

Workday offers a variety of employee management products, from HR software to benefits administration. Their benefits products focus strongly on reporting and data, which allows businesses to easily track hours worked, those working over a mandatory threshold, and more. 

Notably, Workday doesn’t require a custom integration to connect its services with your current tech stack. Their cloud-based platform reduces IT burden and includes over 300 pre-built integrations. 

Pros

• Employees can easily compare and elect benefits on desktop or mobile devices 
• Reporting features for hours worked and more 
• Ability to set eligibility rules in the dashboard 
• HR integrations make the employee management process seamless 

Cons

• Lack of transparency with pricing 
• Fewer features than some competitors 

Pricing

There is no pricing information included on the Workday website. However,  you can contact their sales team to request a quote.

Namely offers a fully integrated HR solution built to help businesses streamline the entire employee management process from onboarding to benefits and more. Their benefits administration services boast a wide variety of benefits to choose from, as well as easy-to-use tools and dashboards. 

The platform offers four plans with varying features. However, to gain access to their benefits administration module, you will need to opt for one of their higher-tier plans. This also means you will need to purchase the other HR tools offered by Namely to utilize their benefits administration services. 

Pros

• Wide variety of benefits are supported on the platform 
• Setup tool allows employers to easily manage plans, rates, and eligibility 
• Open enrollment dashboard saves time 
• Payroll integration creates a seamless tech stack 

Cons

• Email submission is required to view all features 
• Limited information on price and product available

Pricing

Namely’s packages start at $9 per employee per month. However, to obtain the benefits administration module, you will need to upgrade to their Plus, Plus People, or Complete plan. Unfortunately, pricing is not listed for these plans.

With so many benefits administration software tools available, it can be difficult to determine the right one for your business. These are a few of the most important considerations to make when choosing a benefits management tool for your business, from price to user experience. 

If your software doesn’t match your budget, that could spell trouble for your startup. Make sure not only that your benefits administration software works with your budget now but also when your team grows. 

Whether you’re looking to offer basic benefits or a competitive benefits package for employees, your benefits administration software should be compatible with your goals. Therefore, you should pay attention to services that are comprehensive enough to provide employees with the benefits you’d like without requiring you to pay for services you don’t want. 

One major advantage of using a benefits administration software is that it will reduce administrative burden — ideally. When choosing the right software for your business, you should consider the user experience for both administrators and employees to ensure that you aren’t missing out on time and labor savings.