The fee is the small number
An admin fee of $79 or $180 per employee is real money, but benefits premiums and workers’ comp usually dwarf it. Two PEOs $60 apart on the fee can be $400 apart per employee on total cost — in either direction.
PEO comparison · 2026
Compare the big PEOs: what each one charges, how, and who it fits
Only one of the five largest PEOs publishes a price. The rest quote. This is what is public about each, in one table, and the method for getting real numbers on identical assumptions.
We don’t sell PEO. We sell the comparison — and the PEO you choose pays our fee, the same fee whichever one it is, so there is nothing here that steers you.
1 of 5
Publishes its PEO price (Justworks)
$40–$160
PEPM — the admin-fee range we see across the market
3 lines
Where the money actually is: benefits premiums, workers’ comp, and the fee — in that order
The five, side by side
| PEO | Fee model | Publishes price? | Admin fee (PEPM) | Minimum | Tends to fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justworks | Flat per employee | Yes | $79 Basic / $124 Plus (published) | 2 people | Small office-based teams, 2–50 |
| TriNet | Flat per employee, never % of payroll | No (example: $150) | $100–$140 (third-party estimate) | Required, unstated | Professional, tech, higher-wage |
| Insperity | Per employee, custom | No | $150–$210 (third-party estimate) | Not stated | Hands-on HR, talent-competitive |
| ADP TotalSource | Per employee or % of payroll | No | Industry 2–12% of wages (ADP-cited) | 5 (reported) | ADP payroll users, multi-state |
| Paychex PEO | Custom bundle | No | Not published | Not stated | Paychex payroll users, broad menu |
Figures from each PEO’s public site or labeled third-party estimates as of November 2026. Admin fee excludes benefit premiums, workers’ comp, and payroll taxes, which are where most of the money is. All names are trademarks of their owners; My PEO Pros is independent and not affiliated with any of them.
How to read the table
Flat vs. percentage
A flat per-employee fee stays put when you give raises. A percentage-of-payroll fee doesn’t. Over three years the gap compounds; always ask which structure you’re being quoted.
Published vs. quoted
Justworks’ published price is a useful floor. Quoted PEOs frequently come in below it at 30+ employees and above it at 10 — your headcount decides.
Renewal and exit
Year-one pricing is designed to win the deal. The renewal cap and the exit terms are what you actually live with. We put them on the same page as the price.
What a real comparison looks like
- One census, one set of workers’ comp class codes, one benefits contribution — sent to three to five PEOs that realistically fit your industry and states
- Quotes normalized to the same assumptions so a $120 fee with cheap premiums and a $90 fee with expensive ones compare honestly
- Total cost per employee per year, side by side, with what’s billed outside the fee listed — not footnoted
- Renewal caps and exit provisions on the same page, so year two doesn’t surprise you
- A straight answer, including “stay where you are” when that is the answer
Case in point: a 108-employee Hill Country vineyard, $128,291 a year across benefits, comp, and unemployment after a side-by-side. A 29-employee clinic, an 80% renewal replaced with 12%. Seven results, no names →
Pages on each PEO
Insperity cost · ADP TotalSource cost · TriNet cost · Justworks pricing · Paychex PEO cost · What a PEO costs, in general
Every PEO salesperson can show you one quote. Only an independent broker can show you five on the same assumptions — and tell you which one to take.Jeff Gibson, SHRM-CP · Founder & PEO Advisor
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Which PEO is cheapest?
On the published administrative fee, Justworks at $79 per employee per month. On total cost — benefits, workers’ comp, fee — it depends entirely on your group, which is why we price them side by side instead of guessing.
Which PEO is best?
There isn’t one. Insperity for hands-on HR, TriNet for flat pricing and professional-services depth, Justworks for small transparent teams, ADP and Paychex for scale and payroll integration — and several regional PEOs that beat all five on workers’ comp for field workforces. Fit is the whole job.
Do you work with all of these PEOs?
We quote Insperity, TriNet, and Justworks regularly, along with regional PEOs that often win on workers’ comp for field workforces. ADP TotalSource and Paychex PEO we place less often; if either is already on your desk, bring the proposal and we’ll line it up against the others.
What does the comparison cost?
Nothing. The PEO you choose pays our fee, and it is the same fee whichever one you pick.