Side by side
Payroll Engine vs Plaid
Both stand on payroll apis. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Payroll Engine offers a configurable framework and developer tools for embedding payroll processing, but deployment and security settings need attention. Its maker explicitly says not to expose the backend to the public Internet.
Visit Payroll Engine
Choose Plaid if your app or service needs financial account connections, financial data, or bank payment processing across its listed products. Look elsewhere if you require guaranteed access to every financial institution, since Plaid does not connect them all and may remove an institution when its data is no longer reliably accessible.
Visit PlaidThe facts
| Payroll Engine | Plaid | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | A free trial |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | API, Linux, Mac, Self-hosted, Web, Windows | Android, API, iPhone, Web |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 4 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | payrollengine.org | plaid.com |
| On payroll apis | #1 of 32 | #3 of 32 |
Payroll Engine: what it does well
- REST API supports tenant and employee management.
- Handles recurring and non-recurring payruns.
- Includes testing tools for validation and regression testing.
- Offers a browser-based management application.
- Released under the MIT License.
What to know first
- Country regulations are commercial.
- A database must be provided separately.
- Authentication and audit trails are disabled by default.
- Maker says not to use the backend on the public Internet.
Plaid: what it does well
- Connects with more than 12,000 financial institutions
- Transactions offers up to 24 months of categorized data
- Supports ACH, RTP, and FedNow bank payments
- Official API libraries cover five languages
- Plaid Portal lets users manage connections and permissions
What to know first
- There is no general free plan
- Pricing is on request
- Plaid does not connect every financial institution
- Access may end when an institution's data is no longer reliable
Alternatives to Payroll Engine Alternatives to Plaid The whole list