--- title: Central Reviews meta_title: 'Central Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features | G2' meta_description: Filter 37 reviews by the users' company size, role or industry to find out how Central works for a business like yours. aggregate_rating: rating_value: 5.0 review_count: 37 scale: '5' date_modified: '2026-06-22' parent_category: name: HR url: https://www.g2.com/categories/hr --- # Central Reviews **Vendor:** Central **Category:** [Other HR Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/other-hr) **Average Rating:** 5.0/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 37 ## About Central Central is a payroll and benefits platform designed for founders that handles all the painful compliance work automatically. Unlike traditional HR platforms that require expertise and make you do the work, Central acts as a proactive teammate that takes cares of everything. The platform is built specifically for busy founders who want to focus on building their product, not drowning in administrative tasks. When you get started with Central, you'll experience: 1. Automated compliance: Central handles all state registrations, tax filings, and worker's compensation setup automatically. No more interfacing with confusing government portals or risking expensive fines. 2. Complete benefits management: Get expert guidance on choosing the right health insurance plans, plus automated setup of 401k and life insurance with seamless payroll integration. 3. Global hiring support: Pay employees across all 50 U.S. states and contractors in 200+ countries. Central manages everything from offer letters and NDAs to reimbursements and tax documentation. 4. Proactivity: Central monitors government mail through a virtual address system, catching issues before they become problems. If you receive any scary government notices or fines, the team handles it for you. 5. Instant support: Ask questions directly through Slack and get responses in minutes. The platform's AI-powered assistant can handle common requests like retrieving documents or updating employee information instantly. The platform currently serves hundreds of startups, helping them avoid fines, save countless hours, and maintain perfect compliance without needing to become HR experts themselves. The platform integrates seamlessly with existing systems and requires minimal setup time - most founders spend less than 10 minutes getting started. Whether you're hiring your first employee or managing a growing team, Central ensures you never have to worry about back-office operations again. ## Central Pros & Cons **What users like:** - Users commend the **excellent customer support** from Central, appreciating timely responses and attentive service for their needs. (21 reviews) - Users highlight the **exceptional response time** of Central's support team, ensuring timely assistance whenever needed. (15 reviews) - Users appreciate the **unparalleled time savings** with Central, eliminating hours of stress and operational headaches effortlessly. (14 reviews) - Users value the **exceptional support and responsiveness** of Central, enhancing their payroll management experience significantly. (12 reviews) - Users value the **automation of back-office tasks** in Central, significantly improving efficiency and freeing up time for focus. (11 reviews) - Users appreciate the **ease of use** of Central, enabling efficient payroll management through a simple Slack integration. (11 reviews) - Users value the **smooth and personalized onboarding** process of Central, enhancing their experience and peace of mind. (8 reviews) - Payroll (8 reviews) - Users highly value the **effortless payroll management** provided by Central, appreciating the seamless integration and support. (7 reviews) - Easy Setup (6 reviews) **What users dislike:** - Users express concerns about **clarity issues** with pricing and tax processes, finding them lacking in transparency and thoroughness. (2 reviews) - Users note a lack of clarity regarding **usage-based pricing** and desire improvements in the tax filing process. (1 reviews) - Users find the **absence of essential HR features** frustrating, though improvements are underway. (1 reviews) - Users are frustrated by **integration issues** in Central, as not all tools are supported yet, limiting functionality. (1 reviews) - Users find Central's interface **not intuitive** , noting UI issues that detract from their overall experience compared to Slack. (1 reviews) ## Central Reviews ### 1. Central: Your Startup's Payroll & HR Secret Weapon **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Tim T. **Reviewed Date:** February 06, 2026 **What do you like best about Central?** I use Central to manage our payroll and benefits, and I really appreciate that it's all set up and I don't have to think about it. This makes it really easy for us. We've been using it from the very beginning when we first set up payroll for our startup company, and it's worked seamlessly the whole time. Central also manages state filings and stuff for us, which is kinda like having an HR team. It's really nice because we have Slack access to them, and it's insanely cheaper than hiring actual HR employees. Having fewer things to think about on that front is super helpful. What I like most is that Central acts like an HR team without needing to pay for staff. **What do you dislike about Central?** N/A **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** With Central, I don't have to worry about payroll and benefits, it's seamless and feels like having an HR team without the cost. Their management of state filings is a relief, and overall, it reduces the admin burden, letting me focus on growing my company. ### 2. I don't want to care about payroll and benefits admin and now I don't have to! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Zach F. | Co-Founder, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** December 09, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Really nice having a slackbot I can just @ and tell to hire someone, pay them a bonus, terminate them, etc. I don't need to think about... anything really. I don't know what's happening behind the curtain, and that's fine, because there are no issues and no complaints and I focus on the business! Everyone is also super responsive, which helps a lot--it's not like you're left with just an AI agent to contend with. Knowledgeable, friendly folks. **What do you dislike about Central?** I've never used any other benefits administrator, so it's hard to say what I'm missing, but I also don't really care! **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Central handles all payroll and one-time payments, reimbursements, etc. and all of the taxes behind the scenes. It's amazing how much happens without us paying attention to it. Just a huge piece of the business that I can put completely on autopilot. ### 3. Central Handles the Busywork So I Can Focus on the Business **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** James A. | Chief Executive Officer, Design, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 21, 2026 **What do you like best about Central?** As somebody who runs a design studio, my primary focus needs to be on the work itself - I want a platform to handle all the busywork and admin of running the business. **What do you dislike about Central?** I'll admit I had some hesitations about whether an early-stage startup would be robust enough for my needs. But honestly, Central has exceeded my expectations. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** The biggest difference has been realizing that everything gets taken care of automatically for me. Whenever I think 'has this form been filled out and submitted', I go to check and realize it was handled months ago. I'm saving anywhere from a couple hours to a few days per month on various admin like payroll, onboarding contractors, compliance etc. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Hi James, thank you for leaving us a review - so happy to hear you're saving up to a few days a month by no longer having to manage payroll, onboarding, and compliance and can now just focus on building your design studio! That's what we strive for. We are lucky to have you as a customer! ### 4. Worries gone! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Gillian V. | Founder & CEO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 12, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Ease of use, customer support, ease of implementation **What do you dislike about Central?** The downside is it's missing some HR features but they are working on adding them **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Managing compliance requirements across multiple states was becoming a nightmare with our previous platform. I had to handle everything manually and there was no monitoring system in place, which meant constantly worrying about missing deadlines or requirements. My main concern before switching was PTO management for our employees, but Central's team assured me that feature is being added soon. The real game-changer was when Central handled our state registrations promptly at a great price point and helped me navigate a complicated employee leave situation; or when they connected me to the right lawyer to help me navigate an unknown situation. Now I can actually focus on growing my team and improving customer satisfaction instead of drowning in back-office compliance work. ### 5. Co-Founder and COO/CFO **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Laura S. | Co-Founder/COO/CFO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 24, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** As a startup with a few employees, we needed to move fast and I was honestly overwhelmed by all the payroll choices out there - especially the extra fees for each new service. What really made the difference for us was Central's one fee model and how easy it was to handle our non-US contractors. The Slack integration is amazing too! I'm not sure exactly how much time it saves monthly but its so simple and i really don't have to think about it which given everything else going on is a gift. Would definitely recommend to other founders who just want payroll handled without the headache. **What do you dislike about Central?** Not sure when we will outgro it but not a concern for the near future! **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Ease with my non US contractors and simplicity to onboard new hires **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Hi Laura, thanks so much for taking the time to leave us a review. We're happy to hear that handling onboarding & payroll for your non-US contractors has been easy and that you have peace of mind from not having to think about payroll and compliance -- that's what we strive for! Thanks for being an awesome customer, and if there's anything we can do to better support you, please don't hesitate to let us know. ### 6. The best thing since the printing press **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Yeng Kerng T. | CEO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 16, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** What I like best is that there’s nothing to “like” in the usual sense. Central doesn’t demand admiration; it doesn’t even demand thought. It takes what was once the very marrow of drudgery—PTO approvals, onboarding checklists, expense reports— and makes it feel less like software and more like infrastructure: like electricity, or plumbing. You don’t see it; you just live in the comfort of it. What I like best is that I no longer experience HR as a category of existence. Instead, there is only Slack, and through Slack, there is Central: the hidden architecture of an intricate system where the paperwork does itself. **What do you dislike about Central?** It isn't cheap, but also, you get what you pay for, which in this case is amazing stuff. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** It removes the problem of having to remember that there were problems in the first place. Before, HR was a tangle of problems, each demanding its own password and level of attention. Now, everything collapses into a single Slack message. The benefit is less about “efficiency” in the corporate sense, and more about mental clarity. I don’t have to stop what I’m doing to switch contexts, or open a dozen tabs, or worry that I’ve missed some hidden step. Central keeps all the machinery running in the background, so that my day feels less like I’m navigating an obstacle course and more like I’m just… working. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Thank you Yeng for taking the team to leave us a review! We are so happy to hear that Central has replaced "the very marrow of drudgery" (what a fantastically poetic phrase btw) so you have the time and clarity to focus on building your business. Our hope is that you rarely have to think of us, if at all, and it's wonderful to hear that has been your experience. If there's anything we can do to better support you, please don't hesitate to let us know! ### 7. Effortless Payroll Management with Central's Slack Integration **Rating:** 4.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Conor I. **Reviewed Date:** November 11, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** I really appreciate that Central integrates seamlessly with Slack, making it incredibly convenient as I rarely have to log in separately. The efficiency and time-saving nature of this feature allow me to focus more on my tasks without worrying about payroll compliance, as the Central team handles that entirely. Their Slack bot is extremely helpful for onboarding employees instantly, which significantly lightens my workload. The transparent pricing structure was another reason we switched to Central, alongside its ease of use. The initial setup was very straightforward, primarily handled by the Central team themselves, enhancing the overall user experience. **What do you dislike about Central?** I think at the beginning, the dashboard that they used when I did have to log in was very bare bones, and additionally, their AI bot at the beginning was a bit bare bones as well. But over time, they've improved these aspects, and the improvements have been very noticeable. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use Central to manage payroll seamlessly, leveraging a Slack bot for onboarding and compliance, which saves me time and effort, making it feel like a managed service. ### 8. Exceptional Support and Effortless Setup **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Austin T. | Chief Executive Officer **Reviewed Date:** November 10, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** I greatly appreciate how Central automates all the back-office functions for payroll, benefits, hiring, and other HRIS and accounting tasks. This automation saves me a significant amount of time, allowing me to focus on other responsibilities as a founder/CEO. The customer support offered by Central is truly exceptional. They are always available to address my questions and resolve issues swiftly. Their support goes above and beyond, as they even assist in solving problems that lie outside their direct domain, such as helping with a benefits issue that was actually the broker’s fault. The Slack integration is another feature I find extremely valuable, as it provides a natural and intuitive interface, making it feel as if I have an expansive HR team ready to assist whenever needed. Additionally, the initial setup of Central was remarkably easy, taking less than an hour because they provided assistance to set everything up for us. This excellent support and functionality make Central an indispensable tool for managing our HR operations efficiently. **What do you dislike about Central?** I don't like that Central doesn't have integrations for all tools yet. Although they have expanded quite a bit since we started using them, we occasionally encounter tools that aren't integrated, such as Pave for compensation data. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use Central to automate back-office tasks like payroll and benefits, saving time as a founder/CEO. The excellent support handles issues swiftly, and Slack integration offers a seamless HR interface. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Thanks so much Austin for leaving us a review - really thrilled to hear our automation and customer support has saved you time to focus on building your business! Thanks your your feedback about increasing our integrations to include Pave for for compensation data - I've passed this along to our product team so its on their radar. If there's anything else we can do to better support you, please don'y hesitate to ask! ### 9. Effortless Payroll with Central, **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Dom C. **Reviewed Date:** November 07, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** I really appreciate how reliable Central is for a wide variety of tasks. Whenever I have a question or need to accomplish something, Central is my first point of contact, as they usually can address my needs. The ease of setup is another remarkable advantage; the Central team managed everything manually, so I didn’t have to do any of the setup myself, making the initial use extremely straightforward and hassle-free. Additionally, the integration with other tools such as Thatch for medical purposes and Puzzle for accounting is very beneficial, allowing for a cohesive workflow. Overall, my experience has been positive, culminating in my willingness to highly recommend Central to others. **What do you dislike about Central?** I have encountered some issues with Central's user interface (UI). As Central is relatively new, it feels like they are more focused on using Slack rather than offering a polished UI experience. There are a few small UI issues that I notice when I try to accomplish tasks through the UI. However, when I use Slack, everything works really well. I think focusing more on enhancing the user interface could improve the overall experience. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Central streamlines my payroll processes, manages contractors' hours, and files legal forms, saving me time and ensuring compliance. It's a reliable point of contact for any questions or tasks, and setting it up was super easy as they handled everything. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Thanks so much Dom for taking the time to leave us a review. Happy to hear you found onboarding to be simple, and that you find the integrations with Thatch and Puzzle beneficial! Thank you for your feedback on the web UI - our team is working on improving the web experience and your thoughts would be really valuable here. I'll follow up to see if you could share any specific examples of where the UI can be improved to pass along to our eng team. Thanks Dom! ### 10. Effortless Payroll Management with Exceptional Support **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Shashank C. | Founder **Reviewed Date:** November 04, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** I love how Central ensures my payroll runs on time, making sure my employees are paid and I'm in compliance with all regulatory bodies related to payroll. It's reassuring to have such reliability. The accessibility and responsiveness of the Central team is amazing. I appreciate not having to go through complex processes to get help when needed. They're easily reachable, even embedded within our Slack channel, which means I can quickly get in touch with a real person who understands the urgency of payroll-related matters, and that's invaluable for someone in my position, running a business. The setup process was incredibly smooth; my onboarding was effectively completed during the sales call within the first ten minutes, which speaks for itself. All these elements make Central an excellent choice for managing payroll and compliance, enhancing my productivity and peace of mind immensely. **What do you dislike about Central?** N/A **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use Central to easily onboard and pay new employees and contractors, manage compliance-related paperwork, and ensure payroll runs smoothly and on time. It integrates well into my Slack, making support accessible and efficient when needed. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Hi Sonny, thanks for leaving us a review! Thrilled to hear you enjoy the responsiveness of our team in Slack - that's what we're here for! Super happy to hear we were able to onboard you in 10 mins, we try to make it as easy and painless as possible. Appreciate your support and thanks for being an awesome customer! ### 11. Effortless Payroll Management and Top-Notch Support **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Paras M. **Reviewed Date:** October 31, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** I appreciate how Central handles payroll administration along with relevant employee taxes efficiently, providing optionality for healthcare and 401(k) benefits, which is extremely valuable for our company's needs. The integration with Slack makes it incredibly easy to set up and manage, as everything is handled through a Slack channel, which simplifies communication and organization. The decision to choose Central over Rippling was influenced by its competitive pricing, personal connection, and the fact that it offers equivalent full-service options, which aligns well with our business requirements. I find the ease of use a key factor for our continuing use and potential repurchase of Central, as it fulfills all current needs without necessitating any changes. This ease of use and comprehensive service are reasons I would gladly recommend Central to others, confidently rating it a ten in likelihood of recommending. **What do you dislike about Central?** No issues at all. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** I use Central for payroll administration and employee taxes, plus it offers options for health care and 401(k) management, simplifying these processes. It's easy to use and integrates seamlessly with Slack, making setup straightforward. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Hi Paras, thanks so much for taking the time to leave us a review. We are thrilled to hear you enjoy our Slack integration and personalized customer support. We're grateful to have you as a customer, and if there's anything we can do to better support you, please don't hesitate to let us know! ### 12. Central is literally the best app I have on my admin stack **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Alexandros M. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 22, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Manual, repetitive admin work was literally wasting my time and soul as a founder. I had concerns about Central being a small, newer company but knowing the founders personally made those worries disappear completely. They deliver on every single promise in their messaging - I literally deal with zero bullshit work now. Their customer support is incredible, they actually get things done instead of fobbing you off to documentation. I'm saving at least 10 hours of manual work monthly and can focus on what actually matters for my business. **What do you dislike about Central?** Nothing, everything is honestly perfect. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Central has completely eliminated all manual, repetitive, BS work for me. Especially as a non-US founder who is unfamiliar with the system here, their team and product has been immensely helpful in me setting up and scaling my business operations and payroll! **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Thanks Alex for taking the time to leave us a review! We're beyond thrilled you no longer feel like you're wasting your time and soul (too real lol) & that you're able to save 10 hours a month on manual work. We're so grateful to have you as a customer, thanks for your support! ### 13. Effortless Payroll and Outstanding Support **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sean P. | Angel Squad Member, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 06, 2026 **What do you like best about Central?** How easy it is to use and how they simplify payroll. Their support team is incredibly responsive and kind **What do you dislike about Central?** Nothing comes to mind. All aspects of product and customer service have been top notch **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Being legally compliant with payroll. Paying the right people at the right time ### 14. Seamless, extremely easy to use product with every feature I want. **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Max v. | CTO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 24, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Central is awesome. The team is uber responsive and the product works great. We're very happy with it. I'm always pleasantly surprised when I ask @central for something in Slack and it immediately does exactly what I want without any human intervention. These guys are crushing it. **What do you dislike about Central?** Nothing. The product handles all the exceedingly boring stuff I don't want to think about so I can work on my product. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Central handles 100% of the annoying business crap that we would typically need to noodle around for freaking *hours* in Rippling to accomplish. It is absolutely perfect. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Thanks Max for taking the time to leave us a review! Thrilled to hear you find the product easy to use and are able to save hours on the back office tasks that used to take you hours, that's what we strive for! If there's anything else we can do to better support you, please don't hesitate to let us know. Grateful to have you as a customer! ### 15. Effortless Payroll Setup That Saves Us Time **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sam W. | CEO & Co-Founder, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 07, 2026 **What do you like best about Central?** We started using Central when it was time to pay our first employees. I did hesitate a bit since they’re a newer company compared to established players like Justworks. But getting it set up was so quick, honestly shocked me. Now I save a bunch of time every month and just focus on building the company. **What do you dislike about Central?** Nothing so far. All is good. They respond to all my questions asap. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Paying employees ### 16. Exceptional Support and Seamless State Registration Experience **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Alex B. | CEO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 04, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** We needed help with state registrations and honestly, I was hesitant at first since Central was a new company. Wasn't sure how good the service would be. But it's actually amazing! We got a tax notice that should have been handled by our old provider and I just shared it in slack - they handled everything. You always feel like you have the support of a team that really knows their stuff. I'm not sure exactly how much time I save but I have no doubt that it's worth it. **What do you dislike about Central?** Nothing - it’s great! I have had zero issues… **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Payroll, registrations, benefits **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Hi Alex, thanks for taking time to leave us review. So happy we were able to help with your tax notice that your former provider missed! Thanks for being an awesome customer, we appreciate your support! ### 17. Best money I’ve spent. Period **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Information Technology and Services | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 28, 2026 **What do you like best about Central?** We needed help with payroll and insurance but I was worried Central might be expensive or have provider lock-ins where we couldn't switch if things went wrong. What really made the difference is their automated bot - it answers most of my questions within a minute, and if not the team gets back to me in five minutes. I'm saving a good few hours monthly now and can focus on actually running the business instead of back-office stuff. **What do you dislike about Central?** Nothing, they’ve taken care of all payroll and gov forms for us. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Payroll and Gov forms ### 18. Now I don't need to worry about any HR stuff anymore **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** February 04, 2026 **What do you like best about Central?** their support is always here to help, and sometimes I don't even ask them first; they bring up things to the table which really impress me every single time. **What do you dislike about Central?** time off management would be a nice to have **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** automated payroll and compliance for all cross-state w2 employees **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review - we recently launched PTO tracking, if you'd like to try it reach out to our team and we can turn it on for you! ### 19. Super Knowledgeable Team, Great Slack Integration, and Rapid Development **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Sam W. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 30, 2026 **What do you like best about Central?** The super knowledgeable team, the slack integration and their rate of development **What do you dislike about Central?** Sometimes they’re not feature complete but they are always so fast to build new features so it’s fine. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Super knowledgeable team that took all the mental load of compliantly paying employees off my plate. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Hi Sam, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! We're thrilled to hear you no longer have to carry the mental load of paying your employees on time and maintaining compliance - that's what we're here for! If there's any features in particular you'd like to request, please let us know, we're always working to improve our platform. ### 20. Awesome experience - worth it for small teams! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Nalu C. | Founder, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 17, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Awesome! Central took precisely one hour to set up, and it has been so low-touch since. They're a customer-centric team with quick response times. More expensive than other options (Rippling comes to mind), but the time savings for small teams are worthwhile. **What do you dislike about Central?** Central is slightly more expensive than other offerings (Rippling), but as a founder, I find the hassle of payroll, compliance, etc. being taken off my hands well-worth it. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Payroll, compliance, insurance. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Thanks Nalu for taking the time to leave us a review! Thrilled to hear that you no longer have to deal with the hassle of payroll and compliance anymore so you have time back to focus on building your business-- that's what we strive for! If there's anything we can do to better support you, please don't hesitate to reach out. ### 21. Fast, Human Support That Makes US Payroll Stress-Free **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 28, 2026 **What do you like best about Central?** The responsiveness and human support — having quick, reliable answers via Slack makes everything feel simple and under control. **What do you dislike about Central?** Honestly, very little — if anything, I’d say I’d love to see them keep scaling the product at the same pace as their support as the company grows. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Central removes the complexity and stress of US payroll and back-office operations, giving me confidence that everything is handled correctly and freeing up significant time to focus on growing the business instead of managing admin. ### 22. Critically necessary and unparalleled service for tech startups **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Bo N. | CEO, Information Technology and Services, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 13, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** As a former Silicon Valley VC and 2x tech startup founder based in SF, Central has changed my life more than any other service provider in the startup and VC space. I've used and suffered with nearly every payroll service prior to Central, including Gusto, Rippling, Deel, and more for the past 10+ years across 2 of my own startups and dozens of portfolio companies as a VC. Most recently, we switched to Central from Rippling. Before Central, we were plagued with endless payroll and operational issues due to severely faulty services by Rippling. Central fixed a wide range of issues that Rippling created for us, specifically with payroll taxes for the two states we operate in, CA and NV. Gusto had previously caused huge problems by withholding all company payroll if we did not register in any US state where we hired remote employees, causing immense problems. Top 3 points: 1. Central is in our Slack. Speaking directly with the Central team within our Company Slack is a complete gamechanger. I cannot fathom ever going back to using self service tools such as Rippling, Deel, Gusto, which I have used for the past 7 years. We can use either the AI-bot, which is fantastic, but even better is the fact that we can get a human being to fix the most nuanced and difficult issues at any time. No logins needed, no passwords to remember, just message in Slack and someone is there. As a CEO & Founder of early stage startups, there is no greater level of support than a human being that is willing to help. 2. Time savings are unparalleled. Prior to Central, I would spend close to 5-10 hours every week unsuccessfully trying to figure out issues related to payroll, business registrations, and other operational issues. With Central, those headaches are gone. I am still getting letters from multiple US states about the issues that Gusto and Rippling caused my previous startup, even 6 years later. My new startup was also ruined by Rippling's sheer neglect, specifically with payroll taxes. Central fixed everything without any additional time or headache. I went from spending hours stressing about operations to literally ZERO time. 3. Supreme competence. There are so many nuanced issues that early stage startups face, and it's near impossible to get most service providers to care about such small businesses. Central's staff and Founder are always there to help us, no matter how specific our issues are, and they resolve it so quickly and professionally that it's unbelievable. Every new service Central offers, we immediately sign up for and replace any prior service provider, including bookkeeping & accounting & tax prep, as they have completely won over my trust and confidence over the past year. Every other service provider is replaceable for us, EXCEPT Central. As an extremely cost conscious lean startup, I do not say this lightly - I would happily pay multiples more for Central, as their prices are also ridiculously low. As a former VC & ibanker & 2x tech startup founder, I consider Central as an absolute requirement and MUST-HAVE in the software and services stack. I wish Central massive success as I cannot ever afford to go back to the other previous services we used in the past. In full transparency, I have no financial interest in Central at all. I wish I could invest in Central! **What do you dislike about Central?** Nothing. I will sign up for any other service or feature that Central will launch in the future without hesitation. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Central takes care of all our Company's payroll, taxes, bookkeeping, and other operational issues related to HR and Finance. ### 23. Effortless HR Management—A 10x Better Experience **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Nick K. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 08, 2026 **What do you like best about Central?** I am able to be completely hands off with all administrative things. A 10x better experience than other HR/Admin softwares I’ve used in the past. Their slack integration is magical, and their team is incredibly responsive. **What do you dislike about Central?** There are some features that are still being developed. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** HR and Admin tasks ### 24. Get your startup rolling fast! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Michael S. | Co-Founder & COO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 01, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Before Central, I was stuck with Gusto—accidentally breaking payroll laws due to their rigid cadence, and wrestling with their platform 10+ hours a week just to get payroll done. Forget reaching a real expert; I was on my own. Central swooped in, flagged the legal risks, fixed them, and synced with our vendors to ensure full compliance—local and federal. Now, I’m down to under an hour a week on HR and payroll. The Slack-integrated C-bot is a game-changer—I handle almost everything with a quick message. Best part? My team pings Central directly, skipping me entirely. Ditch the 40-hour HR grind. With Central, I’ve reclaimed my time to focus on growing our business. **What do you dislike about Central?** I have yet to find anything to dislike about the Central Platform. It's basically the bees' knees. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Before Central, I was stuck with Gusto—accidentally breaking payroll laws due to their rigid cadence, and wrestling with their platform 10+ hours a week just to get payroll done. Forget reaching a real expert; I was on my own. Central swooped in, flagged the legal risks, fixed them, and synced with our vendors to ensure full compliance—local and federal. Now, I’m down to under an hour a week on HR and payroll. The Slack-integrated C-bot is a game-changer—I handle almost everything with a quick message. Best part? My team pings Central directly, skipping me entirely. Ditch the 40-hour HR grind. With Central, I’ve reclaimed my time to focus on growing our business. ### 25. Best-in-Class Support with Lightning-Fast Slack Responses **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Thomas L. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 20, 2026 **What do you like best about Central?** They have the best customer support, super quick responses! Sit right in slack so its as easy as possible **What do you dislike about Central?** Nothing its awesome, huge fan of central and will be recommending **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Clunky payroll solutions **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Thanks Thomas for leaving us a review - happy to hear that you enjoy our support and fast responses in Slack! Thank you for recommending Central to others, we are grateful to have you as a customer! ### 26. Central saves a ton of time **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Josh R. | CEO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 25, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Back when we first got funded by YC, payroll & benefits suddenly became an urgent thing we needed to figure out fast. Central immediately stood out because they could help as we scaled. We onboarded in minutes, and then were so impressed by their product that we also migrated our accounting into their platform too. The real value? Central isn't just payroll software you figure out yourself. Instead, they're so deeply integrated with our company that everything runs on autopilot now. Their support response time is honestly unbelievable, and it’s like we have a whole extremely knowledgeable ops team ready to help with anything that comes up. I've reclaimed countless hours I'd otherwise have to spend on ops. **What do you dislike about Central?** Sometimes their UI is a bit rough around the edges, but if there's any issues they'll fix immediately if you reach out on Slack. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** HR/ops/payroll/accounting ### 27. Outstanding Customer Service **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Morris E. | Founder, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 17, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Central's customer service is unbelievable. They really take care of everything so you can just focus on building your business. **What do you dislike about Central?** wish they did absolutely all things that arent business critical like tax/accounting but i also know thats prob unreasonable **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** They handle all things payroll and most compliance stuff for us. Central goes the extra mile on customer service and deals with state agencies in ways that Rippling basically refused to do. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Thanks Morris for taking the time to leave us a review! Love to hear you enjoy our customer support and can just focus on building your business now. We do handle accounting and some tax stuff -- sent you a note connecting you with our Accounting Lead, Matt, who can support you here. Also sharing a link below that details what tax/accounting work we support. If there's anything else we can do to better support you, please don't hesitate to let us know :) ### 28. Great for startups! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Lucia d. | Chief of Staff, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** September 30, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Central saves us many headaches and at least 10 hours of ops a month. Excellent customer service, always quick to respond and attentive. Much easier to navigate than other HR platforms I've used in the past, particularly on the employee side. I really recommend them for early-stage startups. **What do you dislike about Central?** Nothing yet! Excited to see them grow to compete with the huge players out there. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Payroll, hiring documents, company registration updates, benefits, income taxes, and bookkeeping. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Hi Lucia, thank you for taking the time to leave us a review. We're thrilled to hear Central is saving you 10 hours a month on ops (!), and that you find it easier to navigate that other HR platforms you've used. We appreciate having you as a customer, and if there's anything we can do to better support you, please don't hesitate to let us know! ### 29. Amazing product and customer support **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Catheryn L. | CEO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 21, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** As a startup, we didn't have an HR system in place. But since switching to Central (which by the way only took one day), it's been a game-changer. The Central bot on Slack is absolutely amazing - I can do things like change an employee's salary with just a few clicks, without even touching the website. The customer support is also top-notch. They're always quick to respond and really go above and beyond to ensure we're getting the most out of the platform. **What do you dislike about Central?** Literally nothing. I can't recommend Central enough for any startup looking to streamline their HR processes. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** They help us hire employees and contractors. ### 30. Fast support and very founder-friendly **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Kesav K. | Co-Founder, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 17, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** We were struggling to set up HR and payroll for our startup. We didn't want to spend time manually setting anything up. Central has been a huge help. Their Slack support is incredibly fast—they typically respond within minutes. We were able to run payroll and maintain necessary state filings with almost no work on our end. The Slack channel for immediate support is the best feature. Their team sets up a channel for support and answers any question we have within minutes. **What do you dislike about Central?** We've had no issues with Central so far. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Central provides our payroll and helps with related state/federal filings. ### 31. One of the best transitions ever expereinced! **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Dash F. | Chief Executive Officer, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 25, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Central has been the best transition we have made as a business. Not only has it made my life as a founder significantly easier but it has also fixed a ton of existing issues we were facing with HR, Payroll, Accounting, and Taxes. **What do you dislike about Central?** Nothing that I dislike whatsoever. This has been an amazing process. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Any and all HR/Payroll/Accounting matters, Central handles for us flawlessly. **Official Response from Katie Hoag:** > Dash, thank you for taking the time to leave a review! Super pumped to hear that Central has fixed issues you were running into in HR, Payroll, Accounting, and Taxes. We're grateful to have you as a customer! Warmly, Katie ### 32. Central is the best Payroll system in the game **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Samuel A. | CEO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 01, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** As a new non-resident founder in the US, I didn't know how I would even go about paying myself. Central really helped with taxes, and now I have no more headaches with pay. The slackbot is the best feature, it makes everything so seamless. Onboarding takes a few mins, so I'd definitely recommend giving Central a try if you're hesitant. **What do you dislike about Central?** No downsides so far. Can't wait for recurring expenses. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Central is helping me pay myself and my team ### 33. Super happy with Central **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** June 25, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** I wasn't sure how to do compliance or what I needed to do when we just started. The support team is amazing, I ask what I want on Slack and it's done for me so quickly. So much less stress about compliance, it's like things are done for me on autopilot. Slack support is the feature I like the most. **What do you dislike about Central?** Wish web app had more features I could try **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Payroll/compliance/etc ### 34. Easiest back office solution - very efficient and effective **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Varsha R. | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 22, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Before Central, we faced slow customer service with Rippling which was a huge challenge. But then we onboarded an employee in a new state without doing any forms - it was a game changer! Central saved us 10x time and the easy Slack integration is incredible. It's given us peace of mind. I'd tell anyone considering Central to just do it. You won't regret the decision. **What do you dislike about Central?** Sometimes it’s unclear what they do - they’re growing quickly and adding new features! Have to keep up with the growth. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Streamlined payroll ### 35. Central is the best software for payroll and taxes **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Andy L. | CEO, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 01, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Before Central, we couldn't find a good vendor for payroll. It was a major challenge, but Central does my payroll and taxes - without them, I wouldn't know what to do. Central takes care of all back office issues for me and saved so much time. I like that it's completely hands off. Just use it - it makes a significant difference. **What do you dislike about Central?** There's no thing i don't like about central. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Central takes care of all back office issues for me and saved me so much time. I like that it's completely hands off. ### 36. No-brainer for a startup **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Computer Software | Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** March 25, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** I started Apten with zero payroll/HR/compliance experience. Luckily, we found Central. Since setting it up, I spend 0% of my time worrying about any of this stuff. Their AI agent in slack is really helpful - I can get help anytime I need it. The onboarding is super personalized too. If you're looking to completely forget about HR/payroll headaches, you need to try Central asap. **What do you dislike about Central?** There are no downsides, just get Central **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** Payroll/HR/Compliance ### 37. Best Payroll app for Small Teams - Solved our compliance Problems **Rating:** 5.0/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Anjaneya N. | Head of growth, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** January 30, 2025 **What do you like best about Central?** Great team, Amazing support staff. Respond everything in less than 1 hour. Smooth onboarding. **What do you dislike about Central?** Insurance breakdown and payroll owed to the company breakdown is not clear. **What problems is Central solving and how is that benefiting you?** It solves the problem of getting the right insurance and right payroll without paying expensive prices - [View Central pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/central-central/reviews?qs=pros-and-cons§ion=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-06-23+11%3A03%3A10+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=1f009f3d-a5ea-4f79-b5fc-1e79169d4869&secure%5Btoken%5D=d7e6b58a65886648748092a8edb28da58125521b3f6db0eadb9e33364dd52ae1&format=llm_user) ## Central Integrations - [QuickBooks Online](https://www.g2.com/products/quickbooks-online/reviews) - [Slack](https://www.g2.com/products/slack/reviews) - [Slack Connector for Jira](https://www.g2.com/products/slack-connector-for-jira/reviews) ## Central Features **Employee Self Service** - Web Portal - Benefits Manager - Mobile **Administration** - Payroll Entry - Time Off Accrual - Direct Deposit - Expense Reimbursement - Pre-tax Deductions - Wage Garnishment - Approvals - Check/W-2 Printing - Check/W-2 Delivery **Taxes** - Tax Calculation - Tax Filing - Automatic Tax Payment **Integration** - API / Integration - Time Tracking Integration - Accounting Integration - Core HR Integration **Platform** - Reporting and Dashboards - User, Role, and Access Management - Performance and Reliability - Scalability ## Top Central Alternatives - [Rippling](https://www.g2.com/products/rippling/reviews) - 4.8/5.0 (11,451 reviews) - [Gusto](https://www.g2.com/products/gusto/reviews) - 4.6/5.0 (11,082 reviews) - [RUN Powered by ADP](https://www.g2.com/products/run-powered-by-adp/reviews) - 4.7/5.0 (5,696 reviews)