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TriNet Zenefits Reviews

About TriNet Zenefits

Eliminate the stress and complexity of HR administration for you and your employees.

Learn more about TriNet Zenefits

Pros:

Had been one of the first users. Loved simplicity of the software.

Cons:

Some hiring documents generated contain risky errors. The information presented is not customizable enough for most businesses.

TriNet Zenefits ratings

Average score

Ease of Use
4.4
Customer Service
3.9
Features
4.2
Value for Money
4.2

Likelihood to recommend

7.9/10

TriNet Zenefits has an overall rating of 4.2 out 5 stars based on 822 user reviews on Capterra.

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Filter reviews (822)

Chris
Chris
Operations Manager in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Automotive, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Easy and affordable

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Have been on this platform for 3 plus years. The software is always improving and new features are being introduced

Pros:

Everything is cohesive and easy to learn and use.

Cons:

Would like more pdf print options to be available

Robert
HR Manager in US
Staffing & Recruiting, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Excellent HR Platform for Small to Medium Sized Businesses

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: When we were considering HR software back in 2015, we set up demos and reviewed many different options, but based upon the needs of our company Zenefits was the best choice. It was a seamless and easy transition once we made the switch. We were able to set up and customize Zenefits so we could accomplish what we need to with the platform. Using the Zenefits platform for our hiring and onboarding has allowed us to streamline our hiring process which was especially helpful during the peak of Covid when having to hire employees while working remotely. The ability to customize in Zenefits was a huge plus for us as a staffing company because of the differing needs of our clients. Zenefits makes it easy if we need to update or change any of the documents that are used for onboarding our new hires. The benefits management available through Zenefits has also been a great tool for a business like ours. It is a very simple process to review available plans and options for the upcoming year and to collect important information from our employees during open enrollment. Our company has changed from where we were in 2015 and using Zenefits has allowed us to easily adapt. If you are a small or medium sized business that struggles with HR issues like hiring and onboarding, benefits and record management, or compliance, I would recommend looking into how Zenefits can benefit you and your company.

Pros:

Seamless and easy transition once we made the switch. Easy set up and great options for customization. Zenefits is a great tool for businesses not having a full HR but needing HR support when dealing with Benefits, Employment Paperwork, and Compliance.

Cons:

We have not had any major issues or challenges using this software

Tiersa
Operatons in US
Automotive, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Stay Away - save yourself the headache, it's not worth the hype.

1.0 5 years ago

Comments: I regret doing business with them. Even though I knew I was signing a year contract, and after many attempts at getting our taxes properly filed I felt I had enough valid issues and things we had been promised that they did not follow through on but they refused to let us out of our contract. We ended up switching mid year [which is not ideal] to another vendor and we had to pay the remainder of our contract to Zenefits even though we didn't use them for the last 8 months. Even the tax issues that we were still dealing with months later it was really difficult to find an email address to send to support to get our tax issue fixed - once you tell them you don't want to process your payroll through them they cut you off and you can't call the fake number either. It's been horrible and I am OVERJOYED THAT WE NO LONGER HAVE TO DO BUSINESS WITH THEM. The only reason I left the vendor BEFORE them was because we had outgrown them, we needed more features and functionality than they could provide. We have since moved on to better.

Pros:

Very little. We signed a year contract, and switched after 4 months because we had so many legal and tax issues that they caused.

Cons:

1. The set up process was a nightmare - it took weeks because the system kept saying a certain part was done and a week later I would get an URGENT email that that part still had to be completed. 2. Several items I was guaranteed at sign up - and I have in writing - for pricing and functionality, were later denied to us. Providing proof of what we were told provided no further help. 3. There is no "real" phone number. You can call tech support, but all they will say is they will have "that department email you within XX number of hours" Many times it was up to a week, and often the issue was not resolved because no matter how we explained it they didn't understand the issue. And all support is handled through email no matter what, even if a phone call would SAVE HOURS OF TIME! 4. The pre- and post-tax items were entered into the system, come to find out they didn't classify them properly so the taxes were not calculated correctly. 5. The FEDERAL and STATE TAXES were filed incorrectly and we had tax notices from both that we owed money past due, then we ended up getting a small refund because one was paid twice. The state taxes for the first quarter of the year were NOT FILED AT ALL, even though they told me they had done so. 6. The tax reports are NOT AVAILABLE in your portal, you have to specifically request them - this to me makes no sense. 7. There is more but this will do for now.

TriNet Group Response

5 years ago

Sad to hear your experience was less than ideal Tiersa. We will use your feedback to improve training and the user experience.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Financial Services Software, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Love Zenefits!

5.0 3 years ago

Pros:

It's easy to use and keeps us compliant. It has brought up things we didn't even know we needed and helped keep us compliant.

Cons:

Customer service can be hard to reach, but their help center is robust and they have training courses to help.

Katherine
HR Generalist in US
Photography, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

User Friendly Solution

4.0 5 years ago

Comments: I use Zenefits daily and really do enjoy it. There are a few bug fixes that need to happen, but overall I do really like the product.

Pros:

Super user friendly and you can easily find whatever you are looking for

Cons:

The app is very buggy with clock in/out feature

TriNet Group Response

5 years ago

Thanks for provide feedback Katherine!

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Marketing & Advertising, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Effective, but pricey, payroll tool

3.0 5 years ago

Comments: The experience has been ok. It gets the job done but I'd be open to new options.

Pros:

Zenefits has gotten the job done in terms of payroll and paying out contractors when needed. And they handle payroll taxes and necessary payroll reporting to the government.

Cons:

The cost is high for a small business who might not have needs for most of their features. And the service has been fairly slow. For example, it took me a month to get a new form of payment on file as my business credit card had expired. During that month I had to handwrite checks and could not use the service.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Telecommunications, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Turn-key payroll and benefits solution for start-ups

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Over, I would highly recommend Zenefits for companies that are looking for a simple way to manage their HR needs.

Pros:

Very simple and intuitive interface. Makes managing HR, payroll, and benefits easy.

Cons:

Could have more seamless integration of 3rd party healthcare providers.

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Education Management, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

User friendly!!

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Wonderful overall, would definitely recommend

Pros:

I love how incredibly user friendly zenefits is for the staff and management. The convenience of the app is a big bonus too.

Cons:

Wish there was more customization available

Will
Will
CFO in US
Verified LinkedIn User
Online Media, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Good and Bad at the Same Time

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: Please check out what I had to say for cons. If you can live with having no number to call, or at least, not a number that take you to a human who can answer your questions, then the features and software are solid. The pricing is what you would expect based on the features.

Pros:

This SaaS has tons of features and can really help a small business get over those HR hurtles, although it won't replace the most valuable assets that a in-the-flesh HR person brings. Adding their payroll integration was a big win since our company was using a 401(k) admin that required manually keying in EVERYTHING back when we used intuit for payroll. So props for that!

Cons:

OKAY, hear me out. The on-boarding process is unacceptable. I wouldn't be surprised if half of their potential client base ended up BACKING-OUT during on-boarding. I mean, it takes 2-4 weeks, you'll already be looking a bill on your credit card, and to make matters worse, the only staff that have a phone number are SALES PEOPLE! You guessed it, the sales staff CAN NOT help you with your on boarding., PERIOD.

TriNet Group Response

5 years ago

Will, we appreciate your review.

Harrison
Customer Success in US
Computer Software
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Zenefits, the low-profile and easy-to-use HR management platform

4.5 8 years ago

Pros:

Its ridiculously easy to manage and view my requested time off and remind myself of vacations and other important company policies. The company phone book is also really nice to have for ICE type events. They also recently released an iPhone app which has come in handy on multiple occasions. I could quickly request a day off from home without needing to login to my desktop or wait til I came in to work the next day and do it. Generating pay statements is also a snap. since I have direct deposit set up, anytime I need to access and remind myself what I got paid and when, I can use Zenefits.

Cons:

I hate to leave off a downside, but I have not run into any issues using Zenefits. Yes, there are other services out there for this kind of thing, but Zenefits has just proven easy to use. I don't have to re-learn the UI or how to request time off (etc) everytime I log-in. Most everything else, for me, is not of much consequence.

Kate
Director of Operations in US
Construction, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Excellent HR platform for growing companies

5.0 5 years ago

Comments: We are able to manage Benefits, Payroll, Performance Management, Time Off Requests, and Paperwork all from one system.

Pros:

This program ties together most of our HR needs into one platform, making it easier for HR staff and employees to access the information they need. We process our payroll through Zenefits and they offered some 401k third party company options, which allows those benefits to be seamlessly integrated.

Cons:

Support can be difficult to get online at times. They have a chat feature, which is most convenient for me as an administrator, but the wait times can be long or the chat request may be converted over to an email. This is a problem I have noticed over the past 3-4 months.

Brooks
CEO in US
Real Estate, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Incredibly happy users

5.0 4 years ago

Comments: Overall experience with Zenefits has been very good and we would highly recommend.

Pros:

Zenefits is very to use and the onboarding process is a breeze.

Cons:

Zenefits reporting has gotten better, but still has some room for improvement. Additionally, they could do a better job with year-end comp process/reporting.

Jenn
Director of Operations, Admin, & Finance in US
Nonprofit Organization Management, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

Alternatives Considered:

Helped streamline our nonprofit operations

5.0 3 years ago

Comments: Great -- on the whole it has created so many efficiencies for me in payroll and HR management and we have easily saved money when I think of all the time saved.

Pros:

I save so much time on payroll and have fewer errors compared to when we manually calculated it and used a 3rd party accounting firm to handle our payroll. Year end tax documents -- especially for contractors receiving 1099s -- are also much less of a headache now. I've also saved a ton of time on HR operations - in particular new staff onboarding and documentation. It's much simpler for both me and the new staff.

Cons:

Customer service can be a little slow to respond, and setting up PTO for part-time employees was a little trickier and more time-consuming than I expected.

robbie
ceo in US
Marketing & Advertising, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 6-12 months
Reviewer Source

No customer service at all

2.0 5 years ago

Comments: I wish I knew about the way they handle customer service before changing over.

Pros:

The software is great, but if you have a problem forget about it! You're screwed. They only talk by appointment and on their time.

Cons:

If you have a problem forget about it! You're screwed. They only talk by appointment and on their time.

TriNet Group Response

5 years ago

Thank you for your note, Robbie - I am so sorry our customer service didn't live up to your expectations. I have asked our AE & CE team to reach out to your directly to see if we can help solve any issues you may have, but in the interim please feel free to reach out to me directly at [email protected] and I will do my best to assist you. Stay safe!

Doug
CEO
Computer Software, 2–10 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Awesome Software - Absolutely Awful Support

3.0 7 years ago

Comments: Gusto is by far the best payroll, and even if you go with Zenefits I suggest you use them for payroll. Do not let Zenefits convince you to switch over. Pretty much only their sales people are responsive/friendly and as soon as you pay, they disappear. If you are big enough to go with Workday, go with them (IIRC they require 12 employees). BambooHR has a decent option, but watch for the hidden fees. They're not really upfront on all the costs, and their stuff is complicated enough they require you to go through training to use it. I am REALLY hopeful that new management at Zenefits will finally clean things up, or Gusto will enter the full market of Zenefits and put them out of business. Gusto support is awesome, just don't leave Gusto in the middle of the year. They have a policy that you can't come back in the same year.

Pros:

For a small business there is not anyone cheaper than Zenefits and they have much greater integration and overall HR flow management than pretty much anyone I could find. When everything works, Zenefits is a beautiful thing.

Cons:

Zenefits support is absolutely horrible. If there was ANY competitor that was anywhere close to having what they have at anywhere near their cost, I would have left by now. Support makes me downright angry on a regular basis. They don't read your questions and try to answer a different question, they take two or more days to respond (and there is no phone support), they tell you they'll call you back and do not, they give you wrong information over and over again. Almost no one who works there has any clue what they are doing, and their software messes up sometimes. The combination of the two has been a nightmare. I am constantly wondering if I'm actually saving time by using them, or if all the time I save is eating up with my many hours of arguing with support.

saqlain
employer in Malaysia
Apparel & Fashion, Self Employed
Used the Software for: Free Trial
Reviewer Source

"Zanefit: Personalized Wellness Coaching and Community for Improved Health and Wellbeing"

5.0 2 years ago

Comments: Zenefits is a wellness platform that offers personalized coaching, nutrition advice, fitness programs, and a community of like-minded individuals who are working towards improving their health. Users work with a coach to develop a customized plan that takes into account their specific needs and goals. They can also access a variety of resources, including meal plans, exercise programs, and educational content.

Pros:

One of the things that users have appreciated about Zenefit is the personalized approach to coaching. By working with a coach to develop a customized plan, users are able to receive guidance that is tailored to their specific needs and goals. This has helped many users see better results in their wellness journey.Another pro of Zenefit is the community aspect. Users have reported feeling supported and motivated by connecting with other like-minded individuals who are also working towards improved health and wellbeing. This sense of community can be especially beneficial for people who are starting out on their wellness journey and may feel overwhelmed or alone.Overall, Zenefit appears to offer a comprehensive and personalized approach to wellness coaching that can be effective for many individuals.

Cons:

One potential drawback is the cost. While personalized coaching and access to a community can be beneficial, these services can also come with a higher price tag. Some users have reported that the cost of using Zenefit can be prohibitive, especially for those on a tight budget.Another potential con is that some users may prefer a more independent approach to wellness. While the personalized coaching and community aspect of Zenefit can be helpful for many people, some users may prefer to develop their own fitness and nutrition plans, or may not want to share their journey with others.Finally, it's worth noting that results may vary. While many users have reported positive outcomes from using Zenefit, it's important to keep

LAURA
Owner in US
Education Management, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Lots of Potential but Customer Service is Abysmal

3.0 4 years ago

Comments: Zenefits is fine until you have an issue and need a human being to walk you through something. You will sit on hold for literally hours until a rep answers. This has been my experience on multiple occasions. They are not good at heading off issues either. In January 2021 there was an issue where hours were not porting to payroll and payroll was due that day. As a user, I kept thinking what am I doing wrong, sat on hold for 3+ hours waiting for a rep, figured out a workaround only to find out it was a system issue. A simple email to administrators with the information and workaround would have saved me hours of work. Another current example is I have an employee who entered his SSN incorrectly into the system and now has a W2 that is incorrect. Customer Service has sent two form emails but zero information on what needs to be done and the timeline. Very frustrating to work with Zenefits especially when you have an issue that is time sensitive.

Pros:

I like that I can keep my HR in one place online and the general onboarding of certain positions in our company with the template is easy and straightforward.

Cons:

Time and Attendance is clunky to use accurately. There is an app for employees to clock in but it's easy for mistakes to occur. Onboarding is clunky too if you want to send an offer letter that is not part of a template and still have the new hire, say a manager with a negotiated salary, sign online.

Donna
HR Specialist in US
Information Technology & Services, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Zenefits us primarily in benefits administration, onboarding e-paperwork, and ACA reporting.

3.0 7 years ago

Comments: ACA Reporting, benefits administration, and electronic onboarding.

Pros:

The apps are are very organized and "user friendly". Customer support has improved significantly in the past year. It is a pro that there are multiple HR functions electronically administered. It has made many HR functions in my company more efficient which allows us to focus on strategic goals and other areas. Zenefits assist us mostly in ACA reporting, e-paperwork for onboarding, limited compliance assistance, basic data reporting, and PTO administration. It has transition our new hire paperwork to e-files. Speaking from a small company of 65, it is a helpful product to keep data stored, electronic onboarding, PTO, and ACA Reporting.

Cons:

Zenefits charges by certain App usage. For example, administering FSA or HSA via Zenefits will charge a fee per enrollees in addition to the number of employee per month. We are hoping for their Benchmark app from HR Compliance to provide more data that we can use to create customized reports. I believe that the benchmark data can definitely be improved. I would like to learn more about how this product can be used as a company's "Employer Intranet Portal" website or assist the company in "employee performance or management" function.

David
HR Manager in US
Retail, 201–500 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source

Horrifying experience

3.0 9 months ago

Comments: See above. Additionally, more than once, we had a Zenefits representative tell us that we never should have been signed up, because our organization was larger than their usual client (we had around 250 folks and apparently they were designed to work best with companies of 5-50 people).

Pros:

The only nice think I can think of is that Kayla (who was the only person who ever staffed their Customer Support - or maybe that was just the name everyone used because they were afraid to give their real names) was always kind.

Cons:

Too many to list, but let's try: super slow for both processing payroll and just retrieving / entering employee data; insane wait times for customer support (45 minutes was standard, but occasionally we would hold for 2-3 hours, and I wish I were exaggerating); glitchy systems that were as far from intuitive as possible; and for us, the final straw was the Friday that I received emails from our 250 employees who didn't get paid, because Zenefits had hired a new payroll processor on their end, and that person missed a step that triggered all the Direct Deposits, so I spent an entire day on the phone with various people trying to get it resolved.

Teresa
US
Verified LinkedIn User
Individual & Family Services, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source
Source: GetApp

Zenefits has been great for our company!

5.0 7 years ago

Pros:

Zenefits has been a great way for a small business, like us, to ease into technology. It has really great and helpful tools, the cost is far less than alternative options, and their customer support is usually excellent. It has helped cut down benefits paperwork tremendously, kept us ACA compliant, streamlined our hiring process, and we were able to customize other areas (such as documents) to help us track policies & trainings. We're still finding ways to be able to customize it to work for our company. So with all of the options we use and new ways we are able to customize it, the cost continues to go down once it's all factored into the equation.

Cons:

Zenefits is a fast moving company, so sometimes changes come fast and furious. They usually are good changes, so that helps ease the burden. However, sometimes it can feel like I just learned how to use something and then it changes. But I guess that's also just the new normal. Other than lots of changes, I really don't have a lot of cons. When I come across issues, I contact a customer service rep and things are usually taken care of. I'm sure there are little things I would tweak here and there, but nothing significant that would make me not recommend using this product.

David
Partnership manager in US
Financial Services Software, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

TriNet Zenefits

5.0 11 months ago

Comments: wonderful, easy to use, transparent, accurate

Pros:

easy to use, I was a former employee of trinet as well and sold this solution. It's a great platform

Cons:

no real cons in my opinion, easy to use and transparent, real time info

Robyn
COO in US
Primary/Secondary Education, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Zenefits was the first HRIS system my small company used (100 employee)

4.0 7 years ago

Comments: Worth taking a look at.

Pros:

User friendly for both HR and employees (self-serve) --easy and intuitive to use. Incredibly easy to create customized reports off using almost any data point(s). Smooth automated benefits enrollment process. Responsive customer service and great online help tools. System doesn't go down and is fast enough to keep up with our needs.

Cons:

Zenefits is still 'young' and getting its act together. Used to be free until last year and they are still evolving their pricing structure, so they may end up being too expensive for our small company. Considerable personnel turnover in past 2 years and change in how they manage some functions (for instance, they now outsource benefits management to a 3rd party company instead of managing benefits inhouse and I am not overly impressed with the current benefits mgmt. group). Limited paid time off functionality (system only allows tracking of one paid time off process and my company has 2 discrete time off policies).

Verified Reviewer
Verified LinkedIn User
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

A Must-have for small businesses with employees. Gone are the days of Spreadsheets and file cabinets

5.0 7 years ago

Comments: As a small business with only a few employees, it REALLY helps with getting our HR stuff together.

Pros:

So first off, we use zenefits on a daily basis for just about all of our HR functions. The support is great for when we've run into the very rare bug, and sales is always quick to get back to me. They regularly release new features and improve existing ones. They are also VERY receptive to user feedback and idea suggestions.

Cons:

Ya know, I'm not one to nitpick, but i have run into a few small issues lately. Primarily, the issue we have now is that we've been on Zenefits for a few years now and have older "Legacy Pricing". We however do all HR tasks on Zenefits EXCEPT payroll. Well fast forward a few years, their payroll product actually looks fairly promising.... until i learned that in order to start using their Payroll service, i have to first be updated to their newer more expensive billing plan. Bah.

Sandy
Channels-as-a-Service Manager in US
Staffing & Recruiting, 11–50 Employees
Used the Software for: 2+ years
Reviewer Source

Excellent user interface for the admin and employees alike.

5.0 7 years ago

Comments: An easy to use interface and a tool that allows our employees to electronically and seamlessly on-board. I enjoy that the tool automatically reminds the end-users to complete tasks and keeps track of everything in one useful tool. I would like to see it become an intranet for employees to access company specific templates, content and tools.

Pros:

What I like most about Zenefits is that it allows our employee on-boarding process to be completely automated and electronic. I love it!

Cons:

The software I like, but being an earlier adopter, there were many growing pains within the company which caused a lot of issues with our open enrollment for two consecutive years. We recently resigned our contract and based on what we need, went with the basic (silver?) plan, which doesn't include Vacation Tracking. We don't need all of the HR support since we're a consulting services company. With that said, I'm disappointed that we weren't grandfathered in to having that tool.

Dustin
Marketing Manager
Management Consulting, 51–200 Employees
Used the Software for: 1+ year
Reviewer Source
Source: SoftwareAdvice

Great concept but poor customer service and execution.

1.0 7 years ago

Comments: Loved the idea of the concept, was basically sold on idea to have a PTO software that we could use for employees to use without a fee.. then once all were onboard, we had to pay per month and now you can't even call for assistance when you have a problem.

Pros:

Has a mobile app that employees can access from virtually anywhere, can see a shared calendar that will display in outlook with employees scheduled off.

Cons:

No customer service phone number, no email addresses for specific reps, customer service must be contacted online thru a job ticket (if an account is locked out, can't even submit ticket for contact and no phone number to call), managers don't have access to the employee review sections (must grant managers admin rights, which then opens the door for past requests to be deleted by an employee.. big problem), system was not set up properly and allows for managers to approve time off when employees did not have the time available.. no pop up that would ask "are you sure?" type thing, can not print an employees PTO time, multiple tabs to even get total time taken/available.