GoCo HRIS Review: Pricing, Pros & Cons, and User Feedback

GoCo offers a lightweight HRIS with strengths are around onboarding, benefits admin and leave management. They also have a unique approach to payroll integrations, allowing companies to have a modern HR experience wrapped around their trusted payroll vendors. Learn more about their platform!

Brett Ungashick
OutSail HRIS Advisor
July 4, 2023
user comparing HRIS systems

GoCo

Overview

GoCo provides sleek, easy-to-use HR tools with some surprisingly robust capabilities under-the-hood. GoCo's strengths are around onboarding, benefits admin and leave management, but they have also developed unique expertise to facilitate payroll integrations and have rolled out a workflow builder tool that allows HR teams to build automated processes from scratch.

Looking for hard-to-find HRIS pricing data? Get precise estimates with our app.
Market Segment

GoCo is considered an SMB HRIS, which means the system works best for companies with less than 250 employees. SMB solutions are designed to cover some, but not all HR needs with some gaps to be filled in by 3rd party solutions. SMB solutions are typically more user-friendly and more modernly designed than other vendors. Additionally, they are typically built with integrations in mind and have open APIs. SMB solutions typically take about 4-8 weeks to implement and often do not require a great deal of work from an administrator to get started, due to the fact that most of the system is not configurable. SMB solutions tend to have limited rules engines and custom workflow tools, which can limit how scalable they can be.

Costs

GoCo charges companies on a quarterly or annual subscription basis. Depending on the modules included and the size of your company, GoCo software fees can cost between $6 and 12 PEPM.

In addition to the software fees, implementing GoCo will require a one-time implementation fee. GoCo will charge ~5-10% of the annual software fees for their implementation fees (i.e., $5-10K implementation fee on a $100K annual purchase)

Strengths
  • GoCo has one of the most robust benefits admin tools on the market and many brokers have started offering it to their clients
  • GoCo’s user experience is very modern and intuitive
  • GoCo takes a unique approach to integrations. Like all platforms they can offer API-based integrations with 3rd parties, but GoCo takes a step further by providing an in-house employee who manages the integration, checks for errors and manually re-enters data on behalf of employers
  • GoCo’s platform has robust onboarding capabilities and can also be used for HRIS and PTO requests.
  • Every customer on GoCo gets a dedicated support representative and the reviews for GoCo’s support are very strong across the board
Weaknesses
  • GoCo does not have as much breadth in their offering as some of their peers. They cannot provide performance or recruiting functionality at this time
  • GoCo recently rolled out a payroll offering that is essentially a 3rd party payroll tool embedded into their solution
  • As a newer company, there have been some occasional bugs and complaints about slow load times and the way org charts are formatted
  • GoCo requires customers to buy their HRIS modules and cannot sell the benefits admin module standalone. This increases the total cost of ownership for clients
Integration Capabilities

GoCo was built with open API capabilities and has strong integration knowledge, but they've taken integrations a step further by providing dashboards to monitor data transfers and employees to oversee integration failures. They have fewer marketplace integrations than some of their peers, however.

Global Capabilities

GoCo can serve as a global system-of-record for international employees and they have a partnership with a global payroll partner. GoCo does not have global offices and some of their benefits and compliance functionality isn't supported globally

Modules Offered
FAQs
What types of companies is GoCo best suited for?

GoCo is ideal for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with less than 250 employees. Its user-friendly interface and modern design make it particularly appealing to companies looking for an intuitive HRIS solution.

How much does GoCo cost?

The cost of GoCo varies depending on the modules included and the size of your company. Typically, subscription fees range from $6 to $12 per employee per month (PEPM), with an additional one-time implementation fee of approximately 5-10% of the annual software fees.

What are the strengths of GoCo's platform?

GoCo excels in onboarding, benefits administration, and leave management. Their platform offers a modern and intuitive user experience, robust benefits administration tools, and dedicated support representatives for every customer.

What are some limitations of GoCo's platform?

While GoCo offers strong capabilities in certain areas, it may lack breadth in its offering compared to some competitors. For example, it does not currently provide performance or recruiting functionality. Additionally, as a newer company, there may be occasional bugs or complaints about load times.

How does GoCo handle integrations with other software applications?

GoCo provides open API capabilities for integrations and offers dashboards to monitor data transfers. They take a unique approach to integrations by providing dedicated employees to oversee integration processes and ensure smooth data transfers.

Reports
2024 HRIS 
Landscape Report
Read OutSail's 2024 HRIS Report with write-ups on 30+ leading vendors
Thank you! You can download your report at this link
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Expert Support
Brett Ungashick
OutSail HRIS Advisor
Accelerate your HRIS selection process with free support
Thank you! Our team will reach out to you shortly
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Newsletter
The HR Tech Download
Stay on the industry's cutting edge with our popular newsletter
Thank you! You will receive the next HR Tech Download newsletter
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
HR Consultants
Challenges go beyond technology?
Download our "State of HR  Outsourcing" whitepaper. Discover trends, strategies & costs within the HR consulting world
Thank you! You can download your report at this link
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Meet the Author

Brett Ungashick
OutSail HRIS Advisor
Brett Ungashick, the friendly face behind OutSail, started his career at LinkedIn, selling HR software. This experience sparked an idea, leading him to create OutSail in 2018. Based in Denver, OutSail simplifies the HR software selection process, and Brett's hands-on approach has already helped over 1,000 companies, including SalesLoft, Hudl and DoorDash. He's a go-to guy for all things HR Tech, supporting companies in every industry and across 20+ countries. When he's not demystifying HR tech, you'll find Brett enjoying a round of golf or skiing down Colorado's slopes, always happy to chat about work or play.

Subscribe to the HR Tech Download

Don't miss out on the latest HR Tech trends. Subscribe now to stay updated
By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy.
Thank you! You are now subscribed to the HR Tech Download!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.