Key takeaway: $9 per employee per month is the only price Namely publishes. Its pricing page, read on 22 October 2026, says Namely Now is "starting at $9 per employee per month," which is $10,800 a year for 100 employees. Namely Now covers payroll and HR only. Recruiting, performance, time and benefits administration start on Namely Plus, and Plus, Plus People and Complete are all quoted. Buyer-reported contracts on Vendr have a $49,600 a year median across 41 purchases, an estimate rather than a Namely price.
Namely sells HR, payroll and benefits software to mid-sized US companies (it sits in the mid-market tier of our top HRIS platforms ranking), with optional managed payroll, managed benefits and managed HR services on top. It prints one number on its pricing page and quotes everything else. Every figure below was read in a rendered browser on 22 October 2026, and the arithmetic comes from a script committed with this article.
Third-party sites disagree about whether that number exists. Vendr's Namely page, last updated February 2026, says "The platform does not publish list pricing publicly," while Namely's own FAQ answers "How much does Namely cost?" with "Pricing for Namely Now starts at $9 per employee per month!" OutSail, an HRIS advisory firm, put Namely's software fees at "$19 and 26 PEPM" in November 2024, more than twice the published floor.
How much does Namely cost per employee?
Namely has four packages. One has a published starting price.
| Namely package (checked 22 Oct 2026) | Published price | Included on the grid |
|---|---|---|
| Namely Now | From $9 per employee per month | Payroll, HR (onboarding and large group benefits marked with a $ icon) |
| Namely Plus | Quoted | Adds onboarding, recruiting, performance, compliance, benefits admin module, time |
| Namely Plus People | Quoted | Adds managed payroll service and managed benefits service |
| Namely Complete | Quoted | Adds large group benefits, workers' comp plans, risk and safety management, shared liability compliance |
Namely's FAQ explains the quoted tiers: "For other services, Namely helps customers with a tailored diagnostic of their needs and will provide pricing based on complexity, modules, and services required."
At the $9 floor, the software alone works out as follows. These are list-price minimums, not quotes.
| Employees | Namely Now from, per month | Namely Now from, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | $450 | $5,400 |
| 100 | $900 | $10,800 |
| 250 | $2,250 | $27,000 |
| 500 | $4,500 | $54,000 |
| 1,000 | $9,000 | $108,000 |
What does each Namely package include?
The pricing page shows a 14-row grid. Each cell carries a check, a dollar-sign icon or a minus. Namely does not define either icon on the page. In the table below a minus is shown as "Not included", which is how a pricing grid normally reads it, and the dollar-sign icon is shown as "$ icon"; on a pricing grid it usually marks a feature sold at extra cost. Confirm both in your quote.
| Feature row (namely.com, 22 Oct 2026) | Namely Now | Namely Plus | Namely Plus People | Namely Complete |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| HR | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Onboarding | $ icon | Included | Included | Included |
| Recruiting | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Performance | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Compliance | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Benefits admin module | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Time | Not included | Included | Included | Included |
| Managed payroll service | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Managed benefits service | Not included | Not included | Included | Included |
| Large group benefits (medical, dental, vision, other) | $ icon | $ icon | $ icon | Included |
| Workers' comp plans | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Risk and safety management | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
| Shared liability compliance | Not included | Not included | Not included | Included |
Counting the cells: Namely Now has 2 of 14 rows checked, Namely Plus 8, Plus People 10 and Complete all 14. For a recruiting team the key line is row four. The grid shows a minus for recruiting under Namely Now and a check under Namely Plus, so the first package that lists the recruiting module is Namely Plus, which has no published price. If hiring volume is the reason you are buying, compare that cost with a standalone tool from our applicant tracking system comparison.
The managed services are people, not software, and they are what separates Namely from most of the payroll software on the market. Namely's managed services page describes a "Dedicated SPHR-certified business partner" for managed HR, "Payroll setup and processing, including direct deposits and pay card management" for managed payroll, and a "Complimentary benefits administration platform, including unlimited carrier feeds and system configuration" for managed benefits. OutSail notes those services "can cost as much as the software itself."
What do companies actually pay for Namely?
Buyer-reported data runs well above the published floor. All figures in this section are third-party estimates, not Namely prices.
| Buyer-reported estimate (read 22 Oct 2026) | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual contract | $49,600 | Vendr, 41 purchases |
| Low and high annual contract | $16,747 to $94,800 | Vendr |
| Average negotiated saving | 13% | Vendr |
| 50 to 150 employees | $15 to $25 PEPM, core HR, payroll and benefits | Vendr |
| 150 to 500 employees | $12 to $20 PEPM, full platform | Vendr |
| 500+ employees | $10 to $18 PEPM, volume pricing | Vendr |
| Software fees | $19 to $26 PEPM | OutSail, November 2024 |
The Vendr high is 5.66 times its low, which tells you how much configuration and headcount move the bill. A $49,600 median equals the $9 Namely Now floor for about 459 employees, but most buyers on Vendr are paying for more than Namely Now.
Applied to example headcounts, Vendr's bands give these annual ranges, compared with the published floor:
| Example company | Vendr band, per year (estimate) | Namely Now floor, per year |
|---|---|---|
| 100 employees | $18,000 to $30,000 | $10,800 |
| 300 employees | $43,200 to $72,000 | $32,400 |
| 750 employees | $90,000 to $162,000 | $81,000 |
Even Vendr's lowest band, $10 PEPM for 500+ employees, sits $1 above the published starting price.
Does Namely charge an implementation fee?
Buyer-reported sources say yes. Vendr says "Namely charges separate implementation fees that typically range from $5,000–$25,000 depending on company size, data migration complexity, and integration requirements." OutSail put the fee at "~10-25% of the annual software fees," which for a 100-employee company paying $19 to $26 PEPM would be $2,280 to $7,800.
Namely's own page lists one thing that is free: "Namely includes Data Migration Assistance at no additional cost with every implementation."
Does Namely require a long contract?
No, according to Namely. Its FAQ says: "We offer flexible contract terms from month to month or up to 3 years." Vendr reports that "multi-year commitments often unlock better per-employee pricing." Namely does not offer a free trial on the pricing page; the FAQ offers "a guided tour of Namely anytime you need."
How does Namely pricing compare to BambooHR and Gusto?
Both publish full price lists, read rendered on 22 October 2026. The bundles differ, so this is a floor-to-floor comparison for a 100-employee company, not like for like.
| Plan (checked 22 Oct 2026) | Published price | 100 employees, per year | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Namely Now | From $9 per employee a month | From $10,800 | Payroll and HR |
| BambooHR Core | $10.25 per employee a month (over 25 employees) | $12,300 | HR; payroll is an add-on |
| Gusto Simple | $49 a month + $6 per person | $7,788 | Basic payroll in one state |
| Gusto Plus | $80 a month + $12 per person | $15,360 | Multi-state payroll, time tracking |
| Gusto Premium | $180 a month + $22 per person | $28,560 | Named advisor, HR guidance |
Namely's floor undercuts BambooHR Core by $1,500 a year at 100 employees and includes payroll, which BambooHR sells separately. Gusto Simple is cheaper still, but Namely is built for the 50 to 1,000-employee range rather than single-state small businesses. For full detail see our BambooHR pricing, Gusto pricing, HiBob pricing and Rippling pricing checks, and the recruiting software pricing index.
How does Noon fit next to Namely?
Namely's recruiting module manages the applicants you already have. Noon finds the people who have not applied: an AI sourcer that searches the whole web for candidates, not just LinkedIn, evaluates them against your role's criteria, then runs personalised email and SMS outreach and books interviews, with 20+ ATS integrations.
The pricing model is the opposite of per-employee. Namely's bill rises with headcount and modules. Noon sells one plan with unlimited sourcing, unlimited email enrichment, unlimited contacts, unlimited agents and unlimited seats, with no credits and no per-seat fees. Noon does not publish a dollar price; the pricing page explains how to get a quote.
Sources and methodology
- Namely pricing page (namely.com/pricing redirects here), read rendered in Chrome via Playwright on 22 October 2026. The FAQ accordions were opened in the browser, and the package grid was read cell by cell from the rendered table, where each cell is a check, dollar-sign or minus icon.
- Namely managed services and Namely payroll, read rendered on 22 October 2026. The payroll page showed no dollar figure.
- Vendr, Namely pricing, last updated February 2026, read 22 October 2026, for buyer-reported contract values, PEPM bands and implementation fees.
- OutSail, Breaking Down Namely's Pricing, published 13 November 2024, read 22 October 2026.
- eLearning Industry (18 June 2026) and SoftwareFinder both list Namely Now from $9 and the other three packages as custom pricing, matching Namely's page.
- BambooHR pricing and Gusto pricing, read rendered on 22 October 2026.
- Demand check: DataForSEO Google Ads volume, US, 22 October 2026: 10 searches a month each for "namely pricing," "namely cost," "namely price," "namely hr pricing" and "namely payroll pricing."
- Annual totals, grid counts, the Vendr band examples and the comparison table come from
seo/research/stats/namely-pricing-2026/compute.py. Exact quotes and fetch times are in the committedsources.json.
Limitations
- Namely publishes one starting price. Plus, Plus People and Complete are quoted, so their cost here relies on buyer-reported data from Vendr and OutSail, which may not match your quote.
- The $9 figure is a floor ("starting at"). Namely does not say what headcount, contract length or configuration gets it.
- Namely does not explain the dollar-sign or minus icons on its package grid. Reading them as "extra cost" and "not included" is our interpretation.
- OutSail's estimate dates from November 2024 and Vendr's page was last updated in February 2026; both may lag current pricing. Vendr's sample is 41 purchases.
- The BambooHR and Gusto comparison is floor to floor; the bundles are not identical. Prices are a point-in-time reading in US dollars on 22 October 2026.
FAQ
How much does Namely cost per employee per month?
Namely Now starts at $9 per employee per month, per namely.com on 22 October 2026. Namely Plus, Plus People and Complete are quoted. Buyer-reported ranges on Vendr run from $10 to $25 PEPM depending on company size.
Does Namely Now include recruiting?
No. On Namely's package grid, recruiting first appears on Namely Plus. Namely Now includes payroll and HR, with onboarding and large group benefits marked with a dollar-sign icon.
What is the average Namely contract?
Vendr reports a median of $49,600 a year across 41 purchases, with a low of $16,747 and a high of $94,800. That is a buyer-reported estimate, not a Namely price.
Does Namely have a free trial?
Namely's pricing FAQ does not offer one. It offers "a guided tour of Namely anytime you need," plus videos and collateral.
Is there a Namely implementation fee?
Buyer-reported sources say yes: $5,000 to $25,000 according to Vendr, or about 10 to 25% of annual software fees according to OutSail. Namely says data migration assistance is included at no additional cost.
Can I sign a month-to-month contract with Namely?
Yes, according to Namely's FAQ: "We offer flexible contract terms from month to month or up to 3 years."
About the author
Rey Sivji is Head of Growth at Noon AI and checked these prices on 22 October 2026. Spotted a price change or a figure we should add? Email rey@noon.ai.
