{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "check-payroll", "name": "Check", "vendor": "Check Technologies, Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://www.checkhq.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "payroll", "summary": "Check is an embedded payroll API from Check Technologies in New York. Software platforms build US payroll on it for their own customers, with tax calculation, payment and filing handled by Check. Access is by partner agreement.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/check-payroll", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/check-payroll.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/check-payroll.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/check-payroll.json", "repo": "https://github.com/check-technologies/mcp-server-check", "license": "Proprietary service under Check's terms of service and partner agreement. The MCP server and CLI on GitHub are MIT", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.checkhq.com", "packages": [], "auth": "mixed", "authNotes": "A partner API key sent as `Authorization: Bearer`, one for sandbox and one for production, issued by Check after a request through its sales contact. The key carries the whole partner account, with no per-key scopes found. Check says unused keys expire, last activity is shown and IP restrictions can be set through the account team. Integration partners get OAuth tokens (authorisation code grant, with refresh tokens) limited to one employer and one permission level, after a Check partner authorises them. The hosted MCP server accepts the API key or a Console OAuth login that runs with the Console user's permissions. This listing grades embedded-payroll partner access. Check has no route to an existing employer's payroll account outside a partner platform.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "No public prices. checkhq.com/pricing returns 404 and the site's buttons open a sales contact form. A sandbox exists at sandbox.checkhq.com under a Sandbox User Agreement, but the documentation says to request an API key from Check, so an agent can't start without a person contacting sales. Production needs a partner agreement. The Usage API reports billable companies, employees and contractors each month, with no unit price published (checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "Paid", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the documentation index, the API reference pages read or the website (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 18, "npmWeekly": null, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.checkhq.com", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.checkhq.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "payroll.run", "payroll.employees", "payroll.embedded", "payroll.tax-filing", "payroll.contractors" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "embedded-payroll", "us-payroll", "api-key", "oauth", "mcp", "llms-txt", "sandbox", "webhooks", "sales-led", "partner-approval", "status-page", "bug-bounty", "soc2" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-07", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 67.5, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 193, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 629, "categoryRank": 2, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 83, "maintenance": 72, "payments": 5, "reliability": 80, "schema": 78, "security": 74, "transparency": 62 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Graded as embedded payroll through a partner API key, not access to an existing employer's payroll account. The API has idempotency keys on writes, a required preview before approval and queryable request logs. No price is public, a sandbox key comes through Check's sales team, and one API key carries the whole partner account.", "bestFor": "A software platform that wants to sell US payroll inside its own product and can sign a partnership, with Check handling tax calculation, money movement and filings.", "strengths": [ "`X-Idempotency-Key` is accepted on writes and stored for 24 hours, and a 429 carries `Retry-After` with `RateLimit-Limit` and `RateLimit-Remaining` on every authenticated response", "A payroll must have a succeeded preview before approval, and `preview_started_at` makes approval fail with 409 `preview_superseded` if the preview is stale", "Every response carries `X-Request-Log-Id`, and GET /logs returns request logs with SSNs, bank account numbers and the `Authorization` header redacted", "The MCP server starts with three meta-tools over 270 tools, with read-only mode, toolset filters and optional confirmation for destructive tools", "llms.txt indexes the documentation, and each page is served as Markdown with an OpenAPI 3.1 fragment per operation" ], "weaknesses": [ "No public price and no self-serve signup. The documentation says to request an API key through Check's sales contact", "An API key carries the whole partner account. No per-key scopes or read-only keys were found in the reviewed documentation", "No official SDK in a general programming language was found. The CLI and MCP server install from a git clone, not from PyPI", "No SLA is published. The terms of service make no representation about uptime unless agreed in writing", "No sub-processor list, hosting location or published DPA text was found, and the privacy policy states no retention periods" ], "agentNotes": [ "Use https://sandbox.checkhq.com with the sandbox key and https://api.checkhq.com with the production key. A key is not valid across environments", "Preview a payroll before approving it, then pass `preview_started_at` to POST /payrolls/{id}/approve so a stale preview fails with 409", "Send `X-Idempotency-Key` on every write. Keys expire after 24 hours, so list the resource before retrying later than that", "On 429 wait for `Retry-After`. The limit is 10 requests a second in sandbox and for partners paying fewer than 1,000 payees a month, with 100 concurrent requests", "Connect the MCP server with `?read_only=true` or `X-MCP-Readonly: true` unless writes are intended. In production, approving a payroll moves money" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 67.5 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 83, "maintenance": 72, "payments": 5, "reliability": 80, "schema": 78, "security": 74, "transparency": 38 }, "provenanceScore": 86 }, "connect": { "http": "curl -X POST https://sandbox.checkhq.com/companies \\\n -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \\\n -H 'Authorization: Bearer \u003cAPI_KEY\u003e' \\\n -d '{\"address\": {\"line1\": \"20 W 34th St\", \"postal_code\": \"10001\", \"city\": \"New York\", \"state\": \"NY\"}, \"start_date\": \"2020-05-20\", \"trade_name\": \"Good Web Design\", \"legal_name\": \"Good Web Design, Inc.\"}'", "claudeCode": "claude mcp add --transport http check https://mcp.sandbox.checkhq.com/check/mcp \\\n --header \"Authorization: Bearer your-api-key-here\"", "config": { "mcpServers": { "check": { "type": "url", "url": "https://mcp.sandbox.checkhq.com/check/mcp" } } } }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/payroll.run", "tool": "https://letme.dev/check-payroll" }, "area": "domain-data", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Check Technologies, Inc.", "domain": "checkhq.com", "domainRegistered": "2006-10-28", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.checkhq.com/company/terms", "privacy": "https://www.checkhq.com/company/privacy", "statusPage": "https://status.checkhq.com", "changelog": "https://www.checkhq.com/resources/changelog", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The privacy policy (effective 18 April 2024) names Check Technologies, Inc., 228 Park Ave. S, PMB 14961, New York, NY 10003. The site footer also names Check Payments LLC (NMLS #2103307).", "The terms of service are dated 3 September 2021. Sandbox use is also governed by a Sandbox User Agreement at checkhq.com/company/sandbox-user-agreement.", "www.checkhq.com/.well-known/security.txt and checkhq.com/.well-known/security.txt return 404. The security page sends vulnerability reports to a bug bounty at federacy.com/check.", "The API answers at api.checkhq.com and sandbox.checkhq.com, and the hosted MCP server at mcp.checkhq.com and mcp.sandbox.checkhq.com.", "RDAP for checkhq.com gives a registration date of 2006-10-28 and Squarespace Domains II LLC as registrar." ], "score": 86 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/check-payroll.json", "live": { "slug": "check-payroll", "probe": { "target": "https://api.checkhq.com", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:42.948610562Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 200, "lastMs": 1242, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 711, "p95ms24h": 1040, "samples24h": 42, "samples30d": 42, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 42, "ok": 42 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.checkhq.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T19:06:29.125928299Z" }, "githubStars": 18, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://checkhq.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:31.878118114Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://www.checkhq.com/resources/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:27:02.804039275Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "ada7be68b809" }, { "url": "https://www.checkhq.com/company/privacy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:26:58.734249468Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "2d782586e2af" }, { "url": "https://www.checkhq.com/company/terms", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:27:00.809006213Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "c2d2a944fcea" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:42.948610562Z" } }, "answer": "Check scores 67.5 (B) on agent readiness against Salsa's 46.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.", "b": { "slug": "salsa", "name": "Salsa", "vendor": "Salsa Software Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://www.salsa.dev", "kind": "http-api", "category": "payroll", "summary": "Embedded payroll from Salsa Software Inc. for software platforms. A partner's backend onboards employers and workers, sends pay data, previews and confirms payroll runs and reads pay statements through a REST API, while Salsa files taxes and moves money.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/salsa", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/salsa.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/salsa.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/salsa.json", "license": "Proprietary service. The website Terms of Use are public and the partner agreement isn't. The browser library @salsa-payroll/salsa-js on npm is MIT", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.salsa.dev/api/rest/v1", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@salsa-payroll/salsa-js" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "A partner receives two bearer API tokens from Salsa after a sales contact, one for the sandbox and one for production. The docs say these tokens grant many privileges. From them a backend mints user tokens (JWT) at POST /api/rest/v1/auth/token, each with one of 12 roles in three tiers (basic, admin, super-admin, with onboarding variants), a list of up to 125 employers and a lifetime of 60 minutes by default, or up to 30 days for onboarding roles. Role limits are enforced at the API. No self-serve key page or key rotation procedure was found in the docs. This is embedded-payroll partner access. Salsa has no route into an employer's existing payroll account at another provider.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "No public prices. salsa.dev has no pricing page (www.salsa.dev/pricing returns 404) and access starts with a contact form. The sandbox is issued by Salsa on request, so an agent can't start without a person contacting sales, and no free tier or trial was found. A Usage API reports confirmed payroll runs, worker payments, workers paid and tax filings per employer so a partner can bill its own customers, with no unit price published (checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "Paid", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the docs index, the OpenAPI spec or the website (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 435, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.salsa.dev", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.salsa.dev/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://docs.salsa.dev/openapi/salsadev.yaml", "capabilities": [ "payroll.run", "payroll.embedded", "payroll.employees", "payroll.tax-filing", "payroll.contractors" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "closed-source", "api-key", "openapi", "llms-txt", "webhooks", "sandbox", "sales-led", "partner-access", "soc2" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-07", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 46.1, "grade": "D", "agentReady": false, "rank": 565, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 629, "categoryRank": 4, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 48, "maintenance": 50, "payments": 5, "reliability": 36, "schema": 73, "security": 56, "transparency": 51 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Salsa is reached as an embedded-payroll partner, not through an employer's existing payroll account. The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.1 spec with 123 operations, a payroll preview, a separate confirm step and short-lived user tokens limited by role. Access starts with a sales conversation, and no public price, self-serve sandbox, status page or API changelog was found.", "bestFor": "A software platform that wants to sell payroll to its own business customers and can sign a partner agreement, with Salsa handling tax filing and money movement.", "strengths": [ "Public OpenAPI 3.1 spec with 123 operations and 78 webhook events, last modified 7 October 2026, plus llms.txt and a Markdown copy of every docs page", "A payroll run is previewed, created as PENDING and paid only after a separate confirm call. A pending run can be deleted", "User tokens last 60 minutes by default, carry one of 12 roles in three tiers and name the employers they cover", "Audit entries record who changed what and when, with the actor shown as a user, an API client or the system", "Sandbox at api.sandbox.salsa.dev with mock-onboard endpoints that fill in employer and worker details for tests" ], "weaknesses": [ "API tokens come from Salsa after a sales contact. No self-serve signup, public price, free tier or trial was found", "No status page, SLA, API changelog or deprecation policy was found on salsa.dev or docs.salsa.dev", "No Idempotency-Key header. The rate-limit page names 429 with no Retry-After or backoff guidance", "No server-side SDK. The only official package is the browser library Salsa.js, last published on 11 December 2025", "The signup link used across the docs, www.salsa.dev/get-a-demo, returned 404 on 8 October 2026", "No security.txt, disclosure policy, DPA or subprocessor list was found. SOC 2 Type 2 appears only as a badge image" ], "agentNotes": [ "Use the sandbox token against https://api.sandbox.salsa.dev and the production token against https://api.salsa.dev. Each environment has its own token", "Call POST /payroll-runs/preview before creating a run, then confirm the PENDING run in a separate call. Confirming starts the employer debit", "Send your own externalId on every create. A repeat returns a uniqueness error, which is the only duplicate protection", "Make sure externalId values are unique across all employers, since each entity type has one namespace", "Mint a user token with the lowest role and the fewest employerIds the task needs, and keep the partner token on the server" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "D", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 46.1 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 48, "maintenance": 50, "payments": 5, "reliability": 36, "schema": 73, "security": 56, "transparency": 31 }, "provenanceScore": 70 }, "connect": { "http": "curl --location --request GET 'https://api.sandbox.salsa.dev/api/rest/v1/partner-pay-types' \\\n --header 'Accept: application/json' \\\n --header 'Authorization: Bearer ${YOUR_API_TOKEN}'" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/payroll.run", "tool": "https://letme.dev/salsa" }, "area": "domain-data", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Salsa Software Inc.", "domain": "salsa.dev", "domainRegistered": "2021-08-06", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.salsa.dev/terms-of-use", "privacy": "https://www.salsa.dev/privacy-policy", "statusPage": "", "changelog": "https://www.salsa.dev/blog-category/product-updates", "securityTxt": "none", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The privacy policy (last modified 24 September 2025) names Salsa Software Inc., 169 Madison Ave #38368, New York, NY 10016, and says it doesn't cover data processed on behalf of platforms, which is governed by Salsa's agreements with them.", "The Terms of Use are dated 7 April 2022 and governed by California law. The partner agreement that covers API use isn't public.", "www.salsa.dev/.well-known/security.txt and docs.salsa.dev/.well-known/security.txt return 404.", "No status page is linked from salsa.dev or docs.salsa.dev. status.salsa.dev didn't connect. salsa.statuspage.io exists with two components marked \"(example)\" and a last update of 4 November 2022, and nothing ties it to this company.", "The changelog link is the product updates category of the blog, whose newest entry is 11 February 2026. docs.salsa.dev/changelog returns 404.", "RDAP for salsa.dev gives a registration date of 2021-08-06 and Squarespace Domains II LLC as registrar." ], "score": 70 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/salsa.json", "live": { "slug": "salsa", "probe": { "target": "https://api.salsa.dev/api/rest/v1", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:57.777637758Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 401, "lastMs": 488, "lastNote": "asks for credentials", "authRequired": true, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 452, "p95ms24h": 517, "samples24h": 42, "samples30d": 42, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 42, "ok": 42 } ] }, "versions": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@salsa-payroll/salsa-js", "version": "0.3.0", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:28:07.049435331Z" } ], "npmWeekly": 435, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://salsa.dev/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "none", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:49.425969804Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://www.salsa.dev/blog-category/product-updates", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:30:07.056601151Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "6c036ec0ed44" }, { "url": "https://www.salsa.dev/privacy-policy", "kind": "privacy", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:30:09.140715304Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "08a0e2898a35" }, { "url": "https://www.salsa.dev/terms-of-use", "kind": "terms", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:30:11.191316869Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "3bb24864bd0f" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T19:08:57.777637758Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Check Technologies, Inc.", "b": "Salsa Software Inc.", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.checkhq.com", "b": "https://api.salsa.dev/api/rest/v1", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "OAuth or key", "b": "API key", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Paid", "b": "Paid", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Proprietary service under Check's terms of service and partner agreement. The MCP server and CLI on GitHub are MIT", "b": "Proprietary service. The website Terms of Use are public and the partner agreement isn't. The browser library @salsa-payroll/salsa-js on npm is MIT", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-07", "b": "2026-10-07", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2021-09-03", "b": "2022-04-07", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2024-04-18", "b": "2025-09-24", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "not found in the text", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "yes", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "18 stars", "b": "435 npm/wk", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Check scores 67.5 (B) on agent readiness against Salsa's 46.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Check or Salsa?" }, { "answer": "Check takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Salsa needs an API key.", "question": "Do Check and Salsa need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Yes. Check has a hosted endpoint at https://api.checkhq.com and Salsa at https://api.salsa.dev/api/rest/v1.", "question": "Can an agent call Check and Salsa without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 80 against 36", "Schema \u0026 documentation, 78 against 73", "Agent ergonomics, 83 against 48", "Security \u0026 auth, 74 against 56", "Maintenance \u0026 community, 72 against 50", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 62 against 51" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "A software platform that wants to sell US payroll inside its own product and can sign a partnership, with Check handling tax calculation, money movement and filings.", "slug": "check-payroll", "watchFor": "No public price and no self-serve signup. The documentation says to request an API key through Check's sales contact" }, { "aheadOn": null, "also": null, "goodFor": "A software platform that wants to sell payroll to its own business customers and can sign a partner agreement, with Salsa handling tax filing and money movement.", "slug": "salsa", "watchFor": "API tokens come from Salsa after a sales contact. No self-serve signup, public price, free tier or trial was found" } ], "job": { "capability": "payroll.run", "name": "Payroll run" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-gusto.json", "title": "Check vs Gusto", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-gusto" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-zeal.json", "title": "Check vs Zeal", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-zeal" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-salsa.json", "title": "Gusto vs Salsa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-salsa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/salsa-vs-zeal.json", "title": "Salsa vs Zeal", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/salsa-vs-zeal" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-finch.json", "title": "Check vs Finch", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-finch" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-salsa.json", "title": "Finch vs Salsa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-salsa" } ], "scores": [ { "by": 44, "check-payroll": 80, "edge": "check-payroll", "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "salsa": 36, "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 5, "check-payroll": 78, "edge": "check-payroll", "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "salsa": 73, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 35, "check-payroll": 83, "edge": "check-payroll", "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "salsa": 48, "weight": 13 }, { "by": 18, "check-payroll": 74, "edge": "check-payroll", "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "salsa": 56, "weight": 14 }, { "by": 0, "check-payroll": 5, "edge": "", "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "salsa": 5, "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "by": 22, "check-payroll": 72, "edge": "check-payroll", "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "salsa": 50, "weight": 7 }, { "by": 11, "check-payroll": 62, "edge": "check-payroll", "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "salsa": 51, "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Check scores 67.5 (B) on agent readiness against Salsa's 46.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do payroll run.", "verdicts": { "check-payroll": "Graded as embedded payroll through a partner API key, not access to an existing employer's payroll account. The API has idempotency keys on writes, a required preview before approval and queryable request logs. No price is public, a sandbox key comes through Check's sales team, and one API key carries the whole partner account.", "salsa": "Salsa is reached as an embedded-payroll partner, not through an employer's existing payroll account. The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.1 spec with 123 operations, a payroll preview, a separate confirm step and short-lived user tokens limited by role. Access starts with a sales conversation, and no public price, self-serve sandbox, status page or API changelog was found." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-salsa", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-salsa.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-salsa.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-salsa.min.md" }, "markdown": "Check scores 67.5 (B) on agent readiness against Salsa's 46.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Both do payroll run.\n\n- Check: grade B, 67.5/100, rank #193 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/check-payroll.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/check-payroll.json\n- Salsa: grade D, 46.1/100, rank #565 of 629. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/salsa.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/salsa.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Check (B)\n\nGood for: A software platform that wants to sell US payroll inside its own product and can sign a partnership, with Check handling tax calculation, money movement and filings.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 80 against 36\n- Schema \u0026 documentation, 78 against 73\n- Agent ergonomics, 83 against 48\n- Security \u0026 auth, 74 against 56\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 72 against 50\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 62 against 51\n\nWatch for: No public price and no self-serve signup. The documentation says to request an API key through Check's sales contact\n\n### Salsa (D)\n\nGood for: A software platform that wants to sell payroll to its own business customers and can sign a partner agreement, with Salsa handling tax filing and money movement.\n\nWatch for: API tokens come from Salsa after a sales contact. No self-serve signup, public price, free tier or trial was found\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Check | Salsa | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 80 | 36 | Check +44 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 78 | 73 | Check +5 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 83 | 48 | Check +35 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 74 | 56 | Check +18 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 5 | 5 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 72 | 50 | Check +22 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 62 | 51 | Check +11 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **67.5 · B** | **46.1 · D** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Check | Salsa |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Check Technologies, Inc. | Salsa Software Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.checkhq.com` | `https://api.salsa.dev/api/rest/v1` |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth or key | API key |\n| Pricing | Paid | Paid |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Proprietary service under Check's terms of service and partner agreement. The MCP server and CLI on GitHub are MIT | Proprietary service. The website Terms of Use are public and the partner agreement isn't. The browser library @salsa-payroll/salsa-js on npm is MIT |\n| Read-only variant documented | yes | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-10-07 | 2026-10-07 |\n| Terms last updated | 2021-09-03 | 2022-04-07 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2024-04-18 | 2025-09-24 |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms restrict automated access | yes | yes |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | not found in the text | not found in the text |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | yes |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | not found in the text | yes |\n| Popularity | 18 stars | 435 npm/wk |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Check.** Graded as embedded payroll through a partner API key, not access to an existing employer's payroll account. The API has idempotency keys on writes, a required preview before approval and queryable request logs. No price is public, a sandbox key comes through Check's sales team, and one API key carries the whole partner account.\n\n**Salsa.** Salsa is reached as an embedded-payroll partner, not through an employer's existing payroll account. The REST API has a public OpenAPI 3.1 spec with 123 operations, a payroll preview, a separate confirm step and short-lived user tokens limited by role. Access starts with a sales conversation, and no public price, self-serve sandbox, status page or API changelog was found.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Check\n\n1. Use https://sandbox.checkhq.com with the sandbox key and https://api.checkhq.com with the production key. A key is not valid across environments\n2. Preview a payroll before approving it, then pass `preview_started_at` to POST /payrolls/{id}/approve so a stale preview fails with 409\n3. Send `X-Idempotency-Key` on every write. Keys expire after 24 hours, so list the resource before retrying later than that\n4. On 429 wait for `Retry-After`. The limit is 10 requests a second in sandbox and for partners paying fewer than 1,000 payees a month, with 100 concurrent requests\n5. Connect the MCP server with `?read_only=true` or `X-MCP-Readonly: true` unless writes are intended. In production, approving a payroll moves money\n\n### Salsa\n\n1. Use the sandbox token against https://api.sandbox.salsa.dev and the production token against https://api.salsa.dev. Each environment has its own token\n2. Call POST /payroll-runs/preview before creating a run, then confirm the PENDING run in a separate call. Confirming starts the employer debit\n3. Send your own externalId on every create. A repeat returns a uniqueness error, which is the only duplicate protection\n4. Make sure externalId values are unique across all employers, since each entity type has one namespace\n5. Mint a user token with the lowest role and the fewest employerIds the task needs, and keep the partner token on the server\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Check or Salsa?\n\nCheck scores 67.5 (B) on agent readiness against Salsa's 46.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories.\n\n### Do Check and Salsa need an API key?\n\nCheck takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in. Salsa needs an API key.\n\n### Can an agent call Check and Salsa without installing anything?\n\nYes. Check has a hosted endpoint at https://api.checkhq.com and Salsa at https://api.salsa.dev/api/rest/v1.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-salsa.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-salsa.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"check-payroll\", \"b\": \"salsa\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare check-payroll salsa`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/check-payroll.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/salsa.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Check or Salsa\n\n- [Check vs Gusto](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-gusto.md)\n- [Check vs Zeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-zeal.md)\n- [Gusto vs Salsa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-salsa.md)\n- [Salsa vs Zeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/salsa-vs-zeal.md)\n- [Check vs Finch](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-finch.md)\n- [Finch vs Salsa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-salsa.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-08", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Check vs Salsa", "url": "" } ], "description": "Check scores 67.5 (B) on agent readiness against Salsa's 46.1 (D), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. 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