{
  "data": {
    "a": {
      "slug": "paychex",
      "name": "Paychex",
      "vendor": "Paychex, Inc.",
      "vendorUrl": "https://www.paychex.com",
      "kind": "http-api",
      "category": "payroll",
      "summary": "Paychex's REST API reads and updates company, worker and pay data in Paychex Flex, a US payroll and HR service. Clients create an app inside their Flex account. Software partners apply to Paychex for a sandbox and production credentials.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paychex",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paychex.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paychex.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/paychex.json",
      "license": "Proprietary service. Public use is under the Paychex User Terms of Use. Partner terms aren't published",
      "transports": [
        "http"
      ],
      "packages": [],
      "auth": "oauth",
      "authNotes": "Graded on the Paychex API for Paychex Flex. Access is by OAuth 2.0 client credentials. A key and secret go in the form body of POST `/auth/oauth/v2/token` and return a Bearer token that lasts 60 minutes, with no refresh token. A Paychex client with a Super Admin or Security Admin role creates an app inside Flex and chooses its access levels. A software partner fills in a questionnaire, is reviewed by the Corporate Partnerships Team, builds in a sandbox Paychex issues, demos the integration and then receives a production key and secret limited to the verbs and endpoints requested. Each client approves a partner app in Flex before its data is reachable.",
      "pricing": "paid",
      "pricingNotes": "No price is published for the API or for Paychex payroll. The Request Pricing button on paychex.com/payroll leads to the sales contact form, and the developer centre states no fee. The API reaches only companies with a paid Paychex Flex account, and the Payroll API needs online payroll added by a Paychex representative. The partner sandbox is issued after Paychex approves the partnership, so there is no way to start without Paychex's agreement (checked 2026-10-08).",
      "priceSummary": "Paid",
      "where": "local",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the developer centre pages or the OpenAPI definition (checked 2026-10-08).",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": null,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": null,
        "npmWeekly": null,
        "pypiWeekly": null,
        "asOf": "2026-10-08"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://developer.paychex.com/documentation",
      "openapi": "https://developer.paychex.com/sites/default/files/apidocument/openapi-merge-develop.210-public.json",
      "capabilities": [
        "payroll.employees",
        "hr.employees",
        "hr.onboarding",
        "hr.documents",
        "hr.org"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "hosted",
        "payroll",
        "hr",
        "oauth",
        "openapi",
        "partner-approval",
        "sandbox",
        "webhooks",
        "sales-led",
        "soc2",
        "iso27001"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-08-20",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 44.8,
        "grade": "E",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 666,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 722,
        "categoryRank": 9,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 54,
          "maintenance": 26,
          "payments": 0,
          "reliability": 41,
          "schema": 66,
          "security": 58,
          "transparency": 54
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        "negative": 0,
        "verdict": "A public OpenAPI 3.0.3 definition covers 110 operations, and payroll entries stay unprocessed until a person submits the payroll in Flex. Partner credentials and the sandbox follow approval by Paychex, no price is published, and no status page, SLA or SDK was found in the reviewed pages.",
        "bestFor": "A software partner with shared customers on Paychex Flex that needs to sync workers, pay rates, direct deposits and tax setup, or to send hours and earnings into pay entry.",
        "strengths": [
          "One public OpenAPI 3.0.3 file describes 110 operations and 147 schemas, with named request and response examples for most of them",
          "Checks are created as unprocessed entries. The docs say the client or a Paychex service provider must review and submit the payroll",
          "A client admin approves each partner app inside Paychex Flex before any company data is reachable, and a delete endpoint removes the link",
          "Errors return a `code`, `description` and `resolution`, and every response carries an `x-payx-txid` for support",
          "Published limit of 10,000 requests a minute per partner, with `X-RateLimit-*` headers and `Retry-After` on 429"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "Partner access needs a questionnaire, review by the Corporate Partnerships Team, a demo and final approval. The sandbox is issued only after approval",
          "No price is published for the API or for Paychex payroll. The pricing button leads to a sales contact form",
          "No status page, incident history or SLA was found, and the User Terms of Use give no availability guarantee",
          "Paging works on three endpoints only, and on the worker list it can't be combined with filters",
          "No SDK, llms.txt or dated changelog was found. The News page holds two notices",
          "The User Terms of Use bar automated access to Paychex sites and applications unless Paychex approves it, and allow suspension without notice"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "POST `grant_type=client_credentials` with the key and secret in the form body to `/auth/oauth/v2/token`. Tokens last 60 minutes and there is no refresh token, so request a new one",
          "Call GET `/companies` first. Worker and payroll paths need a `companyId` or `workerId` the app has been granted",
          "Send `offset` and `limit` on GET `/companies/{companyId}/workers`, 50 at most, and resend the `ETag` between pages. The unpaged form is withdrawn on 24 February 2027",
          "Creating a check doesn't pay anyone. A person must review and submit the payroll in Paychex Flex",
          "Send a unique `X-payx-client-correlationId` per request and keep the `x-payx-txid` from the response. Support asks for it",
          "On 423 the client is locked by another user or process. Wait and retry"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "remote",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 0,
        "avgRating": 0,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "E",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 44.8
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 54,
          "maintenance": 26,
          "payments": 0,
          "reliability": 41,
          "schema": 66,
          "security": 58,
          "transparency": 39
        },
        "provenanceScore": 69
      },
      "connect": {
        "http": "curl --location 'https://api.paychex.com/auth/oauth/v2/token' \\\n--header 'Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded' \\\n--data-urlencode 'grant_type=client_credentials' \\\n--data-urlencode 'client_id=CLIENT_ID' \\\n--data-urlencode 'client_secret=CLIENT_SECRET'"
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/payroll.employees",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/paychex"
      },
      "area": "domain-data",
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "Paychex, Inc.",
        "domain": "paychex.com",
        "domainRegistered": "1991-06-10",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": true,
        "terms": "https://www.paychex.com/corporate/terms",
        "privacy": "https://www.paychex.com/corporate/security/privacy",
        "statusPage": "",
        "changelog": "https://developer.paychex.com/news",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-10-08",
        "notes": [
          "The privacy policy (last updated 1 June 2026) names Paychex, Inc., 911 Panorama Trail South, Rochester, NY 14625.",
          "The terms link is the Paychex User Terms of Use, effective 1 June 2026, which govern Paychex's websites, software applications, mobile applications and services. No API-specific terms are published. The partner agreement and the Third-Party Terms of Use a client accepts in Flex weren't found in public.",
          "API calls go to https://api.paychex.com. An unauthenticated GET `/companies` answered 401 with error code API-103.",
          "www.paychex.com/.well-known/security.txt, www.paychex.com/security.txt and developer.paychex.com/.well-known/security.txt return 404. Vulnerability reports go through a form at paychex.com/corporate/security/responsible-disclosure run with Bugcrowd.",
          "No status page was found on the developer centre or the security page, and status.paychex.com didn't resolve.",
          "The changelog link is the developer centre's News page, which holds two notices and no dated list of changes.",
          "RDAP for paychex.com gives a registration date of 1991-06-10."
        ],
        "score": 69
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paychex.json"
    },
    "answer": "Zeal and Paychex score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 45.4 (E) and 44.8 (E). Paychex leads on security \u0026 auth.",
    "b": {
      "slug": "zeal",
      "name": "Zeal",
      "vendor": "Puzzl Group Inc.",
      "vendorUrl": "https://www.zeal.com",
      "kind": "http-api",
      "category": "payroll",
      "summary": "Zeal is an embedded payroll API for US staffing platforms, labour marketplaces and workforce software. Partners create employer companies, onboard W-2 employees and 1099 contractors, create pay cheques and contractor payments, preview payroll and pull reports.",
      "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeal",
      "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeal.md",
      "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeal.min.md",
      "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zeal.json",
      "repo": "https://github.com/zeal-corp/typescript-sdk",
      "license": "Proprietary service. The npm SDK declares MIT. The SDK repositories on GitHub carry no licence file",
      "transports": [
        "http"
      ],
      "remoteUrl": "https://api.zeal.com",
      "packages": [
        {
          "registry": "npm",
          "name": "@zeal-api/sdk"
        },
        {
          "registry": "pypi",
          "name": "zeal-api-sdk"
        }
      ],
      "auth": "api-key",
      "authNotes": "API keys, issued only to Zeal partners. Zeal's team creates the partner account after a demo request, then the Partner Dashboard at app.zeal.com shows one Test API key, one Production API key and the `partnerID`. Every call sends `Authorization: Bearer {apiKey}`, and most also need a `companyID`. A key covers every employer company under the partner, has no scopes, and is rolled from the dashboard, which invalidates the old key at once. Production payroll is switched on by Zeal (error code 0 until then). The agent chat and MCP endpoints need a key that Zeal has Agent-enabled. This is embedded-payroll partner access. An employer has no separate API route into its own Zeal payroll account.",
      "pricing": "paid",
      "pricingNotes": "No public prices. www.zeal.com/pricing returns 404 and every call to action asks for a demo. A test environment that moves no money exists, but its key comes only after Zeal creates a partner account, so an agent cannot start without a sales contact. No free tier or self-serve trial was found (checked 2026-10-08).",
      "priceSummary": "Paid",
      "where": "hosted",
      "x402": {
        "level": "no",
        "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in llms-full.txt, the OpenAPI specs or the marketing site (checked 2026-10-08).",
        "endpoints": []
      },
      "toolCount": null,
      "popularity": {
        "githubStars": 0,
        "npmWeekly": 8,
        "pypiWeekly": null,
        "asOf": "2026-10-08"
      },
      "docsUrl": "https://docs.zeal.com",
      "llmsTxt": "https://docs.zeal.com/llms.txt",
      "openapi": "https://docs.zeal.com/openapi/zeal-api.json",
      "capabilities": [
        "payroll.run",
        "payroll.embedded",
        "payroll.employees",
        "payroll.contractors",
        "payroll.tax-filing",
        "hr.onboarding"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "hosted",
        "api-key",
        "openapi",
        "llms-txt",
        "typescript",
        "python",
        "webhooks",
        "sandbox",
        "sales-led",
        "partner-only",
        "us-only",
        "soc2",
        "mcp"
      ],
      "lastRelease": "2026-07-31",
      "graded": true,
      "anchor": {
        "graded": true,
        "score": 45.4,
        "grade": "E",
        "agentReady": false,
        "rank": 658,
        "ranked": true,
        "rankOf": 722,
        "categoryRank": 8,
        "methodology": "0.4",
        "run": "2026-10-01",
        "scores": {
          "ergonomics": 63,
          "maintenance": 61,
          "payments": 0,
          "reliability": 42,
          "schema": 68,
          "security": 34,
          "transparency": 51
        },
        "pending": [
          "performance",
          "tasks"
        ],
        "assessment": {
          "confidence": "medium",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        "negative": 0,
        "verdict": "Graded on the partner REST API at api.zeal.com, which is the only access route. Three OpenAPI specs, llms.txt, a test environment that moves no money, a preview endpoint and a per-cheque approval flag are documented. Access starts with a demo request, prices are not published, each environment has one unscoped key, and no status page or working changelog was found.",
        "bestFor": "A US staffing platform, marketplace or workforce product that will sign a partnership and run payroll for many employers under its own brand, including daily and on-demand pay.",
        "strengths": [
          "Public OpenAPI 3.1 specs with 177 operations, plus llms.txt, llms-full.txt and a Markdown copy of every docs page",
          "Test keys run payroll end to end with no money moved and no tax filings, in an environment separate from production",
          "Preview endpoints return the gross-to-net breakdown before processing, and `approval_required` holds a cheque until `approved` is set",
          "`x-idempotency-key` header honoured for 24 hours, and 116 numbered error codes with messages",
          "Fern-generated TypeScript and Python SDKs (0.2.1, July 2026) that retry 408, 429 and 5xx with backoff"
        ],
        "weaknesses": [
          "No self-serve signup. Zeal's team creates the partner account after a demo request, and no price is published",
          "One test key and one production key per partner account, with no scopes and no read-only key",
          "No status page found, and the changelog linked from the home page and llms.txt returns 404",
          "The API has no version in the path or a header, and the main spec has 18 operations with no summary",
          "Webhooks carry the shared secret itself in `Puzzl-Signature`, not a signature of the payload",
          "No security.txt, disclosure policy, sub-processor list or DPA found on the public site"
        ],
        "agentNotes": [
          "Use the Test API key until a person has approved live payroll. Error code 0 (403) means the account has no production access",
          "Send `companyID` on almost every call and `partnerID` on partner-level calls, in the body for POST and PATCH and the query for GET",
          "Create cheques with `approval_required: true`, run POST /preview/checks, then PATCH /employeeCheck with `approved: true`. Without the flag Zeal processes pending cheques automatically",
          "Send `x-idempotency-key` on every create so a retry within 24 hours doesn't pay twice",
          "Previews and reports are jobs. Keep the `job_id` and poll GET /preview or GET /reports, or wait for the Job Queue webhook",
          "Check dates must be bank days and submitted before 2 PM Pacific two bank days ahead, or the call fails with code 89"
        ],
        "metrics": {
          "kind": "remote",
          "measured": false
        },
        "reviewCount": 0,
        "avgRating": 0,
        "history": [
          {
            "basis": "public evidence",
            "confidence": "medium",
            "grade": "E",
            "methodology": "0.4",
            "pending": [
              "performance",
              "tasks"
            ],
            "run": "2026-10-01",
            "runLabel": "October 2026 research run",
            "score": 45.4
          }
        ],
        "editorialScores": {
          "ergonomics": 63,
          "maintenance": 61,
          "payments": 0,
          "reliability": 42,
          "schema": 68,
          "security": 34,
          "transparency": 38
        },
        "provenanceScore": 64
      },
      "connect": {
        "install": "npm i -s @zeal-api/sdk",
        "http": "curl --request GET \\\n     --url 'https://api.zeal.com/companies?partnerID=YOUR_PARTNER_ID' \\\n     --header 'Accept: application/json' \\\n     --header 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'"
      },
      "letme": {
        "capability": "https://letme.dev/payroll.run",
        "tool": "https://letme.dev/zeal"
      },
      "area": "domain-data",
      "provenance": {
        "legalEntity": "Puzzl Group Inc.",
        "domain": "zeal.com",
        "domainRegistered": "1995-07-03",
        "endpointOnVendorDomain": true,
        "terms": "https://www.zeal.com/legal?tab=terms-of-service",
        "privacy": "https://www.zeal.com/legal?tab=privacy-policy",
        "statusPage": "",
        "changelog": "",
        "securityTxt": "none",
        "checked": "2026-10-08",
        "notes": [
          "The legal page names Puzzl Group Inc., a Delaware corporation, 80 Langton Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Its privacy notice was last updated on 16 January 2026.",
          "The API answers at https://api.zeal.com and docs at docs.zeal.com (hosted on Mintlify). The help centre at support.zeal.com runs on Pylon.",
          "www.zeal.com/.well-known/security.txt and docs.zeal.com/.well-known/security.txt return 404.",
          "No status page is linked from the site, the docs or the help centre. status.zeal.com did not complete a TLS handshake on 8 October 2026.",
          "The changelog URL the site advertises, https://docs.zeal.com/changelog, returns 404, so the field is left empty.",
          "The legal page says banking services come from Bangor Savings Bank, Member FDIC.",
          "RDAP for zeal.com gives a registration date of 1995-07-03 and GoDaddy.com, LLC as registrar."
        ],
        "score": 64
      },
      "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeal.json",
      "live": {
        "slug": "zeal",
        "probe": {
          "target": "https://api.zeal.com",
          "method": "get",
          "lastAt": "2026-10-08T21:53:39.222317746Z",
          "lastOk": true,
          "lastStatus": 200,
          "lastMs": 577,
          "authRequired": false,
          "uptime24h": 98.59,
          "uptime30d": 98.59,
          "p50ms24h": 602,
          "p95ms24h": 681,
          "samples24h": 71,
          "samples30d": 71,
          "days": [
            {
              "date": "2026-10-08",
              "probes": 71,
              "ok": 70
            }
          ]
        },
        "versions": [
          {
            "registry": "npm",
            "name": "@zeal-api/sdk",
            "version": "0.2.1",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:35:37.1323379Z"
          },
          {
            "registry": "pypi",
            "name": "zeal-api-sdk",
            "version": "0.2.1",
            "released": "2026-07-31",
            "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:35:39.815769205Z"
          }
        ],
        "githubStars": 0,
        "npmWeekly": 8,
        "pypiWeekly": 4,
        "securityTxt": {
          "url": "https://zeal.com/.well-known/security.txt",
          "state": "none",
          "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:30.40067532Z"
        },
        "pages": [
          {
            "url": "https://www.zeal.com/legal?tab=privacy-policy",
            "kind": "privacy",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:31:44.751983613Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "ca2c8021bf60"
          },
          {
            "url": "https://www.zeal.com/legal?tab=terms-of-service",
            "kind": "terms",
            "status": 200,
            "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:31:46.842036275Z",
            "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
            "fingerprint": "ca2c8021bf60"
          }
        ],
        "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T21:53:39.222317746Z"
      }
    },
    "facts": [
      {
        "a": "HTTP API",
        "b": "HTTP API",
        "name": "Kind"
      },
      {
        "a": "Paychex, Inc.",
        "b": "Puzzl Group Inc.",
        "name": "Vendor"
      },
      {
        "a": "no (local only)",
        "b": "https://api.zeal.com",
        "name": "Hosted endpoint"
      },
      {
        "a": "HTTP",
        "b": "HTTP",
        "name": "Transports"
      },
      {
        "a": "OAuth",
        "b": "API key",
        "name": "Auth"
      },
      {
        "a": "Paid",
        "b": "Paid",
        "name": "Pricing"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "x402"
      },
      {
        "a": "Proprietary service. Public use is under the Paychex User Terms of Use. Partner terms aren't published",
        "b": "Proprietary service. The npm SDK declares MIT. The SDK repositories on GitHub carry no licence file",
        "name": "Licence"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "no",
        "name": "Read-only variant documented"
      },
      {
        "a": "no",
        "b": "yes",
        "name": "llms.txt"
      },
      {
        "a": "2026-08-20",
        "b": "2026-07-31",
        "name": "Last release"
      },
      {
        "a": "no date given",
        "b": "2026-01-16",
        "name": "Terms last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "2026-06-01",
        "b": "2026-01-16",
        "name": "Privacy policy last updated"
      },
      {
        "a": "yes",
        "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": "yes",
        "b": "yes",
        "name": "Terms or service can change without notice"
      },
      {
        "a": "yes",
        "b": "not found in the text",
        "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver"
      },
      {
        "a": "none",
        "b": "0 stars, 8 npm/wk",
        "name": "Popularity"
      }
    ],
    "faq": [
      {
        "answer": "Zeal and Paychex score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 45.4 (E) and 44.8 (E). Paychex leads on security \u0026 auth.",
        "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Paychex or Zeal?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "Paychex uses an OAuth sign-in. Zeal needs an API key.",
        "question": "Do Paychex and Zeal need an API key?"
      },
      {
        "answer": "No hosted endpoint is listed for Paychex. Zeal has a hosted endpoint at https://api.zeal.com.",
        "question": "Can an agent call Paychex and Zeal without installing anything?"
      }
    ],
    "goodFor": [
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Security \u0026 auth, 58 against 34"
        ],
        "also": null,
        "goodFor": "A software partner with shared customers on Paychex Flex that needs to sync workers, pay rates, direct deposits and tax setup, or to send hours and earnings into pay entry.",
        "slug": "paychex",
        "watchFor": "Partner access needs a questionnaire, review by the Corporate Partnerships Team, a demo and final approval. The sandbox is issued only after approval"
      },
      {
        "aheadOn": [
          "Agent ergonomics, 63 against 54",
          "Maintenance \u0026 community, 61 against 26"
        ],
        "also": [
          "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install"
        ],
        "goodFor": "A US staffing platform, marketplace or workforce product that will sign a partnership and run payroll for many employers under its own brand, including daily and on-demand pay.",
        "slug": "zeal",
        "watchFor": "No self-serve signup. Zeal's team creates the partner account after a demo request, and no price is published"
      }
    ],
    "job": {
      "capability": "payroll.employees",
      "name": "Payroll employees"
    },
    "others": [
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-paychex.json",
        "title": "Argyle vs Paychex",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-paychex"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-zeal.json",
        "title": "Argyle vs Zeal",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-zeal"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-paychex.json",
        "title": "Check vs Paychex",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-paychex"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/employment-hero-vs-paychex.json",
        "title": "Employment Hero Payroll vs Paychex",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/employment-hero-vs-paychex"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/everee-vs-paychex.json",
        "title": "Everee vs Paychex",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/everee-vs-paychex"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-paychex.json",
        "title": "Finch vs Paychex",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-paychex"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-zeal.json",
        "title": "Finch vs Zeal",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-zeal"
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paychex-vs-salsa.json",
        "title": "Paychex vs Salsa",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paychex-vs-salsa"
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        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-zeal"
      },
      {
        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/employment-hero-vs-zeal.json",
        "title": "Employment Hero Payroll vs Zeal",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/employment-hero-vs-zeal"
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        "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/everee-vs-zeal.json",
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      {
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        "title": "Salsa vs Zeal",
        "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/salsa-vs-zeal"
      }
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    "scores": [
      {
        "by": 1,
        "edge": "zeal",
        "key": "reliability",
        "name": "Reliability",
        "paychex": 41,
        "weight": 16,
        "zeal": 42
      },
      {
        "key": "performance",
        "name": "Performance",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "by": 2,
        "edge": "zeal",
        "key": "schema",
        "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation",
        "paychex": 66,
        "weight": 13,
        "zeal": 68
      },
      {
        "by": 9,
        "edge": "zeal",
        "key": "ergonomics",
        "name": "Agent ergonomics",
        "paychex": 54,
        "weight": 13,
        "zeal": 63
      },
      {
        "by": 24,
        "edge": "paychex",
        "key": "security",
        "name": "Security \u0026 auth",
        "paychex": 58,
        "weight": 14,
        "zeal": 34
      },
      {
        "by": 0,
        "edge": "",
        "key": "payments",
        "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing",
        "paychex": 0,
        "weight": 10,
        "zeal": 0
      },
      {
        "key": "tasks",
        "name": "Task success",
        "pending": true,
        "weight": 10
      },
      {
        "by": 35,
        "edge": "zeal",
        "key": "maintenance",
        "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community",
        "paychex": 26,
        "weight": 7,
        "zeal": 61
      },
      {
        "by": 3,
        "edge": "paychex",
        "key": "transparency",
        "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust",
        "paychex": 54,
        "weight": 7,
        "zeal": 51
      }
    ],
    "summary": "Zeal and Paychex score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 45.4 (E) and 44.8 (E). Paychex leads on security \u0026 auth. Both do payroll employees.",
    "verdicts": {
      "paychex": "A public OpenAPI 3.0.3 definition covers 110 operations, and payroll entries stay unprocessed until a person submits the payroll in Flex. Partner credentials and the sandbox follow approval by Paychex, no price is published, and no status page, SLA or SDK was found in the reviewed pages.",
      "zeal": "Graded on the partner REST API at api.zeal.com, which is the only access route. Three OpenAPI specs, llms.txt, a test environment that moves no money, a preview endpoint and a per-cheque approval flag are documented. Access starts with a demo request, prices are not published, each environment has one unscoped key, and no status page or working changelog was found."
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  "markdown": "Zeal and Paychex score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 45.4 (E) and 44.8 (E). Paychex leads on security \u0026 auth. Both do payroll employees.\n\n- Paychex: grade E, 44.8/100, rank #666 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/paychex.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/paychex.json\n- Zeal: grade E, 45.4/100, rank #658 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/zeal.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zeal.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Paychex (E)\n\nGood for: A software partner with shared customers on Paychex Flex that needs to sync workers, pay rates, direct deposits and tax setup, or to send hours and earnings into pay entry.\n\nAhead on:\n- Security \u0026 auth, 58 against 34\n\nWatch for: Partner access needs a questionnaire, review by the Corporate Partnerships Team, a demo and final approval. The sandbox is issued only after approval\n\n### Zeal (E)\n\nGood for: A US staffing platform, marketplace or workforce product that will sign a partnership and run payroll for many employers under its own brand, including daily and on-demand pay.\n\nAhead on:\n- Agent ergonomics, 63 against 54\n- Maintenance \u0026 community, 61 against 26\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n\nWatch for: No self-serve signup. Zeal's team creates the partner account after a demo request, and no price is published\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Paychex | Zeal | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 41 | 42 | Zeal +1 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 66 | 68 | Zeal +2 |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 54 | 63 | Zeal +9 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 58 | 34 | Paychex +24 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 0 | 0 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 26 | 61 | Zeal +35 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 54 | 51 | Paychex +3 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **44.8 · E** | **45.4 · E** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Paychex | Zeal |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Paychex, Inc. | Puzzl Group Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | `https://api.zeal.com` |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | OAuth | API key |\n| Pricing | Paid | Paid |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Proprietary service. Public use is under the Paychex User Terms of Use. Partner terms aren't published | Proprietary service. The npm SDK declares MIT. The SDK repositories on GitHub carry no licence file |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | no | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-08-20 | 2026-07-31 |\n| Terms last updated | no date given | 2026-01-16 |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-06-01 | 2026-01-16 |\n| Customer content may train models | yes | 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 | yes | yes |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | not found in the text |\n| Popularity | none | 0 stars, 8 npm/wk |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Paychex.** A public OpenAPI 3.0.3 definition covers 110 operations, and payroll entries stay unprocessed until a person submits the payroll in Flex. Partner credentials and the sandbox follow approval by Paychex, no price is published, and no status page, SLA or SDK was found in the reviewed pages.\n\n**Zeal.** Graded on the partner REST API at api.zeal.com, which is the only access route. Three OpenAPI specs, llms.txt, a test environment that moves no money, a preview endpoint and a per-cheque approval flag are documented. Access starts with a demo request, prices are not published, each environment has one unscoped key, and no status page or working changelog was found.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Paychex\n\n1. POST `grant_type=client_credentials` with the key and secret in the form body to `/auth/oauth/v2/token`. Tokens last 60 minutes and there is no refresh token, so request a new one\n2. Call GET `/companies` first. Worker and payroll paths need a `companyId` or `workerId` the app has been granted\n3. Send `offset` and `limit` on GET `/companies/{companyId}/workers`, 50 at most, and resend the `ETag` between pages. The unpaged form is withdrawn on 24 February 2027\n4. Creating a check doesn't pay anyone. A person must review and submit the payroll in Paychex Flex\n5. Send a unique `X-payx-client-correlationId` per request and keep the `x-payx-txid` from the response. Support asks for it\n6. On 423 the client is locked by another user or process. Wait and retry\n\n### Zeal\n\n1. Use the Test API key until a person has approved live payroll. Error code 0 (403) means the account has no production access\n2. Send `companyID` on almost every call and `partnerID` on partner-level calls, in the body for POST and PATCH and the query for GET\n3. Create cheques with `approval_required: true`, run POST /preview/checks, then PATCH /employeeCheck with `approved: true`. Without the flag Zeal processes pending cheques automatically\n4. Send `x-idempotency-key` on every create so a retry within 24 hours doesn't pay twice\n5. Previews and reports are jobs. Keep the `job_id` and poll GET /preview or GET /reports, or wait for the Job Queue webhook\n6. Check dates must be bank days and submitted before 2 PM Pacific two bank days ahead, or the call fails with code 89\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Paychex or Zeal?\n\nZeal and Paychex score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 45.4 (E) and 44.8 (E). Paychex leads on security \u0026 auth.\n\n### Do Paychex and Zeal need an API key?\n\nPaychex uses an OAuth sign-in. Zeal needs an API key.\n\n### Can an agent call Paychex and Zeal without installing anything?\n\nNo hosted endpoint is listed for Paychex. Zeal has a hosted endpoint at https://api.zeal.com.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paychex-vs-zeal.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paychex-vs-zeal.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"paychex\", \"b\": \"zeal\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare paychex zeal`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/paychex.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/zeal.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Paychex or Zeal\n\n- [Argyle vs Paychex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-paychex.md)\n- [Argyle vs Zeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-zeal.md)\n- [Check vs Paychex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-paychex.md)\n- [Employment Hero Payroll vs Paychex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/employment-hero-vs-paychex.md)\n- [Everee vs Paychex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/everee-vs-paychex.md)\n- [Finch vs Paychex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-paychex.md)\n- [Finch vs Zeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-zeal.md)\n- [Gusto vs Paychex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-paychex.md)\n- [Paychex vs Salsa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/paychex-vs-salsa.md)\n- [Check vs Zeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-zeal.md)\n- [Employment Hero Payroll vs Zeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/employment-hero-vs-zeal.md)\n- [Everee vs Zeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/everee-vs-zeal.md)\n- [Gusto vs Zeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-zeal.md)\n- [Salsa vs Zeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/salsa-vs-zeal.md)\n",
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    "description": "Zeal and Paychex score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 45.4 (E) and 44.8 (E). Paychex leads on security \u0026 auth. Both do payroll employees. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.",
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