PayFit vs Zeal

PayFit

A public OpenAPI 3.0 file, llms.txt and scoped keys let a paying customer's agent read payroll outputs and write absences. The API cannot run or approve a payroll, new partner integrations are not being accepted, and no idempotency keys or SDKs were found.

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.

PayFit

1. Have a company admin create the key at app.payfit.com/integrations/hub/api with only the scopes the task needs. The key is shown once
2. POST the key to https://oauth.payfit.com/introspect to get company_id, then call https://partner-api.payfit.com/companies/{companyId}/...
3. Page lists with nextPageToken and maxResults, which defaults to 10 and stops at 50
4. Check before repeating a failed POST. There is no idempotency key, and POST /absences creates an absence that is already validated
5. A collaborator or contract created through the API stays incomplete until an HR admin finishes it in the PayFit app, and a new contract takes 2 to 5 minutes to appear

Zeal

1. Use the Test API key until a person has approved live payroll. Error code 0 (403) means the account has no production access
2. Send companyID on almost every call and partnerID on partner-level calls, in the body for POST and PATCH and the query for GET
3. Create cheques with approval_required: true, run POST /preview/checks, then PATCH /employeeCheck with approved: true. Without the flag Zeal processes pending cheques automatically
4. Send x-idempotency-key on every create so a retry within 24 hours doesn't pay twice
5. Previews and reports are jobs. Keep the job_id and poll GET /preview or GET /reports, or wait for the Job Queue webhook
6. Check dates must be bank days and submitted before 2 PM Pacific two bank days ahead, or the call fails with code 89