Certified Payroll Software Comparison: eBacon vs LCPtracker vs CertifiedPayrollPro (2026)

If you are searching for certified payroll software, you have probably realized that the market is more fragmented than you expected. Some vendors charge setup fees in the thousands. Others require a sales demo before you can even see pricing. And a few have no public pricing at all.

This guide puts the most common certified payroll solutions side by side so you can make an informed decision. We are CertifiedPayrollPro, and we are one of the products in this comparison. We will be transparent about that while representing every option as fairly as possible based on publicly available information.

Disclaimer: All competitor pricing and feature information in this article is based on publicly available data as of March 2026 and may have changed. Visit each provider's website for the most current details.

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Why Choosing the Right Tool Matters

Certified payroll is not optional. If you work on federally funded construction projects, the Davis-Bacon Act requires you to submit accurate WH-347 certified payroll reports every week. Getting it wrong can result in back-pay orders, contract debarment, civil penalties, and even criminal prosecution for willful violations.

The right software does not just save you time. It protects you from compliance failures that can cost tens of thousands of dollars or knock you off federal contract eligibility for up to three years. With over $300 billion in federal construction spending flowing through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the stakes have never been higher.

Yet many contractors still choose tools based on name recognition or a recommendation from a colleague. This comparison gives you the data to make a decision based on what actually matters: cost, features, ease of use, and compliance support.

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The Full Comparison Table

Here is a side-by-side look at the five most common approaches to certified payroll, scored across the categories that contractors tell us matter most.

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Detailed Breakdown by Solution

CertifiedPayrollPro

Best for: Small to mid-size contractors who want affordable, self-serve certified payroll software with built-in compliance guidance.

CertifiedPayrollPro is a modern SaaS platform built specifically for contractors who prepare and submit their own certified payroll reports. There is no setup fee, no mandatory demo, and no waiting period. You sign up, start a free trial (no credit card required), and begin generating compliant WH-347 reports the same day.

The platform includes Lydia, an AI compliance assistant that can answer Davis-Bacon questions, flag potential errors before you submit, and help you navigate complex wage determination scenarios. Free tools like job costing, multilingual worker support, and a bid estimator are included at every plan level.

Pricing is transparent and publicly listed: $49/month for the Starter plan, $99/month for Professional, and $149/month for Business. There are no hidden fees and no long-term contracts.

• Strengths: Lowest price point, instant access, AI compliance assistant, transparent pricing, free trial
• Considerations: Self-serve model means you prepare reports yourself (with AI help). Direct payroll integrations are CSV-based currently, with API and direct integrations on the roadmap.

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eBacon

Best for: Enterprise-level contractors seeking a managed compliance partner for complex, multi-state prevailing wage operations.

eBacon positions itself as a comprehensive prevailing wage compliance platform. Their strength lies in managed fringe benefit administration and DOL compliance services. eBacon works with larger contractors who need a dedicated compliance team handling the intricacies of prevailing wage reporting across multiple projects and states.

eBacon does not publicly list pricing. Prospective customers are directed to request a demo, which suggests custom pricing based on organization size and needs. This is common for enterprise-focused solutions and is not inherently negative — it means they tailor their service to each client.

• Strengths: Deep fringe benefit management expertise, managed compliance services, enterprise-grade support
• Considerations: No public pricing, demo required to get started, likely higher cost for smaller contractors. For a deeper comparison, see our CertifiedPayrollPro vs eBacon comparison.

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LCPtracker

Best for: Projects where the contracting agency mandates LCPtracker for electronic submission, or agencies/project owners who need compliance monitoring tools.

LCPtracker is unique in this comparison because it serves both sides of the compliance equation. Government agencies and project owners use LCPtracker to monitor contractor compliance, while contractors use it to submit certified payroll electronically. On some projects, LCPtracker is the mandated submission platform — meaning you may not have a choice.

If your project requires LCPtracker submission, you will need to use it for that purpose. However, many contractors still use a separate tool for internal payroll preparation and then submit through LCPtracker when required.

• Strengths: Established relationships with government agencies, mandated on many projects, strong workforce tracking
• Considerations: No public pricing, contact sales to start, primarily an agency-side tool. Contractors may benefit from pairing it with a contractor-focused preparation tool. See our CertifiedPayrollPro vs LCPtracker comparison for more detail.

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Points North

Best for: Contractors who want a fully managed service where someone else prepares and files their certified payroll reports.

Points North takes a different approach: instead of giving you software to do it yourself, they do it for you. You send them your payroll data (or they pull it via integrations with ADP, Paychex, UKG, or QuickBooks), and their team prepares and submits your certified payroll reports.

This hands-off model is genuinely valuable for contractors who do not want to manage the reporting process at all. The tradeoff is cost. Points North's publicly listed pricing starts at $175/month with setup fees ranging from $995 to $4,995, and per-report fees of $7.50.

• Strengths: Fully managed service, direct payroll integrations with major providers, hands-off reporting
• Considerations: Significantly higher cost, setup fees, no free trial publicly advertised, less control over the process. See our CertifiedPayrollPro vs Points North comparison for more detail.

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Manual / Excel

Best for: Solo operators with one employee on a single project who have strong spreadsheet skills and deep knowledge of Davis-Bacon requirements.

Some contractors still prepare WH-347 forms manually using Excel templates, PDF forms, or even paper. The software cost is zero, but the hidden costs are significant: time spent on data entry, risk of calculation errors, no automatic compliance checks, and no audit trail.

Manual methods become unsustainable quickly. A contractor with five employees across two projects can easily spend 3-5 hours per week on certified payroll. At a loaded labor rate of $75/hour, that is $225-$375/week in lost productivity — far more than any software subscription.

• Strengths: Zero software cost, complete control, no learning curve for Excel users
• Considerations: Highest error risk, no compliance validation, extremely time-intensive, no support when you have questions, does not scale

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Cost Comparison: What You Actually Pay in Year One

Let us look at what a contractor running 10 certified payroll reports per month would actually spend in their first year with each solution.

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Feature-by-Feature Deep Dive

Pricing Transparency

Of the five options compared, only CertifiedPayrollPro publishes all pricing publicly. Points North lists some pricing ranges on their website. eBacon and LCPtracker require you to contact sales or request a demo before learning what you will pay. For contractors who want to evaluate cost before committing time to a sales process, transparent pricing is a significant advantage.

Getting Started

CertifiedPayrollPro is the only platform that offers instant self-serve sign-up with a free trial and no credit card required. Points North, eBacon, and LCPtracker all require some form of sales interaction before you can access the platform. For busy contractors who want to test a tool on their own schedule, the self-serve model removes friction.

AI and Automation

CertifiedPayrollPro includes Lydia, an AI compliance assistant that can answer Davis-Bacon questions, verify wage classifications, flag potential errors, and guide you through complex compliance scenarios. None of the other solutions publicly advertise comparable AI-powered features.

This matters because compliance questions do not always come up during business hours. Having an AI assistant available 24/7 means you can get answers when you need them, not when a support team is available.

Payroll Integrations

Points North leads in direct payroll integrations, with connections to ADP, Paychex, UKG, and QuickBooks. CertifiedPayrollPro currently supports CSV import, manual entry, and API access, with direct integrations on the product roadmap. eBacon and LCPtracker each list various integrations on their websites.

For contractors who already use one of the major payroll providers and want automatic data transfer, Points North's integrations are a genuine differentiator. CertifiedPayrollPro's CSV import is flexible (it works with any payroll system that can export data) but requires an extra step.

State Form Coverage

CertifiedPayrollPro covers all 50 states for prevailing wage reporting. The other platforms advertise multi-state support but do not all publish complete state lists. For contractors working across state lines, full 50-state coverage eliminates the worry of discovering your tool does not support a particular state's requirements.

Support

Support models vary significantly. Points North and eBacon offer dedicated account management as part of their managed service model. CertifiedPayrollPro provides in-app chat, email support, and a growing knowledge base, plus the Lydia AI assistant for instant compliance answers. LCPtracker offers standard support channels. Manual (Excel) offers no support — you are on your own.

Mobile Access

CertifiedPayrollPro is a responsive web application that works on phones and tablets. This matters for contractors who are on job sites during the day and need to check or approve payroll reports from the field. The other platforms do not prominently advertise mobile access, though some may offer it.

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Which Solution Is Right for You?

There is no single best answer. The right tool depends on your situation:

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The Bottom Line

The certified payroll software market in 2026 offers real choices for every type of contractor. Managed services like Points North and eBacon provide hands-off compliance at a premium price. LCPtracker serves a unique role as both a contractor tool and an agency monitoring platform. Manual methods work in a pinch but do not scale.

CertifiedPayrollPro was built to fill the gap: modern, affordable software with AI-powered compliance assistance, designed for contractors who want to stay in control of their certified payroll process without paying enterprise prices. We believe the best way to evaluate any tool is to try it, which is why we offer a free trial with no credit card required.