OpenComp vs Salary.com CompXL
OpenComp
opencomp.comSalary.com CompXL
salary.comSide by side
| Figure | OpenComp | Salary.com CompXL |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 1 |
| Spec score · Compensation Management Software | 8.3 (#2) | 6.7 (#21) |
| Spec score · Pay Transparency Software | 8.3 (#6) | 6.7 (#31) |
| Founded | Crunchbase states that Thanh Nguyen and Nancy Connery founded OpenComp in 2021. | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Crunchbase lists headquarters in San Francisco, California, United States. | Waltham, Massachusetts, United States |
| Integrations | OpenComp says it supports connections with more than 30 HRIS products and can also accept CSV employee uploads. | CompXL lists HRIS/HCM integrations for connecting existing systems; Salary.com says its integration options include native integrations, APIs, MCP, and flat files. |
| Intended users | The company says it automates spreadsheet-based compensation work to help HR professionals become proactive and strategic about pay. | CompXL Max is built for compensation administrators, HR leaders, and CHROs managing merit cycles at scale, especially at organizations with complex structures or multiple business units. |
| Security | OpenComp says it uses access controls, data encryption, security certifications and system audits to protect compensation data. | Salary.com states that it is SOC 2 compliant and describes its systems and controls as protecting sensitive employee and pay data. |
Plans
OpenComp
- Comp CyclesFree
- Comp BenchmarkingPriced on request
- Comp CyclesPriced on request
- Comp StrategyPriced on request
In their own words
OpenComp
OpenComp is compensation decision software for setting pay and managing compensation workflows. It brings together salary, bonus and equity market information for roles across an organization with company pay data synced regularly from HRIS, equity management and payroll systems. Benchmarking can compare pay plans with OpenComp data or a third-party source; its matching process normalizes, levels and matches employee data for comparable benchmarks. The platform includes salary review and approval workflows, budget controls, compensation bands and an audit trail. Headcount models estimate future cash burn and dilution using staffing needs, pay strategy and industry benchmarks. Total Rewards Statements can show employees salary, bonuses, equity and merit increases in a visual report. OpenComp lists Comp Benchmarking, Comp Strategy and Comp Cycles bundles. Comp Cycles is listed at free; paid pricing is on request, with a 14-day trial. The product runs on the web.
Salary.com CompXL
Salary.com CompXL is web-based compensation planning software that brings market intelligence into a workbook for merit, bonus, equity, and total compensation planning. It maps employee roles to benchmark jobs and scores match confidence so administrators can review uncertain matches. Market views include job-posting pay data, compa-ratios, market differentials, and flight-risk indicators. A pre-cycle report highlights pay-to-market alignment, compression risks, and equity gaps, typically within one week of the first data upload and refreshed monthly. Configurable worksheets support role-based access, approval chains, budget controls, spend tracking, and exception management. The AI Review Assistant answers questions about submissions, approvals, budgets, employees outside pay ranges, and unresolved payroll items. Changes are recorded in an audit trail. CompXL lists HRIS/HCM integrations, with connection options including native integrations, APIs, MCP, and flat files. Pricing starts at $9,000/yr; CompXL Max requires a personalized demo for plan pricing.