Central alternatives
TL;DR: 12 companies doing similar work to Central in B2B, ranked by how closely they match what Central actually does — not just by category.
How this list was built: every company here is Y Combinator-backed and shares at least one category with Central. They are scored on how closely their own description overlaps with Central's, and all facts shown come from the YC company records — nothing is estimated.
What are the best alternatives to Central?
| Alternative | What it does | Batch | Team | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RoboHR | — | Summer 2009 | — | Inactive |
| Fithub | — | Winter 2010 | — | Inactive |
| Insoshi | — | Winter 2008 | — | Inactive |
| Cadence | Delightful team-building events for remote companies | Winter 2020 | 2 | Inactive |
| Bolto | AI Powered All-In-One Payroll, HR + Recruiting | Summer 2023 | 20 | Active |
| Spine | We run benefits, payroll & compliance for startups, for free | Fall 2026 | — | Active |
| Plane | #1 easiest-to-use payroll for startups | Winter 2017 | 30 | Active |
| Goodly | Student loan repayment as an employee benefit. | Summer 2018 | 5 | Inactive |
| Sorce | Tinder for jobs | Fall 2025 | 6 | Active |
| Complete | The complete way to do compensation | Winter 2022 | 5 | Active |
| Unsaddl | education benefits and leave of absence management | Winter 2022 | 10 | Acquired |
| noHQ | International contractor and multi country payroll | Winter 2021 | 2 | Inactive |
Is Central still active?
Central has been acquired, which often means pricing, roadmap or support changes. That is the usual reason people start looking at this list.
How was this list put together?
Every company here is Y Combinator-backed and shares at least one category with Central. They are then ranked on how closely their own description overlaps with Central's, so the closest matches come first rather than whoever happens to share a tag.