Gusto
Compare Gusto with TriNet Zenefits, QuickBooks Payroll, and Fingercheck. Includes a detailed review, pricing, and answers to common questions.
Updated on February 10th, 2023
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Special Offer
Try Gusto Free
Set up an account free.
Try GustoFull service payroll.
Hiring and onboarding tools.
Integrations for time tracking, accounting, and more.
At-a-Glance:
Feature | Gusto |
---|---|
Price | From $40.00 (base price) + $6.00 /employee. |
Free trial | 30-day free trial. |
Automated taxes | ✓ |
W2 and 1099 form prep | ✓ |
Time tracking | ✓ |
Off-cycle payrolls | ✓ |
Mobile access | ✓ |
Employee Surveys | ✓ |
Multistate Payroll | ✓ |
Unlimited pay runs | ✓ |
Review:
Gusto is our top pick overall for payroll software. It's reliable — an essential quality for payroll software — easy to use, and saves businesses a lot of time. It had the second-highest number of features among all the software we reviewed, beaten only by TriNet Zenefits. Top features include lifetime accounts, unlimited pay runs, and multi-state payroll.
Pros:
- Gusto offers a 30-day free trial of its services.
- The software includes all tax forms and multi-state payroll functions.
- The payroll on AutoPilot and automated tax filing, billing, and net-to-gross calculation tools offer added convenience.
- All plans include unlimited payrolls, multiple pay rates and schedules, accounting integrations, and multi-state payroll.
- The software features lifetime accounts for employees who may need to access their information in the future.
- Gusto supports payroll in all 50 states.
- The higher-tiered plans include premium onboarding tools, an employee directory, and time management tools.
Cons:
- The most affordable plan does not include time management tools.
- Gusto does not feature an activity dashboard, data migration, banking information management, or year-round record keeping.
Reputation:
While Gusto does have an excellent reputation overall, we did find several complaints about the response time of their customer service. Over 1,500 Trustpilot users awarded the platform 3.5 stars. Most praised the affordability and features of the service, while some reported slow customer service response times.
On G2, on the other hand, Gusto has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on more than 560 reviews. Users were generally satisfied with the product, with several highlighting that the platform is easy to use and competitively priced. The website also features a number of customer reviews.
Pricing:
Plan | Monthly Pricing |
---|---|
30-Day Free trial | Free. |
Contractor Only | $6.00 /person. |
Simple | $40.00 (base price) + $6.00 /employee. |
Plus | $60.00 (base price) + $9.00 /employee. |
Premium | Contact for quote. |
Add-on: Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) | $2.50 /participant. |
Add-on: Commuter Benefits | $4.00 /participant.* |
Add-on: Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) | $4.00 /participant.* |
Add-on: Dependant Aare FSAs | $4.00 /participant.* |
Add-on: Health Insurance Broker Integration | $6.00 /eligible employee. |
Add:on: Priority Support and HR Services | $6.00 /mo. /person. |
Add-on: 401(k) Retirement | From $49.00 + $8.00 /participating employee. |
Add-on: 529 College Savings | $6.00 /participant.** |
Add-on: Health Insurance | Pay only for premiums. |
Add-on: Workers' Compensation | Pay only for premiums. |
Add-on: Health Insurance | Pay only for premiums. |
Add-on: Life and Disability | Pay only for premiums. |
*$20.00 per month minimum.
**$18.00 per month minimum.
Gusto also offers 401 (k) retirement savings integrations, international contractor payments, state tax registration, and R&D tax services.
Gusto also offers all three tax-advanced spending account types (HSAs, commuter benefits, and FSAs) for an annual service charge of $200.00.

Gusto vs. TriNet Zenefits:
While TriNet Zenefits is an HR solution that offers payroll as an add-on, Gusto is primarily a payroll solution but also features HR tools, with the more advanced ones only available on advanced plans. Both have great feature profiles, but unlike Gusto, which is designed for small businesses, TriNet Zenefits is also suitable for larger companies.
Gusto vs. TriNet Zenefits Comparison:
Feature | Gusto | TriNet Zenefits |
---|---|---|
Free trial | 30 days. | Live demo. |
Pricing | From $40.00 /mo. + $6.00 /employee /mo. | From $8.00 /employee /mo. (HR base plan) + $6.00 /employee /mo. for payroll. |
Unlimited pay runs | ✓ | ✓ |
Automatic federal and state tax filing | ✓ | ✓ |
Multiple schedules and pay rates | ✓ | ✓ |
Tips reporting | ✓ | ✓ |
Federal R&D tax credit | ✓ | x |
Lifetime accounts | ✓ | ✓ |

Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll:
QuickBooks Payroll can be used with or without QuickBooks' full accounting suite. QuickBooks Payroll is slightly more affordable than Gusto and is also suitable for large organizations. However, Gusto includes a wider range of advanced payroll features but doesn't offer tax penalty protection, which QuickBooks Payroll does offer.
Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll Comparison:
Feature | Gusto | QuickBooks Payroll |
---|---|---|
Free trial | 30 days. | 30 days. |
Pricing | From $40.00 /mo. + $6.00 /employee /mo. | From $45.00 /mo. + $5.00 /employee /mo. |
Unlimited pay runs | ✓ | ✓ |
Automatic federal and state tax filing | ✓ | ✓ |
Multiple schedules and pay rates | ✓ | ✓ |
Tips reporting | ✓ | ✓ |
Federal R&D tax credit | ✓ | x |
Lifetime accounts | ✓ | x |

Gusto vs. Fingercheck:
While Gusto's core offering is payroll, Fingercheck only offers payroll tools as part of their All-in-One HR Platform solution. While Fingercheck is among the most feature-rich platforms we reviewed, it lacks some of the advanced features that Gusto offers, such as lifetime accounts and tip reporting. Gusto is also a touch more affordable.
Gusto vs. Fingercheck Comparison:
Feature | Gusto | Fingercheck |
---|---|---|
Free trial | 30 days. | 30 days. |
Payroll only | From $40.00 /mo. + $6.00 /employee /mo. | From $47.00 /mo. + $8.00 /employee /mo. |
Unlimited pay runs | ✓ | ✓ |
Automatic federal and state tax filing | ✓ | ✓ |
Multiple schedules and pay rates | ✓ | ✓ |
Tips reporting | ✓ | x |
Federal R&D tax credit | ✓ | x |
Lifetime accounts | ✓ | x |
Packages:
Contractor Only.
For entrepreneurs and freelancers who haven't hired any employees yet, the contractor package is the ideal solution. For just $6.00 per person per month, users can pay 1099 contractors.
Unlike all of the other plans, there is no monthly base fee for the Contractor Only plan. The plan is very basic and only gives users access to a few select features, but it should be enough for anyone looking for a reliable and efficient way to pay their contractors.
Simple.
With the Simple package, small business owners get the essential tools that they need to run payroll for their employees. Companies that hire frequently and therefore require premium hiring and onboarding tools would have to upgrade to the complete package. The payroll features of the Simple plan suit the needs of most small businesses.
Plus.
The Plus plan costs $12.00 per employee per month in comparison to just $6.00 for the Simple plan, and the base price is $80.00 per month. For the extra cost, users benefit from a complete solution with HR tools, including payroll automation for multi-state employers, benefits administration, team management tools, and full customer support.
The HR features offered with the Complete plan include user management, time tracking, onboarding, and the ability to send out employee surveys. Most businesses with 10 employees or less could do without these features, but the upgrade to the Complete plan makes sense for medium to large companies.
Premium.
The Premium plan includes everything in the Plus plan, as well as a host of premium HR resources like policy templates, a customized employee handbook, and access to HR professionals who can assist with compliance. The Premium plan also includes R&D tax credit discount and other waived fees and offers a more tailored solution for users.
Most beneficial of all, however, is the dedicated support that comes with the Concierge package. With dedicated support, companies are assigned their own representatives and are given a direct contact number so that they can have personalized product support whenever they need it.
Integrations:
Accounting | Time Tracking | Point of Sale | Business Operations |
---|---|---|---|
Freshbooks | Homebase | Clover | VGS Control |
Xero | TSheets | SpotOn | Workiz |
QuickBooks | When I Work | Shopify | Veryfi |
Aplos | Deputy | Accelo | |
Zipbooks | Workyard | ClienTrak! | |
Expensify | Boomr | Hubstaff | |
Receipt Bank | eBility | Vagaro | |
AccountingSuite | 7Shifts | Ardius | |
Bookkeeper360 | AttendanceBot | Hubstaff | |
Autobooks | OnTheClock | Boast R&D Tax App | |
Fulfil.io | ClockShark | Brandly | |
Jira | Sling | Brex | |
Practice Ignition | SpotOn | Buildertrend | |
Sage | Timeero | Capbase | |
Xendoo | Tinq | Clarus R+D | |
Synder | Workforce | Clover | |
ZarMoney | and more! |
News & Activity:
Date | News or Activity |
---|---|
November 17, 2022 | |
October 26, 2021 | |
October 21, 2021 |
Key Information:
Legal Name | ZenPayroll, Inc. |
Founder | |
Founding Date | Nov 01, 2011 |
Address | 525 20th St., San Francisco, CA 94107 |
Number of Employees | 1752 |
Number of Customers | 200000 |
Telephone | |
Website |
FAQs:
What is Gusto?
Gusto is a software company that offers a full suite of web-based services to meet small business HR needs. This includes payroll, benefits, onboarding, compliance, and much more.
Is Gusto a good payroll company?
Gusto is a highly rated payroll software solution that offers an impressive range of features at an affordable cost.
How much does Gusto cost?
Gusto's pricing starts at $40.00 (base price) per month plus $6.00 per employee per month. The platform also offers a 30-day free trial of its services.
Is there a Gusto app for my iPhone?
There isn't a Gusto payroll app for iOS or Android, but they do have a mobile-friendly website that you can access your account from.
Does Gusto pay weekly?
Yes, with Gusto, you are able to pay your employees every week on a specific day of the week (52 payrolls per year). You can also set up a multiple pay schedule.
How do you use Gusto?
To use Gusto, go to their home page, click on "Create an account," and follow the prompts. Once you've determined which plan is best for your business, you can use Gusto to process payroll. The software is accessible from any web-based device.
Does Gusto pay on weekends?
No, any payroll processing done on a weekend or bank holiday will only begin processing on the next business day.
Does Gusto track time?
Yes, with Gusto, you can automatically track, review, and approve your team's working hours.
Does Gusto charge for contractors?
Yes, you can also pay contractors through Gusto. The software also automatically files and emails contractors their 1099s at the end of the year.