Gusto

Compare Gusto with TriNet Zenefits, QuickBooks Payroll, and Fingercheck. Includes a detailed review, pricing, and FAQs.

Updated on August 1st, 2023

The SMB Guide is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Gusto is a well-known software company that provides web-based benefits, payroll, and HR management software for small and medium-sized businesses based in the U.S.

Special Offer

Try Gusto Free

Set up an account free.

Try Gusto

Full service payroll.

Hiring and onboarding tools.

Integrations for time tracking, accounting, and more.

At-a-Glance:

Feature

Gusto

Price

From $40.00 /mo. +$6.00 /employee /mo.

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, time tracking, and multi-state payroll.

Pros:

  • Gusto offers a 30-day free trial.
  • 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.
  • Compared to some alternatives, such as Square Payroll, the platform is costly.

Reputation:

While Gusto has an excellent reputation overall, we found several complaints about the response time of their customer service. Over 1,900 Trustpilot users awarded the platform a 3.5-star rating. Most users praised the affordability and features of the service, while some reported slow customer service response times.

On G2, Gusto has a 4.4-star rating based on more than 1,200 reviews. Users were generally satisfied with the product, with several highlighting its ease of use and competitively priced plans.

Pricing:

Plan

Monthly Pricing

Contractor Only

$6.00 /contractor.

Simple

$40.00 (base price) +$6.00 /employee.

Plus

$80.00 (base price) +$12.00 /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 Care FSAs

$4.00 /participant.*

Add-On: Health Insurance Broker Integration

$6.00 /eligible employee.

Add-On: Priority Support and HR Services

$6.00 /employee.

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: 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 four tax-advanced spending account types (HSAs, commuter benefits, and FSAs) for an annual service charge of $200.00.

Gusto vs. TriNet Zenefits
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 top-tiered plans. Both have great feature profiles, but unlike Gusto, which is designed for small businesses, TriNet Zenefits is also suitable for larger companies.

Comparison Between Gusto and TriNet Zenefits:

Feature

Gusto

TriNet Zenefits

Price

From $40.00 /mo. +$6.00 /employee /mo.

From $10.00 /mo. +$6.00 /employee /mo.

Free trial

Live demo only.

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
Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll:

QuickBooks Payroll can be used with or without QuickBooks' full accounting suite. Payroll pricing starts at $45.00 per month plus $5.00 per employee per month, while Gusto's starts at $40.00 per month plus $6.00 per employee per month. Gusto offers a wider range of advanced payroll features, but QuickBooks Payroll offers tax penalty protection.

Comparison Between Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll:

Feature

Gusto

QuickBooks Payroll

Price

From $40.00 /mo. +$6.00 /employee /mo.

From $45.00 /mo. +$5.00 /employee /mo.

Free trial

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
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 tools that Gusto offers, such as lifetime accounts and tip reporting. Gusto is also more affordable.

Comparison Between Gusto and Fingercheck:

Feature

Gusto

Fingercheck

Payroll pricing

From $40.00 /mo. +$6.00 /employee /mo.

From $47.00 /mo.

Free trial

30 days.

30 days.

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.

The contractor package is the ideal solution for entrepreneurs and freelancers who haven't hired any employees yet. 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 package is fairly 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 thus require advanced hiring and onboarding tools would need to upgrade to the Plus or Premium package.

Plus.

The Plus Plan costs $80.00 per month plus $12.00 per employee per month compared to $40.00 per month plus $6.00 per employee per month for the Simple plan. 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 Plus 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 Plus 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, such as 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 Premium 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

AccountingSuite

7shifts

Clover

Accelo

Aplos

AttendanceBot

HighLevel

allGeo

Autobooks

Boomr

Shopify

Ardius

Bookkeeper360

ClockShark

SpotOn

Boast R&D Tax App

FreshBooks

Connecteam

Brandly

Fulfil.io

Deputy

Brex

Ignition

eBility

Buildertrend

Jirav

Homebase

Capbase

MonkeyPod

OnTheClock

ClienTrak!

Paperclip

QuickBooks Time

dealr.cloud

QuickBooks

Sling

Document360

Reach Reporting

SpotOn

Housecall Pro

Sage 50cloud

Timeero

Hubstaff

Sage Intacct

Tinq

Peoplelogic

Sunrise

When I Work

Procare

Synder

Workforce.com

Secureframe

Xendoo

WorkforceHub

Smartsheet

Xero

Workyard

Vagaro

ZarMoney

Veryfi

ZipBooks

VGS Control

Interested individuals can see the comprehensive list of integrations on Gusto's website.

Key Information:

Legal Name

ZenPayroll, Inc.

Founder

Joshua Reeves

Founding Date

Nov 01, 2011

Address

525 20th St., San Francisco, CA 94107

Number of Employees

1752

Number of Customers

200000

Email

support@gusto.com

Telephone

1 (800) 936-0383

Website

https://gusto.com/

FAQs:

What is Gusto?

Gusto is a cloud-based software company that offers a full suite of web-based services to meet small business HR needs. This includes payroll, benefits, onboarding, time tracking, compliance, and 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 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.

Is Gusto similar to ADP?

While Gusto has a wider variety of employee benefits than RUN Powered by ADP, only the latter offers assistance with employee handbooks. Gusto's payroll plans start at $40.00 per month plus $6.00 per employee per month, whereas users need to contact RUN Powered by ADP for pricing details.