Gusto
Small US businesses that want payroll, benefits and basic onboarding in one tool with public, month-to-month pricing.
Quick overview
- Pricing
- From $49/month + $6/person (monthly, no contract)
- Plans
- USD, monthly, "No contracts. Free account setup. Switch or cancel anytime." Simple: $49/mo + $6/mo per person (basic payroll in one state; basic PTO policies and holiday pay). Plus: $80/mo + $12/mo per person (time tracking and scheduling, unlimited next-day pay, multi-state payroll, contractor invoice management, hiring/ATS, onboarding checklists, performance). Premium: $180/mo + $22/mo per person (Premium Account Support, HR guidance and tools, Gusto Business Compliance, unlimited same-day and instant pay, project-based rules and costing, 25 invoice payments and bank transfers included per month). Add-ons: Global contractor payments (120+ countries, no monthly per-contractor fee, FX rates may vary, $5 per payment to US-based bank accounts); state tax registration (varies by state); Next-day pay on Simple $15/mo + $3/mo per person; Instant pay $100 per payroll and Same-day pay $90 per payroll (Simple and Plus); Time & Attendance Plus on Simple: try free, then $6/mo per person; Gusto Business Compliance $85/mo per state on an annual contract (Simple/Plus); Remote I-9 $20/submission; E-Verify $5/submission on top of Remote I-9; Priority Support $30/mo + $3/mo per person; health insurance broker integration $6/mo per eligible employee; workers' comp from $14/mo; Gusto Money Plus $19/mo; HSA $2.50/participant/mo, FSA/dependent care/commuter $4/participant/mo ($20/mo minimum) plus a $200 annual service charge; R&D tax credits 15% of credits found. A separate Gusto Solo plan exists for self-employed owners (not priced here).
- G2 rating
- 4.6 / 5.0
- Comparisons
- Featured in 7 comparisons
Key features
- Self-onboarding with digital I-9s and W-4s, offer letter templates and email provisioning on all plans
- Custom onboarding checklists, custom document e-signing and software provisioning on Plus and Premium
- Remote I-9 verification and E-Verify per submission, included on Premium
- State new hire reporting and new hire check-ins on all plans
- Full-service payroll with unlimited payrolls and tax filings on all plans
Pros
- Public pricing with no long-term contract and free setup
- Self-onboarding with digital I-9s and W-4s included even on Simple
- Remote I-9 and E-Verify available per submission, included on Premium
- Health insurance administration with no Gusto admin fee
Cons
- Custom onboarding checklists and software provisioning need Plus
- Simple plan covers payroll in one state only
- Remote I-9 and E-Verify cost extra below Premium
Gusto in our comparisons
Best Employee Onboarding Software
Rippling is the best overall onboarding software if you want offer letters, app accounts and laptops handled in one flow. Pick Gusto or BambooHR for published prices, or Enboarder or Click Boarding if you already have an HRIS.
Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026Best Payroll Software for Small Business
Gusto is the best payroll software for most US small businesses. Pick OnPay for the best value with multi-state included, or Patriot Software if you want the lowest price.
Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026Best PTO Tracking Software
Pick Timetastic for simple, low-cost leave booking billed month to month. Pick Vacation Tracker if you want requests and approvals inside Slack or Microsoft Teams.
Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026Deel alternatives
Stay with Deel if you want EOR, contractors, payroll, HR and IT from one vendor with public prices. Switch to Remote for cheaper contractors at the same EOR price, or Pebl for the lowest listed EOR fee.
Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026Gusto alternatives
Stay with Gusto if you are a small US business that wants simple payroll and benefits with public prices. Pick OnPay to save money, Rippling to run HR, IT and payroll in one system, or Deel to pay people abroad.
Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026Gusto vs Rippling
Choose Gusto for transparent, easy US payroll and benefits. Choose Rippling if you need payroll, HR, IT and global hiring in one system and can work from a custom quote.
Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026Rippling alternatives
Stay with Rippling if you'll use its IT and spend modules alongside payroll and HR. For payroll and basic HR at a published price, OnPay (or Gusto Simple, for one state) costs $169 a month for 20 employees.
Marcus WilliamsUpdated October 2026