Gusto Review
Payroll, benefits, and HR software for small and mid-sized US businesses
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Looking for a Gusto alternative? See our ranked comparison.→What is Gusto?
Gusto is full-service payroll software for small and mid-sized US businesses, with benefits administration and HR tools built in. It runs payroll, files federal, state, and local payroll taxes, and lets a company manage health insurance, workers' comp, HSAs/FSAs, and a 401(k) from one dashboard.
The product has four base plans: Contractor Only, Simple, Plus, and Premium. On top of those sit a long list of paid add-ons for things like same-day pay, HR resources, and priority support. Full-time employee payroll outside the US runs through Gusto Global, an Employer of Record service powered by Remote. It covers 12 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, and the UK. It isn't built for a larger international workforce than that.
Gusto screenshots
Who it's for
- ✓ US-based small businesses running single- or multi-state payroll who want tax filing handled for them
- ✓ Companies that want benefits administration (health insurance, 401(k), HSA/FSA) bundled with payroll
- ✓ Businesses with only 1099 contractors that want a cheap Contractor Only plan
Who should look elsewhere
- ✗ Companies hiring full-time employees outside Gusto's supported country list
- ✗ Organizations needing deep custom reporting or enterprise-grade analytics
- ✗ Teams that want core HR features (like HR resources or priority support) without paying for add-ons on top of the base plan
Pros
- + Every plan includes unlimited payroll runs and full tax filing at no extra charge
- + No long-term contract, month-to-month billing, cancel any time
- + Guided self-serve setup that most small businesses finish in one to two days, versus multi-week rollouts on heavier HRIS platforms
- + Wide integration list: QuickBooks, Xero, Expensify, Hubstaff, Homebase, and more
- + Transparent published pricing rather than quote-only, unlike many HCM competitors
Cons
- – Per-person fees stack on top of the base fee, so total cost scales quickly as headcount grows
- – Multi-state payroll requires upgrading from Simple ($49/mo) to Plus ($80/mo), which pushes many growing teams into a pricier tier
- – Core HR features like Priority Support and the HR resource center are paid add-ons, not included even on Plus
- – The Simple plan's base fee rose from $40 to $49 in March 2026, narrowing its price advantage over cheaper competitors
- – Cannot run full-time payroll for employees outside a limited set of supported countries
- – Reporting and customization are thinner than dedicated enterprise HCM systems
Gusto pricing
What you pay for
Gusto charges a flat monthly base fee plus a per-person monthly fee on every plan. The cheapest paid tier is Simple, at $49/mo plus $6/mo per person, and it covers single-state payroll, unlimited payroll runs, tax filings, and basic PTO. There's no free-forever plan and no free trial on the core plans, though sign-up itself is free until you run payroll. Gusto publishes its pricing on its website rather than requiring you to contact sales.
At about $49/month to start, it sits at the higher end of HR & HCM pricing.
| Plan | Price | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor Only | $35/seat/mo | For businesses with only 1099 contractors, no W-2 employees · $6/mo per person on top of base fee · Domestic contractor payments, Form 1099 filing · Limited-time offer: $0 base fee for first 6 months |
| Simple | $49/seat/mo | Single-state payroll only · Unlimited payroll runs · Tax filings and payments included · Basic PTO policies and holiday pay · $6/mo per person on top of base fee |
| Plus | $80/seat/mo | Multi-state payroll · Next-day direct deposit · Time tracking and project tracking · Team management tools · $12/mo per person on top of base fee |
| Premium | $180/seat/mo | Dedicated Service Advisor · Access to certified HR experts and HR resource center · Compliance alerts · Priority support · Payroll migration and account setup · $22/mo per person on top of base fee |
All four tiers combine a flat monthly base fee with a per-person monthly fee. Simple, for example, is $49/mo plus $6/mo per person. Prices are billed monthly with no long-term contract. Gusto raised the Simple plan's base fee from $40 to $49 in March 2026. Add-ons stack on top of these tiers: a Priority Support add-on at $30/mo + $3/mo per person on Simple, HR Resources at $50/mo + $5/mo per person, Instant pay at $100/payroll, and Same-day pay at $90/payroll. There is no free-forever plan. The Contractor Only plan currently has a limited-time $0 base fee for the first 6 months.
Pricing verified July 6, 2026 · source
How Gusto's pricing compares
Gusto next to its closest alternatives on entry price, billing, and whether pricing is public.
| Tool | Starting price | Billing | Free option | Pricing disclosed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto | $49/seat/mo | tiered | Trial (No free trial on core plans; sign-up is free until you run payroll) | Public |
| Workday | Custom / quote | quote-only | Trial (30 days, but only for the Workday Adaptive Planning module (financial planning), requested via a form; no trial is offered for core HCM/Payroll) | Not disclosed |
| BambooHR | $10/seat/mo | tiered | No | Public |
| Rippling | Custom / quote | quote-only | Trial (14 days for Rippling IT only; core HR/payroll requires a sales demo, no self-serve trial) | Not disclosed |
| HiBob | Custom / quote | quote-only | No | Not disclosed |
| Deel | $5/seat/mo | tiered | No | Public |
Is Gusto still actively developed?
Last significant update: April 2026. Gusto's Spring 2026 Showcase introduced nearly 75 features as the company passed 500,000 customers. Highlights include automated payment rerouting after a failed direct deposit, an anomaly-flagging payroll prep assistant, expanded R&D, FICA Tips, and 401(k) tax credits, an AI-guided S-corp election advisor, and AI-powered benefits package recommendations.
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Gusto FAQ
Does Gusto have a free plan or free trial?+
No. There's no free-forever plan, and Gusto doesn't offer a general free trial on Simple, Plus, or Premium. Creating an account is free. The Contractor Only plan currently waives its $35/mo base fee for the first 6 months, but you pay once you run payroll.
How much does Gusto cost per employee?+
Pricing combines a flat monthly base fee with a per-person fee: Simple is $49/mo + $6/mo per person, Plus is $80/mo + $12/mo per person, and Premium is $180/mo + $22/mo per person. A Contractor Only plan for businesses with no W-2 employees is $35/mo + $6/mo per person.
Do I need to upgrade plans to pay employees in multiple states?+
Yes. The Simple plan only supports single-state payroll. Paying employees who work in more than one state requires upgrading to the Plus plan or higher.
Can Gusto pay international employees?+
Gusto can pay global contractors in more than 120 countries, with no monthly per-contractor fee, just a payment fee. Full-time employee payroll is limited to the US plus 12 countries through the Gusto Global EOR service, powered by Remote: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Portugal, Spain, and the UK.