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Gusto Review
Reviewed by Carlos Gil · Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Updated 6 min readEditorially reviewed
Quick facts
- Starting price
- Simple $49/mo + $6/person
- Free plan
- No
- Best for
- US small businesses with employees and contractors that want payroll, tax filing and benefits in one self-serve tool
- Platforms
- Web app, iOS and Android apps for admins and employees
BestStacked Score
Weighted average of 5 categories. Methodology below.
Quick answer
Which Gusto plan should a small business choose?
Simple ($49 a month plus $6 per person) covers full-service payroll in one state, with unlimited payroll runs, tax filings and payments, and basic paid time off. Most growing teams end up on Plus ($80 plus $12 per person), because it adds multi-state payroll, time tracking and scheduling, next-day direct deposit, and performance and hiring tools. Premium ($180 plus $22) adds a dedicated account partner, HR guidance, compliance tools and same-day pay. Prices are monthly with no contract, and you pay only for active employees and for contractors in months you pay them.
- No trial
- Gusto has no free trial on payroll plans, but says you don't pay until you run payroll.
- October 2026
- Gusto repackaged its plans on October 1, 2026 and closed its contractor-only plan to new customers.
- International
- Pay contractors in 120+ countries from any plan, with per-payment fees; employer of record runs through Remote from $599.
- Skip it if
- You need an inbound support phone line, a customer API to your own systems, or payroll for staff in US territories.
The Verdict
Gusto is a strong default for US small businesses that want payroll done for them. Every plan runs unlimited payrolls, files federal, state and local payroll taxes and forms such as W-2s and 1099s, and includes benefits administration, onboarding and employee self-service, all month-to-month. The $49 plus $6 Simple plan is limited to one state, so teams with remote staff or hourly workers will usually need Plus at $80 plus $12 for multi-state payroll and time tracking. Add-ons such as same-day pay, compliance and priority support add up, support is chat and callbacks rather than an inbound phone line, and some Gusto pages haven't caught up with its October 2026 plan changes. We score it 8.5/10.
Best for
US businesses with roughly 1 to 100 employees that want full-service payroll, benefits and basic HR without a broker or contract.
Skip if
You have employees in US territories, need a direct customer API, or want a single flat price with HR advice included at the entry tier.
AlternativesOnPay, Justworks, Rippling
The Background
What Is Gusto?
Gusto is cloud payroll and HR software for US small businesses. It calculates pay, pays employees by direct deposit or check, withholds and files federal, state and local payroll taxes, and produces year-end forms such as W-2s and 1099s. Around payroll it adds benefits administration with licensed advisors, digital onboarding with I-9 and W-4 forms, time off, expenses and an employee app. Higher plans add time tracking and scheduling, hiring, performance and compensation tools, HR guidance and compliance tracking. Gusto also pays contractors in 120+ countries and offers employer of record through Remote. It sells four plans: Simple, Plus and Premium for businesses with employees, and Solo for owners who only pay themselves.
The Product
Gusto Features: What You Actually Get
Full-service payroll and tax filing
Every plan includes unlimited payroll runs, including off-cycle runs, direct deposit or checks, AutoPilot scheduled payroll, and filing of federal, state and local payroll taxes and forms such as W-2, 1099, 940 and 941. Gusto says it offers state tax registration in all 50 states. Simple covers one state; Plus and Premium cover multiple states.
A 12-person bakery in Ohio runs payroll every other Friday on AutoPilot, and Gusto files its quarterly and year-end forms.
Faster pay options
Next-day direct deposit is included on Plus and Premium and is an add-on on Simple at $15 a month plus $3 per person. Same-day pay ($90 per payroll) and instant pay ($100 per payroll) are included on Premium, subject to eligibility.
A restaurant on Plus approves hours on Wednesday and pays staff on Thursday.
Benefits administration
Benefits administration with licensed advisors is on every plan, along with HSA, FSA and commuter benefits priced per participant and 401(k) through partner providers. Gusto's October 2026 changes made broker integration a $6 per employee add-on for new Premium customers.
A 20-person agency offers health insurance and a 401(k), and Gusto deducts contributions automatically each payroll.
Time tracking, scheduling and hiring
Plus and Premium include time tracking, scheduling, a time kiosk, applicant tracking and job postings, an org chart, and performance and compensation management. On Simple, time tracking is an add-on at $6 per person.
A retail shop schedules shifts, tracks hours on a kiosk and runs payroll from approved timesheets in one tool.
HR and compliance (Premium)
Premium adds HR Assist, an employee handbook, HR documents, law change alerts, Remote I-9, labor cost allocation and the full Gusto Business Compliance suite, which costs $85 a month per state on an annual contract on other plans.
A company with staff in four states uses compliance alerts to track new state filing rules.
Contractors at home and abroad
US contractor payments are on every plan at the plan's per-person rate, only in months you pay them. Gusto says it pays international contractors in 120+ countries with no monthly per-contractor fee, charging per payment instead. Employer of record runs through Remote, from $599 per employee a month in Gusto's help center.
A startup pays two US freelancers through Plus and a designer in Portugal through international contractor payments.
Feature recap
- Unlimited payroll runs and federal, state and local tax filing
- Single-state on Simple; multi-state on Plus and Premium
- Benefits administration with licensed advisors on every plan
- Time tracking, scheduling and hiring tools on Plus
- HR Assist, compliance suite and same-day pay on Premium
- International contractor payments in 120+ countries
- Employee and admin mobile apps
- Month-to-month, no contract
The Numbers
Gusto Pricing: Every Plan Explained
Gusto charges a monthly base fee plus a fee per person. You pay only for active employees, and for US contractors only in months they're paid. There's no annual price, no contract and no free trial, but Gusto says you don't pay until you run payroll. Prices checked on Gusto's pricing page on October 10, 2026.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Included Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | $49 + $6/person | Monthly only | Payroll in one state, unlimited runs, tax filings, basic PTO and holiday pay, benefits administration, onboarding, employee app | Single-state businesses with simple payroll |
| PlusBest value | $80 + $12/person | Monthly only | Multi-state payroll, next-day pay, time tracking and scheduling, hiring, performance and compensation tools, contractor invoice management | Most growing teams |
| Premium | $180 + $22/person | Monthly only | Premium Account Support with a dedicated partner, HR Assist, compliance suite, same-day and instant pay, project costing, payroll migration and setup | Multi-state teams that want HR help |
| Solo | $49 + $6/person | Monthly only | Owner pay and tax filing, reasonable-salary calculator, S corp election support, Solo 401(k), contractor payments | Owner-only businesses |
Simple's $49 plus $6 is a fair price for single-state payroll, but the one-state limit and the add-on prices for time tracking ($6 per person) and next-day pay ($15 plus $3 per person) push many teams to Plus, where the per-person fee doubles to $12. Premium's $22 per person buys a dedicated account partner, HR Assist, same-day pay and the compliance suite, which costs $85 a month per state on an annual contract if bought separately. Other add-ons include priority support ($30 plus $3 per person on Simple and Plus), Remote I-9 ($20 per submission), workers' comp from $14 a month and R&D tax credit help at 15% of credits found. International contractor payments have no monthly fee but carry per-payment fees, and Gusto's own help article gives two different fee ranges. Gusto closed its contractor-only plan to new customers on October 1, 2026, although its contractor-only signup page still advertised it on October 10.
Pricing scenarios
What Gusto costs for three businesses
These are our calculations from Gusto's published prices on October 10, 2026, not quotes. Benefits premiums, add-ons and taxes are extra.
Calculation 1, a 5-employee café in one state on Simple. $49 + 5 × $6 = $79 a month ($948 a year).
Calculation 2, a 15-employee team in three states on Plus. $80 + 15 × $12 = $260 a month ($3,120 a year). On Simple it couldn't run multi-state payroll.
Calculation 3, a 40-employee company on Premium. $180 + 40 × $22 = $1,060 a month ($12,720 a year), including the compliance suite that would otherwise cost $85 a month per state.
The Tradeoffs
Gusto Pros and Cons
What we love
- Unlimited payroll runs and full tax filing on every plan
- Benefits administration with licensed advisors on every plan
- Month-to-month with no contract; pay only for active employees
- Plus bundles multi-state payroll, time tracking, scheduling and next-day pay
- International contractor payments in 120+ countries with no monthly fee
- Chat support seven days a week, per Gusto's help center
What could be better
- Simple covers payroll in one state only
- No free trial and no annual discount
- Same-day pay, compliance and priority support are paid extras below Premium
- Support is chat and callbacks, not an inbound phone line
- No direct customer API; integrations go through Gusto's partner apps
- Some Gusto pages still describe the closed contractor-only plan and older plan details
The Audience
Who Should Use Gusto?
Best for: small businesses running their first payroll
Gusto handles tax registration, filings and year-end forms, and Simple keeps the cost low for a single-state team.
Best for: hourly teams across several states
Plus combines multi-state payroll with time tracking, scheduling and next-day pay at $80 plus $12 per person.
Skip if: you want a PEO or global payroll
Gusto is a payroll and HR tool, not a PEO, and its employer of record runs through a partner. Justworks or a global EOR may fit better.
The Methodology
How We Reviewed Gusto
This is an editorial review, not a documented hands-on test. We didn't run payroll in a Gusto account. It's based on Gusto's pricing, payroll, security and integrations pages and its help center articles on plans, October 2026 changes, international contractors, employer of record and support, plus its developer docs, all checked on October 10, 2026. Most Gusto pages were read rendered in a browser. The cost scenarios are our calculations from published prices. Where Gusto's pages conflict, as on the contractor-only plan, support hours and international fees, we report both statements.
Our editorial evaluation considers product information, official documentation, pricing, features and professional experience. It is not a claim of documented hands-on testing.
Our review methodology →What changed
- : First published. Editorial review based on Gusto's pricing, payroll, security and integrations pages, help center articles and developer docs, checked on October 10, 2026, after Gusto's October 1 plan changes.
The Field
Gusto vs The Competition
Gusto competes with other small-business payroll and HR providers. Prices are each vendor's own published entry pricing, checked on October 10, 2026.
| Tool | Starting Price | Free plan | Best Feature | BS Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto | Simple $49/mo + $6/person | No | Full-service payroll and tax filing | 8.5/10 |
| OnPay | $49/mo + $6/worker | No | One plan with payroll and HR tools | Not yet reviewed |
| Justworks | Payroll $50/mo + $8/employee; PEO from $79/employee | No | PEO option with access to group benefits | Not yet reviewed |
| QuickBooks Payroll | Bundled with QuickBooks accounting; prices vary by plan | No | Payroll inside QuickBooks accounting | Not yet reviewed |
| Rippling | Custom quote | No | Payroll, HR, IT and devices in one platform | Not yet reviewed |
| ADP RUN | Quote only | No | Large provider with in-house HR services | Not yet reviewed |
OnPay: OnPay matches Gusto Simple's headline price with a single plan; its page footer also says 'starts at $55/month', and it offers one month free.
Justworks: Justworks sells payroll-only and PEO plans; the PEO route suits companies that want co-employment and pooled benefits.
QuickBooks Payroll: QuickBooks sells payroll bundled with its accounting plans, which suits businesses already keeping books in QuickBooks. Its page showed different prices on different loads, so check at checkout.
Rippling: Rippling doesn't publish prices and suits companies that want payroll alongside IT, device and app management.
ADP RUN: ADP RUN is quote-based; it suits businesses that want a long-established provider and phone-based service.
In The Wild
How People Actually Use Gusto
A new LLC hiring its first two employees
Start on Simple, let Gusto handle state tax registration and filings, and add benefits once the team grows.
A restaurant group with locations in two states
Use Plus for multi-state payroll, a time kiosk, scheduling and next-day pay, and export tips and hours from your POS integration.
A remote startup with contractors abroad
Run US payroll on Plus, pay overseas contractors through international payments, and use employer of record through Remote for a full-time hire abroad.
The Ecosystem
Gusto Integrations
Gusto doesn't publish an integration count. Its pricing FAQ names accounting, expense and time-tracking apps, and its app directory lists more.
- →Accounting: QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, Aplos, ZipBooks, Autobooks
- →Expenses: Expensify
- →Time tracking and scheduling: Hubstaff, Homebase
- →Point of sale: Clover
- →Partner apps through App Integrations; Gusto Embedded for software platforms
Gusto's developer docs describe API access through its App Integrations partners and Gusto Embedded, not a direct API for customers to connect their own systems.
Common Questions
Gusto FAQ
The Final Word
Should You Use Gusto?
Gusto gives US small businesses full-service payroll with unlimited runs, tax filing, benefits administration and onboarding on every plan, month-to-month. Simple suits single-state teams; most growing teams will want Plus for multi-state payroll, time tracking and next-day pay, and Premium adds a dedicated partner and compliance tools. Budget for add-ons, expect chat and callbacks rather than an inbound phone line, and check plan details at signup while Gusto's pages catch up with its October 2026 changes. We score Gusto 8.5/10.
Yes, if
You're a US business with employees or contractors and want payroll, taxes and benefits handled in one self-serve tool without a contract.
No, if
You need a PEO, a direct API to your own systems, inbound phone support, or payroll in US territories.
About the reviewer
Carlos Gil
Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Carlos Gil is the bestselling author of The End of Marketing, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and founder of The Best Network. He brings 15+ years in marketing to practical reviews of AI, SaaS, email marketing, creator, and ecommerce software.
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