Gusto

Payroll, benefits and HR for small US businesses, known for being simple to run without an HR team.

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 6
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Gusto

Gusto is a US payroll and HR platform aimed at small businesses. It runs full-service payroll with federal, state and local tax filings in every state, pays contractors, and adds health insurance brokerage, 401(k) through partners, workers' compensation, time tracking, onboarding, PTO and basic performance tools, with HR advisory support on higher plans. Many accountants recommend it because it is easy to set up and connects to QuickBooks Online and Xero. Gusto also sells an embedded payroll API that other software companies use to offer payroll inside their own products. Pricing is a monthly base fee plus a per-person fee across several plans, with a contractor-only plan for businesses that do not have employees. It runs in the browser with iOS and Android apps. It is US-only for employees, international contractor payments are limited, and larger companies tend to outgrow its HR and reporting depth.

Best for: Small US businesses that want easy payroll, benefits and basic HR in one place.

What works

Easy payroll with automatic tax filings in all states
Benefits, 401(k) and workers' comp in the same account
Accountant-friendly with QuickBooks and Xero integrations

Why people leave

Employees must be in the US
HR and reporting depth is limited for larger companies
Per-person fees add up as you grow

Top Gusto alternatives

See all 6

1
OnPay
Lower-cost US payroll with HR tools and simple pricing.
66.5
2
Rippling
Payroll plus HR, IT and global options for growing companies.
62.6
3
Justworks
PEO option that pools benefits for better rates.
59.6
4
ADP Workforce Now
Large provider with more support options as you scale.
57.2
5
Paychex Flex
Established payroll provider with dedicated support and HR services.
55.3

Why people left Gusto

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Gusto: common questions

Is Gusto free?

No, Gusto is a paid product.

Is Gusto open source?

No, Gusto is not open source.

What platforms does Gusto run on?

Gusto is available for Web, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Gusto?

The highest-ranked Gusto alternatives right now are OnPay, Rippling and Justworks. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 6 Gusto alternatives

Gusto facts

3 of 3 verified

Embedded payroll API: Yes; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.gusto.com(opens source in a new tab); “Welcome to the Embedded Payroll API docs!”
Accounting integrations: Xero and QuickBooks Online; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.gusto.com(opens source in a new tab); “Accounting integrations (Xero and QuickBooks Online)”
Contractor-only companies: Supported; Checked Oct 25, 2026docs.gusto.com(opens source in a new tab); “Set up companies that exclusively employ contractors”