Gusto

Gusto is the best payroll platform for US small businesses that want automation, built-in benefits, and a clean experience without a large HR team. It earns its reputation through reliability and ease of use — but companies above 100–150 employees will outgrow its HR capabilities quickly.

Key Highlights

Highlights will appear here soon.

Pros

• Transparent, affordable pricing published online — no hidden fees
• Automated federal, state, and local payroll tax filing including W-2s and 1099s
• AutoPilot feature for fully automated recurring payroll runs
• Next-day direct deposit available on Plus and Premium plans
• Built-in benefits: health insurance, 401(k), workers’ comp, and commuter benefits
• Unlimited payroll runs with no per-run charges
• Clean, beginner-friendly interface — no accounting background required
• Handles contractors and W-2 employees in the same platform
• Multi-state payroll across all 50 US states
• 500,000+ businesses served; one of the most widely used SMB payroll platforms

😕 Why users hate it?

• US-only payroll (international EOR starts at $599/employee/month via Gusto Global)
• Customer support quality is a recurring complaint — primarily M–F, 8am–8pm ET
• Not suited for companies with 150+ employees — HR features become limiting at scale
• No advanced performance management, succession planning, or career development tools
• Bringing your own health insurance broker costs an additional $6/month per eligible employee
• Trustpilot score of 2.5 reflects consistent frustration with support and tax error resolution

Gusto Pricing

Gusto uses a base-plus-per-person pricing model (verified as of July 2026): • Simple – $49/month + $6/person/month (single-state payroll, onboarding, basic HR)
• Plus – $80/month + $12/person/month (multi-state, next-day deposit, advanced HR tools)
• Premium – $180/month + $22/person/month (dedicated support, HR advisors, compliance alerts)
• Contractor Only – $35/month + $6/contractor/month
• Time & Attendance Plus – $6/person/month add-on
• Gusto Global (EOR) – $599/employee/month No per-run fees. No setup fees. No annual contracts required.