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Gusto review & pricing

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.5 our rating

Friendly, full-service payroll for small businesses: automatic tax filings, benefits, onboarding and time tracking with transparent, published pricing.

From $49 /moVisit Gusto

Best for: US small businesses running their first payroll

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What we like

  • Transparent pricing
  • Very easy to run payroll
  • Benefits, 401(k) and HR built in

Watch out for

  • Per-person fees add up as you grow
  • Fewer advanced HR and IT tools than Rippling

Key facts

CategoryHR & payroll
Free planNo: free setup
Cheapest paid plan (monthly)$49/mo
Top planPremium: $180/mo
SeatsBase fee plus a per-person fee
Trial / refundFree account setup
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android

Checked Oct 9, 2026 on the official site. Prices and terms change: confirm before you buy.

Gusto plans & pricing

PlanBilled monthlyBilled yearly (per month)Cost per yearWhat you get
Simple$49monthly only$588Plus $6/person; full-service single-state payroll
Plus$80monthly only$960Plus $12/person; multi-state, time off, onboarding
Premium$180monthly only$2,160Plus $22/person; HR experts, compliance

List prices for one user, checked Oct 9, 2026. Taxes extra; per-user plans multiply by seats. Vendors change plans often: confirm on Gusto’s pricing page. Add it to the stack cost calculator →

Is Gusto free? Free plan, trial and discounts →

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Alternatives to Gusto

Rippling

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 · Best for fast-growing companies that want HR, IT and finance on one platform

An all-in-one workforce platform that combines payroll, HR, benefits, devices, apps and spend management on one employee record: powerful automation, quote-based pricing.

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Free plan
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BambooHR

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.4 · Best for small and mid-size companies that want a friendly core HR system

The HR system small and mid-size companies love: employee records, onboarding, time off, performance and an excellent employee experience, with payroll and benefits as add-ons.

Category
HR & payroll
Free plan
No
Paid from
$10/mo
Billed yearly
$10/mo
From $10 /user/moVisit BambooHR Full review

ADP RUN

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.2 · Best for businesses that want a big, established payroll provider with phone support

The largest US payroll provider: RUN for small businesses and Workforce Now for larger ones, with tax filing, HR, benefits and deep compliance support, priced by quote.

Category
HR & payroll
Free plan
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