HR & Payroll
Gusto
All-in-one payroll, benefits, and HR built for small businesses.
4.6· 12,848 reviews· via G2Founded 2011 · San Francisco, CA
What is Gusto?
Gusto is a cloud payroll, benefits, and HR platform for small and midsize US businesses. It automates payroll runs, tax filing, and benefits administration through an easy interface.
Best known for: Easy payroll for small businesses
Key features
- Full-service payroll
- Automatic tax filing
- Benefits administration
- Employee onboarding
- Time and PTO tracking
- Contractor payments
Who Gusto is best for
- SMBs and startups that want full-service payroll with no per-run fees
- Contractor-heavy teams needing simple 1099 payments and filings
- Owners who want payroll, benefits, and onboarding in one place
Ideal team: US small businesses and startups of 1–50 who want automated payroll, tax filing, and benefits without a dedicated HR hire.
Gusto pricing
Contractor Only
$35/base + $6/contractor / mo
- 1099 contractor payments
- Contractor self-onboarding
- Year-end 1099 filings
Simple
$49/base + $6/emp / mo
- Full-service single-state payroll
- Unlimited pay runs
- Employee self-onboarding
Popular
Plus
$80/base + $12/emp / mo
- Multi-state payroll
- Next-day direct deposit
- Time tracking & PTO
Premium
$180/base + $22/emp / mo
- Dedicated support
- HR resource center
- Compliance alerts
Costs to watch before you commit
- Per-employee (PEPM) fees stack quickly as headcount grows.
- Health benefits admin, and time tracking on the Simple tier, cost extra.
- Multi-state payroll can add setup complexity and state registration work.
- International contractor payments are billed separately from US payroll.
Compare Gusto head-to-head
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