US-based small businesses with 1–75 employees that want a clean, modern payroll experience with no surprises.
Multi-country teams, businesses with complex HR workflows (succession planning, performance management), or anyone above 200 employees.
Is Gusto a trustworthy vendor?
- 2026-03-01Simple plan base fee raised 23% (from $40 to $49)Existing customers grandfathered for 6 months; clear advance notice given.
- 2025-09-15Published verified-pricing API for procurement teamsAllows integrators to programmatically verify that posted prices match deal prices.
- 2025-04-10CSO departed; 4-month gap before replacementCustomer review sentiment briefly dipped during the gap.
What 4,280 reviews actually say
Synthesized from G2, Capterra, Reddit, Trustpilot. Patterns >15% prevalence shown.
Praise patterns
- Setup completes faster than competitors (under 30 minutes)78% →
- UX praised as cleanest in category71% →
- Tax filing reliability — no penalties reported64% →
- Health benefits marketplace described as friction-free41% ↑
Complaint patterns
- Phone support hold times of 20+ minutes38% ↑
- Reporting depth insufficient at 50+ employees27% →
- Premium plan features not justified at price22% →
- No native global payroll for international hires19% ↑
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“Setup took 22 minutes from sign-up to first payroll run. ADP took us 3 weeks.”
Founder, 12-person agency· G2 · 2026-03-12
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“Support quality has noticeably degraded over the past year. We now wait 25+ minutes for any phone resolution.”
HR Lead, 60-person SaaS· G2 · 2026-04-02
What buyers actually pay
312 anonymized deal disclosures · last updated 2026-04-30
| Company size | Median annual |
|---|---|
| 1–10 employees | $1,308 |
| 11–25 employees | $2,940 |
| 26–50 employees | $7,320 |
| 51–100 employees | $14,400 |
Auto-verified certifications
Editorial: Strengths
- Full-service tax filing (federal, state, local) included even on the entry Simple plan — many competitors charge extra for multi-state
- Setup completes in under 30 minutes for a small business with no prior payroll system
- Unlimited payroll runs at no extra cost; auto-pilot mode runs payroll on schedule without manual intervention
- 180+ integrations including QuickBooks, Xero, Gusto-native time tracking, and most major 401(k) providers
- Built-in health insurance broker in 38 states; you can shop and enroll plans from inside Gusto
- Contractor payments at $6/contractor/month with no base fee for contractor-only plans
Editorial: Weaknesses
- No native global payroll — international employees require Gusto Global (powered by partners) at extra cost
- Reporting is shallow compared to Paycor or ADP; complex GL mapping requires workarounds
- Customer support quality has declined per recent G2 reviews; phone hold times of 20+ minutes reported in 2026
- Weak fit for companies above ~100 employees with multi-entity, multi-EIN structures
- Premium plan ($180 base) adds dedicated CSM and HR resource center but most features are available on Plus
Key features & integrations
- +Automated multi-state tax filing
- +Same-day or 2-day direct deposit (Plus+)
- +Auto-pilot payroll
- +Contractor 1099 generation
- +Built-in health benefits marketplace
- +PTO and time tracking (Plus+)
- +Employee self-onboarding
Read our full ranking of Payroll Software
Gusto ranks #1 in our editorial review of 10 payroll software platforms. The deep-dive covers methodology, comparison tables, decision matrix, migration scoring, and FAQs.
Read the full rankingClosest alternatives in Payroll Software
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