Payroll Company Review • Updated October 2026
Gusto Payroll Review 2026: Pricing, Plans, Pros & Cons
Is Gusto the right payroll for your small business? We break down every plan and price, what Gusto does best, where it falls short and how it compares to OnPay, QuickBooks and ADP.
Compare Gusto Pricing → See All Gusto Plans
4.3/5
★★★★☆
Our rating
Best for small businesses
Is Gusto Payroll Worth It? Our Verdict
Gusto is worth it for most small businesses: it’s the easiest full-service payroll to set up and run, includes unlimited payroll runs and automatic tax filing, publishes clear pricing starting at $49 per month plus $6 per employee, and has no long-term contract. We rate Gusto 4.3/5. It’s held back by slower support on complex issues, multi-state payroll requiring the Plus plan, and costs that climb quickly on higher tiers.
Gusto ranks #1 in our best payroll software rankings and is our pick for small businesses in the best payroll outsourcing companies rankings.
Gusto Ratings Breakdown
Overall: 4.3/5, the average of the five categories.
What users say
Gusto holds about 4.6/5 on G2 from 13,000+ reviews and 4.6/5 on Capterra from 4,000+ reviews. Trustpilot scores are much lower, partly because they include employees paid through Gusto, not just the businesses that buy it.
Users consistently praise ease of use, the employee app and the QuickBooks sync, and most often criticize slow resolution of complex tax or benefits problems.
Gusto Pros and Cons
✔ Pros
- Very easy to set up and run, even with no payroll experience
- Transparent pricing published on every plan
- Unlimited payroll runs and automatic federal, state and local tax filing
- Built-in benefits: health insurance, 401(k) and workers’ comp through partners
- No long-term contract and free setup
- Excellent employee app and self-service portal
⚠ Cons
- Multi-state payroll requires Plus ($80/mo + $12/employee)
- Support can be slow on complex tax or benefits issues
- Costs climb quickly on Plus and Premium as you add employees
- Phone and chat support only during business hours unless you add Priority Support
- Not built for large companies or in-country global payroll
- No certified payroll for government construction work
Gusto Plans and Pricing (2026)
Gusto costs $49 per month plus $6 per employee on the Simple plan, $80 per month plus $12 per employee on Plus, and $180 per month plus $22 per employee on Premium. A Contractor Only plan costs $35 per month plus $6 per contractor. All plans include unlimited payroll runs and automatic tax filing.
| Gusto plan | Price | Key features | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor Only | $35/mo + $6/contractor | Contractor payments and 1099 filing (no W-2 employees) | Businesses paying only 1099 workers |
| Simple | $49/mo + $6/employee | Full-service single-state payroll, unlimited runs, automatic tax filing, W-2s and 1099s, employee self-service, benefits access | Small single-state teams |
| Plus | $80/mo + $12/employee | Everything in Simple plus multi-state payroll, next-day direct deposit, time tracking, hiring and onboarding tools, performance management | Growing or multi-state teams |
| Premium | $180/mo + $22/employee | Everything in Plus plus same-day/instant pay, custom admin roles, priority support and a dedicated service advisor | Teams that want white-glove support |
What Gusto costs by team size (monthly)
| Employees | Simple$49 + $6 | Plus$80 + $12 | Premium$180 + $22 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 employees | $55 | $92 | $202 |
| 5 employees | $79 | $140 | $290 |
| 10 employees | $109 | $200 | $400 |
| 25 employees | $199 | $380 | $730 |
| 50 employees | $349 | $680 | $1,280 |
Published 2026 list prices. Add-ons such as Priority Support ($30/mo + $3/person on Simple and Plus), time tracking on Simple and state tax registration cost extra.
See how Gusto’s price compares with OnPay, QuickBooks, ADP and more for your team — free.
Compare Payroll QuotesGusto Features
Full-service payroll
Unlimited runs, auto payroll, direct deposit and paper checks.
Automatic tax filing
Federal, state and local deposits plus 941, 940, W-2 and 1099 filings.
Benefits
Health insurance, 401(k), HSA/FSA and workers’ comp through Gusto partners.
Hiring & onboarding
Offer letters, e-signatures, new-hire reporting and onboarding checklists.
Time tracking
Built into Plus and Premium; add-on on Simple.
Contractor payments
U.S. contractors on every plan; global contractors in 120+ countries as an add-on.
Integrations
QuickBooks, Xero, Aplos and hundreds of other apps.
Employee app
Pay stubs, W-2s, PTO and savings tools on any phone.
Gusto also appears in our industry guides for restaurants, churches (housing allowance support), non-profits (Aplos integration) and accountants (Gusto Pro partner program).
Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Use Gusto
Gusto is a great fit if you…
- Have 1–100 employees
- Want payroll you can run yourself in minutes
- Want published pricing and no contract
- Want to offer benefits without a broker or PEO
- Use QuickBooks or Xero for accounting
Consider alternatives if you…
- Need multi-state payroll on a budget (try OnPay)
- Want a dedicated rep and HR depth as you scale (see ADP)
- Have 50+ employees (see mid-sized payroll)
- Need certified payroll (see construction payroll)
- Want someone else to run payroll for you entirely
Gusto vs. OnPay vs. QuickBooks Payroll vs. ADP RUN
How Gusto compares with the small business payroll providers it’s most often weighed against.
| Gusto | OnPay | QuickBooks Payroll | ADP RUN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/mo + $6/employee | $49/mo + $6/employee | $50/mo + $7/employee | Custom quote |
| Multi-state payroll | Plus plan and up | Included | Included | Included |
| Contract | Month-to-month | Month-to-month | Month-to-month | Varies; ask about terms |
| Best for | Small teams that want easy payroll + benefits | Best value, one all-in plan | QuickBooks Online users | Growing businesses wanting HR depth |
| Our review | — | OnPay review | QuickBooks review | ADP review |
More alternatives: Paychex, Rippling, SurePayroll and Heartland. Or see our full guide to payroll outsourcing for small business.
About Gusto
Gusto was founded in 2011 as ZenPayroll by Joshua Reeves, Edward Kim and Tomer London and rebranded as Gusto in 2015. Headquartered in San Francisco, it says it serves more than 500,000 businesses with payroll, benefits and HR software designed for small businesses.
Gusto Payroll FAQs
Is Gusto good for small businesses?
Yes. Gusto is one of the best payroll options for small businesses because it is easy to set up, includes unlimited payroll runs and automatic tax filing, publishes its pricing and offers built-in benefits and HR tools. It is rated about 4.6 out of 5 on G2 from more than 13,000 reviews.
How much does Gusto cost?
Gusto costs $49 per month plus $6 per employee on the Simple plan, $80 per month plus $12 per employee on Plus, and $180 per month plus $22 per employee on Premium. The Contractor Only plan costs $35 per month plus $6 per contractor. A 10-person team on Simple pays about $109 per month.
Does Gusto require a contract?
No. Gusto plans are month-to-month with no long-term contract, and setup is free. You can upgrade or downgrade your plan as your needs change.
Does Gusto file payroll taxes?
Yes. Gusto automatically calculates, pays and files federal, state and local payroll taxes, including Forms 941 and 940, and prepares year-end W-2s and 1099s on every plan.
Can Gusto run payroll in multiple states?
Yes, on the Plus and Premium plans. The Simple plan covers payroll in one state, so businesses with employees in more than one state need Plus or higher.
Is Gusto better than ADP?
Gusto is usually simpler and more affordable for small teams and publishes its prices, while ADP offers more advanced HR, a PEO option and greater scalability for companies growing past 100 employees. Small businesses that value ease of use often prefer Gusto; growing companies that want one vendor for everything often prefer ADP.
Is Gusto better than OnPay?
Gusto and OnPay start at the same price, $49 per month plus $6 per employee. OnPay includes multi-state payroll and HR tools in one plan, while Gusto offers a more polished interface, more benefits options and higher tiers with next-day and same-day pay.
How good is Gusto customer support?
Gusto offers phone and chat support during business hours and a 24/7 help center. Priority support is an add-on on Simple and Plus and is included with a dedicated service advisor on Premium. Some users report slow resolution of complex tax or benefits issues.
Can Gusto pay contractors, including international contractors?
Yes. Gusto pays U.S. contractors and files 1099s on every plan, offers a Contractor Only plan for businesses without employees, and has a global contractor add-on for paying contractors in more than 120 countries.
Is Gusto safe and legitimate?
Yes. Gusto was founded in 2011 as ZenPayroll, renamed Gusto in 2015 and is headquartered in San Francisco. It says it serves more than 500,000 businesses and uses encryption and two-factor authentication to protect payroll data.
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