Overview
Gusto is a US cloud payroll and HR provider aimed at small businesses and startups. Its subscriptions include payroll runs, federal, state and local tax filing, W-2 and 1099 forms, employee self-service and onboarding, with health insurance, 401(k) plans and time tracking available through the same account. Gusto’s website refused automated access during research, so details here come from a named third-party source rather than the company.
iTechGuides, in a breakdown updated 12 November 2026, lists three plans: Simple at US$49 per month plus US$6 per person, Plus at US$80 plus US$12 per person, and Premium at US$180 plus US$22 per person[6]. It reports that the Simple base fee rose from US$40 to US$49 during 2026 and that Gusto’s help centre gave 1 October 2026 as the closing date of the contractor-only plan[6]. For a ten-person business, Simple therefore costs about US$109 a month at those prices. Gusto’s strengths are a self-service setup that owners can complete without a sales call and a large ecosystem of accounting and benefits integrations. Per-person costs on Plus and Premium are among the highest in this list, and the loss of the contractor-only plan raises the cost for businesses that pay only freelancers.
Gusto features
- Unlimited payroll runs with tax filing
- Employee self-service and onboarding
- Health benefits and 401(k) via platform
- Time tracking add-on
- Accounting integrations
- Full-service federal, state and local tax filing
- Benefits and 401(k) through the platform
- Accounting software integrations
Gusto pricing
As reported by iTechGuides, November 2026: Simple US$49/month + US$6/person; Plus US$80 + US$12/person; Premium US$180 + US$22/person. Contractor-only plan reported closed from 1 October 2026. Confirm on gusto.com.
Gusto strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Self-service setup
- Tax filing included on all tiers
- Benefits in the same account
- Published tier structure
- Published base-plus-per-person pricing
- Unlimited payroll runs on the entry plan
Limitations
- High per-person fees on Plus and Premium
- Contractor-only plan reported closed
- Entry price rose in 2026
- US only
- Focused on US employers
- Multistate payroll requires the Plus plan or higher
Appears in
- Best HR Software in 2026 #5
- Best Payroll Services for Small Business in 2026 #2
- Best Payroll Software in 2026 #5
Gusto alternatives and competitors
Alternatives to Gusto: companies ranked in the same lists.
Rippling- ADP
Xero- Zoho Analytics
Wave- Square
Paychex Flex
QuickBooks Live
Deel
Paylocity
Factorial- Justworks
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