Gusto Competitors & Alternatives
Gusto is one of the most popular human resource solutions on the market today. That market, however, is competitive. Therefore, we recommend comparing Gusto against its top competitors before purchasing.
There are many excellent competitors in the human resource space that are worth considering. Most of Gusto’s top competitors offer similarly or more robust features at less affordable prices.
| Software Company | Analyst Rating | Features | Usability | Pricing | Customer Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto | 92 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7.5 |
| Justworks | 93 | 9.5 | 10 | 8 | 10 |
| Zenefits | 95 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 9.5 |
| Zoho People | 90 | 8.5 | 9 | 10 | 8 |
| BambooHR | 89 | 9 | 8.5 | 8 | 9 |
| Sage HR | 89 | 9 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 9.5 |
| ADP RUN | 83 | 8 | 8.5 | 8 | 8.5 |
Throughout this article, we’ll provide an overview of the main Gusto competitors and alternatives, which are:
In this guide, we examine Gusto’s features and pricing, and compare these factors against competitors. To gain a better understanding of Gusto as a solution, you can read our in-depth Gusto review.
All of the information in this article is based upon research, discussions with small business owners, and dozens of hours spent hand-testing the leader human resource software platforms. To learn more about our research and reviews, read about our unbiased review process.
Table of Contents
- Gusto Features
- Gusto Competitor Overview: Features
- Gusto Competitor Overview: Pricing
- Top Gusto Competitors
- Bottom Line
Gusto Features
Before we compare Gusto against its competitors, it’s important to understand the features included in Gusto. Gusto offers features geared more towards human resource management and payroll rather than applicant tracking.
The seven most important features that Gusto offers are described in the table below. Gusto’s unlimited payroll and custom reports are its strongest features.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Payroll | Payroll is Gusto’s speciality. You can run a number of off-cycle payments for hourly, salaried, and other contingent workers. Gusto’s payroll is designed to be as hands-off as possible. |
| Employee Onboarding | Gusto’s employee onboarding guides customers through setting up payroll and benefits, as well as sending documents to new hires. Onboarding is user-friendly but ultimately limited in comparison with Justworks and Zenefits. |
| Time Tracking | Time tracking in Gusto is helpful for salaried and hourly employees. Employees can use Gusto’s mobile app to clock in and out of work. Managers can track and approve employee hours, as well as create unlimited paid-time-off (PTO) policies. |
| Compliance Support | Compliance support in Gusto is decent. You are notified of required documents and changing compliance laws much like Justworks and Zenefits. You do, however, gain a certified HR representative to assist with compliance with Gusto’s most expensive plan. |
| Benefits | Benefits management is easy to set up in Gusto but only supported in 39 states. Gusto supports a number of medical, dental, and vision plans. |
| Performance Management | Gusto’s performance management is its most limited feature. This is because you can only track employee insights and happiness. You cannot set goals and one-on-one meetings, or track team performance. |
| Analytics and Reporting | Gusto’s analytics and custom report features are robust and user-friendly. You can preview your custom reports before you export them. You’re also provided a number of helpful pre-made reports to gain analysis from. |
Gusto Competitor Overview: Features
Below is a chart that compares each platform’s features and affordability. They differ primarily based on how affordable each platform is and how wide their breadth of features is.
For example, solutions like ADP RUN are built more for payroll rather than human resource management. This is limiting for businesses interested in recruiting features or performance management. This contrasts with Gusto, which offers a more diverse set of features.
Gusto Competitor Overview: Pricing
Gusto pricing starts at $6 per month per user. Gusto also comes with a platform fee starting at $39 per month. Pricing increases depending on the number of employees added to your account. Compared to its competitors’ pricing, Gusto is one of the most affordable solutions.
Here are the prices of Gusto and its top competitors with additional pricing details:
| Software Vendor | Starting Monthly Price | Free Trial | Pricing Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto | $39 | No |
|
| Zenefits | $10 per user | Yes |
|
| Justworks | $49 | Yes |
|
| Zoho People | Free | No |
|
| BambooHR | $99 | Yes |
|
| Sage HR | $5.50 per user | Yes |
|
| ADP RUN | Custom | No |
|
Top Gusto Competitors
Below are one-to-one comparisons between Gusto and its top alternatives. Gusto is best for customers interested primarily in running affordable payroll for their hourly and salaried employees. We’ve ranked Gusto’s top six competitors based on their features, pricing, and usability.
#1: Zenefits
Zenefits is one of Gusto’s closest competitors in regards to its target user-base and features. Zenefits’ biggest strengths compared to Gusto are its onboarding assistance and performance management features.
We recommend Zenefits if you’re in need of a powerful all-in-one human resource solution. However, consider Gusto if more affordable payroll is your priority. Finally, note that Gusto only supports benefits management in 39 states, while Zenefits supports 49.
For more details, read our in-depth analysis of Gusto vs. Zenefits.
- Gusto can offer benefits management in your state
- You are in need of affordable payroll software
- You want to easily create customizable reports
- You leverage HR software for onboarding and performance management
- You want to automate creating new software accounts for new hires
- You want to perform background checks on new hires
#2: Justworks
Justworks is an alternative to Gusto with greater benefits management support and stronger compliance assistance. Much like Zenefits, Justworks is best for businesses in need of a robust all-in-one HR solution. Otherwise, we believe Gusto is effective for businesses primarily interested in affordable payroll.
For more details, read our in-depth analysis of Justworks vs. Gusto.
- Gusto supports benefits in your state
- You are in need of an affordable payroll solution
- You want to create customizable reports for employee and company analysis
- Gusto does not support benefits in your state
- You want to offer free training courses for your employees
- You are a newer business in need of a user-friendly HR product
#3: Zoho People
Zoho People is an alternative to Gusto designed more for recruiting. Zoho People is more similar to BambooHR and Sage HR, rather than Gusto.
Still, we believe that Zoho People is the best software solution for businesses interested in affordable recruiting features such as job post distribution and interview pipelines.
- You do not require recruiting features in your HR software
- You want to easily create customizable reports
- You are a newer business in need of a user-friendly HR product
- You leverage HR software mainly for recruiting features
- You want a more affordable HR software solution
- You do not require robust performance management features
#4: BambooHR
BambooHR is more similar to Zoho People and Sage HR than Gusto in regards to its features. This is because it focuses less on user-friendly payroll and benefits management, and more on recruiting features.
BambooHR could work as an alternative to Gusto if recruiting features are important for your business. However, consider Zoho People before making your purchase decision.
For more details, read our in-depth analysis of Gusto vs. BambooHR.
- Gusto can offer benefits management in your state
- You are in need of more affordable payroll
- You want to easily create customizable reports
- You require a solution to create and distribute job posts
- You only need to track benefits for your company instead of selecting them
- You do not need a robust custom report creator
#5: Sage HR
Sage HR is a less user-friendly alternative to Gusto. Its strong points are its workflow automations and its performance management. Sage HR is closer to BambooHR and Zoho People than Gusto.
We highly recommend selecting Gusto over Sage HR due to its accessibility and affordability.
- You do not require recruiting features in your HR software
- You want to easily create customizable reports
- You are a newer business in need of a user-friendly HR product
- You leverage HR software mainly for recruiting features
- You want a more affordable HR software solution
- You are in need of robust performance management features
#6: ADP RUN
ADP RUN is a direct alternative to Gusto also centered around payroll. Ultimately, we strongly recommend Gusto over ADP RUN for small businesses. ADP RUN is not as accessible as Gusto, and lacks essential HR features such as compliance assistance and performance management.
For more details, read our in-depth analysis of Gusto vs. ADP RUN.
- Gusto supports benefits management in your state
- You want a more affordable payroll solutions
- You require compliance assistance and performance management features
- You want to create customizable reports for employee and company analysis
- You require onboarding assistance for new hires and payroll
- You want to purchase business coverage services such as general liability insurance
Bottom Line
Gusto is an affordable human resource software solution that can run unlimited payroll for hourly and salaried employees. It is one of the most user-friendly solutions that we’ve analyzed in the HR category.
Before you make your purchase, we also suggest comparing Gusto to other highly rated platforms:
- Zenefits is best for businesses in need of software similar to Gusto that want more app integrations and software onboarding assistance.
- Zoho People is ideal for businesses that need stronger expense management features than Gusto offers.
- Justworks is best for businesses in need of benefits in a state not supported by Gusto.