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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Dayforce Powerpay

    Score9.4 out of 10
    N/ADayforce Powerpay allows small businesses to pay and manage employees. It is used to simplify and automate payroll processes with automatic payroll calculations and remittances to the CRA and RQ, and streamlines payroll with connected time and attendance tracking to help ensure people are paid accurately.N/A

    Gusto

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/AGusto offers payroll, benefits and compliance capabilities. Gusto is scaled for small to mid-sized businesses, and emphasizes an easy to use interface.

    $49

    per month

    Pricing
    Dayforce PowerpayGusto
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Simple: A streamlined set of automatic payroll features and benefits integrations
    $49/month + $6/mo per person
    per month
    Plus: Comprehensive payroll, benefits, and HR tools for employers building a great place to work
    $80/month + $12/mo per person
    per month
    Premium: Scalable payroll and benefits, expert HR, and dedicated support for the complex needs of growing teams
    $180/month + $22/mo per person
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Dayforce PowerpayGusto
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Gusto offers three pricing plans for payroll, benefits, and HR.
    More Pricing Information
    Features
    Dayforce PowerpayGusto
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Dayforce Powerpay and Gusto
    Feature
    Dayforce Powerpay
    8.9
    15 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Gusto
    9.2
    514 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Pay calculation9.115 Ratings9.6493 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors9.24 Ratings8.58 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment8.79 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.75 Ratings8.9358 Ratings
    Direct deposit files9.013 Ratings9.5497 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management8.812 Ratings9.4383 Ratings
    Reimbursement management8.97 Ratings9.5127 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Dayforce PowerpayGusto
    Small Businesses
    OnPay
    Score9.9 out of 10
    OnPay
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    APS
    Score1.4 out of 10
    APS
    Score1.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.4 out of 10
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Dayforce PowerpayGusto
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.9
    (15 ratings)
    9.2
    (538 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (12 ratings)
    Usability
    8.6
    (10 ratings)
    9.5
    (362 ratings)
    Performance
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (4 ratings)
    1.3
    (25 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Professional Services
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    9.1
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Dayforce PowerpayGusto
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Dayforce
    We are a small business - and even though we are small and don't make near use of all of the options in the program, I love it because all my remitting is done for me, all the calculating, all the vacation pay, holiday pay, overtime, everything is kept track of really well and I don't have to worry about missing information if I was to do this myself. I also love the direct deposit options and my employees love it and the paystubs and the ability to put messages on their paystubs! I honestly can't think of a scenario where Dayforce Powerpay wouldn't be suitable!! I wouldn't change companies, even if it saved me money as I love all the functions, the information and the ease of ROE and T4's.
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    Gusto is a great fit for small teams and startups that want a simple, reliable way to run payroll, manage tax filings, and give CPAs access without constant micromanagement. It’s especially useful for founders who need something that “just works.” The human support has been excellent—especially when forwarding confusing IRS mail.
    That said, it’s a bit less intuitive when it comes to benefits and compliance for fully remote companies. For example, labor law poster distribution isn’t streamlined for digital teams, and setting up benefits felt more complex than it needed to be. Still, I’d recommend Gusto to any startup looking to get payroll right from day one.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    Dayforce
    • Ceridian Powerpay simplifies the payroll process, very little manual work involved during each payroll run.
    • Ceridian Powerpay is mostly an intuitive interface with easy to understand workflows to allow for multiple users to be able to use the system if required.
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    • Gusto really kills it on the simplicity. The app and website are very clear and straightforward.
    • Gusto also does a great job at being easy to navigate, visually pleasing, and logically posed.
    • Gusto communicates very clearly and provides just the right amount of communication.
    • Gusto makes the onboarding process very easy. I recently started at a new company and the process of filling out the necessary documents, filling out forms, and getting my benefit information input was soooooo easy!
    Incentivized
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    Cons
    Dayforce
    • Adjustment - Reversal sometimes gives an error
    • Emergency Contact Comments field - would be nice if it would accept more characters in this field
    • A warning that 'no ROE will be created' popup when EI or other related fields are marked Exempt
    • Rate history on an employee's page would be nice
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    • Adding in previous time manually could be more accessible.
    • Notifications for when employees manually change hours.
    • We should allow 1099 users to use the mobile app instead of restricting them to the website, especially since they can just log into the full website on their mobile device.
    Incentivized
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    Likelihood to Renew
    Dayforce
    Powerpay exceeds my expectations: it's easy to use and does not 'eat' my time by wondering what the end result will be. I can see what each employee's pay statement will look like before I submit the payroll for processing. Monthly processing fees are not exorbitant and the service from support it top notch, quick and awesome when you need it! What's not to like? It's a terrific company to have on your side!
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    Unless they break it, I'm never leaving. It's just too easy. Gusto is also really affordable, and for what I pay, it's worth having the historical record within the system. I like that I can go back and pull up W2's for year's past. This sort of easy access reporting, has been helpful especially when getting reports for PPP loans.
    Read full review
    Usability
    Dayforce
    Dayforce is easy to use and intuitive. When things are less familiar, the chat support is speedy and friendly, so I never have to worry or struggle to figure something out. Once support shows me how to do something, it is easy to remember and not need help next time.
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    The overall platform and its speed of response are amazing. I would recommend this to any other business owner for ease of use and reliability. Email reminders are great if I’m super busy and have forgotten a few tasks. The price point compared to local payroll service is hands down a huge win.
    Incentivized
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    Reliability and Availability
    Dayforce
    I have never experienced application errors or unplanned outages. I do know that I could phone Dayforce Powerpay and give them hours and other deductions and they would do the payroll and I could either have them deliver the completed payroll by courier (there are small extra charges for this) or I could download the completed payroll on pay day. I have also been able to complete payroll our payroll at home instead of at the office. Dayforce is very accessible by phone or online.
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Dayforce
    Pages online load in seconds. Click and it's instantly there! I have never had pages not loading properly or taking time to load. Payroll reports also downloads quickly. We do not interface Dayforce Powerpay with anything else
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Dayforce
    Regardless the issue, the Customer Support team is offering outstanding services! When I am calling, the wait time is reasonable, and the team members will ensure you receive the right support in a timely manner, with politeness and kindness. If you reach out the team that it's a guarantee that your issue will be solved!
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    Gusto's customer service has really deteriorated lately and they seem to have really changed their focus. It used to be when you called you were routed to an individual who knew about payroll, benefits, reporting, etc. but now you get someone who seems to have not received the correct training. My last call about a dismissal payroll took me over an hour of my time and the person still could not help me and finally transferred me to someone else.
    Incentivized
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    Online Training
    Dayforce
    I have used Powerpay before (at a previous employer) but a few years had elapsed. I had a quick online training session (less that 30 minutes) to recover basic knowledge and I was away. I still from time to time have to do something that i am not quite sure of and pick up the phone! Every one that works at Ceridian - now Dayforce - have been able to answer my question and tell me where to go in the program, click on what and do what I need to do. The support is out-of-this-world good!
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Dayforce
    I initiated the implementation. I answered all the questions I was asked, prepared the documentation and sent it off and it was done! Quickly, efficiently and done well!
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    Reach out to support immediately if you are having trouble setting up Gusto. Rather than being confused and trying to figure it out yourself, it's much better to talk to someone who knows what they are doing. Save yourself time and frustration and reach out to support
    Incentivized
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    Alternatives Considered
    Dayforce
    Being able to remit payroll directly to CRA reduces the number of steps in payroll processing. It also means that there is no way for us to forget a remittance. This is important to us because it's all-in-one software. I did like that QB would have the entry directly there so that I don't need to record it.
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    It's been a while since I used QuickBooks for payroll, but it doesn't even come close to it. Gusto is infinitely easier, allowing for employee time tracking, handling calculations and payments of payroll and payroll taxes, managing regulatory compliance in the background, and more. I had a lot of moments using QuickBooks Payroll where I thought, "Am I even doing this right?" — it felt like you had to have additional knowledge of HR regulations in your state to do everything correctly. Gusto has it ALL handled so you can focus your time on higher-impact tasks in your business.
    Incentivized
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    Contract Terms and Pricing Model
    Dayforce
    Pretty standard contract terms. Unit pricing is about 30% less than the previous provider - service is about 150% better with Dayforce Powerpay that with the previous provider! We are billed twice per month as we do payroll twice per month.
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Scalability
    Dayforce
    We have a small staff of less than 20 employees. We moved our payroll from a previous provided because of terrible and expensive service. Dayforce is much, much easier to use and costs about 30% less than the previous provider. Dayforce Powerpay also seem to have people that speaks clearly and are efficient in everything they do so that less time is wasted by phone calls that has you on hold for 3 hours!
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Professional Services
    Dayforce
    They are all professional, knowledgeable, very pleasant to interact with and extremely helpful. They consistently take customer services to a higher level. Great people to deal with!
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Dayforce
    • The return on investment has been substantial for our company. Having a payroll system that calculates everything for you, processes important documents, and only takes minimal time and effort allows us to focus more time on running the business and generating revenue.
    • Instead of having a user spend half a day (or potentially a full day) processing payroll, it only takes a couple hours (obviously depending on how many employees need to be processed).
    Incentivized
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    Gusto
    • For me, it is hard to quantify payroll software as having an ROI. It does save quite a bit of time per pay period, so perhaps we could assign a theoretical number to an employee taking that time. I'd say, at the least, it saves 30-60 minutes a pay period compared to a more difficult-to-use payroll software.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Gusto Screenshots

    Screenshot of Gusto's automated payrollScreenshot of the time-off tracking interfaceScreenshot of the source of truth for HR data