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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/AN/AN/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
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)Gusto
    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
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)Gusto
    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
    Community Pulse
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)Gusto
    Considered Both Products
    Frontline Education
    No answer on this topic
    Gusto
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    80%
    Would buy again
    8 Answers
    91%
    Would buy again
    488 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    86%
    Delivers good value for the price
    6 Answers
    92%
    Delivers good value for the price
    395 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    90%
    Happy with the feature set
    9 Answers
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    501 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    89%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    254 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    100%
    Implementation went as expected
    5 Answers
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    311 Answers
    Features
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)Gusto
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Frontline HCM (Aesop Online) and Gusto
    Feature
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
    7.0
    5 Ratings
    11% below category average
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Employee demographic data6.02 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employment history5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Job profiles and administration6.53 Ratings00 Ratings
    Organization and location management8.52 Ratings00 Ratings
    Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Frontline HCM (Aesop Online) and Gusto
    Feature
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
    9.6
    5 Ratings
    18% above category average
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Approval workflow9.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Balance details10.05 Ratings00 Ratings
    Annual carry-forward and encashment9.93 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employee Self Service
    Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Frontline HCM (Aesop Online) and Gusto
    Feature
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
    6.8
    3 Ratings
    17% below category average
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Update personal information7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    View company policy documentation6.12 Ratings00 Ratings
    View job history7.52 Ratings00 Ratings
    HR Reporting
    Comparison of HR Reporting features of Frontline HCM (Aesop Online) and Gusto
    Feature
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
    8.1
    4 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Report builder7.33 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pre-built reports8.94 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ability to combine HR data with external data7.92 Ratings00 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of Frontline HCM (Aesop Online) and Gusto
    Feature
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
    8.0
    1 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    New hire portal7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of Frontline HCM (Aesop Online) and Gusto
    Feature
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    11% below category average
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Performance plans7.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Succession Planning
    Comparison of Succession Planning features of Frontline HCM (Aesop Online) and Gusto
    Feature
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
    10.0
    1 Ratings
    25% above category average
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Candidate search10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Frontline HCM (Aesop Online) and Gusto
    Feature
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)
    -
    Ratings
    Gusto
    9.2
    514 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Pay calculation00 Ratings9.6493 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings8.58 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration00 Ratings8.9358 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings9.5497 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings9.4383 Ratings
    Reimbursement management00 Ratings9.5127 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)Gusto
    Small Businesses
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    OnPay
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    APS
    Score1.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)Gusto
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.1
    (16 ratings)
    9.2
    (538 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (12 ratings)
    Usability
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    9.5
    (362 ratings)
    Availability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Performance
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    1.3
    (25 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    Configurability
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    9.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Frontline HCM (Aesop Online)Gusto
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Frontline Education
    Frontline is well suited for an organization such as a school district where teachers sometimes need to put in for a substitute at the last minute or especially early in the morning. The system also helps with substitutes in picking up the jobs when a teacher puts in an absence.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Pros
    Frontline Education
    • Easily submission process. Select the day you need to schedule on the listed calendar, mark the type of request, and submit.
    • Works on different digital devices including phones, tablets, and computers.
    • Easily track your balances by looking at your account history.
    • Delete requests you have already submitted.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Cons
    Frontline Education
    • Teachers cannot cancel their own absence. We have to ask the office staff to do so. This is irritating when an absence must be canceled (Due to a canceled professional development, for example).
    • Sometimes absences go unfilled. It would be great if AESOP could have a roster of qualified substitutes to cover absences.
    • You cannot assign your absence to a particular substitute if you know he or she is available and a good fit for your absence.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Frontline Education
    Long time customer with Frontline Absence Management. Product support has been excellent, integrations easy to work with, & suite of products mesh together well.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Frontline Education
    While we have had minor issues logging in as our organization has its own login page, the site and its application are very easy to use. So long as members of a group log in through the appropriate page, navigating and using this site is quite easy. With the transition from Aesop to Frontline, the page also seems to have worked through any glitches found with the previous page and its app.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Frontline Education
    There have been several times the system was unavailable. When there has been an issue, Frontline HAS NOT notified us....which has been disappointing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Performance
    Frontline Education
    No issues reported by end users of slow or not loading pages.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Support Rating
    Frontline Education
    Internal support is provided by EDU Staff based out of Grand Rapids. Whenever I have had an issue they are very responsive to my needs. For instance, there may be conflicts in the amount of money that was listed for the contract. There may be questions about the length of an assignment such as 1/2 day, full day, or early dismissal. The school will sometimes enter the wrong information. Very good IT support, but sometimes you are on hold for 5 to 10 minutes because they do not have enough workers in their Call Center
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    In-Person Training
    Frontline Education
    Our Implementer/Trainer was a product line expert. He (Connor) walked us through every step with confidence and explained everything in detail. Frontline provided written documentation, cut-n-paste emails to staff, and a test environment for us to play in. We were able to test unique scenarios without actually sending emails, notifications, alerts to staff. This was very useful.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Frontline Education
    Our Frontline implementer was an expert in the field & knew the product in & out. We had very little issues going live.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Frontline Education
    Frontline seems to be the industry standard for this software in the education industry. I am not familiar with any competitors or what was evaluated prior to implementing Frontline. For it to be the industry standard, I would assume that its cost is fair in relation to competitors and that the onboarding process is simple.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Frontline Education
    Our district has approximately 300 substitutes & 1,800 employees. Size has never been an issue with Absence Management. There are other districts much larger using Absence Management with no problems
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Return on Investment
    Frontline Education
    • It's given staff direct access to inputting their absences and secure coverage quicker, whereas before they had to make a call to a person. That person had to secure coverage for the entire district at different levels. Sometimes that person was absent or unable to provide coverage.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Gusto Screenshots

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