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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    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

    SumTotal Talent Development

    Score7.9 out of 10
    Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
    The SumTotal Core Platform (formerly elixHR) is a human resource information system (HRIS) integrable with the SumTotal Talent Expansion Suite of software: SumTotal (LMS), and the SumTotal Work workforce management and payroll system. All SumTotal software is now offered and supported by Skillsoft since the October 2014 acquisition.N/A
    Pricing
    GustoSumTotal Talent Development
    Editions & Modules
    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
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    GustoSumTotal Talent Development
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsGusto offers three pricing plans for payroll, benefits, and HR.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    GustoSumTotal Talent Development
    Considered Both Products
    Gusto
    No answer on this topic
    SumTotal
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    91%
    Would buy again
    488 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    92%
    Delivers good value for the price
    395 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    501 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    89%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    254 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    311 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    GustoSumTotal Talent Development
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Gusto and SumTotal Talent Development
    Feature
    Gusto
    9.2
    514 Ratings
    11% above category average
    SumTotal Talent Development
    3.3
    1 Ratings
    83% below category average
    Pay calculation9.6493 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors8.58 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.9358 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Direct deposit files9.5497 Ratings3.01 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management9.4383 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reimbursement management9.5127 Ratings00 Ratings
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Gusto and SumTotal Talent Development
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    SumTotal Talent Development
    1.9
    1 Ratings
    122% below category average
    Employee demographic data00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Employment history00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
    Job profiles and administration00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
    Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Organizational charting00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Organization and location management00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Gusto and SumTotal Talent Development
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    SumTotal Talent Development
    6.7
    3 Ratings
    18% below category average
    Approval workflow00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
    Balance details00 Ratings8.53 Ratings
    Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
    Employee Self Service
    Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Gusto and SumTotal Talent Development
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    SumTotal Talent Development
    3.0
    1 Ratings
    92% below category average
    View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
    Update personal information00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
    View job history00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
    HR Reporting
    Comparison of HR Reporting features of Gusto and SumTotal Talent Development
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    SumTotal Talent Development
    7.2
    3 Ratings
    4% below category average
    Report builder00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Pre-built reports00 Ratings6.52 Ratings
    Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of Gusto and SumTotal Talent Development
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    SumTotal Talent Development
    8.2
    2 Ratings
    4% above category average
    New hire portal00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
    Performance and Goals
    Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Gusto and SumTotal Talent Development
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    SumTotal Talent Development
    8.8
    1 Ratings
    11% above category average
    Corporate goal setting00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Individual goal setting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Performance tracking00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of Gusto and SumTotal Talent Development
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    SumTotal Talent Development
    8.2
    2 Ratings
    5% above category average
    Performance plans00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.52 Ratings
    Review status tracking00 Ratings7.92 Ratings
    Review reminders00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
    Multiple review frequency00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Succession Planning
    Comparison of Succession Planning features of Gusto and SumTotal Talent Development
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    SumTotal Talent Development
    7.0
    1 Ratings
    11% below category average
    Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Candidate search00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Candidate development00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Recruiting / ATS
    Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Gusto and SumTotal Talent Development
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    SumTotal Talent Development
    7.8
    2 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Job Requisition Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.52 Ratings
    Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.92 Ratings
    Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
    Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings6.52 Ratings
    Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.52 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    GustoSumTotal Talent Development
    Small Businesses
    OnPay
    Score9.9 out of 10
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    APS
    Score1.4 out of 10
    Zoho People
    Score8.4 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.4 out of 10
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    GustoSumTotal Talent Development
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.2
    (538 ratings)
    7.5
    (9 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (12 ratings)
    6.0
    (5 ratings)
    Usability
    9.5
    (362 ratings)
    2.0
    (2 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.3
    (25 ratings)
    3.0
    (2 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    8.2
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    GustoSumTotal Talent Development
    Likelihood to Recommend
    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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    SumTotal
    Very good for learning and development and training of employees. For Applicant tracking, recuirement, onboarding, and enablement, I prefer SAP SuccessFactors or Skillate. I also found that the SumTotal app is not very friendly on android and crashes sometimes and it is not optimized for mobile. Hence I end up never using it.
    Incentivized
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    Pros
    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
    SumTotal
    • Assign complete learning plans to users so they don't have to spend time searching for courses.
    • Export learner's transcripts so managers can easily see their employee's progress.
    • Embed Social Media feeds that are relevant to their business.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    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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    SumTotal
    • Reporting
    • Mass importing of manual checks to be issued in California
    • Ability to fund pay cards immediately
    • Perform gross-up calculations within the payroll system automatically
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    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
    SumTotal
    I have transitioned from a position who supported the product to a position where I use the product. I continue to be impressed with the robustness of the product and how efficient it is. It is a user friendly software that can be used to navigate and accomplish tasks to meet organizational requirements.
    Incentivized
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    Usability
    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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    SumTotal
    I do not find SumTotal to be intuitive. I feel we need to adjust our needs to meet the functionality available in the tool.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    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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    SumTotal
    We have our own IT support to assist in SumTotal issues, however, we have had to log in cases directly. Support is mediocre at best.
    Incentivized
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    Implementation Rating
    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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    SumTotal
    No answers on this topic
    Alternatives Considered
    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
    SumTotal
    When I came to my company, they had been using a "light" LMS called Articulate. It was cheap and bare bones; i.e. not a lot of features, really just a platform to launch eLearning from and not real interface for student to utilize. When I began to overhaul the training department, this was one of the first things I changed. Articulate would only run courses built in their software, and the software was not 508 compliant. In addition, we had no ability to create learning plans, house transcripts, customize the interface, or manage the students. I made the choice to select and LMS that was a true LMS with all of the features that were critical to our clients' needs. Thus far, SumTotal has been able to support all of our needs, except one; mobile learning that is media rich
    Incentivized
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    Return on Investment
    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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    SumTotal
    • Clean front-end user interface for easier course catalog management.
    • Reporting has been more difficult than previous LMS.
    • Audience building has more variables making it more difficult to manage.
    • Slower overall client turnaround due to admin side interface.
    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

    SumTotal Talent Development Screenshots

    Screenshot of SumTotal Learning Management: Deliver the learning your organization needs including skilling/upskilling/reskilling, career planning & development. All delivered with our engaging learner experience across all modalities (desktop, tablet & mobile) and in the flow of workScreenshot of SumTotal Onboarding: Foster learning before day one with our robust onboarding solution. Build culture, complete necessary paperwork and begin the path to productivity for all your new and returning employees.Screenshot of SumTotal Performance: Performance management that meets the needs of today’s forward-thinking organizations. Align the goals and performance of your entire workforce with those of the broader organization for better business outcomes.Screenshot of SumTotal Succession: Make succession planning an organizational strength. SumTotal allows you to better understand your workforce now and better plan for your future with our intuitive succession planning tools.Screenshot of SumTotal Recruiting: A modern recruiting solution that delivers a powerful candidate experience, recruiter productivity, job matching and internal mobility.Screenshot of SumTotal Compensation: SumTotal makes compensation planning easier and less time consuming. Build a pay for performance culture that meets your organizations goals and objectives while keeping you competitive in the ever-changing marketplace.