Gusto Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services Reviews & Insights

Score8.9 out of 10

1,262 Reviews and Ratings

Overview

Synthesised from 9 reviews | Last Published June 10, 2026

For Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services firms, Gusto primarily serves as a comprehensive solution for managing complex payroll and compliance, particularly for diverse workforces comprising both W-2 employees and 1099 contractors. In TrustRadius reviews, firms frequently highlight the platform's intuitive interface and automated features for streamlining payroll processing, multi-state tax filings, and PTO management, which significantly reduces administrative burden for lean teams. This efficiency allows professionals to redirect focus towards billable client work and strategic growth.

While reviewers appreciate the time savings and compliance support, a notable concern for 3 out of 8 reviewers is the platform's integration with existing accounting and financial software like QuickBooks. This is critical for maintaining cohesive financial ecosystems essential for client billing and project costing. Despite these integration challenges, Gusto is generally seen as a valuable tool for enhancing operational efficiency within the industry.

Pros

Streamlined payroll for mixed W-2 and 1099 workforces, common in project-based services.
Automated multi-state tax filings and compliance, mitigating risk for geographically dispersed teams.
Intuitive interface reduces administrative overhead, freeing up billable hours for lean professional teams.
Proactive notifications ensure timely task completion and adherence to client deadlines.
Robust PTO management simplifies resource allocation for project-centric firms.

Cons

Limited integration with core accounting platforms like QuickBooks and Wave, hindering financial ecosystem cohesion.
Potential for manual data entry due to integration gaps, impacting real-time financial data for client billing.
Price sensitivity for smaller professional services firms, impacting operational cost efficiency.
Challenges in synchronizing with existing retirement planning software.

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Gusto Reviews

165 Reviews

Professional, Scientific, and Technical ServicesLaw Practice14Legal Services11Accounting35Architecture & Planning5Information Technology & Services27Management Consulting5Marketing & Advertising42Market Research1Public Relations & Communications2Design6Research4Computer & Network Security1Veterinary2Human Resources10

Love Gusto

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

October 22, 2025

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Recently, I hired my first employee. There are a lot of changes with that especially dealing with government agencies. Gusto was so wonderful helping me understand and get everything setup correctly. One gal emailed me proactively to ask if I needed help, which I did. I was so appreciative of her help. I am so thankful for Gusto. I could not do this without you. Your help staff are so kind and patient. They do a good job of helping when I need it.

Pros

Payroll
Customer Service

Likelihood to Recommend

They are super helpful

Verified User

Professional (Accounting company, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

2 years of experience

Get Gusto to save you time and overwhelm

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

September 23, 2025

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

As a bookkeeper, I recommend Gusto to my clients needing payroll processing. The setup is quick and easy. My clients have no issues when running payroll. I can easily pull any reports that I need with the accountant access. I also use Gusto for a full service client that I have where I am running payroll for them. They love the PTO breakdown and the payroll approval process as well. The integration with QuickBooks Online saves me so much time as their bookkeeper.

Pros

Fast and extremely helpful customer service
Clear and easy setup
Accurate QBO integration

Cons

ability to hide PTO balances from managers

Likelihood to Recommend

I recommend Gusto for everyone. Whether you are only paying contractors, yourself, or a full team, the platform is user friendly and visually appealing. I love that they are able to handling all payroll tax payments and filings including all year end filings. This saves business owners so much time, ensures accuracy and has everything conveniently in same place. I do not have clients with over 50 employees, so I cannot speak to larger organizations. But with departments and manager settings, it seems that Gusto would be able to handle that as well.

Verified User

Executive in Finance and Accounting (Accounting company, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

All-in-one and easy to use

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

July 16, 2025

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Our team relies on Gusto for tracking time off across the company, quickly and efficiently running payroll, tracking certain benefits, and managing employee happiness through surveys and reviews. The all-in-one platform ensures our team is efficient and knowledgable about all of the HR-related functions in one place and in an intuitive, user-friendly way.

Pros

Easy and playful user interface for both admins and team users
Detailed view of payroll breakdown while running payroll as an admin and in paystubs for team members
Multiple types of time-off options for flexible work environments

Cons

When running payroll, if you have to go back to change something, the hours worked for part time employees can be glitchy unless you have the support team completely wipe the payroll clean and re-run.
It can be confusing at times to see what team members have requested in the future vs. what has been paid out vs. what has been used but not paid out in terms of time off.

Likelihood to Recommend

Great for small to mid-sized teams and the ability to track HR functions across the company.

Verified User

C-Level Executive in Finance and Accounting (Marketing & Advertising company, 11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

6 years of experience

Gusto Payroll -- Freelancers Consultants and SMB Owners Take Note

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

July 9, 2025

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

As a solo freelancer, I never thought I’d need a payroll service—but Gusto changed that. I run a one-person business and don’t offer benefits, so I assumed payroll software would be overkill or too expensive. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Gusto makes it incredibly easy to pay myself as an S-Corp owner. Setting everything up—payroll, tax filings, and direct deposit—was straightforward and surprisingly fast. The interface is clean and intuitive, and I love how automated everything is. No more scrambling with quarterly tax payments or W-2s at the end of the year. Gusto handles it all behind the scenes, which gives me peace of mind and frees up my time to focus on actual client work. Even though I don’t offer benefits, I still get access to all the core payroll features I need, and the pricing is fair for what you get. Plus, their customer service has been responsive and helpful any time I’ve had a question. If you’re a solo freelancer running your business as an S-Corp and want a no-fuss, professional way to pay yourself and stay compliant, Gusto is 100% worth it. I wish I had signed up sooner.

Pros

Payroll
Customer Service
Easy Interface

Cons

I would like to see a lower price-point option given the features I use, but the cost is overall fair.

Likelihood to Recommend

Gusto is a great solution for small and mid-size businesses. While the platform offers a lot (and consistently adds more functionality), a larger solution, like ADP, may be more suited for a large enterprise.

Laura Gariepy, MBA

Owner in Corporate at Every Day by the Lake, LLC (Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

5 years of experience

View profile

Gusto - A modern payroll platform

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

June 23, 2025

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

As a fully remote cybersecurity startup spread across eight states, we needed payroll that just worked. Gusto made it painless to set up W-2 and 1099 payroll, automatically handling multi-state tax filings so we never lost sleep over misclassified contractors. We were also able to launch benefits, health, dental, and vision, in days, which was crucial as we got off the ground. Their support team is quick to answer even the smallest question. With Gusto handling the details, we spend our time building security tools, not spreadsheets.

Pros

Payroll Automation
Benefits
Multi-State Employee withholding
Notices and Tax form evaluation by a human

Cons

Integrations with Retirement
Integrations with Quickbooks
Notifications

Likelihood to Recommend

It just works, there are humans their to help and it is a modern user friendly platform.

Anthony Grenga

CEO in Corporate at Vigilant Sec (Computer & Network Security, 11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

2 years of experience

Less stress for payroll processing.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

March 27, 2025

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Gusto is amazing. I handle payroll for several small companies. Recently, I needed to switch several to Gusto quickly. Setup and onboarding with Gusto are simple and very user-friendly.

Pros

User-friendly interface.
Handles all of the payroll tax reporting.
Excellent customer support.

Cons

While I appreciate the help, I don't need unsolicited phone calls during tax season.

Likelihood to Recommend

Gusto works well for small and larger companies. It recognizes and works with non-profits that are exempt from things like unemployment tax, etc. It's great that employees and contractors can still log in to Gusto after leaving their employer—it's great to have all of the payroll records securely available at any time.

Linda Schweitzer

Owner in Finance and Accounting at Penny Pinch Tax LLC (Accounting, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

3 years of experience

View profile

I recommend Gusto to anyone looking for payroll software

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

March 18, 2025

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I've used Gusto to manage employees and contractors, track PTO policies, and run payroll reports. I also use the integration with Quickbooks Online every time I run payroll. When I'm setting up a company that is migrating from another payroll provider, I've also used Gusto's migration services and previous payrolls template to make sure that all of the company's payroll data makes it into Gusto. Finally, I've also used Gusto for filing reports such as 941s.

Pros

Managing basic and custom PTO policies like holiday pay, vacation pay and personal/sick days
The interface is extremely clean and user friendly.
It's very simple to make transition someone from contractor to employee and vice versa.
I barely have to think about quarterly report filings because Gusto handles it all behind the scenes.

Cons

The full HR suite has room for improvement. Being able to offer benefits beyond the standard healthcare and retirement plans.
The mobile app experience can be improved.
The time tracking tool is very basic so I don't use Gusto for time tracking. The ability to sync with Quickbooks chart of accounts, products and services and client/customer lists would make me consider switching over.

Likelihood to Recommend

Gusto is fantastic for small to medium sized teams. The different plan options offer a good fit for any company, however, solopreneurs may not take full advantage of all of the features.

Verified User

Account Manager in Professional Services (Accounting company, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

4 years of experience

Very happy with Gusto and use as our ATS

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

March 18, 2025

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We used ADP prior to Gusto, and not only was it very expensive, it was very difficult for some users to use. The constant requirement to change the password was very frustrating to some of our staff, especially those not as computer literate. What I really like about Gusto is the simplicity. It is not hard to use, even for beginners. I like that it has an easily accessible app and I also like how we can track our paid and unpaid time correctly.

Pros

Simplicity of Website
Emailed update of when payday is and snapshot of important things like accrued PTO, Net pay, an a fun fact
PTO and Unpaid tracking
Ease of accessing benefits

Likelihood to Recommend

My brother actually had previously used Gusto for his small business. It was most affordable and offered all of the features that he needed. We also chose to use Gusto for our company as the accessibility and ease of the site is what we were looking for. We needed something that wasn't too complicated, yet offered the details and features for our employees

Ashley Aten-Knighton

Branch Manager in Human Resources at Spherion (Human Resources, 11-50 employees)

Vetted Review

1 year of experience

View profile

Works good for my small business.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Incentivized

February 26, 2025

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Works great for my needs as a small business. It has been just a few clicks to get things done for my limited employee needs. I primarily work with subcontractors, and it has done a good job of getting their payments out and tracking. Fairly easy to use. I saved a lot of time and stress this year by having Gusto send out the 1099 forms for me. I recently encountered a subcontractor who needed to get paid by check. Wish I could have used Gusto to make that payment for me. It would've made things easier. Other than that, everything's been good. I wish the price had not increased by $5 a month. We're a small busines,s so every penny counts.

Pros

Easy to use.
Sends me an email when their are tasks that need to get done.

Cons

Wish I could pay contractors with checks through Gusto as an option.

Likelihood to Recommend

I believe Gusto is better suited for someone who does not need assistance when using online products. If a person is not technically savvy, they may be better off with a different company that offers more phone support with their plans. I've had good experiences with other companies that might cost a little more, but they provide a rep.

Jason Orellana

Owner in Marketing at Emphasis LA (Marketing & Advertising, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

1 year of experience

Nice Payroll Suite for Our Small Company

Rating: 10 out of 10

Incentivized

February 6, 2025

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We are a small company that was branching out from a larger company. With only less than 10 employees, we needed something easy to use that wouldn't take much time. The owner found Gusto and was able to get everyone set up easily for payroll. Although he tried to avoid it, I later decided to go part-time. Gusto made it super easy for him to add in my hours, even including accrued PTO! I personally love that I can log in at any time and see my pay stubs, tax information, and make splits to the bank accounts for direct deposit. It's been very easy to use and I believe has saved the owner lots of overhead. I'm sure it's well worth the cost (which I believe is minimal).

Pros

PTO
Direct deposit split
Pay day notification emails

Cons

Part-time hours.. I believe he sets a 'default' and has to remember to change it

Likelihood to Recommend

Great for our small business where we don't have a lot of time to dedicate to payroll and management. It may not be the best for large companies if the cost scales poorly, although to be honest I'm not completely up on the costs. I know it's been super easy to use as an employee.

Wendi Borden

Project Coordinator in Information Technology at weatherTAP Inc (Information Technology & Services, 1-10 employees)

Vetted Review

4 years of experience

View profile

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