TrustRadius: an HG Insights company

Gusto

Score8.9 out of 10

1,262 Reviews and Ratings

Get a Demo

What is Gusto?

Gusto offers payroll, benefits and compliance capabilities. Gusto is scaled for small to mid-sized businesses, and emphasizes an easy to use interface.

Categories & Use Cases

Media

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

1 / 3

Screenshot of Gusto's automated payroll

Key Features

Learn about the best (and worst!) features Gusto has to offer, as determined by TrustRadius' reviewers.
Based on 1,262 ratings of Gusto's features
View all features

Top Performing Features

  • Pay calculation

    Pay calculation provides for computation of employee pay with state and federal deductions.

    Category average: 9

  • Reimbursement management

    Reimbursement management provides cash reimbursement for employee expenses related to business travel or other.

    Category average: 8.1

  • Direct deposit files

    Direct deposit is the ability to electronically transfer pay to an employee’s personal bank account.

    Category average: 9

Areas for Improvement

  • Salary revision and increment management

    Salary revision is the ability to modify individual employee pay.

    Category average: 8.7

  • Benefit plan administration

    Benefit plan administration is administration of health insurance plans and 401k plans, and other benefits.

    Category average: 7.9

  • Support for external payroll vendors

    Support for external payroll vendors is the ability to integrate with 3rd-party payroll services.

    Category average: 7.2

Reviews

What users are saying about Gusto.
View all reviews

Great for Startups Looking to Streamline Payroll and Compliance

Incentivized
Patrick YurickView profile
Chief Executive Officer in Corporate at Hundred Hands Learning Lab LLC (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

This is a set-it-and-forget-it program that helps us run payroll affordably and accurately. Our company CPA has access and receives quarterly tax information, which helps us stay on track as a small LLC. I still need to figure out how to add benefits using the platform—it’s not super intuitive. When the IRS sends a cryptic note, I just forward it along, and a Gusto rep either explains what to do or takes care of it for me. That kind of support is amazing. Great!

Pros

  • Quarterly tax access for CPA
  • Gusto makes it easy for our CPA to access quarterly tax data directly, which saves us time and ensures tax reporting stays accurate for our LLC.
  • IRS support via human reps
  • Whenever we get confusing IRS mail, I forward it to Gusto. A real human rep either walks me through next steps or handles it directly—huge peace of mind.
  • Payroll automation
  • Once payroll is set up, it runs smoothly and automatically with little effort on my part. It’s reliable, affordable, and a great “set it and forget it” solution for a small business.

Cons

  • Digital compliance tools for remote teams
  • Gusto upsold us labor law posters, but I later found them available for free online. Since we’re a fully remote team, I had to manually download and distribute them digitally. It would be much more efficient if Gusto offered free, auto-distributed digital posters tailored to remote compliance.
  • Benefits setup is unintuitive for startups
  • While our rep was helpful, navigating the benefits system felt complex and not tailored to early-stage companies. More guided flows or simplified options for small, remote startups would be a big help.
  • Limited dashboard customization for remote workflows
  • As a fully online company, we’d benefit from dashboard options that highlight relevant tools for remote operations—like compliance tracking, digital communications, or onboarding checklists.

Return on Investment

  • Saved ~10+ hours/month on payroll and tax coordination
  • By automating payroll and giving our CPA direct access to quarterly reports, Gusto reduced the need for manual follow-ups and document sharing—saving me at least 10 hours per month as a founder.
  • Reduced legal/accounting risk during launch
  • Having a platform that handles state/federal tax filings and compliance helped us avoid potential fines or filing errors in our first year—critical peace of mind as we scaled.
  • Enabled growth without hiring admin staff
  • We’ve onboarded part-time employees and contractors without needing to hire a dedicated HR/payroll role. That’s thousands in annual savings while still operating professionally.

Usability

Other Software Used

Hubstaff, Snagit, Discord

Gusto Payroll -- Freelancers Consultants and SMB Owners Take Note

Incentivized
Laura Gariepy, MBAView profile
Owner in Corporate at Every Day by the Lake, LLC (1-10 employees employees)

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.

Return on Investment

  • Gusto has simplified the payroll process. I'm glad I chose it over ADP.
  • My accountant recommended Gusto and uses it seamlessly with QuickBooks to do my accounting.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

ADP Workforce Now

Other Software Used

QuickBooks Online

Gusto is a great tool for small businesses.

Incentivized
Chad SutterView profile
Owner in Customer Service at PergolaWorld (11-50 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We utilize Gusto for payroll, onboarding, and offboarding of employees, PTO tracking, and HR functions. For a small business, it can’t be beat for costs, protecting both employee and employer. We love it and would never go back to in-house or local payroll services.

Pros

  • Payroll
  • PTO tracking/Requests
  • HR

Cons

  • Hour tracking from week to week on split employee pay.
  • AI analysis of employee hours submitted for any kind of false reporting.

Return on Investment

  • Speed of task allows me to move on to other important tasks quickly.
  • Mobility
  • Trust is built with employees knowing that the system accurately reflects their hours and benefits.

Usability

Other Software Used

QuickBooks Online Advanced, WooCommerce Subscriptions

Gusto is the GOAT.

Incentivized
Gabi DayView profile
CEO + Founder at Bright Body (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Gusto in my small business for employee-managed time tracking, running payroll, and both onboarding and offboarding employees. I can do ALL those functions — and more — quickly and easily in their intuitive platform. If I ever need help, Gusto support is always responsive, helpful, and knowledgeable. The value for the price is also excellent.

Pros

  • Time tracking.
  • On and offboarding.
  • Running payroll.
  • Worker's compensation.
  • HR regulatory compliance.

Cons

  • Better health insurance quotes and integration, including state-level marketplace plans.
  • Option to auto run payroll.

Return on Investment

  • Time tracking + payroll calculations me 30-60 minutes every time I run payroll.
  • Integrated workers' comp, so I didn't have to find an outside carrier and get quotes—it's all taken care of in the same platform.
  • Improved employee experience with onboarding.

Usability

Alternatives Considered

Quickbooks Online Payroll

Other Software Used

Shopify, Klaviyo, Pinterest for Business, Meta Business Manager, Faire, Prediko

Gusto is the only way to do payroll

Incentivized
Tonya Shadburn
office manager in Human Resources at Folly Beach Family Dentistry (1-10 employees employees)

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Gusto to run payroll, reports and onboard new hires. It addresses problems related to manual payroll processing, compliance, and efficiency in HR operations. My organization uses Gusto for all employees, both full-time and part-time, as well as contractors. Gusto automates payroll, reducing the time and effort required for manual calculations and tax filings.

Pros

  • payroll
  • reports
  • onboarding new employees

Cons

  • Streamlined Workflow

Return on Investment

  • cost savings
  • increased productivity

Usability

Other Software Used

QuickBooks Desktop Pro

Related Products

Products similar to Gusto that may also meet your needs.
All comparisons
QuickBooks Online
CompareLearn more
ADP Streamline Payroll
CompareLearn more
Paychex
CompareLearn more