#1 most frequent
United States of America
89.2%1,299 installations of 1,456
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
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Screenshot of Gusto's automated payroll
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
Who Buys & Uses Gusto
#1 most frequent
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
29.2%423 installations of 1,450
“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.”
#2 most frequent
Information
11.7%169 installations of 1,450
#3 most frequent
Manufacturing
8.3%121 installations of 1,450
#2 most frequent
Canada
2.5%36 installations of 1,456
#3 most frequent
Australia
1.1%16 installations of 1,456
Pros
- Automated and simplified payroll processing, including calculations and tax filings.
- Streamlined management of multi-state tax filings and W-2/1099 distribution.
- Responsive and helpful customer support for user queries.
Cons
- Mobile application lacks key functionalities like document uploads and is harder to use on certain platforms.
- Limited or insufficient integrations with specific accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks) and retirement systems.
- Reporting tools can be confusing to set up and use, requiring improved clarity.
Great for Startups Looking to Streamline Payroll and Compliance
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
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.
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.
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 saved us in 2 DOEDOR audits We passed both times thanks to them
Use Cases and Deployment Scope
We utilize Gusto for payroll. Gusto makes payroll taxes easy! Both state and federal taxes are calculated and paid without effort.
Pros
- Automatically files business state and federal taxes
- Automatically deducts taxes from payroll
- direct deposits paychecks to employees bank accounts
Cons
- Flexibility in generating payroll related reports
- They utilize Plaid for transferring payroll funds from business accounts, however if there is a slight variance in the balance, they will cancel the payroll and make you resubmit it (and then you are late submitting it). They didn't used to do this, and I was able to utilize my banks credit line to float the difference, now I can't do that. It makes it frustrating and inconvenient when at the last minute you realize they cancelled payroll.
Return on Investment
- After passing 2 DOR audits, Gusto has paid for itself twofold because we never would have passed without Gusto.
- Gusto has made onboarding and offboarding emloyees easy. It reminds me of all I need to do in the process. That is perfect for me who tends to forget a lot of details.
- Employees love the platform too because they can see in real time when their paycheck is going to hit their account.
Usability
Other Software Used
Jotform Apps, Asana, Microsoft 365 Business Premium
