10 Best Gusto Competitors in 2026
Gusto prints every plan, and teams outgrow Simple the month a second state appears. Short answer: OnPay at $49/mo plus $6 per worker when that second state should stay on the base. Rippling from $8 per employee when payroll, HR, and IT share one record. Patriot Software Full Service at $37/mo plus $5 per worker when the bill should stay under Simple.
Dupple data: as of September 2026, Toolradar's payroll ranking has evaluated 71 payroll tools. The prices below were read on vendor sites on September 24, 2026. A first payroll system, rather than a replacement for this one, starts at payroll software.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Why it beats Gusto |
|---|---|---|---|
| OnPay | Second state, same base | $49/mo + $6/worker | All 50 states, no extra state line |
| Rippling | HR, IT, and payroll together | From $8/employee/mo | One record, not a payroll-only login |
| ADP RUN | National desk, after a quote | Publishes no list price | Three payroll months free if you start by Oct 22, 2026 |
| QuickBooks Workforce | Books already in QuickBooks | $88 + $7/employee | The bundle includes the accounting plan |
| Patriot | Smaller full-service invoice | $37/mo + $5/worker | You can see the extra-state fee before you buy |
| Justworks | Co-employment, not another login | $79/employee/mo on PEO Basic | A payroll plan and a PEO plan, priced apart |
| Square Payroll | Hourly teams and 1099s | $35/mo + $6/person | Contractor-only drops the monthly base |
| BambooHR | Employee record first | $250/mo flat through 25 people | HR is priced even though payroll is not |
| Deel | US payroll, or no local entity | $29/employee/mo US payroll | EOR is a separate, much larger invoice |
| Paychex | Other national payroll company | Publishes no list price | Three payroll months credited if you stay a year |
What you are actually replacing
A Gusto competitor is payroll or HR software that can run pay, file payroll taxes, and take over from Simple, Plus, or Premium. Which plan you are on decides the bill beside it.
On Gusto's pricing page, Simple is $49/mo plus $6 per person and stops at one state, so a second site ends that comparison. Plus is $80/mo plus $12 per person, and that is where multi-state payroll, next-day pay, and time tracking start. Premium is $180/mo plus $22 per person, with a dedicated service advisor, certified HR experts, and priority support included. Unlimited runs, including off-cycle runs, are on every plan, and the subscription is month to month.
State tax registration is an add-on on all three plans, and the price varies by state, so a new state is not only a plan change. Next-day pay on Simple is a $15/mo add-on, while instant pay is $100 per payroll and same-day pay is $90 per payroll unless you are on Premium, where both are included. Priority support on Simple or Plus is $30/mo plus $3 per person. One $200 annual charge covers HSA, FSA, dependent-care, and commuter accounts. Contractor-only waives the base for six months, then bills the $35 list plus the per-person fee.
If the complaint is the employee record rather than the pay run, that buy is an HRIS.
How we chose
The payroll category on Toolradar holds those 71 tools, updated September 2026, and this page keeps 10 that a Gusto customer can put on a spreadsheet next to Simple or Plus. Each vendor was live on September 24, 2026, with a USD price on its own site or it publishes no list price. No company paid for its place, and links to Deel are affiliate links.
Order follows the Gusto limit people hit: the state step, then a wider platform, then a quote, then a hire outside the US. When a finalist hides the number, pricing transparency is the reason it sits lower.
OnPay, for every state on one base
OnPay is the direct answer to Simple's one-state cap. The page title starts at $55 for a single worker and offers the first month free. That opening figure is the base plus one worker, and the base itself matches Simple.
HR adds a $15 base and $2 per worker, and time tracking adds a $15 base and $4 per worker, two bases if you buy both. Compliance resources are a $10 base, while live licensed HR support is a $65 base. Payroll, time, and HR together are a $70 base and $10 per worker. Runs are unlimited, another state costs nothing extra, and filings include W-2s and 1099s. Setup is included, with no implementation fee, and tax filings carry an error-free guarantee.
The catch: The $65 line is what you pay if you wanted a licensed HR person, not only a pay run.
Switch here when the trigger was a new state or a next-day fee, and skip it if you wanted a PEO.
Rippling, when Gusto is too narrow
Rippling refuses to sell payroll by itself, so you cannot buy the pay run alone. Its June 17, 2026 payroll review lists core HRIS at $8 per employee per month. Domestic payroll uses that same figure on an annual bill, or $10 per employee per month paid monthly. Listed rates are not the final invoice, and Rippling says you still need a quote.
Off-cycle runs are free on Rippling's own network, including the United States, while in some employer-of-record countries that run costs $50 per employee. The review covers 50+ US states and 185+ countries.
The catch: HRIS plus payroll is the minimum, and IT, benefits, and global pay are extra lines on the quote.
Pick it when devices and the HR record should move with payroll. If you only needed taxes filed, a single-plan product is the smaller change. The record-side comparison is HR software for small business.
ADP RUN, when you will wait for a number
RUN Powered by ADP shows four packages for 1 to 49 employees: Essential, Enhanced, Complete, and HR Pro. Every column ends in Get Pricing, so there is still no public rate. ADP says the bill moves with payroll frequency, headcount, and add-ons, and an off-schedule run costs more.
RUN does not require a long contract. Contractors are a separate bundle, base plus per-contractor fee plus year-end charges, with no amounts printed. New continental-US clients with 1 to 49 employees who start payroll by October 22, 2026 can receive three free payroll months in months four, five, and six, if they keep the original bundle and frequency for three months. Off-cycle fees are excluded from the credit.
The catch: Those free months arrive only after three billed months, and they do not cover an extra run.
Request the quote if you want ADP's service desk, and do not cancel Gusto until the figure is written down. A move off a bigger ADP product is covered on ADP alternatives.
QuickBooks Workforce, when the ledger is already Intuit
QuickBooks payroll pricing sells bundles, not a payroll app on its own. Workforce Payroll plus Simple Start is $88 plus $7 per employee, and Plus Essentials is $135 plus $7 per employee. Workforce Premium plus Plus is $228 plus $13 per employee. The base is half off for three months, shown as $44, $67.50, and $114, while the per-employee fee stays full price. The checkout notes no annual contract and says you can cancel anytime.
After month three the higher base returns. An existing QuickBooks Online account adds payroll inside the product, and this page prints no separate add-on rate. Settle the ledger on accounting software before buying a bundle only for pay.
The catch: You are paying for accounting and payroll together, which is waste if the books are not moving.
Take the bundle when QuickBooks is the system of record, and leave it if the books sit in another product.
Patriot, when Simple's base is the whole objection
Patriot's pricing page is the full-service sticker to put under Gusto. The tax-filing plan, Full Service, is $37 a month plus $5 for each worker paid that month. Basic, which calculates pay and leaves the filings to you, is $17 a month plus $4 per worker paid. New accounts get 30 days free and then half off for three months.
A second state on Full Service is $12 a month for that state, and each state after that repeats the charge. Year-end forms on Full Service have no extra filing fee, and months with no payroll run bill the base only. Direct deposit is included, extra runs are not billed, and setup help is included, while time and HR each add $2 per employee.
The catch: Basic looks thrifty only because the tax deposit work comes back to you, which is the work Gusto was doing.
Full Service fits a short roster if you will add up the state lines, and Basic fits only when another party already files.
Justworks, when benefits were the missing piece
Justworks separates software from co-employment, and Gusto's plans do not. Payroll is a $50 monthly base plus $8 per employee, while PEO Basic is $79 per employee with the base removed. PEO Plus is $124 per employee, also with no base, and international EOR is $599 per employee.
Time tracking uses the same per-employee payroll rate on Payroll, Basic, and Plus. International contractors are $39 each in months you pay them, and there is no implementation fee. Payroll includes multi-state runs and off-cycle payments, and it omits round-the-clock support. Workers' compensation access is mandatory on the PEO plans, and medical administration starts on Plus.
The catch: The payroll invoice and the PEO invoice are not substitutes, and the PEO one is several times larger at the same headcount.
Use the payroll plan if you are replacing Gusto, and use a PEO plan if you want Justworks to co-employ the team and put benefits in that fee. Adding coverage without a PEO is the subject of employee benefits software.
Square Payroll, when the hours already live in Square
Square Payroll is the fit for a shop already charging on Square. Full service is $35 a month plus a per-person fee for everyone you pay. Contractor-only keeps that per-person fee and drops the base. Federal and state tax filings are included at no extra charge, and locations can span more than one state.
Tips can flow in from the Square register, and W-2s and 1099-NEC forms are part of the service.
The catch: A salaried team with a real benefits stack will find the HR tools thin, because the product assumes a Square account.
Choose it for hourly and tipped staff, or for contractors alone, and look past it when most people are salaried and the register is irrelevant. If hours need a separate system, see time tracking.
BambooHR, when the file matters more than payday
BambooHR will tell you the HR price and will not tell you the payroll price. At 25 people or fewer the HR fee is a flat $250 a month. Past that headcount, Core is $10 per employee per month, Pro is $17, and Elite is $25, with automatic volume discounts and no forced annual term. Registered nonprofits take another 15% off that HR fee.
Ten employees pay the flat floor, not a Core multiple, and payroll remains a quote. Pairing payroll and benefits with any HR plan takes 15% off for US employees. Openings included are 5 on Core, 25 on Pro, and 50 on Elite. International hiring on the page runs through Remote. See HRIS for small business and recruiting software.
The catch: Canceling Gusto for this HR fee leaves you without a pay run until the payroll quote comes back.
Buy it for records, time off, and hiring, and keep Gusto until payroll has a number.
Deel, when a W-2 in one country is not the whole team
Deel covers two different exits from Gusto: a US payroll plan, and employment in a country where you have no entity. Self-service US payroll is $29 per employee per month, and global payroll uses that same per-employee rate. On the US tab, PEO Starter is $110 per employee per month and PEO Pro is $120. The main hire card instead shows US PEO at $125 per employee per month and employer of record at $599 per employee per month. Contractor of Record, on the pricing page, is $325 per contractor per month.
EOR handles the contract, local payroll, benefits, and compliance in 130 or more countries. US self-service runs all 50 states, including W-2s and new-hire reporting. Deel says the offer is month to month, and a team that only disliked Simple's state cap does not need EOR.
The catch: Two US PEO numbers are on the same site, Starter at $110 and the hire card at $125, so the order form has to name the card before you compare it with Justworks.
Take self-service US payroll for a per-employee rate with no base, and take EOR only where you will not open an entity. More global options are on employer of record services.
Paychex, when the company has outgrown a small-business plan
Paychex is the other national payroll brand, and Flex does not print a rate. The quote depends on headcount and the modules you select. SurePayroll, owned by Paychex, is the package built for small businesses and household employers, separate from Flex.
Between June 1, 2026 and May 31, 2027, a new client on Flex Pro, Select, Enterprise, or Express, with 1 to 250 employees, can have payroll credited in the fourth, fifth, and sixth months. The first payroll has to run by June 18, 2027, and processing has to continue for twelve months without a break. HR, benefits, and PEO fees are not part of the credit. Time clocks and schedules that should not live inside payroll are covered under workforce management.
The catch: Leave before month twelve and the credit is gone.
Get the quote if you want a national service organization, and treat the credit as conditional, with larger suites compared on enterprise HR software.
What 10 people actually cost
OnPay's base and Gusto Simple both come to $109 at 10 people, and that combined bill is the comparison, not the base by itself. A flat HR fee next to a per-person payroll fee is the same kind of mismatch described in per-seat versus flat pricing.
| Setup for 10 people | Monthly total | What you are assuming |
|---|---|---|
| OnPay base, or Gusto Simple | $109 | Every state on OnPay; a single state on Simple |
| Gusto Plus | $200 | Multi-state, time tracking included |
| Patriot Full Service | $87 | Filing in one state only |
| Justworks payroll plan | $130 | Monthly base plus ten seats |
| Justworks PEO Basic | $790 | Co-employment, base fee gone |
| Rippling HRIS and annual payroll | $160 | Those two modules and nothing further |
| QuickBooks Workforce with Simple Start | $158 | List price, ignoring the three-month base cut |
| Square full service | $95 | All ten people paid that month |
| BambooHR, HR only | $250 | Flat floor, payroll quote still open |
| Deel US payroll, self-service | $290 | Ten employees, no separate base |
Remote prices global payroll at $29 per employee per month when the local entity already exists, so ten employees match the Deel self-service total. Employer of record there is $699 per employee per month. Payroll customers owe an implementation fee and a delivery fee that are not printed. US PEO starts at $99 per employee per month in USD and requires a US bank account.
Gusto Premium for the same ten people is $400. ADP and Paychex still cannot be placed in this table.
How to choose
A second state is coming, so choose OnPay, or Patriot Full Service if the roster is short and the per-state charge is acceptable. Staying means Plus, which is a different invoice from Simple.
HR and devices should share payroll, which means Rippling after the quote names every module, or BambooHR if payday can wait for a second contract.
QuickBooks already holds the books, so take the Workforce bundle only if the accounting plan inside it is worth paying.
You want a co-employer, which means Justworks, or Deel once the order names Starter, Pro, or the $125 card. A payroll login does not create that relationship.
The team is hourly, tipped, or contractor-only, which means Square.
Someone works in a country with no entity, so choose Deel employer of record, while Remote's payroll plan is the cheaper path when the entity is already open.
You are willing to take a call, which means ADP RUN or Paychex. Do not treat the free months as money you can leave with.
Common mistakes
Pricing the base and ignoring headcount understates both Simple and OnPay. Use the 10-person total when you line them up.
Switching to a PEO to cut a payroll fee buys co-employment. At ten people the Justworks payroll total and the PEO Basic total are different decisions.
Expecting Simple to cover state two is how a team lands on Plus. OnPay keeps every state on the base, and Patriot bills each extra state on Full Service.
Booking ADP's or Paychex's free months as an instant discount skips the hold. ADP credits months four, five, and six only if payroll started by October 22, 2026 and then ran for three months, and Paychex wants twelve continuous months.
Applying the over-25 BambooHR rate to a smaller company uses the Core per-employee price where the flat floor applies, and still omits payroll.
Comparing Justworks with whichever Deel PEO number you saw first mixes Starter, Pro, and the hire-card figure, so name the card before you compare.
Running the old and new provider across one quarter can file the same wages twice. For a mid-year move, Gusto tells you to have the EIN, addresses, salaries, and taxes already filed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Gusto competitor in 2026?
If Simple stops at one state, OnPay is the default: all 50 states on the base, unlimited runs. Patriot Full Service fits a small roster that can absorb an extra state fee. Rippling fits when payroll should stop being its own system.
How much does a Gusto competitor cost?
Patriot Full Service is the low printed full-service plan, at $37/mo plus $5 per worker. Gusto Premium, the plan some teams are leaving, is $180/mo plus $22 per person. Justworks PEO Plus is $124 per employee per month, and Deel employer of record is $599 per employee per month. RUN and Paychex Flex publish no list price.
Is there a free alternative to Gusto?
No pick here files W-2 taxes on a plan that stays free. OnPay comps the first month, and Patriot comps 30 days, then half off for three months. Gusto waives the contractor-only base for six months, then bills $35. ADP and Paychex credit three payroll months only if you stay.
Is Rippling less expensive than Gusto?
Rippling is cheaper only on the modules you buy, and only after a quote. Ten people on HRIS plus annual payroll are the $160 row, against $109 for Simple or OnPay, and payroll is not sold without the HRIS.
What happens on Gusto when I hire in a second state?
Simple does not include a second state, so the hire forces a plan change. Multi-state payroll is Plus, at $80/mo plus $12 per person, and state registration is a separate add-on priced by state. OnPay pays all 50 states inside the base.
Can I leave Gusto before the year ends?
Yes, a mid-year transfer needs the EIN, addresses, salaries, and taxes already filed, and one provider should file that quarter. Gusto is month to month, so the hard part is the tax handoff.
Does RUN Powered by ADP show a price?
No, Essential, Enhanced, Complete, and HR Pro all go to Get Pricing. New RUN clients who start by October 22, 2026 can get three payroll months credited in months four, five, and six, and that is a promotion, not a rate.
Bottom line
Move off Simple to OnPay when another state is the problem, or to Patriot Full Service when the company is still small. Move to Rippling when HR and IT have to travel with payroll, to QuickBooks when the books are already there, and to Justworks or Deel when you need a co-employer or a country with no entity. Move to ADP or Paychex after the quote is written, and do not spend the promotional months before the conditions are met.
Cite this: Dupple, "10 Best Gusto Competitors in 2026", September 2026.
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