Gusto alternatives: cheaper or better-fit payroll

Gusto today: the plans and add-ons on your bill

Simple

$49 + $6 per personOne state only

Plus

$80 + $12 per personMulti-state, time tracking, next-day pay

Premium

$180 + $22 per personBusiness Compliance and same-day pay included

Our score

69/100Tied first with Patriot Software

Those are Gusto's list prices on its pricing page (checked October 16, 2026). Contractors are billed at your plan's per-person rate in the months you pay them; there is no separate contractor-only plan on the page. On Simple, the add-ons that most often push the bill up are next-day direct deposit ($15 a month + $3 per person), same-day pay ($90 per payroll), instant pay ($100 per payroll), Priority Support ($30 a month + $3 per person) and Business Compliance ($85 a month per state on an annual contract).

Before you shop, work out what you actually pay. A 10-person team on Simple pays $49 + 10 x $6 = $109 a month; the same team on Plus pays $80 + 10 x $12 = $200. If you moved to Plus only for a second state, that $91 gap is the number most alternatives can close. The plan-by-plan detail is in Gusto pricing for 2026.

Why people leave Gusto

Gusto has one of the widest rating gaps in our research: 4.6 on G2 from 13,492 reviews and 1.9 on Trustpilot from 2,535 reviews (both seen October 16, 2026). The Trustpilot complaints cluster around taxes and leaving:

The terms explain why tax complaints sting. Gusto's payroll terms (Sec. 11) reimburse penalties that arise directly from Gusto's late remittance, but do not name interest, and only if you told Gusto about the agency notice at least 30 days before the response date. Tax notice cases get a specialist in 4 to 6 weeks, or 1 week with Priority Support (Gusto support page). Errors in final filings after you leave are excluded.

Gusto alternatives ranked by score

Gusto ties for first in our payroll scores, so most alternatives score lower overall. They can still beat Gusto on the one thing that made you look: price, a second state, cancellation terms or support. Here is every scored provider except Gusto, with what you trade. Scoring rules are in our scoring method.

Monthly cost against Gusto for 5, 10 and 25 people

Gusto's two common plans are the first rows, so you can read the saving across. Every figure is the base fee plus the per-person fee, one state, no add-ons. Your employer taxes do not change with the provider; model them in the employee cost calculator.

Two readings matter. On one state, Patriot saves $22 a month at 10 people and $37 at 25. With employees in two or more states, OnPay at $109 replaces Gusto Plus at $200 for 10 people, a $91 monthly difference, though you lose Plus's time tracking (OnPay sells it as a $15 + $4 per worker add-on). Patriot's extra states cost $12 a month each. More on full payroll budgets in how much payroll costs.

Three Gusto alternatives worth a trial

What Gusto does that the alternatives do not

Check this list before you switch. If you rely on any of these, the cheaper plan may cost you more in time.

• State tax registration done for you. Gusto is the only provider in our research that registers new state withholding and unemployment accounts, either once through Middesk (price varies by state) or through Business Compliance at $85 per state per month. Paychex and QuickBooks make you register yourself; the rest do not say.
• Weekend support hours. Gusto publishes chat and callback hours Monday to Friday 5am to 5pm PT and weekend chat 5am to 3pm PT. Most alternatives publish no hours at all.
• Faster pay options. Next-day, same-day and instant pay are priced add-ons or plan features.
• Records after you leave. Admins keep read-only access to forms, reports and past payrolls with no stated end date, and employees keep lifetime access to their forms. Only Patriot matches that in writing.

If all-in-one HR is the draw, compare Gusto vs Rippling; if you keep books in QuickBooks, Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll.

Leaving Gusto mid-year: the exit checklist

1. Time the cancel date. Cancellation takes effect immediately, but Gusto bills the full month if you cancel after the 5th or have already run payroll that month, with no proration. Run your last Gusto payroll, then cancel early in the next month.
2. Decide who files the final returns. If Gusto files your final federal and state returns, it charges $100 for federal, $100 per state and $5 per W-2 or 1099. Its tax guarantee excludes errors in final filings after termination, so many owners let the new provider file the full year instead.
3. Load every 2026 paycheck into the new provider. The Social Security wage base ($184,500 in 2026) and the $7,000 FUTA base keep counting for your EIN. The new provider needs year-to-date totals per employee, and every payroll from the current quarter if you switch mid-quarter, so its Form 941 covers the whole quarter. The Q4 2026 941 and the 2026 W-2s are both due February 1, 2027.
4. Download records even though you keep access. Gusto says admins keep read-only access, but reviewers report W-2s and reports held back after leaving. Save payroll registers, tax filings and state wage reports for each quarter now.
5. Collect your state account numbers. If Gusto registered state withholding or unemployment accounts for you, get every account number and agency login. Business Compliance runs on a 12-month commitment per state, so check its end date before you drop it.
6. Confirm the first quarterly wage reports with the new provider. A missed state wage report after a switch is how one owner saw an unemployment rate go from 0.8% to 12.75% (Hacker News, Aug 17, 2026). State rate ranges are in 2026 SUTA rates.

For the tax side of the switch, see employer payroll taxes explained.