Gusto
A polished, full service payroll and benefits platform that made running US small business HR genuinely simple.
Gusto is the small business payroll default for good reason. It files federal, state and local taxes automatically, handles benefits and onboarding, and presents it all in one of the friendliest interfaces in the category. Employees self onboard, the mobile experience is clean, and pricing is published rather than quoted. The tradeoffs are reach and scale: Gusto is US only, so it cannot hire or pay staff abroad, and the per person fee on top of each base plan adds up as headcount grows. Larger or global employers will eventually look at Rippling, Deel or ADP.
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The payroll small teams actually enjoy running, if your whole team is based in the US.
In its favour
Held against it
Ease and payroll depth lead, US only is the limit.
Gusto scores at the top of the category on payroll, ease and benefits, the traits that made it the small business default. The ceiling is reach: it is US only, and per person fees climb as you grow.
Scored against the same five weighted criteria we use across HR and payroll. See the rubric →
a US based small business that wants full service payroll, benefits and basic HR that is genuinely easy to run.
you hire internationally, or you want one platform that also manages IT and devices.
What it costs
Base fee plus per person, billed monthlyPricing as of June 2026. Gusto bills a monthly base fee plus a per person fee, and only charges for people you pay that month. Health benefits administration is available in most states. Check the vendor for current pricing.