Check vs Gusto (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Gusto grades higher than Check: 2.4 against 1.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Gusto grades higher on features, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and the free plan.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Gusto
Payroll and HR for small businesses, with apps for owners and staff
From $49/mo
Which one is for you
Pick Check if
- Fits if you run a software platform and want to offer US payroll inside it
- Works for engineering teams that want payroll as an API
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you only want to run payroll for your own staff
- Skip it if you are outside the US, as its pages describe US payroll terms only
- Skip it if you want to see a price, as none is published and /pricing is a dead page
- Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed
Pick Gusto if
- Fits if you want to approve hours and run payroll from your phone
- Works for paying W-2 staff and US contractors in the same run
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if your team works in more than one state, as that needs Plus at $80 plus $12 a person
- Skip it if you want to try before you pay, because there's no free trial on record
- Pricey if you need fast pay on Simple: next-day pay is $15 a month plus $3 a person, same-day $90 a payroll
- Watch out: priority phone and chat support is $30 a month plus $3 a person on Simple and Plus
- Not for you if you pay contractors abroad without an add-on, or want the API, which is for approved partners only
How we grade them
| 1.4GPACheckWeak | 2.4GPAGustoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo price is published; the site directs visitors to contact the team. | CSimple is $49 a month plus $6 a person, so $79 for a team of five. That sits between the cheapest quarter of this category ($65 or less for five) and the middle ($85). Pay people in more than one state and you need Plus at $80 plus $12 a person, which is $140. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial is on record in the listing or on its pricing page. | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial in the listing. You pay from the first month. |
| Features | CEmbedded payroll, tax filing, money movement and risk tools, for US payroll. It does that job fully, but it is a smaller job than an HR system and is sold to platforms. | BRegular and off-cycle payroll, taxes worked out by work location, time tracking, onboarding, document signing and expense claims, with contractors abroad as an add-on. That's the whole payroll job, spread across its three plans. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. It is an API that a developer has to build into another product, so it is not something an employer signs up for. | A4.8 from about 52,000 App Store ratings for Gusto Mobile, where owners approve hours and run payroll and staff see their pay and sign documents. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, with an API at its core. No apps and no integrations list on record. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, and you can link your own systems through a command-line tool or an MCP server. No desktop app, and the full API is only for approved partners. |
| Best for | software platforms adding payroll | small US teams that want payroll and HR in one app |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Check and Gusto. How we grade
Where they differ
- Gusto also covers time tracking and expense tracking.
In commonWebPayroll
At a glance
| Check | Gusto | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $49 per month, plus $6 per person paid (Simple) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Check Technologies, Inc. | Gusto, Inc. |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | gusto.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Check
- No pricing is published; the site directs visitors to contact the team, and /pricing returns a not-found page.
- Check sells to platforms, so a business that only needs payroll for its own staff would use a product built on Check, not Check itself.
- The pages read describe US payroll terms such as tax filing and 401(k); other countries are not mentioned.
- Payments are handled by Check Payments LLC, shown in the site footer with an NMLS number.
Gusto
- Gusto runs US payroll only: W-2 employees, state and local taxes and US contractors. Paying contractors abroad is a separate add-on covering 120+ countries.
- Many extras cost more on Simple: next-day pay is $15 a month plus $3 a person, same-day pay $90 a payroll and instant pay $100 a payroll.
- Priority phone and chat support is a $30-a-month add-on, plus $3 a person, on Simple and Plus.
- Gusto's API is open only to approved integration and embedded-payroll partners, not to customers building their own links.
Key features
Check
- Embedded payroll
- Software companies build a native payroll product on Check's infrastructure instead of writing payroll themselves.
- Tax calculation and filing
- Handles tax calculation, tax filing and tax notices, according to the product pages.
- Money movement
- Includes real-time payments, voids, deductions and garnishments, plus custom pay rates.
- Configurable experience
- Partners can configure the payroll experience and choose how much of the onboarding and support Check handles.
- Benefits and extras
- Health benefits, 401(k), workers' comp and accounting connections can be added beside payroll.
- Credit, risk and fraud tools
- The platform menu lists credit, risk and fraud protection among the services it provides to partners.
Gusto
- Regular and off-cycle payroll
- Runs payroll on a set schedule, including hours, paid time off and bonuses, plus one-off payrolls for corrections or special bonuses.
- Tax withholding and deductions
- Works out federal, state and local taxes by work location, takes pre-tax and post-tax deductions, and pays by direct deposit or check.
- Time and time off
- Employees and contractors clock in and out and request time off in the app; admins review and approve hours before payroll.
- Onboarding and documents
- Add and onboard new team members from the app, and have employees read and sign documents there.
- Expense reimbursements
- Employees photograph receipts and submit expenses, and admins approve them in the app. The App Store listing limits this to Gusto Plus and Premium.
- Gusto CLI and MCP server
- Customers connect their own systems to their Gusto account through a command-line tool or an MCP server; the full API is for approved partners.
Plans
Check
Pricing could not be confirmed. See checkhq.com.
Gusto
Simple$49
per month, plus $6 per person paid
Payroll in one state: unlimited pay runs, tax filings and payments, and basic time-off and holiday pay rules.
Plus$80
per month, plus $12 per person paid
Adds multi-state payroll, time tracking and scheduling, unlimited next-day pay and contractor invoice handling. Marked best value.
Premium$180
per month, plus $22 per person paid
Adds a named advisor and premium support, HR guidance, Gusto Business Compliance, and unlimited same-day and instant pay.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Check or Gusto?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Check has no price we could confirm, and Gusto starts at $49 per month, plus $6 per person paid (Simple).
Which has a free plan, Check or Gusto?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Check nor Gusto has a free plan.
Which platforms do Check and Gusto run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Gusto lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.