Employment Hero vs Gusto
We give Employment Hero a 1.8 GPA and Gusto a 2.4, out of 4.0. Gusto grades higher on features and ease of use. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Employment Hero
Payroll, HR and hiring for Australia, NZ, the UK and Asia
Gusto
Payroll and HR for small businesses, with apps for owners and staff
How we grade them
| 1.8GPAEmployment HeroWeak | 2.4GPAGustoFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CThere's no US price: payroll is A$10 a user a month, in Australian dollars, with a 10-user minimum, so a team of five pays for ten, A$100 a month. With no US edition, a US team has nothing to buy here at any price. | 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 or trial on record, and every plan bills for at least 10 users from the start. | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial in the listing. You pay from the first month. |
| Features | CIn its own countries it covers payroll well: Australian STP and super, UK RTI, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia filings, an AI agent that prepares pay runs, rostering and HR. But there's no US edition, so it can't pay a US team. | 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 | CNo App Store rating on record. An AI agent prepares each pay run for you to approve, but there are award rules, rosters and a 10-user account to set up first. | 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 | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with the Work app for payslips, leave and shifts. Separate sites serve Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore, Malaysia and Canada, but none serves the US. | 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 | Australian businesses with award rules | 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: Employment Hero and Gusto. How we grade
Where they differ
- Employment Hero starts at A$10 per user / month for payroll, minimum 10 users (Australian dollars). Gusto starts at $49 per month, plus $6 per person paid (Simple).
- Gusto also covers expense tracking.
At a glance
| Employment Hero | Gusto | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | A$10 per user / month for payroll, minimum 10 users (Australian dollars) | $49 per month, plus $6 per person paid (Simple) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Employment Hero Pty Ltd | Gusto, Inc. |
| Price read from | employmenthero.com | gusto.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Employment Hero
- Australian businesses that need award interpretation and STP reporting
- Employers in New Zealand, the UK, Singapore or Malaysia wanting payroll and HR together
- Teams of 10 or more that want rostering feeding straight into pay
Gusto
- Small US businesses paying W-2 employees and contractors
- Owners who want to approve hours and run payroll from a phone
- Teams that want staff to handle their own pay details and documents
Worth knowing
Employment Hero
- Runs payroll in Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Singapore, Malaysia and Canada, each on its own site; there is no US edition.
- Prices here are the Australian site's, in Australian dollars; the UK site lists HR Essentials at £6 and HR Engage at £9 a user from 1 November 2026.
- Every plan has a 10-user minimum, billed on the higher of the agreed number of users or the active users.
- Managed Payroll costs A$20 per employee a month (A$400 minimum), and rostering with time and attendance A$4 per employee a month.
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
Employment Hero
- AI Payroll Agent
- Hero AI prepares pay runs and flags anomalies for a person to approve, using the timesheet, leave and employee data already in the platform.
- Australian payroll compliance
- Handles Single Touch Payroll Phase 2, SuperStream, award interpretation and penalty rates, and pays super every pay run through HeroClear.
- Payroll in other countries
- Regional editions file UK RTI submissions with HMRC, New Zealand payday filing with Inland Revenue, Singapore CPF reports and Malaysian EPF and PCB.
- Rostering and time and attendance
- An add-on builds rosters, records hours with time clocks and geofencing, allows shift swaps and feeds approved hours into pay.
- HR and recruitment
- HR plans cover leave, records, onboarding and performance reviews, and job posts reach Employment Hero's own pool of more than 2.3 million candidates.
- Employment Hero Work app
- Employees view payslips and timesheets, apply for leave and check upcoming shifts from the iPhone and Android app.
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
Employment Hero
PayrollA$10
per user / month, minimum 10 users
Unlimited pay runs, tax calculations, award interpretation, payroll reports and employee self-service. Australian site price.
HR EssentialsA$10
per user / month, minimum 10 users
HR only, without payroll: leave, employee records, documents, onboarding and offboarding, and policy tools.
HR EngageA$14
per user / month, minimum 10 users
HR Essentials plus recruitment, expenses, performance reviews, learning management and the recruitment agent. No payroll.
Employment UnlimitedCustom
Payroll with HR Elite, the Employee Assistance Program, HR advisory, a learning bundle, team chat and priority support. Sold through sales.
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.
