Gusto vs Justworks
We give Gusto and Justworks the same GPA: 2.4 out of 4.0. They get the same grade on all five counts.
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
Justworks
Pay, benefits and HR platform for employers, with an app for staff
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAGustoFair | 2.4GPAJustworksFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | CThe Payroll plan is $50 a month plus $8 an employee, $90 for five, above the middle of this category. Time tracking is another $8 a person. Its EOR plan, a different kind of service, is $599 a person, $2,995 for five, the same as Deel and Remote. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing free on record: no free plan and no trial in the listing. You pay from the first month. | FNo free plan and no trial on record. You pay from the first month. |
| Features | 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. | BUS payroll with HR tools and expert support, a PEO that brings small teams big-company health plans and 401(k), employer of record abroad, and contractors in 60+ countries. Staff handle pay stubs, time off, expenses and timecards in the app. |
| Ease of use | 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. | A4.84 from about 5,200 App Store ratings for the app staff use for pay stubs, time off and expenses. A shared iPad can be the team's time clock, with a PIN for each person. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, and an iPad can run as a time clock. No desktop app, and the listing names no integrations. |
| Best for | small US teams that want payroll and HR in one app | small teams after big-company benefits |
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: Gusto and Justworks. How we grade
Price against what you get
Gusto starts at $49 a month and scores 3.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Justworks starts at $50 a month and scores 3.3.
They score the same, and Gusto starts $1 a month lower. Of the other payroll services on the chart, none scores higher than Gusto for less, and none scores higher than Justworks for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Gusto starts at $49 per month, plus $6 per person paid (Simple). Justworks starts at $50 per month, plus $8 per employee (Payroll).
At a glance
| Gusto | Justworks | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $49 per month, plus $6 per person paid (Simple) | $50 per month, plus $8 per employee (Payroll) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Gusto, Inc. | Justworks, Inc. |
| Price read from | gusto.com | justworks.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
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
Justworks
- Smaller employers that want benefits normally offered by large ones
- Teams that clock in on a shared iPad
- Employers whose staff submit expenses and time off from a phone
Worth knowing
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.
Justworks
- Payroll and the PEO plans are for US teams. Staff abroad go on the $599 employer-of-record plan, or are paid as contractors in 60+ countries at $39 each a month.
- Health insurance through the PEO plans needs the co-employer arrangement; on the Payroll plan it is an $8-a-month add-on per benefits-eligible employee.
- Time tracking is $8 a month per employee on every plan, and dedicated HR consulting is $30 per employee.
- The employee app needs an account set up through an employer that uses Justworks.
Key features
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.
Justworks
- Pay stubs and earnings
- Employees review payments, share pay stubs and see year-to-date earnings in the app.
- Benefits at hand
- Insurance details are available and shareable from the app, so staff do not need to carry a card.
- Time off requests
- Employees request time off in the app, and managers review and approve requests there.
- Expense reimbursements
- Staff upload receipts when they spend and submit reimbursement requests under the company's rules.
- Time tracking and Terminal Mode
- Clock in and out, manage breaks and shifts and submit timecards; Terminal Mode turns a shared iPad into a PIN-based time clock.
- Company calendar and directory
- A shared calendar of pay dates, holidays, time off and birthdays, and a directory of colleagues grouped by department.
Plans
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.
Justworks
Payroll$50
per month, plus $8 per employee
Payroll for US employees with HR tools, expert support and access to time tracking. US-based contractors are $8 a month each.
PEO Basic$79
per employee / month
Justworks becomes the co-employer: payroll, compliance, HR consulting, 24/7 support and 401(k). No base fee.
PEO Plus$124
per employee / month
Everything in PEO Basic plus medical, dental and vision administration, HSA and FSA accounts. Marked popular. No base fee.
EOR$599
per employee / month
Employer of record for hiring full-time staff abroad, with global HR and compliance support. No base fee.
