Gusto vs SurePayroll
We give Gusto and SurePayroll the same GPA: 2.4 out of 4.0. Gusto grades higher on features. SurePayroll grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, ease of use and platforms.
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
SurePayroll
Online payroll for small US businesses and household employers
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAGustoFair | 2.4GPASurePayrollFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BNo Tax Filing is $20 a month plus $4 an employee, $40 for five, inside the cheapest quarter of this category. Full Service, which files taxes, is $64 for five. Year-end forms add $50 plus $5 a form, and multi-state is $9.99 a month. |
| 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 or trial. New customers get every other month free in their first year, which is a good deal, but it's a discount on a paid plan, not a trial. |
| 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. | CPayroll done fully: unlimited and automatic runs, employees and contractors together, tax filing on Full Service and a household plan for nannies. A smaller job, though, with no HR tools beyond paid employment-law help. |
| 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. | A4.7 from about 6,100 App Store ratings for the employer app, where owners run payroll and check reports. Staff get their own app for pay stubs. |
| 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, with apps for owners and for staff. No desktop app, and accounting sync is a $4.99-a-month add-on rather than built in. |
| Best for | small US teams that want payroll and HR in one app | tiny businesses and families paying a nanny |
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 SurePayroll. 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. SurePayroll starts at $20 a month and scores 3.0.
Gusto scores higher, and starts $29 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other payroll services on the chart, none scores higher than Gusto for less, and none scores higher than SurePayroll 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). SurePayroll starts at $20 per month, plus $4 per employee.
- Gusto also covers time tracking and expense tracking.
- SurePayroll also covers reports.
At a glance
| Gusto | SurePayroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $49 per month, plus $6 per person paid (Simple) | $20 per month, plus $4 per employee |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Gusto, Inc. | SurePayroll, Inc. |
| Price read from | gusto.com | surepayroll.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
SurePayroll
- Small US businesses with a handful of employees
- Families paying a nanny, caregiver or housekeeper
- Owners who want to run payroll 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.
SurePayroll
- Runs US payroll; the first state is included, multi-state payroll is $9.99 a month and local taxes carry a separate fee.
- Year-end W-2 and 1099-NEC forms are billed once a year at $50 plus $5 per form.
- Accounting sync is $4.99 a month, time clock import from $5 a month plus $3 per employee, and employment law help from $30 a month.
- Household employers buy a separate Nanny & Household plan at $39 a month, including one employee, marked down from $45.
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.
SurePayroll
- Unlimited and automatic payroll
- Every plan includes unlimited payroll runs, and payroll can be scheduled to run on its own on the chosen pay dates.
- Tax filing on Full Service
- Full Service calculates, files and deposits federal, state and local payroll taxes and gives access to Forms 940, 941, W-2 and 1099.
- Free 2-day direct deposit
- Direct deposit with a two-day lead time is included, and pay stubs and reports stay available online at any hour.
- Employees and contractors
- W-2 employees and 1099 contractors are paid in the same payroll, with multiple pay rates, bonuses and new hire reporting.
- Employer and employee apps
- Owners run payroll and review reports from the SurePayroll app, and employees see their own pay stubs and account details in theirs.
- Household payroll
- A separate Nanny & Household plan files household payroll taxes and prepares Schedule H and W-2 forms for families.
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.
SurePayroll
No Tax Filing$20
per month, plus $4 per employee
The Full Service features, except that you file and deposit all payroll taxes yourself.
Full Service$29
per month, plus $7 per employee
Payroll taxes filed and deposited, unlimited payroll runs, free 2-day direct deposit and W-2 and 1099 workers. The first state is included.
Ways to pay less
Gusto
No public discounts listed.
SurePayroll
- Other savings
Every other month free for the first year
New customers get every alternating month free during their first 12 months, which SurePayroll advertises as 6 free months. Terms apply.
