Justworks vs Gusto
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Justworks and Gusto.
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Verdict: Gusto wins
Gusto scores 4.3/5, edging out Justworks at 4.0/5. Best for US small businesses with 5–50 employees that want payroll, taxes and benefits handled in one system by a non-specialist.
Justworks PEO / payroll (VS) | Gusto Payroll & HR (VS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.0 (1 review) | 4.3 (1 review) |
| Pricing Model | paid | paid |
| Starting Price | Pricing varies | Pricing varies |
| Best For | US small businesses of two to fifty people who want payroll, benefits and compliance handled by one transparently priced PEO without a procurement marathon. | Best for US small businesses with 5–50 employees that want payroll, taxes and benefits handled in one system by a non-specialist. |
| Free Tier | ||
| API Access | ||
| Team Features | ||
| Open Source | ||
| Tags | — | — |
Justworks
Pros
- + Published per-employee pricing ($79 Basic / $124 Plus) with no base fee on PEO tiers — you can price a ten-person team at $790/month without a sales call
- + PEO Basic bundles payroll, SUI administration, workers' comp access, W-2/1099 filings and compliance alerts in one plan rather than selling them as add-ons
- + 24/7 phone and chat support on PEO plans; Capterra aggregates 4.5 for customer service and G2 carries 4.6 across 1,000+ reviews
- + CPEO certification since 2017 and ESAC accreditation since 2019 — verifiable third-party financial and compliance oversight, rare among smaller PEOs
- + Self-serve signup and an interactive platform tour that honestly reflects plan gating instead of demoing restricted features
Cons
- - US-only: no international payroll, no EOR abroad, and a two W-2 employee minimum excludes solo founders
- - Medical, dental and vision access only open on PEO Plus at $124/employee/month, pushing benefit-minded small teams to the top tier
- - Basic omits expense management, org chart, custom reporting and ATS integrations, and reporting depth is the most repeated complaint in user reviews
- - Linear per-employee pricing gets costly at scale — 25 employees on Plus is $3,100/month before benefits premiums
- - No free tier or self-serve trial on the pricing page; evaluation happens on a live, co-employment account
Gusto
Pros
- + Full-service payroll with unlimited runs and automatic federal/state/local tax filings included on every paid plan (gusto.com/pricing)
- + Setup wizard and payroll worksheet made my first test run a review-and-approve job, not a calculation job — a first-time employer can configure a 5-person team in under an hour
- + Transparent per-person pricing with a published plan comparison; a 10-person team is $109/month on Simple at time of writing
- + Benefits stack (health, 401(k), HSA/FSA, workers' comp, commuter) is integrated with payroll rather than a separate portal
- + Premium includes payroll migration from a previous provider plus same-day and instant pay — the only plan where the white-glove service exists
Cons
- - US-only: no international payroll or EOR, so any overseas hire needs a second system
- - Base fee distorts value for micro-teams — $79/month effective for 5 people on Simple versus $6.49/person at 100 (peopleopsclub.com)
- - Multi-state payroll, time tracking and configurable PTO are gated to Plus at $80 + $12/person, a 91% monthly jump for a 25-person company over Simple
- - Add-ons can exceed the next tier: Plus-level features bought on Simple ran ~$214/month versus $200 for Plus itself on published rates
- - Priority support is sold separately ($30/month + $3/person per published add-on rates) and compliance alerts sit on Premium only
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better, Justworks or Gusto?▼
Gusto scores higher at 4.3/5 vs 4.0/5 for Justworks, making it the better-rated option in our comparison.
What is the difference between Justworks and Gusto?▼
Justworks: Justworks is a professional employer organisation for US small businesses, handling payroll, benefits, compliance and HR administration. Gusto: Gusto is payroll and HR software for US small businesses, covering pay runs, tax filing, benefits and onboarding.
Is Justworks or Gusto more affordable?▼
Justworks starts at €0/mo, Gusto starts at €0/mo. Check the comparison table above for current pricing.
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