Gusto
HR Software Verified July 2026
Gusto deal: $100 Visa gift card after your first payroll — exclusive for SaaSTweaks readers
Payroll, benefits and HR in one place — full-service payroll with automatic tax filing, health insurance, time tracking and hiring, for businesses from 1 to 1,000+.
- Exclusive $100 gift card for readers
- Full-service payroll on autopilot
- True all-in-one platform
- Cost-effective, transparent pricing
How Gusto scored 72/100
6 weighted criteria, each scored out of 10 and published with its reasoning. Featured placements never move a score.
Deal Strength
5.0 /10SaaSTweaks readers get a $100 Visa gift card after running their first paid payroll on Gusto. It is a genuine cash-back perk rather than an ongoing discount on the monthly base or per-person fees, so it is a nice sweetener rather than a headline saving.
Value for Money
8.0 /10Gusto's Simple plan starts at $49/mo plus $6 per person and bundles unlimited full-service payroll, automatic tax filing and benefits administration that many payroll providers charge extra for. Strong value for small US teams, though Simple covers only a single state.
Capability
8.0 /10Gusto is a genuine all-in-one platform: full-service payroll with automatic federal, state and local tax filing (W-2s and 1099s), health insurance and 401(k) benefits, time tracking, and hiring and onboarding tools. It also pays contractors in 120+ countries, though full employee payroll remains US-only.
Time to Value
8.0 /10Setup is free, self-serve and contract-free, so most businesses run their first payroll within days of signing up. The main friction is upfront data entry, connecting a bank account and configuring benefits, all standard for a payroll platform.
Trust & Reliability
8.0 /10Gusto has run payroll for hundreds of thousands of US small businesses since 2011 and is one of the most established and well-reviewed names in modern payroll and HR software. Its tax-filing accuracy and support reputation underpin a dependable track record.
Flexibility & Exit
8.0 /10Billing is month-to-month with no long-term contract and cancel-anytime terms, and you are charged per person only in months you actually run payroll for them. Employee, tax and payroll records export cleanly if you ever move providers.
$100 Visa gift card after your first payroll — exclusive for SaaSTweaks readers
Affiliate link — same price for you, and it never moves the score.
- Exclusive $100 gift card for readers
- Full-service payroll on autopilot
- True all-in-one platform
- Cost-effective, transparent pricing
About Gusto
Quick answer
Sign up through the SaaSTweaks link and run one or more paid payrolls, and you'll get a $100 Visa gift card within 30 days of your first paid invoice — an exclusive offer for SaaSTweaks readers on top of Gusto's normal free setup and no-contract terms. Gusto itself is one of the most cost-effective full-service payroll and HR platforms in the US: Simple starts at $49/month + $6 per person, with automatic tax filing, benefits, health insurance, time tracking and hiring all in one place. Trusted by 500,000+ businesses and named Fast Company's #1 Most Innovative Company in HR (2025).
What Gusto actually does
Gusto is an all-in-one payroll software, benefits and HR platform built for US businesses from a single-person S corp up to companies with hundreds of employees. The core is full-service payroll: unlimited payroll runs every month, with federal, state and local taxes calculated, filed and paid automatically — plus W-2 and 1099 e-filing done for you at year end. "Payroll on AutoPilot" means recurring runs happen without you logging in.
Around payroll sits a genuinely broad platform: employee benefits and health insurance administration (medical, dental and vision through licensed brokers — you pay only the premiums, no admin fees), 401(k) and retirement via integrations like Guideline, workers' comp, and tax-advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA, commuter). On the people side there's hiring and onboarding with an applicant tracking system, time tracking and attendance, PTO requests and approvals, scheduling, and HR tools with compliance alerts and (on higher tiers) certified HR experts. Gusto Wallet and money-management features give employees financial tools, and it integrates with QuickBooks, Xero and more — so it also works as a QuickBooks payroll alternative that syncs back to your books.
Pricing in 2026 — genuinely cost-effective
Verified from the official pricing page. Simple is $49/month + $6/month per person — single-state payroll, unlimited runs, all tax filings, basic PTO. Plus ($80/month + $12/person, marked Best Value) adds multi-state payroll, next-day pay, time tracking, expenses and reimbursements. Premium ($180/month + $22/person) brings a dedicated advisor, certified HR experts and performance management. There's also a Contractor Only plan at $35/month + $6/contractor — with a promo of $0 base for the first 6 months — for businesses paying only 1099 workers. You're billed per person only in months you actually pay them, and there are no long-term contracts.
Because the base fee is low and you pay per person, Gusto stays affordable for very small teams while scaling cleanly — the reason it's a default recommendation for startups and small businesses running payroll for the first time.
Managing a global team
Gusto also handles global contractor payments across 120+ countries with no monthly per-contractor fee ($5 per payment to US bank accounts), so distributed teams can pay international contractors alongside domestic W-2 employees from one dashboard. Note the important limit below: full employee payroll and benefits are US-only.
Where it shines
Ease of use is Gusto's signature — running payroll genuinely takes minutes, and the automatic tax handling removes the compliance anxiety that makes small-business owners dread payroll. The all-in-one breadth (payroll + benefits + HR + time tracking) means one login instead of four tools, the pricing is transparent and low to start, and the trust signals are real: 500,000+ businesses, 4.6 stars across 4,000+ Capterra and Software Advice reviews, and NerdWallet's best-overall payroll pick. With the SaaSTweaks $100 offer, your first months are effectively subsidised.
Where it falls short
The biggest limit is geography: full-service payroll, benefits and HR are US-only — international support covers contractor payments, not overseas employees or an Employer of Record. Per-person pricing also adds up at scale (Plus is +$12/person, Premium +$22/person), and several useful capabilities are paid add-ons rather than included — priority support, deeper HR resources, faster same-day/instant pay, and state tax registration all cost extra. Health-benefit availability also varies by state.
Who should buy
Gusto is the go-to HR software for small business and a strong fit from solo founders up to mid-sized US companies that want payroll, benefits and HR in one affordable, easy platform. Take Simple at $49/month to start, move to Plus when you need multi-state or time tracking, and — crucially — sign up through the SaaSTweaks link so your first paid payroll earns the $100 gift card. If you need to run full payroll for employees outside the US, pair Gusto with a global EOR instead.
What's included
- Full-service payroll — unlimited runs, auto federal/state/local tax filing
- W-2 + 1099 e-filing and contractor payments
- Health insurance + benefits (medical, dental, vision; no admin fees)
- 401(k)/retirement, workers’ comp, HSA/FSA, commuter benefits
- Time tracking, attendance, PTO, scheduling and project tracking
- Hiring & onboarding with applicant tracking; HR tools + compliance alerts
- Global contractor payments in 120+ countries; Gusto Wallet money tools
- Integrations: QuickBooks, Xero, Guideline; employee + employer apps
Gusto pricing
Verified July 2026. Vendor's published rates at the time we checked — always confirm at checkout.
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Contractor Only | $35/mo | + $6/contractor/mo — 1099 workers only; $0 base for first 6 months |
| Simple | $49/mo | + $6/person/mo — single-state payroll, unlimited runs, all tax filings |
| Plus | $80/mo | + $12/person/mo (Best Value) — multi-state, next-day pay, time tracking |
| Premium | $180/mo | + $22/person/mo — dedicated advisor, certified HR experts, performance mgmt |
How to claim it
4 steps. The last one is the part most people skip.
- 1
Open Gusto through the link on this page
It carries our referral tag. The price you pay is identical either way, and it never changes the score on this page.
- 2
Pick the plan that matches your usage
This offer applies automatically through the link — there is no code to enter.
- 3
Confirm the discount before you pay
The order summary should show the reduced amount. If it does not, stop and tell us — we re-test listings that stop working.
- 4
Check what happens at renewal
Note the renewal date and the rate it reverts to, so the second invoice is not a surprise. Annual plans are usually cheaper per month but harder to exit.
Where Gusto wins and loses
What works
- Exclusive $100 gift card for readers
- Full-service payroll on autopilot
- True all-in-one platform
- Cost-effective, transparent pricing
What doesn't
- US-only for full payroll & HR
- Per-person cost adds up at scale
- Several features are paid add-ons
The bottom line
Gusto bundles full-service payroll, automatic tax filing, benefits and HR into one platform that US small businesses can run themselves, and the SaaSTweaks $100 gift-card perk sweetens an already fair price. A clear buy for founders who want payroll off their plate.
Sign up for Gusto through the SaaSTweaks link, then run one or more paid payrolls. You receive a $100 Visa gift card within 30 days of your first paid invoice. There is no coupon code to enter — the reward is tied to running payroll, so you just need to complete your first paid run. Terms apply.
Simple is $49/month + $6/month per person, Plus is $80/month + $12/person (Best Value), and Premium is $180/month + $22/person. A Contractor Only plan is $35/month + $6/contractor (with $0 base for the first 6 months). You are billed per person only in months you pay them, with unlimited payroll runs and no long-term contract.
Beyond full-service payroll, Gusto includes health insurance and benefits administration (medical, dental, vision), 401(k) and retirement, workers’ comp, HSA/FSA, time tracking and attendance, PTO, hiring and onboarding with an ATS, HR tools and compliance alerts, plus Gusto Wallet money tools and integrations with QuickBooks and Xero.
Gusto handles global contractor payments across 120+ countries with no monthly per-contractor fee ($5 per payment to US bank accounts). However, full-service employee payroll, benefits and HR are US-only — for overseas employees you would need a separate Employer of Record.
Yes — Gusto is one of the most popular HR software and full-service payroll choices for small business, with a low $49/month starting price, automatic tax filing, and an all-in-one payroll-plus-benefits-plus-HR platform. It is trusted by 500,000+ businesses and rated 4.6 stars across 4,000+ reviews, and works well as a QuickBooks payroll alternative that still syncs to your books.
