The best alternatives to Gusto in the USA are OnPay for most small businesses, Patriot Payroll for the lowest published price, and Square Payroll for shops that already take payments on Square. OnPay charges the same $49 a month plus $6 per person as Gusto’s Simple plan, but it includes multistate payroll at no extra cost, while Gusto saves multistate pay for its $80-a-month Plus plan. Growing teams that want HR, benefits or international hiring in the same system should look at Rippling, Justworks, ADP RUN or Paychex Flex, which price by quote.
Every price below comes from the vendor’s own pricing page or help center, checked in November 2026 unless a different month is named. All figures are in US dollars and exclude state tax registration fees, benefits premiums and taxes themselves. We have not run payroll on these products; the comparisons rest on each vendor’s published information.
OnPay as the Closest Swap, Patriot as the Cheapest
- Closest like-for-like swap: OnPay Payroll Essentials, at $49 a month plus $6 per worker, with multistate payroll, unlimited pay runs and all tax filings included.
- Cheapest published price: Patriot Full Service Payroll, at $37 a month plus $5 per worker paid that month, or $87 a month for a 10-person team.
- Gusto’s own prices: Simple $49 plus $6, Plus $80 plus $12 and Premium $180 plus $22 per person, each per month.
- Quote-only providers: ADP RUN, Paychex Flex, Rippling, Justworks and Toast Payroll price by quote, so their cost depends on your real headcount.
- Biggest hidden gap: Gusto Simple covers single-state payroll only. A team with even one remote worker in another state pays Plus rates or switches.
Gusto Pricing in November 2026: The Baseline to Beat
Any switch starts with what you pay now. Gusto’s pricing page lists four plans, all billed month to month with no long contract.
| Gusto plan | Monthly base | Per person | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor Only | $35 ($0 for the first 6 months, terms apply) | $6 | Domestic contractor payments and Form 1099 filings |
| Simple | $49 | $6 | Single-state payroll, unlimited pay runs, tax filings, basic PTO |
| Plus | $80 | $12 | Multistate payroll, next-day pay, time tracking, HR tools |
| Premium | $180 | $22 | Dedicated service advisor, certified HR experts, priority support, migration help |
The add-ons are where the bill grows. On the Simple plan, next-day pay costs $15 a month plus $3 per person, and Time and Attendance Plus costs $6 per person after a free trial. Priority support runs $30 a month plus $3 per person, and the HR Resources add-on costs $50 a month plus $5 per person. Same-day pay costs $90 per payroll.
Most owners who shop for a Gusto alternative fall into one of three groups: some outgrew Simple because they hired in a second state, others want a lower per-person fee as headcount climbs, and a third group wants payroll inside a tool they already use, such as their POS or accounting software.
Entry Price, Billing Model and Multistate Cover by Provider
This table shows the entry price each provider publishes, how it bills, and the type of business it suits best. Prices are per month.
| Provider | Published entry price | Pricing model | Multistate on entry plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OnPay | $49 + $6 per worker | Flat base plus per worker | Yes, no added cost | Most small businesses leaving Gusto |
| Patriot Payroll | $37 + $5 per worker (Full Service) | Base plus workers paid that month | First state included, $12 per extra state | Lowest cost, single location |
| Square Payroll | $35 + $6 per person paid | Base plus people paid | Yes | Businesses that sell on Square |
| QuickBooks Workforce Payroll | Base fee + $7 per employee | Base plus per employee | Varies by plan | QuickBooks accounting users |
| Homebase Payroll | $49 + $6 per employee paid (Oct 2026) | Add-on to a Homebase plan | Varies by plan | Hourly teams that need scheduling |
| Rippling | From $8 per employee, plus a base fee | Modular quote | Quote | Teams adding HR, IT or global hires |
| Justworks | Quote | Per-employee admin fee (PEO) | Quote | Firms that want PEO benefits |
| ADP RUN | Quote | Package plus headcount and pay frequency | Quote | Owners who want a large provider |
| Paychex Flex | Quote | Package quote | Quote | Owners who want a human service contact |
| Toast Payroll | Quote | Base fee plus per employee, or a minimum | Quote | Restaurants on Toast POS |
The 10 Best Gusto Alternatives for US Small Businesses
1. OnPay: Best Overall Gusto Alternative
OnPay is the cleanest swap for a Gusto Simple customer, because the price is identical and the plan does more. According to OnPay’s pricing page, Payroll Essentials costs $49 a month plus $6 per worker. That includes unlimited pay runs, W-2s and 1099s, federal, state and local tax filings, and multistate payroll at no added cost. OnPay also says it charges no implementation or integration fees.
Extra tools are sold as add-ons, so you only pay for what you use: HR costs $15 a month plus $2 per worker, time tracking costs $15 plus $4 per worker, and a bundle of payroll, time tracking and HR is listed at $70 a month plus $10 per worker. The page offers one month free, though it does not spell out the terms.
- Choose it if: you are on Gusto Simple and hired, or plan to hire, in a second state.
- Watch out for: the pricing page shows two different prices for its larger bundles, so confirm the bundle price in writing.
2. Patriot Payroll: Cheapest Full-Service Payroll
Patriot is the budget pick, and its pricing is easy to predict because its help center article on monthly costs, dated August 2026, sets Full Service Payroll at $37 a month plus $5 per worker paid in the month. That plan files and pays taxes in one state, and each extra state adds $12 a month. Basic Payroll, where you file the taxes yourself, costs $17 a month plus $4 per worker.
Patriot charges the $5 once per worker each month, not per pay run, so weekly payroll costs no more than monthly payroll. In a month with no payroll, you pay only the base fee. Time and Attendance costs $6 a month plus $2 per employee who uses a time card, and HR software is priced the same way.
- Choose it if: you run a simple single-state payroll and want the lowest published full-service price.
- Watch out for: multistate teams pay $12 a month for every state after the first.
3. Square Payroll: Best for Square Sellers
If your till already runs on Square, payroll that reads the same timecards saves real admin time. Square Payroll’s pricing page lists full-service payroll at $35 a month plus $6 per person paid. Contractor-only payroll costs $6 per person paid, with no monthly base fee.
The full-service plan includes federal and state tax filings, multistate payroll, auto payroll, off-cycle runs and multiple pay rates. It also tracks direct tips, calculates overtime and reports labor costs. Paper W-2s and 1099s mailed by Square cost $3 per form each year. Owners who run a mobile business on Square can read our guide to the best POS systems for food trucks for the sales side of the setup.
- Choose it if: you sell on Square and want hours and tips to flow into payroll.
- Watch out for: the contractor-only plan does not file taxes or handle multistate payroll.
4. QuickBooks Workforce Payroll: Best for QuickBooks Users
QuickBooks now sells payroll under the Workforce name. Its payroll pricing page lists three plans, each with a monthly base price plus a per-employee fee: Workforce Payroll at $7 per employee, Workforce Premium at $13 and Workforce Elite at $17. A 50% discount for three months applies to the base price only, not to the per-employee fees.
All three plans file and pay taxes automatically. Workforce Payroll offers next-day direct deposit, while Premium and Elite add same-day deposit, time tracking and an HR resource center. Elite adds a personal HR advisor, expert setup and tax penalty protection of up to $25,000 a year, subject to conditions. The page says the product works with or without QuickBooks accounting.
- Choose it if: your books already live in QuickBooks Online and you want payroll entries posted automatically.
- Watch out for: the per-employee fee on Workforce Payroll is $1 higher than Gusto Simple, which adds up on bigger teams.
If you are a solo freelancer weighing QuickBooks against cheaper tools, our guide to QuickBooks Solopreneur alternatives for 1099 contractors compares the free options.
5. Homebase Payroll: Best for Hourly and Shift Teams
Homebase began as a free scheduling and time clock app, and payroll sits on top of it as an add-on. Its detailed pricing page, checked in October 2026, listed payroll at $49 a month plus $6 per employee paid, with a $29 rate for teams of up to five and the first six months free. The scheduling plans ranged from Basic at $0 for up to 10 employees at one location to All-in-One at $120 per location a month.
The appeal is simple: shifts, clock-ins and timesheets already live in Homebase, so hours reach payroll without re-entry, which matters most for cafés, retail shops and service businesses with part-time staff.
- Choose it if: scheduling hourly staff takes more of your week than running payroll.
- Watch out for: the six free months end, so budget on the full price for year two.
6. Rippling: Best for Teams Adding HR, IT and Global Hires
Rippling sells payroll as one module in a wider workforce platform. Its pricing page says plans start at $8 per employee per month, with a monthly base fee, and that payroll pricing depends on headcount and the products you choose. Most modules are charged per employee, and the final price comes from a custom quote.
The product list is broader than Gusto’s, since Rippling offers global payroll, global contractor payments, employer of record and contractor of record services, plus a PEO option. A startup that expects to hire abroad, or to manage laptops and app access alongside payroll, can keep all of it in one system.
- Choose it if: you plan to hire outside the US or want HR and IT tools in the same platform.
- Watch out for: the $8 figure is a starting point, and adding modules raises the per-employee price.
7. Justworks: Best PEO-Style Alternative
Justworks works as a professional employer organization, or PEO. Under that model, the PEO shares employer duties and can give a small company access to group benefits. The Justworks pricing help article describes two PEO plans, Basic and Plus, billed monthly with an admin fee for each active employee and each unpaid owner. Plus plan rates vary by type of user and depend on the total number of active W-2 employees.
Several billing details affect the final figure: part-time employees who average 30 or more hours a week are billed at the full-time rate, contractors are billed per contractor paid each month, and new customers may prepay the first year of admin fees during onboarding.
- Choose it if: you want better health benefits than a small group plan can usually buy on its own.
- Watch out for: owners count toward the bill even when they take no salary.
8. ADP RUN: Best for Owners Who Want a Large Provider
RUN Powered by ADP is ADP’s payroll service for companies with 1 to 49 employees. Its package comparison page lists four tiers: Essential Payroll, Enhanced Payroll, Complete Payroll and HR Plus, and HR Pro Payroll and HR. ADP prices each by quote and says the cost depends on how often you run payroll and how many people you pay.
The tiers build on each other, starting with Essential, which covers tax filing and a single-county background check, with W-2 and 1099 forms at an additional fee. Enhanced adds job posting through ZipRecruiter, check security, state unemployment insurance management and garnishment service. Complete adds a handbook wizard and a basic HR help desk, and HR Pro adds applicant tracking, learning tools and legal assistance. In November 2026 the page advertised up to six months free for new small business payroll customers, with terms.
- Choose it if: you expect to grow into HR outsourcing and want one large provider for years.
- Watch out for: W-2 and 1099 forms cost extra on the Essential tier.
9. Paychex Flex: Best for a Dedicated Human Contact
Paychex Flex is sold in packages. In October 2026 the Paychex Flex comparison page listed Essentials, Select, Pro and Enterprise tiers, plus Paychex HR Pro, with prices given by a sales rep. The packages include options such as time and attendance with scheduling, tip disbursement and fast pay methods, including Same Day ACH and Real-Time Payments.
Paychex suits owners who would rather call a person than read a help article, and who are comfortable negotiating a contract, so compare its written quote against the published prices in this guide before you sign.
- Choose it if: you value a service contact over a low sticker price.
- Watch out for: quote-based pricing makes it harder to compare, so ask for every fee in writing.
10. Toast Payroll: Best for Restaurants on Toast POS
For a restaurant already running Toast POS, Toast Payroll removes the export step between the POS and payroll. The Toast Payroll product page describes hours flowing straight from the POS and automatic tip pooling with custom splits, as checked in October 2026. Pricing is contract-based. Toast’s billing article describes a base fee plus a per-employee rate, or a monthly minimum per pay group. It counts every employee marked Active on the first check date of the month, whether they are paid or not.
Restaurants comparing more options can use our full guide to payroll software for restaurants, which covers tip credits and Form 8846.
- Choose it if: you run Toast POS and want tips and hours handled in one system.
- Watch out for: seasonal staff left as Active still count toward the monthly bill.
What Payroll Costs at 5, 10 and 25 People
Published prices only tell you so much until you apply them to your own team, so we ran the numbers in Python for every plan with a full public price, using the base fee plus the per-person fee at three team sizes. Add-ons, state registration fees and promotions are left out.
| Plan | 5 people | 10 people | 25 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patriot Basic Payroll (you file taxes) | $37 | $57 | $117 |
| Patriot Full Service Payroll | $62 | $87 | $162 |
| Square Payroll | $65 | $95 | $185 |
| OnPay Payroll Essentials | $79 | $109 | $199 |
| Homebase Payroll (Oct 2026 list price) | $79 | $109 | $199 |
| Gusto Simple | $79 | $109 | $199 |
| Gusto Plus | $140 | $200 | $380 |
| Gusto Premium | $290 | $400 | $730 |
Two points stand out from the arithmetic. At 25 people, Patriot Full Service costs $37 a month less than Gusto Simple, which is $444 a year. The bigger saving comes for a multistate team, because a 10-person company forced onto Gusto Plus for multistate payroll pays $200 a month, while OnPay charges $109 for the same headcount with multistate included. That gap is $91 a month, or $1,092 a year.
To see how payroll fits next to rent, software and other overheads, drop these figures into our free small business expense spreadsheet template.
Which Gusto Competitor Fits Your Business
The right pick depends less on price than on where your other work already happens, so treat these matches as a starting point rather than a final answer.
- One state, under 25 people, price first: Patriot Full Service, or Patriot Basic if you are happy to file taxes yourself.
- Workers in two or more states: OnPay, because multistate payroll comes in its entry price.
- Retail or café on Square: Square Payroll, since timecards and tips already sit in Square.
- Books in QuickBooks Online: QuickBooks Workforce Payroll, so payroll posts to your ledger.
- Many hourly staff and shifting rotas: Homebase, with scheduling and payroll in one app.
- Plans to hire abroad: Rippling, for global payroll and employer of record services.
- Benefits are the priority: Justworks, through its PEO plans.
- Restaurants: Toast Payroll on Toast POS, otherwise Square, OnPay or Homebase.
Businesses that pay only freelancers may not need full payroll at all. Gusto and Square both sell contractor-only plans, and many contractors bill you directly. If you are the contractor, our free invoice generator creates a clean invoice for each job.
How to Switch From Gusto Without a Filing Gap
Changing payroll providers mid-year is common, but the timing and paperwork need care, and the following steps keep your tax records in one piece.
- Pick a clean start date: many owners switch at the start of a calendar quarter, so each quarter’s payroll tax return comes from one system.
- Export year-to-date records first: download payroll registers, tax payment history and employee year-to-date totals from Gusto before you cancel. The new provider needs them to produce correct W-2s.
- Ask who handles migration: Gusto Premium includes migration help, and OnPay says it charges no implementation fee. Ask each new provider whether it loads your history for you.
- Run the old and new systems once in parallel: compare one payroll’s net pay and withholdings line by line before you go live.
- Update employee details: collect direct deposit and tax withholding forms in the new system before the first pay date.
If you are hiring as you switch, our job description generator drafts a role listing in a few minutes.
Contractor Fees, OnPay vs Gusto and Multistate Payroll
What Is the Cheapest Alternative to Gusto?
Patriot Payroll has the lowest published full-service price in this guide, at $37 a month plus $5 per worker paid that month. Its Basic Payroll plan costs $17 a month plus $4 per worker, but you file the payroll taxes yourself.
Is OnPay Better Than Gusto?
On price and features at the entry level, OnPay offers more for the same money. Both charge $49 a month plus $6 per person, but OnPay includes multistate payroll, while Gusto’s Simple plan covers one state only. Gusto Plus and Premium include extra HR and support features that OnPay sells as add-ons.
How Much Does Gusto Cost per Month?
Gusto Simple costs $49 a month plus $6 per person, Plus costs $80 plus $12 per person, and Premium costs $180 plus $22 per person, as of November 2026. A 10-person team on Simple pays $109 a month before add-ons.
Does Gusto Charge for Contractors?
Yes. A business that pays only contractors can use Gusto’s Contractor Only plan at $35 a month plus $6 per person, with the base fee waived for the first six months under Gusto’s terms. The plan covers domestic contractor payments and Form 1099 filings.
Which Gusto Alternative Is Best for Multistate Payroll?
OnPay and Square Payroll include multistate payroll in their entry prices. Patriot includes one state and charges $12 a month for each extra state, while Gusto requires its Plus or Premium plan.
Gusto, OnPay, Patriot, ADP and Paychex Plan Comparisons
- Gusto: Pricing
- OnPay: Costs and pricing
- Patriot Software: How to calculate the monthly cost of payroll services
- Square: Payroll pricing
- QuickBooks: Payroll services pricing
- Homebase: Detailed pricing
- Rippling: Pricing
- Justworks Help Center: Pricing
- ADP: Payroll price and plan comparison
- Paychex: Flex package comparison
- Toast: Payroll
- Toast Support: Payroll invoice and billing information
This article is for information and education only and is not investment, tax or financial advice. Figures were checked on November 1, 2026; confirm current details with the official source or a registered adviser before acting.
