Paylocity vs Gusto
Best for
Small and mid-market U.S. organizations that want a unified payroll and HR/HCM platform with strong employee self-service.
Small and mid-sized U.S. employers that want full-service payroll bundled with benefits, hiring and core HR in one easy-to-use platform.
Strong when
Employee experience, mobile adoption and a single system of record spanning HR and, increasingly, finance are priorities.
Ease of use, automated payroll tax filing, integrated benefits and a simple employee experience are priority requirements.
Validate before buying
Reviewers cite support consistency during peak times; implementation/setup fees apply and global payroll is integration-based rather than native.
Gusto is built for SMB needs; organizations requiring deep enterprise HCM, broad global payroll or heavy configurability should validate fit against larger platforms.
Pricing
Per-employee-per-month and quote-based; a demo request is required for a customized quote.
Published subscription tiers combining a base monthly fee with per-person pricing; confirm the current plan, add-ons and contractor options on the official pricing page.
Implementation
Setup and implementation fees apply and vary by company size and configuration.
Self-serve onboarding is typical for small teams; validate migration effort for existing payroll history, benefits and prior-provider data.
Employees
5001-10000
1001-5000
Headquarters
Schaumburg, Illinois
San Francisco, California
Founded
1997
2011
Categories
PayrollHCM
PayrollHCMBenefits AdministrationHealth & Wellbeing
Core capabilities
Payroll and tax filingHRISBenefits administrationTime and attendanceTalent managementOnboarding and performanceEmployee self-service and mobileEmployee engagement / community
Payroll processing and tax filingBenefits administrationHiring and onboardingTime tracking and PTOCore HR / HRISContractor paymentsEmployee self-service
Decision snapshots reflect verified profiles where available. Paylocity · Gusto