Gusto launched in 2012 with a clear goal: make payroll as simple as possible for small business owners who have no HR background. In 2026 it has expanded into a full people platform covering payroll, benefits, time tracking, onboarding, and compliance — all accessible from a single dashboard without needing to switch between systems.
The Simple plan covers the fundamentals: automated payroll, federal and state tax filing, direct deposit, basic PTO tracking, and employee self-service. For a five-person team the total monthly cost is $79. For ten employees it is $109. These numbers are published openly on the Gusto website, which sets it apart from ADP and Paychex, both of which require a sales call before revealing pricing.
The Plus plan adds multi-state payroll, time tracking, next-day direct deposit, and a more capable HR toolkit. At $80/mo base plus $12 per employee, the jump in cost is meaningful but the feature expansion is substantial for teams that are actively growing.
The March 2026 price increase on the Simple plan — from $40 to $49/mo base — was the first significant price change in several years. It does not change the value case for small teams, but it is worth factoring into annual budget planning.
Gusto is not the right tool once a business crosses around 50 employees, operates across many states, or needs certified payroll for government contracts. At that point Rippling or ADP Workforce Now become more appropriate. But for the large majority of small businesses, Gusto remains the benchmark.