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Gusto Review

9.9
exceptional
Top10.com Staff

In a Nutshell

Servicing more than 40,000 small businesses across all 50 states, Gusto has a reputation for being on your side, and with a tagline like, “We believe that humans aren’t resources,” it’s no wonder. Gusto has made its mission to emphasize the “human” in human resources, focusing on employee benefits, automation, and ease of use.

pros

  • Easy integration with QuickBooks, Xero, Deputy, and others
  • Friendly, easy-to-use, personable software

cons

  • No PEO option
  • Only manual processing for mandated deductions

Gusto Gusto Visit Site

Gusto's HR Features

As previously mentioned, Gusto tries its hardest to “treat people like people, not ID numbers.” It does this by offering an easy platform for managers to work with (taking much of the burden and stress off of their shoulders) and a benefit-laden program for employees to enjoy (making workers happier to work for you!) These are some of the features we really liked from Gusto’s feature menu:

Payroll

Most HR software offers payroll services, and Gusto is no different. What does make it stand out is the unlimited payroll option. This service allows users to pay employees any time they want for no additional fees. No need to wait until the scheduled payment cycle arrives. Gusto payroll lets you make off-cycle payments, award bonuses, and factor in one-time workers without a hassle. Cancelling payments is also easier with Gusto than most other sites.

Gusto payroll software


HR Services

HR services are the things that make your life easier and your company a better place to work. Some of the most relevant features are available from Gusto including employee health benefits like health insurance and unemployment, time off tracking and payments, college savings, and 401Ks. And for added convenience, all of these benefits are handled and organized on the same online dashboard for faster, easier management.

Onboarding

Hiring managers will appreciate the ease with which Gusto incorporates new hires into the system. When an applicant is approved for the job, the manager just clicks a button to automatically onboard the new employee. Then, the system sends all of the necessary contracts, tax forms, and paperwork to the new recruit to sign and send back. It’s faster and more efficient than ever.

Accounting and Time Management

Gusto integrates with Deputy time-tracker so you can easily see which employees are taking their work seriously (combine that with the talent, attendance, and task management features, and you can get a really clear picture of employee productivity). Additionally, Gusto syncs with QuickBooks, Xero, TSheets, and other time sheets so your hours are instantly updated and added to the payments system. Tax management features ensure that your books are always handled properly according to state and federal legislations, and Gusto will even update your taxes according to the latest reforms and regulations.

Bundle this software with other Gusto features like data security and back office assistance, and it’s easy to see why so many people like this company.

Records and Reports

Gusto reports are simple for even the most non-technical employee. Fields are customizable, and you can create, manage, and print several types of reports including payroll reports, individual employee productivity charts or team reports, timesheets, employee surveys (anonymous or by name), and new hire reports.

Flexibility of Terms

Gusto has several HR packages that businesses can sign up for on a monthly or yearly basis. Additionally, Gusto lets you customize your packages, so you can choose which features you want to pay for and which are unnecessary for your business.

Pricing

While the pricing for Gusto services will vary based on which features and plans you are interested in, its prices are highly competitive, much lower than some of the competition. For example, a sample pricing for Gusto’s payroll services on the Simple Plan is $40 per month, plus $6 per user. With this package, you receive automatic tax filing, unlimited payrolls, multiple pay rates and schedules, multi-state payroll, time off tracking, and tax form amendments. You’ll also get expedited payroll services when applicable.

For the general HR services pricing, see the table below:

Plan
Price
Sample Features
Simple
$40/mo + $6/mo/per person

Full payroll

Employee benefits

Expert support

Plus
$80/mo + $12/mo/per person

Onboarding

Paid time off requests

Employee directory & surveys

Premium
Exclusive pricing for larger teams

Certified HR professionals

Dedicated support

HR resources

*Prices last updated July 2022

As you can see, these plans are considerably less than you’ll pay elsewhere. The Simple package is a great basic level plan that provides startups and SMBs with an affordable option that is still loaded with useful features like unlimited payrolls, tax filing, unemployment insurance, reports, health benefits, and unlimited customer support.

Gusto also offers a free trial, something you won’t find with most other HR software providers. This is a serious advantage as you can test drive the software without any commitment. You also won’t have to pay any setup fees or end of the year W2 filing with this company.

Usability

The modern online user interface makes adding and updating information easy. What’s more, once you’ve set up your schedules, settings, and preferences, Gusto HR software takes care of most of the work automatically. This way you don’t have to keep going back to update or manually set things in motion.

Gusto does not have a dedicated mobile app. Rather, it is mobile-optimized, so you can log directly onto the website from your mobile device without the added step of downloading an app. The mobile site has all of the same functionality, features, and navigation as the regular desktop site with exactly the same look, feel, and processing for a seamless experience.

Gusto has strong layers of security on its site, so users might not appreciate the 2-step authentication, but it is really the best way to keep your organization and business information secure. As a side note, Gusto also provides thorough security for all of its data centers including biometric and iris scanner locks, surveillance cameras that are monitored 24/7, and onsite security staff.

Gusto Gusto Visit Site

Customer Support

The entire look and feel of the site is friendly, open, honest, and clear, which makes for a better, quality user experience right from the start. Gusto continues with the same attitude by hiring and training professional customer support staff to field all of its customer relations and questions. Every experience we had with Gusto’s customer service was a positive one, and you will find the same results from an online search of its reviews.

Is Gusto Worth It?

Providing a wide range of helpful features, offering useful and clear information directly on its website, and delivering more services than you could imagine, Gusto is a pleasure to work with. Combine that with the full range of services and a surprisingly affordable price tag, and this company quickly shoots to the top of the charts. With a free trial, you can’t go wrong.


* Update for April 2023: Gusto was not impacted by the Silicon Valley Bank shutdown. Gusto has a redundant system of leading national banks, including JP Morgan Chase and PNC. A redundant system of banking partners means working with more than one bank for money movement processes - so if one banking partners fails, you can still access funds through another. Gusto has been using this system for many years, ensuring if one bank failed or experienced disruption, customers would still be supported.

Top10.com's editorial staff is a professional team of editors and writers with dozens of years of experience covering consumer, financial and business products and services.

Gusto customer reviews

Based on 215 reviews

Ease of use

Brand satisfaction

Value for money

Service quality

Top Reviews

Ease of use

Brand satisfaction

Value for money

Service quality

8 months ago

Great detail throughout the software. Help is available when needed. Great customer support when I needed it.

9 months ago

I like it because it saves time and precious money, I am extremely grateful for the time I now spend with the family.

9 months ago

Gusto is a really good business management software tool. They have a lot of tools for your business to consider using, now and in the future, to help you grow.

9 months ago

Gusto is a good option for a payroll software. It offers the most premium features and is always upgrading its services and tools.

9 months ago

Gusto has a good storage facility for its software applications and it's more reliable. I've found it's more efficient when compared to other competitors' software.

9 months ago

I like that it is tailored for small and medium size businesses and can be easily installed and implemented.

9 months ago

It was very easy to use and understand. It also helps you learn how to use the program with many hands on activities.

9 months ago

Gusto is inclusive, innovative, and trustworthy. It has great marketing and Sales Force automation. Gusto's software allows me to manage all my company's relationships and interactions with customers and potential customers. It increases customer retention, shortens the sales cycle, and always helps us to sell more. It also decreases customer acquisition costs.

9 months ago

It does everything that it promises and then some. This software has saved me a lot of time and headaches when dealing with my employees payroll and taxes. Gusto really works, and I don't think I need to use anything else.

9 months ago

I love Gusto's human resource software. Their support was very helpful, and I found it the best software for me.

9 months ago

It's a bang for your buck. It helps management save lots of time and stress by taking on many management tasks for you.

10 months ago

It helps manage my employees and it helps me build my business. I really like the tools Gusto offers.

10 months ago

Gusto is very good HR software and has made our payroll process incredibly easy. Their customer support is excellent.

10 months ago

Gusto is a great tool to have for your payroll. My employees like the site a lot because it also gives them tools on how to save money, or saves it for them.

10 months ago

Gusto is great. The software is very inexpensive compared to other HR software. It's very effective at helping us streamline our processes and accurately gets the job done.

10 months ago

Gusto's best feature is payroll. Gusto allows you to run unlimited payrolls in all fifty states for both hourly and salaried employees. Gusto takes care of deductions and automatically files payroll taxes.

10 months ago

Gusto strives to help all their customers in the best possible way. I have never had an issue that they couldn't easily resolve. The customer support is excellent and the software works perfectly for us.

10 months ago

Great Human Resources programs. Fast & reliable customer service. All the resources you need on one platform.

10 months ago

I had an excellent experience with Gusto. It is extremely easy-to-use. I love it. It's easy to manage. I'm beyond happy to have found this.

10 months ago

The Gusto human resources platform is a small business owner's partner when coupled with its payroll service.

215 reviews
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