Alternatives
Best Gusto alternatives in 2026
Data compiled by Toolradar Updated How we rate
Cite this list: Toolradar, best Gusto alternatives 2026, toolradar.com/alternatives/gusto
13 direct alternatives to Gusto, compared on pricing, features, and best-for use cases. Pick the right replacement without the marketing fluff.
Quick answer
- Rippling is the top alternative to Gusto on our list, followed by Deel and BambooHR.
- 2 of the 13 alternatives have a free plan, starting with Odoo.
- Highest rated: Rippling, 4.8 out of 5 from 18,284 ratings, Sep 2026.
- 13 alternatives
- 2 with a free plan
Top 3 alternatives to Gusto
Rippling
#1 Top pickUnify HR, IT, and finance for seamless employee management
Starting price
From $8 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of October 2026
4.8 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 18,284 ratings, Sep 2026
Our take
Best overall
Deel
#2Hire globally, pay compliantly, and manage payroll worldwide
Starting price
From $19 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of October 2026
4.7 /5 across G2, Capterra and Trustpilot · 20,580 ratings, Sep 2026
BambooHR
#3HR software for small businesses
Starting price
From $10 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of October 2026
4.5 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 10,281 ratings, Sep 2026
Gusto vs 13 alternatives
| Tool | Starting price (Oct 2026) | Free plan | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Price: $49/mo | Free plan: No | 3.5 out of 5, from 15,084 ratings across G2 and Trustpilot (15,084) |
| Price: $8/mo | Free plan: No | 4.8 out of 5, from 18,284 ratings across G2 and Capterra (18,284) |
| Price: $19/mo | Free plan: No | 4.7 out of 5, from 20,580 ratings across G2, Capterra and Trustpilot (20,580) |
| Price: $10/mo | Free plan: No | 4.5 out of 5, from 10,281 ratings across G2 and Capterra (10,281) |
 | Price: $27/mo | Free plan: No | 4.4 out of 5, from 5,158 ratings across G2 and Capterra (5,158) |
 | Price: $29/mo | Free plan: No | 4.4 out of 5, from 5,083 ratings across G2 and Capterra (5,083) |
 | Price: Contact sales | Free plan: No | 4.4 out of 5, from 2,778 ratings across G2 and Capterra (2,778) |
 | Price: $39/mo | Free plan: No | 4.2 out of 5, from 3,561 ratings across G2 and Capterra (3,561) |
| Price: $38/mo | Free plan: No | 4.4 out of 5, from 405 ratings on G2 (405) | |
 | Price: Contact sales | Free plan: No | 4.6 out of 5, from 1,447 ratings on G2 (1,447) |
 | Price: $29/mo | Free plan: No | 4.4 out of 5, from 1,610 ratings across G2 and Trustpilot (1,610) |
 | Price: $31.1/mo | Free plan: Yes | 4.2 out of 5, from 1,686 ratings across G2 and Capterra (1,686) |
 | Price: Contact sales | Free plan: No | 4.5 out of 5, from 765 ratings on Capterra (765) |
 | Price: Free + paid | Free plan: Yes | 2.7 out of 5, from 2,205 ratings across G2 and Trustpilot (2,205) |
Why people consider alternatives to Gusto
Gusto is a modern payroll and HR platform for small businesses. Run payroll in minutes with automatic tax calculations and filings. Benefits administration for health insurance, 401(k), and more.
Teams most often switch away when one of these starts to bite:
- Pricing at scale as usage or premium tiers add up.
- Missing integrations with the rest of your stack.
- Performance or scale limits as your needs grow.
- A specific feature gap you have hit in hr & recruiting.
The 13 alternatives below cover the same core job (HR & recruiting) with different trade-offs.
Gusto by the numbers
Toolradar data: Gusto's entry paid plan ($49/mo, billed monthly) ranks #24 of 31 (joint) for price among the Payroll tools with a verified entry price and no stated unit, where the median is $25/mo. It is listed as an alternative to 55 other tools on Toolradar, ranking #3 of 78 in Payroll. As of Nov 2026.
- #3 most-listed alternative in HR & Recruiting, out of 415 tools in HR & Recruiting. Source: Toolradar data, Nov 2026.
- #7 most-listed alternative in Accounting, out of 289 tools in Accounting. Source: Toolradar data, Nov 2026.
- #2 most compared in HR & Recruiting, out of 70 tools with 20+ compare-page visits in HR & Recruiting. Source: Toolradar data, Nov 2026.
| Metric | Gusto | Peer median | Position (1 is best) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | $49/mo, billed monthly | $25/mo | #24 of 31 (joint) tools with no stated price unit, verified price |
| Free plan | No | 15% have one | n/a |
| Listed as an alternative to | 55 tools | 3 | #3 of 78 |
| User rating | 3.5/5 (across the web, 15,084 ratings) | 4.4/5 | #58 of 59 (joint) tools with 20+ reviews |
| Compare-page visits, last 30 days | 131 visits | 54 | #2 of 15 tools with 20+ compare-page visits |
Visitors most often compare Gusto with Rippling, BambooHR and Deel MCP (last 30 days, Nov 2026).
Listed as an alternative to: #3 on 2026-10-16 to #3 on 2026-11-02 (rank among 78 tools, 1 is best).
Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. A lower entry price ranks higher; prices are read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis. All Payroll data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source.
Cite this: Toolradar, “Gusto by the numbers”, Nov 2026.
HR & Recruiting leaderboards from Toolradar data
Toolradar ranks HR & Recruiting tools on one measure at a time, only where at least 8 tools have data. As of Nov 2026.
Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 95 tools with no stated price unit, verified price.
Lowest entry price, per-user plans
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 35 tools priced per user, verified price.
| # | Tool | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AccessOwl | $1.50/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 2 | Engagedly | $2/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 2 | Sling | $2/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 2 | TalentHR | $2/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 5 | When I Work | $2.50/user/mo, billed monthly |
Lowest entry price, per-employee plans
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 17 tools priced per employee, verified price.
| # | Tool | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ThriveSparrow | $2/employee/mo, billed monthly |
| 2 | PeopleForce | $2.50/employee/mo, billed yearly |
| 3 | ChartHop | $8/employee/mo, billed monthly |
| 3 | Shapes (formerly DreamTeam) | $8/employee/mo, billed monthly |
| 5 | ActivTrak | $10/employee/mo, billed monthly |
A position exists only when at least 8 tools have data for that metric. 156 of 415 HR & Recruiting tools have a verified price; the others publish none we could read (often "contact sales"). Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source. How we compute this. Cite this: Toolradar, “HR & Recruiting leaderboards”, Nov 2026. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. All HR & Recruiting statistics.
13 alternatives to Gusto
Ranked by G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editor review, plus how directly they replace Gusto.
- 1
Rippling
Paid Higher rated by usersUnify HR, IT, and finance for seamless employee management
4.8 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 18,284 ratings, Sep 2026
From $8/user/mo, billed monthly
- 2
Deel
Paid Higher rated by usersHire globally, pay compliantly, and manage payroll worldwide
4.7 /5 across G2, Capterra and Trustpilot · 20,580 ratings, Sep 2026
From $19/employee/mo, billed monthly
- 3
BambooHR
Paid Higher rated by usersHR software for small businesses
4.5 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 10,281 ratings, Sep 2026
From $10/employee/mo, billed monthly
- 4
Xero
Paid Higher rated by usersCloud accounting with automated bank feeds and online invoicing
4.4 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 5,158 ratings, Sep 2026
From $27/mo flat, billed monthly
- 5
Remote
Paid Higher rated by usersGlobal HR platform for distributed teams
4.4 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 5,083 ratings, Sep 2026
From $29/mo, billed monthly
- 6
Lever
Paid Higher rated by usersAll-in-one talent acquisition to build equitable hiring
4.4 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 2,778 ratings, Sep 2026
Price not published
- 7
Paychex
Paid Higher rated by usersSimplify payroll, HR, and workforce management
4.2 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 3,561 ratings, Sep 2026
From $39/employee/mo, billed monthly
- 8
QuickBooks
Paid Higher rated by usersSmall business accounting software
4.4 /5 on G2 · 405 ratings, Sep 2026
From $38/mo, billed monthly
- 9
Ease
Paid Higher rated by usersDigitize your benefits lifecycle with enrollment, quoting, and HR tools
4.6 /5 on G2 · 1,447 ratings, Sep 2026
Price not published
- 10
Oyster
Paid Higher rated by usersHire globally, compliantly. We handle international employment
4.4 /5 across G2 and Trustpilot · 1,610 ratings, Sep 2026
From $29/mo, billed monthly
- 11
Odoo
Free plan Cheaper than GustoAll-in-one open-source business management software with a vast app ecosystem.
4.2 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 1,686 ratings, Sep 2026
From $31.10/user/mo, billed monthly; free plan available
- 12
Greenhouse
Paid Higher rated by usersHiring software for growing companies
4.5 /5 on Capterra · 765 ratings, Oct 2026
Price not published
- 13
Workday
Free plan Cheaper than GustoComprehensive cloud HR and finance management for large enterprises
2.7 /5 across G2 and Trustpilot · 2,205 ratings, Sep 2026
Free plan available; paid prices not published
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Gusto?
Based on real-signal scoring (G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editorial review), the top alternatives to Gusto are Rippling, Deel, BambooHR. Each solves the same core job with different trade-offs on pricing, features, and integrations.
Is there a free alternative to Gusto?
There is no fully free alternative in this list. Odoo is freemium: a permanent free tier plus paid plans (All-in-one open-source business management software with a vast app ecosystem).
Why do people look for Gusto alternatives?
Common reasons teams switch away from Gusto: pricing that scales aggressively, missing integrations with the rest of their stack, performance or scale limits, or a specific feature gap in hr & recruiting. The alternatives on this page solve the same core problem with different trade-offs.
Side-by-side comparisons
In-depth comparison pages for Gusto versus each alternative.
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