We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money
It's a split decision.
Choose Gusto for payroll and HR when you need state-based plans and a clear monthly base price. Its Simple plan is $49/month plus $6/person/month. Choose Deel for hiring and paying workers across countries, especially contractors or employees without local entities. Deel’s $14 entry plan is Find Talent, not payroll; Contractor costs $49 per contractor monthly, and EOR costs $599 per employee monthly.
01Side by side
| Gusto | Deel | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Simple: $49/month + $6/person/month | Find Talent: $14/worker/month |
| Free plan | No free plan listed | No free plan listed |
| Best for | Payroll and HR for businesses | Hiring and paying global workers |
| Core strength | Payroll automation, tax filings, and HR | Global payroll, hiring, and worker management |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations/data | Not published | Not published |
| Team/seat costs | Plus $12; Premium $22 per person monthly | Contractor $49; EOR $599 per worker monthly |
| Support | Review notes support complaints | Review says support feedback is mixed |
Gusto Choose Gusto if
- Choose Gusto if payroll automation and tax filings are priorities.
- Choose Gusto if you want time tracking synced with payroll.
- Choose Gusto if you need benefits and HR tools alongside payroll.
Deel Choose Deel if
- Choose Deel if you hire employees in 130+ countries without local entities.
- Choose Deel if you pay global contractors in 120+ currencies.
- Choose Deel if visa, IT, and global payroll tools matter.
02Pricing compared
Gusto Simple is $49 per month plus $6 per person per month, for basic payroll in one state. Its plans are month-to-month, and the pricing page does not publish annual rates. Deel’s $14 per worker per month Find Talent plan covers candidate sourcing and screening, not payroll. For contractors, Deel lists $49 per contractor per month; its US PEO plan is $125 per employee per month, and EOR is $599 per employee per month. Deel says its pricing is month-to-month; annual rates are not published. These prices cover different jobs, so the headline starting prices are not a like-for-like comparison. For US payroll, compare Gusto’s plan and per-person charge with Deel US PEO. For cross-border employment without a local entity, Deel lists EOR at $599 per employee monthly.
03Features and depth
Gusto’s feature set centers on payroll and HR for businesses: payroll and tax filings, AutoPilot, time tracking, PTO, scheduling, hiring and onboarding, benefits, compliance support, and contractor management. Its Plus plan adds time tracking and scheduling, multi-state payroll, and contractor invoice management. The published product details do not list global employee hiring without a local entity as a Gusto feature. Gusto also lists global contractor payments at $5 per payment to a US-based bank account, with no monthly per-contractor fee for global contractors.
Deel is built around an international workforce. Its product information lists global payroll, HR, IT and devices, benefits, hiring, and visa services; the homepage says it supports payroll in 150+ currencies and operates in 150+ countries. Its Contractor plan includes payments in 120+ currencies and classification compliance. EOR is for hiring employees without local entities, with employment in 130+ countries. For a mostly domestic team, Gusto’s payroll and HR coverage is the closer fit. For cross-border hiring, Deel’s country and worker-type options are the material difference.
04Ease of use and learning curve
The available review scores rate ease of use at 7/10 for both products, so they do not establish a clear winner on learning curve. The more useful distinction is what you need to set up: Gusto’s listed plans cover payroll, HR, and related benefits, while Deel offers separate services for contractors, US PEO, and EOR. Deel’s $14 Find Talent plan is for sourcing and screening, not payroll, so choosing by its lowest listed price can mean starting with the wrong product. The published materials do not provide setup times or detailed onboarding steps for either platform. Check the plan scope and worker type before comparing the interfaces.
Questions people ask
Can I use Gusto for two jobs?
The published Gusto information does not explain how it handles someone working two jobs or whether separate employer accounts are needed. It does say Gusto supports employee payroll and contractor management, but that does not settle the two-job setup. Confirm the account arrangement with Gusto before relying on it.
Is Gusto a good payroll service?
Gusto’s published review says it covers payroll and HR well, with a 6.3 overall score and 8/10 for features. The same review flags per-person pricing and support complaints, scoring support and user sentiment 4/10. Whether it is a good fit depends on your need for payroll, HR, and the added per-person cost.
Is Deel a payroll company?
Yes. Deel lists local and global payroll, and its product information says it supports payroll in 150+ currencies. Its plans differ by use case: Contractor covers contractor payments, US PEO covers US employees, and EOR covers employees hired without local entities. Check the plan details rather than treating every Deel plan as payroll.
How do I terminate my Gusto account?
The published materials do not give steps for terminating a Gusto account. They say Gusto plans are month-to-month and can be canceled anytime, but that does not specify the account-closure process or what happens to records. Check Gusto’s current cancellation instructions before closing the account.