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It's a split decision.
Choose Gusto if you need payroll plus HR, time tracking, benefits and multi-state support. Choose SurePayroll if you mainly need payroll and tax filing at a lower starting price. Gusto starts at $49/month plus $6 per person; SurePayroll lists a $20/month plan plus $4 per employee, but also shows alternate prices of $29 and $39. Neither has a free plan, and SurePayroll’s listed prices need checking before you switch.
01Side by side
| Gusto | SurePayroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/month + $6 per person | $20/month + $4 per employee; alternate prices listed |
| Free plan | No free plan | No free plan |
| Best for | Businesses needing payroll and broader HR tools | Small businesses and households needing payroll |
| Core strength | Payroll, HR, benefits and time tools | Payroll runs and automatic tax filing |
| Learning curve | Not published | Not published |
| Integrations/data | Integration details not supplied | Accounting and timeclock integrations listed |
| Team/seat costs | $6–$22 per person monthly by plan | $4–$7 per employee monthly by plan |
| Support | Review score 4/10; complaints temper the case | Review score 4.5/10; verify plan details |
Gusto Choose Gusto if
- Choose Gusto if you need payroll and HR in one platform.
- Choose Gusto if time tracking and scheduling should sync with payroll.
- Choose Gusto if you need benefits, hiring or compliance tools.
SurePayroll Choose SurePayroll if
- Choose SurePayroll if a lower listed base price matters most.
- Choose SurePayroll if automatic tax filing is your main need.
- Choose SurePayroll if you pay household employees or contractors.
02Pricing compared
Gusto’s Simple plan is $49/month plus $6 per person, with unlimited payrolls, tax filings and basic PTO. Plus is $80/month plus $12 per person; Premium is $180/month plus $22 per person. Plans are month-to-month, and Gusto has no free plan.
SurePayroll lists No Tax Filing at $20/month plus $4 per employee, or Full Service at $29/month plus $7 per employee. But its pricing also lists alternate prices of $29 and $39 for those plans, so confirm the quote before switching. No Tax Filing leaves tax filing and deposits to the employer; Full Service handles them. SurePayroll also has no free plan, and its plans are monthly and cancellable anytime. The lower starting price is real on the listed page, but the inconsistent figures make it less certain.
03Features and depth
Gusto covers more than payroll. Its listed features include tax filing, AutoPilot payroll runs, time tracking and scheduling, PTO, hiring and onboarding, benefits, compliance support, and contractor management. Plus adds time tracking, scheduling and multi-state payroll; Premium includes HR guidance and Gusto Business Compliance. That makes Gusto the broader fit if you want payroll connected to HR and team administration.
SurePayroll is more focused on paying workers and handling payroll records. Full Service calculates, files and deposits federal, state and local payroll taxes, and supports W-2 employees and 1099 contractors. Both SurePayroll plans list unlimited payroll runs, including off-cycle runs at no extra charge. It also lists free 2-day direct deposit, automatic payroll scheduling, and online access to reports, paystubs and payroll history. Multi-state payroll costs an additional $9.99/month, with the first state included. If you need benefits, recruiting or HR tools in the same product, the published SurePayroll details do not list those capabilities.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Neither product’s published information establishes how quickly a new team can learn its interface, so we would not treat either as a proven easier setup. SurePayroll’s narrower payroll focus may mean fewer areas to configure if all you need is payroll; it lists automatic scheduling and online records available around the clock. Gusto has more to manage, but its time tracking can sync with payroll and it offers onboarding and HR tools in the same platform.
The review assessments put Gusto’s ease-of-use score at 7 and SurePayroll’s at 6.5. Those scores are close, and the review notes flag support complaints for both. If switching, check the specific setup and support requirements with each provider rather than assuming the lower-priced plan will take less work.
Questions people ask
Are SurePayroll and Paychex the same?
The published product information describes SurePayroll as online payroll software, but it does not establish whether SurePayroll and Paychex are the same company or how they are related. We would verify that directly with the companies before relying on an ownership or branding assumption.
Is Gusto a good payroll service?
Gusto’s listed features cover payroll and tax filing, with additional HR, hiring, time tracking and benefits tools. Our published review assessment scores it 6.3 overall, while noting support complaints and per-person pricing as drawbacks. Whether it is a good fit depends on whether you need those broader tools.
What companies use Gusto?
The published material does not name Gusto customers or publish a customer list, so we can’t reliably identify specific companies that use it. Gusto is described here as software for businesses, but that alone does not establish which organizations are current customers.
Is Gusto cheaper than ADP?
We can’t establish that from the published information because it includes Gusto pricing but no ADP prices or plan details. Gusto’s Simple plan is listed at $49/month plus $6 per person, but a fair comparison would need an equivalent ADP plan, fees and employee count.