Gusto Reviews

“Great payroll and HR solution”

Pros

Managing multiple contractors used to be a headache but this platform has made it incredibly easy. There's virtually no administrative stuff left for me to deal with because they take care of all the paperwork, tax forms, and legal documents that need to go out to contractors. Everything is handled and paid on schedule, so I don't lose sleep over it. My contractors seem satisfied too, I've never gotten any complaints. Honestly I recommend this to every business owner I meet, it's that reliable.

Cons

The only real drawback I can point to is the price, I wouldn't mind if it were free but then again I get that a free product wouldn't make sense because the company needs a business model to keep the service running.

“Excellent support & business value”

Pros

Running payroll and managing employee benefits has become incredibly simple with it and the interface is really interactive and easy to use.

Cons

Honestly, there aren't many negatives I can think of. A couple times I couldn't locate specific info, but support always helped me track it down when I called. The only real issue was figuring out how benefits worked for new employees, doing everything online instead of talking to someone face-to-face made it a bit confusing at first.

“good choice for nonprofits”

Pros

As treasurer for our small non-profit railroad museum, It has honestly been a lifesaver for me. We have a mix of full-time employees and seasonal part-timers, and it takes care of the entire onboarding flow with no hiccups even automatically submitting new-hire reports to the state. Getting payroll set up was surprisingly simple and I can fly through our biweekly payroll runs without breaking a sweat. Every January the W-2s are generated and mailed out right on schedule, which is one less thing for me to worry about. What really wins me over is how the system tracks legal and regulatory changes . for instance, Illinois' new earned time off rules and updates to retirement enrollment . so I'm not constantly chasing compliance updates. During our Workers' Comp audit a quick query pulled every piece of data I needed, which was a huge time saver. It reliably keeps us compliant with withholding rules and manages quarterly filings with both state and federal agencies. On the rare occasions I've needed human help, their support has been quick and helpful. Honestly the service is so solid that I routinely turn down calls from other payroll vendors.

Cons

The website layout can be a little confusing at times and I've been thrown off a couple of times, but when that happens I can always reach out to their support team and they walk me through it.

“best partner for modern business”

Pros

As a Gusto partner, I have access to a platform that keeps evolving thanks to committed developers and well-informed tax professionals. The support team really understands local payroll taxes and the tricky labor issues US employers face on a regular basis. This company has essentially transformed payroll automation and raised the industry standard, forcing competitors to play catch-up. What I find most notable is how it caters to small businesses, which account for roughly 44% of the economy. These employers need payroll solutions that are affordable and easy to use. Since payroll is often a company's largest expense and investment, picking the right system matters immensely. Too many small business owners don't fully appreciate how essential accurate payroll and employee data management are. While automation is a major draw, it also emphasizes data security, offering features like two-step verification. The team put together something that's both simple and transparent. I frequently recommend it to small business owners who need to see how paychecks connect with benefits, HR policies and compliance. The dashboard makes those connections clear, unlike other services that seem to obscure what's happening behind the scenes. The insights feel intelligently designed, nearly psychological in their approach. Tools such as performance surveys, onboarding checklists, offer letters with embedded legal language and compensation analytics all seem deliberately thought out. The payroll estimator for partners is especially useful. QuickBooks integration is included at no extra cost and saves a huge amount of time. Onboarding flows are smoother because employees enter their own information which cuts down on mistakes caused by manual entry or illegible handwriting. Reporting is easy to use, and setting up time tracking for sick leave, holidays and multiple pay rates across roles is surprisingly simple.

Cons

I've noticed a frustrating aspect of the onboarding experience: there's a heavy-handed sales push for Gusto Wallet and savings products that confuses employees. Many of them assume their employer is endorsing or requiring these financial services as part of the hiring process, when in reality it's a separate sales tactic. This should be handled outside of onboarding so employees don't feel pressured or believe it's a condition of employment.

“Works well but pricing bait”

Pros

Everything runs really smoothly and I'm genuinely impressed by how reliable it is and by the dependable support team backing it. Installing the system was simple, although, like with many payroll platforms, getting started at the beginning of the year makes the process much less painful. The available features meet my needs and perform reliably.

Cons

My main disappointment came when they implemented a pricing change halfway through the year that drove my monthly bill up quite a bit. They shifted the single feature I relied on into a more expensive tier, which really hurt. I don't object to paying extra when the value is clear but this move felt like a bait-and-switch and wiped out the cost benefit that convinced me to sign up in the first place.

“supportive design”

Pros

As someone who started my first small business, I have to say the interface is gorgeous and makes the whole experience enjoyable. The layout is very interactive, so I never felt lost or overwhelmed while using it. It really took a lot of the intimidation out of building and running my company and actually made it fun. Their customer service is outstanding, truly incredible and I honestly can't imagine running my business for the past six years without their steady support. They always go above and beyond whenever I need assistance.

Cons

Setting up the new CalSavers retirement program ended up being a bit of a headache for me because I discovered the platform hasn't partnered with them yet. That missing connection made the process more complicated and more time-consuming than it needed to be for my small business.

“Missing Key Payroll Features”

Pros

For our workflow, having recurring reimbursements set up has been a real time-saver and convenient. Support staff are generally friendly and seem well-informed, although lately I've been hearing "No, Gusto can't do that" more frequently than I'd prefer.

Cons

I'm honestly annoyed that a payroll provider based in California doesn't offer CalSavers integration. it makes me suspicious they're steering clients toward other retirement options, maybe because they get incentives. Our performers have to log different hourly rates for rehearsals versus live shows, yet the platform forces us to set those up as separate job entries and only lets timekeeping happen on one of them. Trying to extract even basic reports is a nightmare: I can't generate a simple export that includes employee Social Security numbers and contact details, so every time we run payroll I end up manually entering SSN information for CalSavers enrollment. The fee model, roughly eighty dollars a month plus twelve dollars per person, pushes us into a cycle of terminating and rehiring artists during slow stretches because keeping them on the books gets prohibitively costly. All of this piles up into a huge administrative burden for our small team.

“easy but always broken”

Pros

At this point I haven't come across any standout features that truly wow me.

Cons

I've run into endless obstacles when trying to accomplish simple tasks. For three days now, expense processing has been totally unusable and keeps spitting out "error communicating with server" even though other parts of the app are working fine. The tax configuration was miserable as well. I couldn't edit the workers' comp risk class code for one state, which resulted in me spending hours on hold with several different representatives. One rep told me to email the tax team, they finally replied after more than a week, despite their earlier warnings about possibly blocking our payroll. If you don't want to spend multiple hours each week troubleshooting with support, I'd recommend looking for an alternative.

“simple but can't get help”

Pros

I really appreciate how interactive the interface is, finding reports is simple and adjusting withholdings couldn't be simpler. It handles IRS and state agency payments automatically which saves me tons of time since I don't have to deal with manual submissions. Overall, it's been a reliable payroll solution that I'd definitely recommend to others.

Cons

The pricing has increased and getting actual human support when you need help with complicated issues can be challenging. My state has really complex business tax filing requirements and I'd prefer speaking with someone who can answer my questions but that's often difficult to arrange.

“easy to learn”

Pros

I was able to get the system up and running in a single day & it was surprisingly easy to pick up. When I need help, customer support is quick and painless to reach. The rollout went a lot more smoothly than with other platforms I've used. My team and I rely on it all week long, they update records repeatedly while I pop in for a weekly review. What really impresses me is how feature-rich it is. Tax integration is flawless, and dealing with unemployment claims, W-2s, and 1099 onboarding for employees is very easy.

Cons

I find the billing summary in our account really confusing . entries appear as long, random mixes of letters and numbers, so I'm never sure whether a particular charge is someone's payroll, our subscription fee, or a cost tied to a newly added employee. Other providers I've used typically label debits clearly, so this lack of clarity feels like a basic thing that was overlooked.

“Simple and always improving”

Pros

It is very easy to use. They keep improving the service and roll out fresh features on a regular basis. Whenever we've reached out for help, the team replies remarkably quickly. Moving from our internal payroll system to this provider turned out to be one of our best business decisions.

Cons

We occasionally hit limitations, although we generally manage to find workarounds when that happens. The mobile app, however, feels a bit lacking and could benefit from enhancements.

“Stress relief for new owners”

Pros

It totally changed the way I manage weekly wages, and it automatically produces all the necessary tax forms, W-2s included when tax time rolls around. The layout is clean and easy to use, so tasks that used to cause me a lot of stress are now far simpler to handle for both my business and personal payroll needs.

Cons

I can't pinpoint any drawbacks, everything ran without a hitch and it genuinely simplified how I run my business.

“user-friendly and helpful”

Pros

Overall, I find the app really easy to use, especially because it gives a lot of practical tips that make learning the ropes simple. My favorite part has become the reminders, I no longer miss payroll runs since the system sends automatic alerts. When I contacted support, I was pleasantly surprised by how attentive and helpful the team was. I rely on it often for bringing on new hires, staying on top of compliance, and pulling together different reports. What impresses me most is how smoothly it links with various payment platforms and how simple it is to connect other tools and apps.

Cons

I can't really point to any major negatives so far, because I enjoy experimenting with the range of features to make sure I'm getting the best possible experience.

“easy to use every day”

Pros

I really like how clear and easy to follow their communications are, and they don't overwhelm me with constant messages. They only send things that are actually useful and relevant which feels refreshing compared to everyone else pestering you all the time. When I need to pull up older paystubs, they're right where I expect them and easy to find. Everything is kept in one place and it even links to my benefits providers so I don't have to hunt them down separately when I need to make changes. Requesting time off is simple too, and I genuinely appreciate the clean layout of the website and how everything is communicated.

Cons

After my time off is approved, I can't change it, for example if I originally asked for eight hours but only end up needing six because meetings were added, I'm forced to keep the original request and there's no option to edit or reduce it which is frustrating.

“works good but multiple glitches”

Pros

I find the interface very interactive and bringing new hires on board is simple. My entire team likes how easy it is to use, and since I work in it every day, I can confirm the experience remains reliably smooth.

Cons

We've been fighting a recurring problem where one employee's time-off balance resets or displays wrong numbers every year, and her vacation submissions keep glitching out. After opening countless support tickets and exchanging months of emails back and forth, nothing has been resolved so far, and it's really frustrating. The onboarding flow also has annoying restrictions . I can't view new hires' details while they're still completing their initial paperwork, so I'm stuck waiting until they finish those forms before I can do anything. Time-off administration is another pain point, the system doesn't offer enough editing capabilities and I wish there were more flexibility to adjust requests or balances when needed. Performance can be sluggish at times too. For example whenever I upload documents they don't show up in employee records right away . it usually takes at least a day before the files are visible, which slows down our processes and causes extra follow-up.

“Saves time but too expensive”

Pros

Running a small business means every minute matters to me. It lets me bypass most of the usual payroll headaches and it's been part of my workflow for several years, so I trust it completely. On the rare occasions when two mistakes happened over the years, they resolved both situations quickly and professionally far better than other remote services I've had to deal with. The web interface is simple and interactive, and the autopilot payroll feature frees up an enormous amount of my time.

Cons

real con is the cost. I don't use most of the features they include and I wish there were a cheaper tier aimed at tiny businesses like mine.

“Great time tracking but limited app”

Pros

I've been using this time-tracking app daily and honestly it's the best I've found yet. What really impresses me is how it keeps track of my hours across different spans . not only daily totals but across pay period and year. The interface makes it really easy to update things like banking details or an address when required. Even the pig mascot is a charming detail, especially because it changes outfits with each new season. The entire system is interactive enough that people who struggle with technology can use it without trouble. I'd certainly recommend this to any business owner seeking dependable time-tracking solutions today.

Cons

I don't have many big complaints but the mobile app seems more limited than the website. When I punch out for lunch I can't view the precise time on my phone which makes it hard to tell when my break ends and when I need to clock back in.

“Best for banking access”

Pros

Every week I use this and find it very user-friendly. Being able to access my details, including paystubs, right from my phone is fantastic. I can break down my pay as I need without trouble. Setting up a weekly deposit to my Gusto account was simple and the debit card works great. The banking experience has been excellent overall. After trying several payroll platforms, this one still stands out as my clear favorite.

Cons

I can not really point to any major problems that bother me.

“Too much for small owners”

Pros

the interface is very user friendly and there's a huge amount of useful documentation at my fingertips. Processing payroll has become much simpler for me. Whenever I've had questions, support has been detailed and quick to respond. Having switched from a pricey, awkward payroll system, this feels like a major upgrade.

Cons

I run a very small owner-operator setup, so this system sometimes feels like overkill for my needs. It obviously excels at managing larger, more complicated payrolls, but what I actually require is a simple way to pay myself as the only employee and remain S-Corp compliant with the IRS. Over recent years they've gotten rid of the lower-cost tiers that previously suited businesses of my size, the Basic plan is no longer available. As a result, even the entry-level option now includes far more features than I use and I'm stuck paying a considerably higher price than before.

“easy setup that runs payroll on autopilot”

Pros

Getting everything set up was ridiculously easy and at this point it basically runs on autopilot, honestly feels like I've brought a dedicated payroll specialist onto the team without the extra hire. It takes care of both contractors and W-2 employees smoothly, so I don't have to worry about manual interventions. Processing 1099s is super simple now, I'm no longer rushing at month's end trying to find forms. Monthly payroll used to be a effort, but now it's something I barely have to think about. The QuickBooks sync keeps everything flowing cleanly, and the interface is simple and dependable. Overall, this tool has freed up a ton of our time so we can concentrate on the core business instead of payroll minutiae.

Cons

While the payroll functions themselves work well, what bothers me is that essential features like HR support and the ability to handle multiple states are locked behind higher-priced plans. The initial simplicity that attracted me becomes a lot more complicated once you need anything beyond the basic package and that can be frustrating.