Every business, whether large or small, faces the challenge of efficiently managing payroll and human resources (HR) functions while remaining compliant with regulations. These tasks, while essential, can quickly become overwhelming, especially for growing organizations with limited resources. That’s where tools like Bambee and Gusto come into play, offering distinct solutions to simplify and optimize these important operations.
Bambee specializes in outsourced HR support, providing a full range of services, such as payroll, benefits, and compliance. Gusto stands out as a people platform that helps growing businesses onboard, pay, insure, and support their teams efficiently with payroll, benefits, and more.
Read this detailed Bambee vs Gusto comparison as we explore their key features, pricing, and benefits to help you decide which platform is the best fit for your company’s goals and operational needs.
Bambee Vs Gusto: At A Glance
Features
Bambee
Gusto
HR Management
Offers a dedicated HR manager for personalized compliance support and employee relations
Provides basic HR tools like employee onboarding and self-service portals
Compliance Support
Focused on ensuring compliance with labor laws, creating policies, and managing audits
Includes automated compliance features like tax filings and benefits reporting
Payroll Processing
Includes guided payroll, employee misclassification protection, and automatic taxes
Fully featured payroll processing with automated tax filings and direct deposits
Employee Benefits
Assists with compliance regarding benefits and provides HR support for employee queries
Comprehensive benefits administration, including health insurance, 401(k), and PTO tracking
Pricing
Starts at $99/month
Starts at $40/month with $6/month/person
What Is Bambee?
Bambee HR is a human resource management service designed to help small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) navigate the complexities of compliance, employee relations, and workplace policies. By combining technology with personalized HR expertise, Bambee focuses on ensuring businesses comply with labor laws and manage employee concerns effectively.
It creates a professional and legally sound work environment. With Bambee, companies can manage creating customized policies and resolving workplace disputes without being overwhelmed by legal jargon or complex regulatory requirements.
Unique Features Of Bambee
Dedicated HR Manager: Every business is assigned a real, experienced HR manager who provides personalized guidance for compliance, employee relations, and policy creation
Audit Preparation: Bambee prepares your business for potential audits by ensuring your compliance documentation is up-to-date and accurate
Compliance Training: Offers employee training modules on critical compliance topics such as sexual harassment, workplace safety, and more
Smart Cabinet: Bambee ensures compliance with EEOC document retention standards by securely storing all HR documents in a centralized Smart Cabinet
Who Are The Main Users?
Bambee primarily serves a wide range of industries, including:
Startups
Healthcare
Food and beverages
Health and wellness practices
Construction and trade businesses
Non-profit organizations
Pros And Cons Of Bambee
Pros
Handles time-consuming HR tasks like policy creation and complaint tracking
Minimizes risks by keeping compliance records in order
Quick and responsive customer support services
Cons
Often requires manual input for tailored documents and policies
Gusto HR software is an all-in-one payroll and human resources platform designed to simplify the way businesses manage payroll, employee benefits, and HR tasks. Known for its intuitive user interface and automation capabilities, Gusto is ideal for businesses seeking to manage essential HR functions without needing extensive HR expertise.
With Gusto, businesses can automate payroll tax filings, offer comprehensive benefits packages, and provide employees with an easy-to-use self-service portal for accessing pay stubs, benefits information, and more. The platform focuses on enabling businesses to scale easily by integrating payroll, benefits, and HR management under a single dashboard.
Unique Features Of Gusto
Employee Self-Service Portal: Employees can view their pay stubs, manage benefits, and update personal information directly through the platform
Tax Compliance Automation: Automatically updates compliance as tax laws change, which reduces the risk of costly errors
Time Tracking Integration: Built-in time tracking allows for accurate payroll based on employee hours and integrates with PTO management
Gusto Global: The software provides the ‘Global’ feature to pay contractors and hire international employees
Who Are The Main Users?
Gusto is popular among small to medium companies looking for a simple, automated payroll and benefits solution. The industries include:
Manufacturing
Real estate
Retail and hospitality
Non-profit organizations
Law firms
E-commerce
Pros And Cons of Gusto
Pros
Employees can manage their own HR needs via self-service tools
Helps in informed decision-making through its detailed insights
Users appreciate its visually appealing and modern interface
Cons
Users have reported delays in response times for customer support queries
May be slower in updating changes during payment scheduling
Bambee Vs Gusto: Side-By-Side Comparison
1. HR Policy Development
Bambee provides advanced options when it comes to creating and managing HR policies. With it, you gain access to a dedicated HR manager who works with you to draft, update, and implement custom HR policies tailored to your business’s specific needs.
This includes making employee handbooks, setting workplace codes of conduct, and creating anti-harassment policies. Bambee ensures that these policies comply with state and federal labor laws, shielding businesses from potential legal issues.
Gusto, on the other hand, approaches HR policy development through its comprehensive suite of templates and tools. The platform’s automated tools enable business owners to create and customize essential workplace policies.
It provides templates for employee handbooks, PTO policies, and workplace safety guidelines. The software integration with compliance tools ensures that the policies align with current labor laws.
Winner:Gusto excels with its automation capabilities. It optimizes HR policy creation through pre-built templates and automated customization tools.
2. Employee Onboarding
Bambee takes a supportive approach to employee onboarding. This includes developing welcome kits, explaining policies to new hires, and ensuring all necessary forms and documents (like I-9s or W-4s) are completed accurately. Businesses gain access to a dedicated HR manager who provides expert guidance and ensures a smooth onboarding experience.
Employees can digitally sign important documents, manage their files online, and even consult the HR manager for any questions. The platform also offers centralized storage for all employee records and company policies, ensuring quick access. With Bambee, new hires are welcomed professionally, while HR tasks remain hassle-free.
Gusto, on the other hand, simplifies onboarding through automation. Its platform allows businesses to onboard employees digitally, which enables new hires to complete forms, e-sign documents, and review policies online. Gusto’s self-service portal is especially useful for new employees, as it provides immediate access to their pay stubs, benefits, and tax information.
Additionally, Gusto offers customizable onboarding checklists to ensure that every step is completed efficiently. The automation and self-service features save time and provide a consistent experience for all employees.
Winner:Gusto is the winner here, as its self-service portal empowers employees to manage their pay, benefits, and tax information independently.
3. Employee Benefits Administration
Bambee simplifies the complexities of employee benefits by providing a dedicated HR manager to guide businesses through changing regulations and ensure compliance. Their expert support includes creating specialized HR policies, conducting in-depth HR audits, and assisting via phone, email, and chat.
This platform centralizes document storage and company data, helping businesses avoid errors and stay organized. Bambee specializes in managing various employment types, including full-time, part-time, contractors, and remote staff. It helps businesses navigate the unique requirements of each category while maintaining a compliant and supportive work environment.
Gusto, in contrast, shines in this area by providing a fully integrated benefits administration platform. It allows businesses to offer health insurance, 401(k) retirement plans, commuter benefits, and more, all smoothly integrated into payroll processing.
Employees can enroll in and manage their benefits through Gusto’s self-service portal, which eliminates the need for manual paperwork. Its ability to handle benefits administration in all 50 states makes it a better choice for businesses with a geographically dispersed workforce.
Winner:Bambee wins for its customized, compliance-focused HR support and hands-on assistance with employee benefits.
4. Scalability
Bambee is an ideal solution for small businesses that are looking for personalized HR support without the overhead of an in-house HR department. Bambee's flexible pricing structure ensures that as companies grow, they can continue accessing personalized HR management services, such as policy creation, compliance assistance, and ongoing HR guidance.
However, its reliance on human support can become a limitation for larger organizations with complex HR requirements. As businesses grow beyond a certain size, the personal touch as HR managers provided by Bambee may not be as efficient or cost-effective for managing larger workforces or more intricate HR functions.
Gusto, on the other hand, offers a fully automated, scalable solution that is ideal for small and mid-size businesses, particularly those that are experiencing rapid growth. Its platform provides a comprehensive suite of tools designed to optimize HR and payroll processes, which makes it easy for companies to add new employees, adjust benefits, and integrate with other software as needed. For businesses with a larger number of employees, Gusto’s automation ensures that tasks remain efficient and smooth.
Its ability to handle complex payroll and HR needs, including the management of large-scale benefits packages, makes it a better option for growing businesses looking to scale quickly without sacrificing quality or efficiency. Moreover, Gusto's platform can easily integrate with third-party applications and accounting software that provides businesses with the flexibility to expand and adapt their HR systems as they evolve.
Winner:Gusto wins this round due to its fully automated, scalable solution that is ideal for businesses experiencing rapid growth.
5. Pricing
Bambee offers flexible pricing plans tailored to the requirements of employees. Their pricing is transparent, with no hidden fees, ensuring that businesses only pay for the services they use. Its plans include:
No Employees Yet - $99/month (No setup fee)
1-4 Employees -$299/month (Plus a $500 one-time setup fee)
5-19 Employees - $399/month (Plus a $500 one-time setup fee)
20-49 Employees - $499/month (Plus a $1,500 one-time setup fee)
50-70 Employees - $1,299/month (Plus a $2,000 one-time setup fee)
71+ Employees - Custom Pricing
Gusto, offers a range of flexible pricing plans for payroll and HR services, with transparent pricing and no hidden fees. The available plans are:
Simple - $40/month, plus $6/month/employee
Plus -$80/month, plus $12/month/employee
Premium - $180/month, plus $22/month/employee
Additionally, Gusto provides a special plan for businesses without W-2 employees:
Contractor Only Plan - $35/month, plus $6/month/contractor
Winner: The winner is Gusto due to its more affordable and flexible pricing structure, especially for smaller teams or businesses with contractors.
Final Verdict: Choosing The Right Payroll And HR Solution
When it comes to selecting the ideal payroll and HR software, both Bambee and Gusto bring valuable features to the table. While their approaches differ, they both offer advanced solutions that cater to small and medium-sized businesses in need of HR support and compliance management.
Bambee shines in providing personalized, hands-on HR expertise, which makes it an ideal choice for businesses looking for personalized guidance. On the other hand, Gusto’s automated processes and all-in-one HR and payroll platform make it a strong contender for companies that prioritize efficiency, scalability, and smooth integration of HR functions.
Ultimately, the right choice between Bambee vs Gusto depends on your unique business needs and priorities. Both platforms offer valuable tools that can elevate your business’s HR management and set your business up for long-term success.
