Gusto

Small to medium-sized businesses (typically 1 to 100+ employees), including residential and commercial trade contractors across various specialty trades (such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and residential remodeling).

Gusto pricing is public and operates on a tiered subscription model combining a monthly company base fee with a per-employee or per-contractor monthly fee. Tiers include Contractor Only ($35/month base + $6/contractor), Simple ($49/month base + $6/employee), Plus ($80/month base + $12/employee), and Premium ($180/month base + $22/employee). Custom pricing is available for high-volume or enterprise businesses.

Monthly company base fees range from $35 to $180, plus $6 to $22 per employee or contractor per month. For example, for a 10-person team: the Simple plan costs $109/month ($49 base + $6/user), the Plus plan costs $200/month ($80 base + $12/user), and the Premium plan costs $400/month ($180 base + $22/user). The Contractor Only plan costs $35/month base plus $6/contractor per month.

Standard API access via Gusto's Developer Portal and built-in integrations (e.g., QuickBooks Online, Xero) carry no separate baseline API fee. However, separate costs apply for specific add-on modules and integration services, including time tracking on the Simple plan ($6/employee/month), external health insurance broker integrations (~$6/employee/month), next-day direct deposit add-ons ($15/month + $3/employee), and tax-advantaged benefits management ($200 annual service fee for HSA/FSA administration).

$0 mandatory setup fees. Gusto does not charge mandatory onboarding or implementation fees. Account setup and migration are self-service on basic plans, while full-service payroll migration and account setup are included at no additional cost in the Premium plan.

Yes

REST API with JSON payloads and OAuth 2.0 authentication

Gated. While developer portal sign-up and sandbox demo access are free, production access requires submitting a Production Pre-Approval application, undergoing a Security Review, and passing QA review. Additionally, Gusto does not support direct internal API access for individual customer companies to connect their own systems directly; API access is restricted to approved third-party integration partners and embedded platform developers.

Rate limits are set to 200 requests per minute per application-user pair evaluated on a 60-second rolling window (returning HTTP 429 Too Many Requests). Updates use optimistic version control requiring a resource 'version' attribute in PUT requests (returning HTTP 409 Conflict if outdated). Access is strictly restricted by authorized OAuth scope permissions.

Admins can generate and download standard and custom reports (e.g., Payroll Journal, Payroll Summary, Employee Directory, Tax Filings) in CSV, Excel (.xlsx), and PDF formats from the Reports UI. Includes a General Ledger Mapper tool to export CSV files formatted to custom charts of accounts and support for scheduled email report notifications.

Gusto offers no native AI-powered dispatching, job scheduling, or route optimization features. While Gusto includes native time tracking, time clock kiosks, and shift variance reporting tools, dispatching and field scheduling for trade/construction contractors are offloaded to third-party integrations like Workyard and Contractor Foreman.

Gusto offers no native AI estimating, AI invoicing, or AI-driven AP/AR automation. Its financial tools include basic invoicing via Gusto Money, payroll credit lines, automated payroll tax filing, and workforce job-costing reports. Job estimating and AP/AR workflows rely on integrations with accounting and field management software like QuickBooks Online or Contractor Foreman.

Gusto natively connects to standard small-to-midsize business accounting platforms including QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, FreshBooks, Sage Intacct, Sage Accounting, Aplos, Kick, and ZarMoney. Specialty construction accounting systems such as Foundation Software lack direct native API integrations with Gusto, requiring contractors to rely on manual CSV file uploads using Gusto's General Ledger Mapper or custom third-party integrations. For field and project management (PM), Gusto integrates natively with platforms such as Buildertrend (construction management), Homebase, Deputy, When I Work, and QuickBooks Time (TSheets). The accounting-to-field integration model is hybrid: field/time data from supported partners (e.g., Buildertrend) syncs natively into Gusto to run payroll, and Gusto natively outputs payroll journal entries into supported accounting platforms (e.g., QuickBooks Online, Sage Intacct). However, workflows connecting non-native field systems or specialized trade accounting systems rely on third-party tools (e.g., Zapier, Synder), custom API connections, or manual ledger mapping.

Gusto offers a public App Directory / Marketplace where users can search and enable native integrations categorized by operational needs such as accounting, time tracking, expense management, and business operations. Additionally, Gusto operates a public Partner Directory (gusto.com/partners/directory) that allows small business owners and trade contractors to search for verified accounting, bookkeeping, and advisory partners filtered by location, industry, and software expertise.

Gusto is widely supported by HRIS and payroll unified-API platforms, including Finch, Merge.dev, Truto, Kombo, Knit, and Apideck. These unified APIs allow third-party applications to read employee directory, employment history, pay statements, and company structure from Gusto, as well as write deductions and contributions back into the system. While construction-focused unified APIs like Agave connect project management and construction ERP systems (e.g., Procore, Autodesk Build, Sage), employment-specific integrations for Gusto are handled by platforms like Finch and Merge.dev.

Gusto is payroll processing software rather than a general ledger system, but it exports payroll journal entries (wages, taxes, and benefits) to sync with accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks Online, Xero) on both cash and accrual accounting bases.

Typically takes days to weeks (ranging from same-day self-service for small teams to an average of 10 business days / 2-4 weeks when using Gusto's white-glove migration service).

No. Gusto is designed for self-serve setup and offers free internal onboarding assistance for historical payroll transfers, so a paid third-party implementer or VAR is generally not required.

Gusto serves more than 400,000 to 500,000 small businesses nationwide across direct subscriptions and partner networks.

Gusto is considered a modern, growing cloud platform rather than a legacy system. The company surpassed $1 billion in annual revenue (growing from $750 million in 2024 and $500 million in 2023) and was valued at $9.3 billion following a $200 million employee tender offer in June 2025. It has raised over $746 million in total primary venture funding. Recent expansion moves include the ~$600 million acquisition of 401(k) provider Guideline, the acquisition of multi-state compliance startup Mosey, and major enterprise distribution deals like powering U.S. Bank Payroll.