Accounting & Finance · head to head
ADP vs Gusto
The short version
- Each has a real cost: ADP no pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken; Gusto customer service can be slow and unresponsive to issues
- They diverge on capability: ADP covers Payroll, Gusto covers Automated payroll.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ADP and Gusto actually diverge.
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in ADP
- Payroll
- Tax services
- HR management
- Time & attendance
- Sage
- Oracle
- SOC 1/2
- ISO 27001
Only in Gusto
- Automated payroll
- Tax filing
- Time tracking
- Employee onboarding
- HR compliance
- Workers' comp
- 401(k) management
- Xero
Both cover
- Benefits administration
- QuickBooks
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ADP
- Payroll processing and tax filingnot Gusto
- HR administration and employee recordsnot Gusto
- Time and attendance trackingnot Gusto
- Benefits administration
- Talent management on the mid-market and enterprise productsnot Gusto
Gusto
- Payroll processingnot ADP
- Benefits administration
- Tax compliancenot ADP
- Employee onboardingnot ADP
- Time trackingnot ADP
Both are used for benefits administration, on those jobs the choice comes down to price and fit rather than capability.
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ADP
- No pricing is published; every quote is custom and driven by employee count and which services are taken
- Split into three separate products by company size, RUN for 1 to 49 employees, Workforce Now for 50 and above, and Lyric HCM for enterprise, so growing across a threshold means changing product rather than plan
Gusto
- Customer service can be slow and unresponsive to issues
- Weak reporting capabilities, cannot export data to spreadsheets for analysis
- Support staff lacks deep payroll expertise and knowledge
- Rehired employees do not have settings reset, causing manual cleanup work
- City tax handling requires additional monitoring and monitoring
- Onboarding can have issues with bank account verification and tax registration
Pricing, plan by plan
ADP
$29/month- Essential$79/month
- Payroll
- Tax filing
- Direct deposit
- Enhanced$139/month
- HR tools
- Background checks
- Job posting
Gusto
$49/monthNo published plan breakdown. See the Gusto review.
Which should you pick?
Questions people ask
- Is ADP or Gusto better?
- Neither clearly leads. ADP starts at $29/month and Gusto at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ADP or Gusto?
- ADP starts at $29/month and Gusto at $49/month.
- Does ADP or Gusto run on more platforms?
- ADP runs on Web, Ios, Android. Gusto runs on Web.
- What is ADP best used for?
- ADP is most often used for payroll processing and tax filing, hr administration and employee records, time and attendance tracking, benefits administration. Of those, payroll processing and tax filing and hr administration and employee records are not what Gusto is typically brought in for.
- What can ADP do that Gusto cannot?
- ADP covers Payroll, Tax services, HR management, Time & attendance. Gusto covers Automated payroll, Tax filing, Time tracking, Employee onboarding. Both handle Benefits administration, QuickBooks.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
Gusto: What is Gusto's starting price?
Gusto starts at $49 per month plus $6 per person. The company also offers a Contractor-only plan for $35 per month plus $6 per contractor.
SourceGusto: Does Gusto include unlimited payroll runs?
Yes, all Gusto plans include unlimited payroll runs at no extra charge, including off-cycle payrolls.
SourceGusto: What core features are included in Gusto?
All plans include payroll processing, tax administration, digital onboarding, benefits enrollment, time tracking, performance management, and next-day direct deposit for most plans.
SourceGusto: Does Gusto support integrations?
Yes, Gusto integrates with accounting software, applicant tracking systems, benefits providers, time-tracking tools, and other business platforms to reduce data entry.
SourceRelated pages
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