Is BambooHR or Gusto better?

Neither clearly leads. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Gusto at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, BambooHR or Gusto?

BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Gusto at $49/month.

Does BambooHR or Gusto run on more platforms?

BambooHR runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Gusto runs on Web.

What is BambooHR best used for?

BambooHR is most often used for hr system of record with employee data and documents, time off tracking and approvals, applicant tracking and onboarding, performance reviews and 1:1s on the pro tier. Of those, hr system of record with employee data and documents and time off tracking and approvals are not what Gusto is typically brought in for.

What can BambooHR do that Gusto cannot?

BambooHR covers Employee database, Time-off management, Benefits tracking, Performance reviews. Gusto covers Automated payroll, Tax filing, Benefits administration, Time tracking. Both handle Slack, QuickBooks, SOC2.

HR · head to head

BambooHR vs Gusto

BambooHR

HR software with heart

From: $10/month per employee
Rated: -

Full review Website

Gusto

Payroll

The people platform for small businesses

From: $49/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: BambooHR organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price; Gusto customer service can be slow and unresponsive to issues
They diverge on capability: BambooHR covers Employee database, Gusto covers Automated payroll.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which BambooHR and Gusto actually diverge.

Attributes where BambooHR and Gusto differ
Attribute	BambooHR	Gusto
Starting price	$10/month per employee	$49/month
Pricing model	subscription	Unknown
Platforms	Web, Ios, Android, Api	Web
Category	HR	Payroll
Founded	2008	2011

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 BambooHR

Employee database
Time-off management
Benefits tracking
Performance reviews
Onboarding
Reporting & analytics
Mobile access
Document management

Only in Gusto

Automated payroll
Tax filing
Benefits administration
Time tracking
Employee onboarding
HR compliance
Workers' comp
401(k) management

Both cover

Slack
QuickBooks
SOC2

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

BambooHR

HR system of record with employee data and documentsnot Gusto
Time off tracking and approvalsnot Gusto
Applicant tracking and onboardingnot Gusto
Performance reviews and 1:1s on the Pro tiernot Gusto
Compensation planning and benchmarking on Elitenot Gusto

Gusto

Payroll processingnot BambooHR
Benefits administrationnot BambooHR
Tax compliancenot BambooHR
Employee onboardingnot BambooHR
Time trackingnot BambooHR

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

BambooHR

Organisations of 25 or fewer employees pay a flat rate starting at $250 a month, so a very small team pays far more per head than the listed per-employee price
Per-employee pricing starts at 26 employees, from $10 on Core
Performance management, 360 reviews and recognition all require Pro at $17 per employee per month
Compensation management, salary benchmarking and advanced analytics are Elite only at $25 per employee per month
Compliance training is rationed by tier, at 1 course on Core against 300 on Elite

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

BambooHR

$10/month per employee

No published plan breakdown. See the BambooHR review.

Gusto

$49/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Gusto review.

Which should you pick?

Choose BambooHR if

You need employee database.
You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
You also want time-off management.

BambooHR review

Choose Gusto if

You need automated payroll.
You also want tax filing.

Gusto review

Questions people ask

Is BambooHR or Gusto better?: Neither clearly leads. BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Gusto at $49/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, BambooHR or Gusto?: BambooHR starts at $10/month per employee and Gusto at $49/month.
Does BambooHR or Gusto run on more platforms?: BambooHR runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Gusto runs on Web.
What is BambooHR best used for?: BambooHR is most often used for hr system of record with employee data and documents, time off tracking and approvals, applicant tracking and onboarding, performance reviews and 1:1s on the pro tier. Of those, hr system of record with employee data and documents and time off tracking and approvals are not what Gusto is typically brought in for.
What can BambooHR do that Gusto cannot?: BambooHR covers Employee database, Time-off management, Benefits tracking, Performance reviews. Gusto covers Automated payroll, Tax filing, Benefits administration, Time tracking. Both handle Slack, QuickBooks, SOC2.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

BambooHR: Does BambooHR offer a free trial?

Yes, BambooHR offers a free trial available at bamboohr.com/signup/.

Source

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.

Source

BambooHR: How is BambooHR pricing calculated?

Pricing varies depending on the number of employees at your organization and the features you select. Contact BambooHR at 1-866-387-9595 for a free price quote specific to your company size.

Source

Gusto: Does Gusto include unlimited payroll runs?

Yes, all Gusto plans include unlimited payroll runs at no extra charge, including off-cycle payrolls.

Source

BambooHR: Is payroll included in the core plan?

Payroll and time tracking are offered as separate add-on solutions, not included in the base HR modules. The payroll add-on provides seamless data flow, comprehensive reporting, full-service tax filing, and dedicated customer support.

Source

Gusto: 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.

Source

BambooHR: In which countries can I use BambooHR?

BambooHR is available in 150+ countries worldwide.

Source

Gusto: 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.

Source

BambooHR vs Gusto

BambooHR

Gusto

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in BambooHR

Only in Gusto

Both cover

What people use each for

BambooHR

Gusto

Where each one falls short

BambooHR

Gusto

Pricing, plan by plan

BambooHR

Gusto

Which should you pick?

Choose BambooHR if

Choose Gusto if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on BambooHR

More on Gusto

Keep looking

Other head to heads