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Payroll · head to head

Gusto vs Immediate

Gusto logo

Gusto

Payroll

The people platform for small businesses

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Immediate logo

Immediate

Payroll

On-demand pay, off-cycle payments and digital tips for US hourly employers

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Gusto customer service can be slow and unresponsive to issues; Immediate as with the whole category, the employee pays a fee for instant access, so a benefit sold internally as free to staff is not free to the staff using it.
  • They diverge on capability: Gusto covers Automated payroll, Immediate covers Earned wage access.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gusto and Immediate actually diverge.

Attributes where Gusto and Immediate differ
AttributeGustoImmediate
Starting price$49/monthOn request
Pricing modelUnknownquote
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2011Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Payroll).

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 Gusto

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

Only in Immediate

  • Earned wage access
  • Digital tip disbursement
  • Off-cycle payments
  • Pay cards
  • Payroll deduction
  • Employer reporting

What people use each for

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

Gusto

  • Payroll processingnot Immediate
  • Benefits administrationnot Immediate
  • Tax compliancenot Immediate
  • Employee onboardingnot Immediate
  • Time trackingnot Immediate

Immediate

  • A restaurant group ending end-of-shift cash tip handouts and the cash handling that goes with itnot Gusto
  • An employer that must issue final pay quickly on termination in states with strict deadlinesnot Gusto
  • A hotel or care operator with unbanked staff needing pay cards alongside wage accessnot Gusto
  • A high-turnover hourly employer using same-day pay access as a recruiting messagenot Gusto

Where each one falls short

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

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

Immediate

  • As with the whole category, the employee pays a fee for instant access, so a benefit sold internally as free to staff is not free to the staff using it.
  • It is a smaller provider than DailyPay or Payactiv, so the library of certified payroll and time system integrations is narrower and custom file work is more likely.
  • Earned wage access rules differ by US state and continue to change, which creates compliance work for multi-state employers that the vendor cannot remove.
  • Tips, off-cycle payments and advances are priced separately, so the apparent low headline cost fragments into several line items once you use the full bundle.
  • Pay card programmes attract regulatory and reputational scrutiny in the US, and an employer defaulting staff onto a card rather than a bank account risks complaints and state law problems.

Pricing, plan by plan

Gusto

$49/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Gusto review.

Immediate

On request
  • Immediate$undefined/year
    • Employer pricing quoted, often minimal or per employee per month
    • Employee transaction fee for instant access to funds
    • Tip disbursement and off-cycle payments priced separately

Which should you pick?

Choose Gusto if

  • You need automated payroll.
  • You also want tax filing.
Gusto review

Choose Immediate if

  • You need earned wage access.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want digital tip disbursement.
Immediate review

Questions people ask

Is Gusto or Immediate better?
Neither clearly leads. Gusto starts at $49/month and Immediate at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gusto or Immediate?
Gusto starts at $49/month and Immediate at On request.
Does Gusto or Immediate run on more platforms?
Gusto runs on Web. Immediate runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Gusto best used for?
Gusto is most often used for payroll processing, benefits administration, tax compliance, employee onboarding. Of those, payroll processing and benefits administration are not what Immediate is typically brought in for.
What can Gusto do that Immediate cannot?
Gusto covers Automated payroll, Tax filing, Benefits administration, Time tracking. Immediate covers Earned wage access, Digital tip disbursement, Off-cycle payments, Pay cards.

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.

Source
Immediate: What does the employer pay?

Pricing is quoted and often minimal or a small per-employee-per-month charge; most vendor revenue comes from employee instant transfer fees.

Gusto: Does Gusto include unlimited payroll runs?

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

Source
Immediate: Can it replace cash tip-outs?

Yes. Digital tip disbursement is one of its main draws for restaurants and hospitality.

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
Immediate: Is Immediate still trading?

Yes. It is an independent Birmingham, Alabama company and joined the American Fintech Council in 2025.

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
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