Softwr

All industries · head to head

Gusto vs Lark

Gusto logo

Gusto

All industries

The people platform for small businesses

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Lark logo

Lark

Communication & Collaboration

The super app for team collaboration

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Lark has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Gusto customer service can be slow and unresponsive to issues; Lark lark's own pricing page description states it offers a free starter pack, a Pro plan, and an Enterprise plan, and directs buyers to Contact us rather than publishing Pro/Enterprise figures on the rendered page.
  • They diverge on capability: Gusto covers Automated payroll, Lark covers Team messaging.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gusto and Lark actually diverge.

Attributes where Gusto and Lark differ
AttributeGustoLark
Starting price$49/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android
CategoryAll industriesCommunication & Collaboration
Founded20112019

Identical on both: 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 Gusto

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

Only in Lark

  • Team messaging
  • Video conferencing
  • Collaborative docs
  • Cloud storage
  • Calendar
  • Jira
  • GitHub
  • Salesforce

Both cover

  • SOC2

What people use each for

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

Gusto

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

Lark

  • Team communicationnot Gusto
  • Document collaborationnot Gusto
  • Project managementnot Gusto
  • Company intranetnot 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

Lark

  • Lark's own pricing page description states it offers a free starter pack, a Pro plan, and an Enterprise plan, and directs buyers to Contact us rather than publishing Pro/Enterprise figures on the rendered page.

Pricing, plan by plan

Gusto

$49/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Gusto review.

Lark

Free
  • StarterFree
    • Up to 50 users
    • 100GB storage
    • Unlimited messaging
  • Pro$12/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 1TB storage per user
    • 24-hour meetings
  • Enterprise$20/month
    • SSO/SAML
    • eDiscovery
    • Custom retention

Which should you pick?

Choose Gusto if

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

Choose Lark if

  • You need team messaging.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
  • You also want video conferencing.
Lark review

Questions people ask

Is Gusto or Lark better?
Neither clearly leads. Gusto starts at $49/month and Lark at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gusto or Lark?
Lark has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $49/month for Gusto and Free for Lark.
Does Gusto or Lark run on more platforms?
Gusto runs on Web. Lark runs on Web, Windows, Macos, Linux, Ios, Android.
Can I use Lark for free?
Yes. Lark has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Gusto starts at $49/month.
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 Lark is typically brought in for.
What can Gusto do that Lark cannot?
Gusto covers Automated payroll, Tax filing, Benefits administration, Time tracking. Lark covers Team messaging, Video conferencing, Collaborative docs, Cloud storage. Both handle SOC2.

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
Gusto: Does Gusto include unlimited payroll runs?

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

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
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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Related pages

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