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Software · head to head

Gusto vs Paragon

Gusto logo

Gusto

Software

The people platform for small businesses

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Paragon logo

Paragon

Software

Embedded integration platform for SaaS

From
$299/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Gusto customer service can be slow and unresponsive to issues; Paragon no price is published for either plan, and both require a quote
  • They diverge on capability: Gusto covers Automated payroll, Paragon covers Embedded workflows.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gusto and Paragon actually diverge.

Attributes where Gusto and Paragon differ
AttributeGustoParagon
Starting price$49/month$299/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
PlatformsWebWeb, Embedded
Founded20112021

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

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 Paragon

  • Embedded workflows
  • Native integrations
  • Workflow builder
  • Error handling
  • Monitoring
  • Analytics
  • Webhooks
  • 500+ apps

Both cover

  • Slack

What people use each for

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

Gusto

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

Paragon

  • Embedding third party integrations into a SaaS productnot Gusto
  • Managing customer facing connectors without building each onenot 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

Paragon

  • No price is published for either plan, and both require a quote
  • Cost scales with the number of customer tenants using the integrations, so the bill follows an end customer count rather than the vendor's own usage
  • SAML SSO, self hosting, dynamic field mapping and SLAs are all Enterprise only

Pricing, plan by plan

Gusto

$49/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Gusto review.

Paragon

$299/month
  • Starter$299/month
    • 50 integrations
    • Basic support
  • Growth$999/month
    • 200 integrations
    • Priority support
  • Enterprise$5000/month
    • Unlimited integrations
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Gusto if

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

Choose Paragon if

  • You need embedded workflows.
  • You work on Web, Embedded.
  • You also want native integrations.
Paragon review

Questions people ask

Is Gusto or Paragon better?
Neither clearly leads. Gusto starts at $49/month and Paragon at $299/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gusto or Paragon?
Gusto starts at $49/month and Paragon at $299/month.
Does Gusto or Paragon run on more platforms?
Gusto runs on Web. Paragon runs on Web, Embedded.
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 Paragon is typically brought in for.
What can Gusto do that Paragon cannot?
Gusto covers Automated payroll, Tax filing, Benefits administration, Time tracking. Paragon covers Embedded workflows, Native integrations, Workflow builder, Error handling. Both handle Slack.

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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