Softwr

Payroll · head to head

Gusto vs Payactiv

Gusto logo

Gusto

Payroll

The people platform for small businesses

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Payactiv logo

Payactiv

Payroll

Earned wage access and financial wellness benefit, free to employers and free for standard transfers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Payactiv 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; Payactiv heavy repeat use of wage advances by an employee is a sign that base pay does not cover living costs, and offering the benefit does not address that underlying compensation problem.
  • They diverge on capability: Gusto covers Automated payroll, Payactiv 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 Payactiv actually diverge.

Attributes where Gusto and Payactiv differ
AttributeGustoPayactiv
Starting price$49/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownFree for employers, fees apply only to expedited transfers
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, iOS, Android
Founded2011Unknown

Identical on both: 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 Payactiv

  • Earned wage access
  • Payactiv Card
  • Free standard transfers
  • Bill pay and marketplace
  • Financial wellness tools
  • Broad HCM integration

What people use each for

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

Gusto

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

Payactiv

  • A hourly-wage employer in retail, healthcare or hospitality wanting to reduce payday-loan reliance among staffnot Gusto
  • An HR team wanting earned wage access with no employer subscription feenot Gusto
  • A company already on ADP, Paychex or another supported HCM system wanting minimal integration effortnot Gusto
  • An employer wanting bundled financial wellness and bill pay features alongside wage advancesnot 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

Payactiv

  • Heavy repeat use of wage advances by an employee is a sign that base pay does not cover living costs, and offering the benefit does not address that underlying compensation problem.
  • The product depends entirely on accurate, timely data from the employer's time-and-attendance and payroll systems, so errors upstream translate directly into wrong advance calculations for employees.
  • Free tiers apply to standard delivery only, and employees who need funds immediately outside the free instant-transfer conditions pay expedited fees that are easy to trigger without realising it.
  • Employer coverage and card acceptance skew toward the United States, so it does not serve multinational workforces without a country-specific alternative.
  • As an intermediary sitting between payroll and the employee, it introduces another vendor with access to sensitive payroll and time data, which adds a data governance and vendor risk conversation many employers underestimate before rollout.

Pricing, plan by plan

Gusto

$49/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Gusto review.

Payactiv

Free
  • PayactivFree
    • No employer subscription cost
    • Free standard 1 to 3 day ACH and qualifying instant transfers
    • Fees apply only to expedited delivery options

Which should you pick?

Choose Gusto if

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

Choose Payactiv if

  • You need earned wage access.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want payactiv card.
Payactiv review

Questions people ask

Is Gusto or Payactiv better?
Neither clearly leads. Gusto starts at $49/month and Payactiv at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gusto or Payactiv?
Payactiv has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $49/month for Gusto and Free for Payactiv.
Does Gusto or Payactiv run on more platforms?
Gusto runs on Web. Payactiv runs on Web, iOS, Android.
Can I use Payactiv for free?
Yes. Payactiv 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 Payactiv is typically brought in for.
What can Gusto do that Payactiv cannot?
Gusto covers Automated payroll, Tax filing, Benefits administration, Time tracking. Payactiv covers Earned wage access, Payactiv Card, Free standard transfers, Bill pay and marketplace.

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
Payactiv: Does it cost the employer anything?

No, the core benefit is free to employers, and standard employee transfers are also free; only expedited delivery options carry a fee.

Gusto: Does Gusto include unlimited payroll runs?

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

Source
Payactiv: How is the advance calculated?

From wages already earned according to the employer's time and attendance or payroll data, not a loan against future unearned pay.

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
Payactiv: Which payroll systems does it integrate with?

More than 70, including ADP, Paychex, Kronos, Workday and UKG.

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
Share

Related pages

More on Gusto

More on Payactiv

Keep looking

Other head to heads