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Gusto vs Pilot

Gusto logo

Gusto

All industries

The people platform for small businesses

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Pilot logo

Pilot

Recruitment & ATS

Bookkeeping, CFO, and tax for startups

From
$29/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Gusto customer service can be slow and unresponsive to issues; Pilot the Essentials bookkeeping plan at $99 per month covers up to $100,000 in monthly expenses, and is cash-basis only using bank and credit card data
  • They diverge on capability: Gusto covers Automated payroll, Pilot covers Bookkeeping.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gusto and Pilot actually diverge.

Attributes where Gusto and Pilot differ
AttributeGustoPilot
Starting price$49/month$29/month
Pricing modelUnknownsubscription
CategoryAll industriesRecruitment & ATS
Founded20112017

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), 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 Pilot

  • Bookkeeping
  • CFO services
  • Tax preparation
  • R&D tax credits
  • Financial reporting
  • Stripe
  • Brex
  • Gusto

Both cover

  • QuickBooks
  • Bank-level encryption

What people use each for

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

Gusto

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

Pilot

  • Outsourced monthly bookkeeping for startups and small businessesnot Gusto
  • Federal, state and Delaware franchise tax filing for US companiesnot Gusto
  • Fractional CFO support for financial planning and fundraisingnot 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

Pilot

  • The Essentials bookkeeping plan at $99 per month covers up to $100,000 in monthly expenses, and is cash-basis only using bank and credit card data
  • A dedicated US-based bookkeeper, accrual-basis books and phone support require the Core plan, which is contact sales and billed annually
  • Core caps bill management at 10 vendor bills per month
  • Keeping an existing QuickBooks account with historical data requires the Custom plan
  • Accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll administration and CFO advisory are Custom plan only
  • Monthly reports arrive on the 10th business day on Core and the 6th business day only on Custom
  • Tax filing is sold separately, starting at $1,000 per year for single member LLCs and $2,000 per year for partnerships and S-Corps, billed annually
  • The tax service must be purchased together with Pilot Bookkeeping
  • Partnership and S-Corp tax filing includes up to 25 1099-NEC filings

Pricing, plan by plan

Gusto

$49/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Gusto review.

Pilot

$29/month
  • Core$599/month
    • Bookkeeping
    • Accrual basis
    • Monthly close
  • Plus$849/month
    • CFO support
    • Custom reporting
    • Board deck

Which should you pick?

Choose Gusto if

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

Choose Pilot if

  • You need bookkeeping.
  • You also want cfo services.
Pilot review

Questions people ask

Is Gusto or Pilot better?
Neither clearly leads. Gusto starts at $49/month and Pilot at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gusto or Pilot?
Gusto starts at $49/month and Pilot at $29/month.
Does Gusto or Pilot run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
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 Pilot is typically brought in for.
What can Gusto do that Pilot cannot?
Gusto covers Automated payroll, Tax filing, Benefits administration, Time tracking. Pilot covers Bookkeeping, CFO services, Tax preparation, R&D tax credits. Both handle QuickBooks, Bank-level encryption.

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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