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Payroll · head to head

Gusto vs Rain Instant Pay

Gusto logo

Gusto

Payroll

The people platform for small businesses

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Rain Instant Pay logo

Rain Instant Pay

Payroll

US earned wage access with a free ACH option and a paid instant transfer

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Gusto customer service can be slow and unresponsive to issues; Rain Instant Pay the free option takes one to three business days, so in practice employees who need money urgently pay the instant fee, which makes the free tier close to theoretical.
  • They diverge on capability: Gusto covers Automated payroll, Rain Instant Pay covers Earned wage calculation.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gusto and Rain Instant Pay actually diverge.

Attributes where Gusto and Rain Instant Pay differ
AttributeGustoRain Instant Pay
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 Rain Instant Pay

  • Earned wage calculation
  • Instant transfer
  • Free ACH transfer
  • Payroll deduction file
  • Employer dashboard
  • Tip and off-cycle payouts

What people use each for

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

Gusto

  • Payroll processingnot Rain Instant Pay
  • Benefits administrationnot Rain Instant Pay
  • Tax compliancenot Rain Instant Pay
  • Employee onboardingnot Rain Instant Pay
  • Time trackingnot Rain Instant Pay

Rain Instant Pay

  • A senior living operator trying to fill open shifts by offering same-day access to earned paynot Gusto
  • A restaurant group replacing paper cheque advances and cash tip payoutsnot Gusto
  • A staffing agency competing for hourly workers who compare pay access when choosing assignmentsnot Gusto
  • An employer with high first-90-day turnover wanting a retention lever that does not raise wage costnot 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

Rain Instant Pay

  • The free option takes one to three business days, so in practice employees who need money urgently pay the instant fee, which makes the free tier close to theoretical.
  • Fees of two to four dollars on small withdrawals represent a high effective cost to the worker, and employers who market it as a free benefit are describing their own invoice, not the employee experience.
  • Access is capped at roughly half of earned wages per pay period, which frequently falls short of what an employee in genuine difficulty needs and pushes them to other credit anyway.
  • It requires reliable time and attendance integration, and employers with manual timekeeping or multiple payroll systems face a long implementation before anyone can draw a cent.
  • US state-level earned wage access regulation is still changing, and a company operating across many states can find rules on fees and disclosures differ by jurisdiction mid-contract.

Pricing, plan by plan

Gusto

$49/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Gusto review.

Rain Instant Pay

On request
  • Rain Instant Pay$undefined/year
    • Employer cost quoted, commonly no subscription fee
    • Employee pays roughly 1.99 to 3.99 per instant transfer
    • Standard ACH transfer free to the employee, one to three days

Which should you pick?

Choose Gusto if

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

Choose Rain Instant Pay if

  • You need earned wage calculation.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want instant transfer.
Rain Instant Pay review

Questions people ask

Is Gusto or Rain Instant Pay better?
Neither clearly leads. Gusto starts at $49/month and Rain Instant Pay at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gusto or Rain Instant Pay?
Gusto starts at $49/month and Rain Instant Pay at On request.
Does Gusto or Rain Instant Pay run on more platforms?
Gusto runs on Web. Rain Instant Pay 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 Rain Instant Pay is typically brought in for.
What can Gusto do that Rain Instant Pay cannot?
Gusto covers Automated payroll, Tax filing, Benefits administration, Time tracking. Rain Instant Pay covers Earned wage calculation, Instant transfer, Free ACH transfer, Payroll deduction file.

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
Rain Instant Pay: Does the employer pay anything?

Usually not a subscription. The revenue comes from employee instant transfer fees, unless the employer chooses to subsidise them.

Gusto: Does Gusto include unlimited payroll runs?

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

Source
Rain Instant Pay: How much does an employee pay?

Nothing for a standard ACH transfer taking one to three days, and roughly 1.99 to 3.99 for an instant transfer to a debit card.

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
Rain Instant Pay: How much can be withdrawn?

Typically up to about 50 percent of wages earned so far in the current pay period.

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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