Is Gusto or SpyFu better?

Neither clearly leads. Gusto starts at $49/month and SpyFu at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Gusto or SpyFu?

Gusto starts at $49/month and SpyFu at $29/month.

Does Gusto or SpyFu run on more platforms?

Gusto runs on Web. SpyFu runs on web, api.

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 SpyFu is typically brought in for.

What can Gusto do that SpyFu cannot?

Gusto covers Automated payroll, Tax filing, Benefits administration, Time tracking. SpyFu covers Competitor Keyword Research, Ad History, Rank Tracking, Backlink Analysis.

Software · head to head

Gusto vs SpyFu

Gusto

Software

The people platform for small businesses

From: $49/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

SpyFu

Software

Competitor keyword research tool for SEO and PPC campaigns

From: $29/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Gusto customer service can be slow and unresponsive to issues; SpyFu entry-level Basic plan caps search results and data exports at 10,000 rows, limiting deep research.
They diverge on capability: Gusto covers Automated payroll, SpyFu covers Competitor Keyword Research.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gusto and SpyFu actually diverge.

Attributes where Gusto and SpyFu differ
Attribute	Gusto	SpyFu
Starting price	$49/month	$29/month
Pricing model	Unknown	subscription
Platforms	Web	web, api
Founded	2011	2005

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 SpyFu

Competitor Keyword Research
Ad History
Rank Tracking
Backlink Analysis
RivalFlow AI
Automated Reporting
API Access

What people use each for

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

Gusto

Payroll processingnot SpyFu
Benefits administrationnot SpyFu
Tax compliancenot SpyFu
Employee onboardingnot SpyFu
Time trackingnot SpyFu

SpyFu

Researching a competitor's paid search strategynot Gusto
Finding organic keyword gapsnot Gusto
Tracking weekly keyword rank changesnot Gusto
Building white-label SEO/PPC reports for clientsnot 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

SpyFu

Entry-level Basic plan caps search results and data exports at 10,000 rows, limiting deep research.
API access is only available on the top Team/Agency tier, unlike some competitors that offer it at lower price points.
Additional user seats cost an extra $30 per user per month even on paid plans.
Weekly rank tracking refresh is less frequent than some competitors offering daily updates.

Pricing, plan by plan

Gusto

$49/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Gusto review.

SpyFu

$29/month

Basic$29/month
- 10k row search results and data exports
- 5,000 weekly tracked keyword rankings
- 10 automated reports
Pro + AI$89/month
- Unlimited search results and data exports
- 15,000 weekly tracked keyword rankings
- 100 automated reports
Team/Agency$187/month
- Unlimited data exports and reports
- 50,000 weekly tracked keyword rankings
- RivalFlow AI (5 sites)

Which should you pick?

Choose Gusto if

You need automated payroll.
You also want tax filing.

Gusto review

Choose SpyFu if

You need competitor keyword research.
You work on web, api.
You also want ad history.

SpyFu review

Questions people ask

Is Gusto or SpyFu better?: Neither clearly leads. Gusto starts at $49/month and SpyFu at $29/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gusto or SpyFu?: Gusto starts at $49/month and SpyFu at $29/month.
Does Gusto or SpyFu run on more platforms?: Gusto runs on Web. SpyFu runs on web, api.
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 SpyFu is typically brought in for.
What can Gusto do that SpyFu cannot?: Gusto covers Automated payroll, Tax filing, Benefits administration, Time tracking. SpyFu covers Competitor Keyword Research, Ad History, Rank Tracking, Backlink Analysis.

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

SpyFu: What does SpyFu cost?

SpyFu has three plans: Basic at $29/month (billed annually) or $39/month, Pro + AI starting around $89/month annually (or $59 for the first month, then $119/month), and Team/Agency at $187/month annually or $249/month.

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

SpyFu: What's included in the Basic plan?

Basic includes 10,000-row search results and data exports, 1 Live Site tracking project, 5,000 weekly tracked keyword rankings, 10 automated reports, and 1 user seat.

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

SpyFu: What extra do Pro + AI and Team/Agency add?

Pro + AI adds unlimited search results and exports, 10 tracking projects, 10+ years of historical data, 15,000 weekly rank checks, and 100 reports. Team/Agency adds unlimited projects and reports, 50,000 weekly rank checks, and 5 user seats.

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

SpyFu: Do all plans include AI features?

Yes, all plans include the RivalFlow AI tool, ChatGPT integration, AI Brand Monitoring, Google Ads campaign tools, Google Search Console integration, white-label reporting, and API access, though limits vary by tier.

Source

SpyFu: Is extra usage or extra users available beyond the base seats?

Yes, additional user seats can be added to Pro + AI and Team/Agency plans for $30 per additional user beyond the included seat count.

Source

Gusto vs SpyFu

Gusto

SpyFu

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Gusto

Only in SpyFu

What people use each for

Gusto

SpyFu

Where each one falls short

Gusto

SpyFu

Pricing, plan by plan

Gusto

SpyFu

Which should you pick?

Choose Gusto if

Choose SpyFu if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Gusto

More on SpyFu

Keep looking

Other head to heads