Gusto vs ADP Workforce Now Pricing (2026)
Compare / Gusto vs ADP Workforce Now
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Team size
25 seats

Gusto vs ADP Workforce Now

HR/HRIS pricing comparison · 2026

Gusto pricing ranges from $35–$180/month, while ADP Workforce Now uses custom pricing. These products use different pricing models (Per-seat subscription vs ), so a direct price comparison isn't meaningful — costs depend on usage volume and mix.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Gusto pricing
Discount programs →
Affiliate partner — does not affect ranking.
Visit ADP pricing
Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · HR/HRIS
Side-by-side · live
Gusto
Gusto is an all-in-one payroll, benefits, and HR platform designed for small businesses.
verified 8w ago
$1.4K $16K
View pricing →
ADP Workforce Now
ADP Workforce Now does not publish prices publicly.
verified 6w ago
$1.4K $16K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
Gusto saves $15K vs ADP · 25 seats
Cheapest $1.4K
Spread 91%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Plus
$24K/yr
year 1 license · $80/seat
Custom pricing
Custom
all tiers are quote-only
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$1.4K/yr
Vendr · n=62
Median annual
$16K/yr
Vendr · n=7 · limited data
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 16 sourced facts
13 hidden-cost · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 18 sourced facts
12 hidden-cost · 2 contract · Vendr median · 3 review platforms
Last verified 1mo ago
Confidence Limited confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Add-on service costs
    10-20% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Per-Employee Costs Scale Quickly
    $6-$12/user/month
    1 source
  • Additional Software Needed for Full Functionality
    $20-$50/month
    2 sources
  • Complex Contractor Payroll Processing
    2-5 hours/month
    1 source
  • Limited Customer Service Access
    $0/user/month
    3 sources
5 documented
  • Overall Cost Gap
    30% to 50%
    1 source
  • Cancellation Fees and Difficulty Exiting
    $500-$5,000
    1 source
  • Hidden Service Fees and Non-Transparent Pricing
    10-20% of base license costs
    3 sources
  • Implementation and Setup Costs
    5-15% of license costs
    1 source
  • Payroll Error Remediation Costs
    5-25% of license costs
    3 sources
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
10out of 5 (6)
Trustpilot
3.2out of 5 (25)
Best for
Small businesses needing single-state payroll with basic HR
Watch out
Customer service difficult to reach, mostly automated bots
TrustRadius
7.5out of 5 (2,244)
Trustpilot
1out of 5 (24)
G2
4.2out of 5 (4,190)
Best for
Mid-sized businesses needing core payroll and HR in one platform
Watch out
Extremely poor customer service with users bounced between departments
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Gusto pricing
Discount programs →
Affiliate partner — does not affect ranking.
Visit ADP pricing
Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
HR/HRIS

Gusto

$35–$180
/month
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
HR/HRIS

ADP Workforce Now

Custom pricing
/user/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
⚖

Different Pricing Models

Direct price comparison isn't meaningful here — Gusto uses Per-seat subscription pricing while ADP Workforce Now uses pricing. Your actual cost will depend on usage volume, team size, or both. Here's each product in its native unit.

Per-seat subscription

Gusto

$35–$180 / month
See full Gusto pricing →
vs

ADP Workforce Now

Custom pricing
See full ADP Workforce Now pricing →

Gusto and ADP Workforce Now both operate in the hr/hris category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Gusto ADP Workforce Now
Simple $49 /month Custom
Plus $80 /month Custom
Premium $180 /month Custom
Contractor Only $35 /month —

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Gusto

5 scenarios
$65/month ($35 base + $30 for 5 contractors at $6/each)
Contractor-Only Setup (5 contractors)
$80/month
Growing Business
+ $12/employee
$180/month
Enterprise Setup
+ $22/employee
See all 5 scenarios →

ADP Workforce Now

2 scenarios
Approximately $150/month based on user reports
Small Business (10–20 Employees, Payroll Only)
Custom pricing; users report significant cost vs. competitors like Gusto ($40-60 base + $6-9/employee/month)
Small Business with Full HR Suite

Market Intelligence

Gusto

Median annual cost
$1,368
Based on
62 deals

ADP Workforce Now

Median annual cost
$16,000
Based on
7 deals

What Users Say

Gusto

Trustpilot
3.2out of 5 (25)
TrustRadius
10out of 10 (6)
Top complaints
  • Customer service difficult to reach, mostly automated bots
  • Platform expensive for small businesses
  • Hard to make changes after initial setup

ADP Workforce Now

G2
4.2out of 5 (4,190)
Trustpilot
1out of 5 (24)
TrustRadius
7.5out of 10 (2,244)
Top complaints
  • Extremely poor customer service with users bounced between departments
  • Frequent app login issues, password loops, and technical glitches
  • Payroll errors including missed payments and incorrect tax withholdings

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Gusto 8 hidden costs

medium
Add-on service costs 10-20% of license costs
medium
Per-Employee Costs Scale Quickly $6-$12/user/month
low
Additional Software Needed for Full Functionality $20-$50/month
low
Complex Contractor Payroll Processing 2-5 hours/month
medium
Limited Customer Service Access $0/user/month
See all Gusto hidden costs →

ADP Workforce Now 6 hidden costs

critical
Overall Cost Gap 30% to 50%
critical
Cancellation Fees and Difficulty Exiting $500-$5,000
high
Hidden Service Fees and Non-Transparent Pricing 10-20% of base license costs
high
Implementation and Setup Costs 5-15% of license costs
critical
Payroll Error Remediation Costs 5-25% of license costs
See all ADP Workforce Now hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Gusto ADP Workforce Now
Auto-renewal — Yes
Cancellation — Multi-month process; users report difficulty canceling even after extended attempts
Minimum commitment — Annual contract standard; retirement services have separate cancellation terms
Price escalation — Annual price increases reported; users note honeymoon pricing with significant increases at renewal

Continue researching

Gusto

ADP Workforce Now

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