Gusto vs Paylocity Pricing (2026)
Compare / Gusto vs Paylocity
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Team size
25 seats

Gusto vs Paylocity

HR/HRIS pricing comparison · 2026

Gusto pricing ranges from $35–$180/month, while Paylocity ranges from $20–$40/user/month. Paylocity is typically 63% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

Visit
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 Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → 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 27d ago
$1.4K $42K
View pricing →
Paylocity
Paylocity is a cloud-based HCM and payroll software platform designed for mid-sized busine
verified 22d ago
$1.4K $42K
View pricing →
Verdict · Vendr median · year 1
Gusto saves $41K vs Paylocity · 25 seats
Cheapest $1.4K
Spread 97%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Plus
$24K/yr
year 1 license · $80/seat
Professional
$9.0K/yr
year 1 license · $30/seat
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
$42K/yr
Vendr · n=13
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 3w ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 17 sourced facts
11 hidden-cost · 3 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 3w ago
Confidence High 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
  • Annual Price Increases
    5-10% of license costs
    1 source
  • BaseHR Package Requirement
    $1,000-$3,000
    1 source
  • Implementation Support Time
    $5,000-$15,000
    2 sources
  • Customer Service Delays
    10-20% additional labor time
    3 sources
  • FSA Administration Issues
    5-10 hours/month administrative time
    2 sources
REF · 05

What users say

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

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
10/5 (6)
Trustpilot
3.2/5 (25)
Best for
Small businesses needing single-state payroll with basic HR
Watch out
Customer service difficult to reach, mostly automated bots
TrustRadius
9.2/5 (5)
Trustpilot
1.2/5 (25)
Best for
Small to mid-sized businesses needing payroll and basic HR
Watch out
Extremely long customer service hold times (1.5+ hours)
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 Paylocity pricing
Free plan limits → 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

Paylocity

$20–$40
/user/month
3 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

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

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Gusto Paylocity
Simple $49 /month $20 /user/month
Plus $80 /month $30 /user/month
Premium $180 /month $40 /user/month
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 →

Paylocity

6 scenarios
$20/month
Starter Setup
$30/month
Growing Business
Custom pricing — typically negotiated annually, contact sales for quote
Enterprise (100+ users)
See all 6 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

Gusto

Median annual cost
$1,368
Based on
62 deals

Paylocity

Median annual cost
$42,240
Based on
13 deals

What Users Say

Gusto

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

Paylocity

Trustpilot
1.2/5 (25)
TrustRadius
9.2/10 (5)
Top complaints
  • Extremely long customer service hold times (1.5+ hours)
  • Unresponsive support - no callbacks or email responses
  • FSA card repeatedly declines legitimate medical expenses

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 →

Paylocity 6 hidden costs

medium
Annual Price Increases 5-10% of license costs
medium
BaseHR Package Requirement $1,000-$3,000
medium
Implementation Support Time $5,000-$15,000
high
Customer Service Delays 10-20% additional labor time
medium
FSA Administration Issues 5-10 hours/month administrative time
See all Paylocity hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Gusto Paylocity
Auto-renewal — No
Cancellation — No official renewal required
Minimum commitment — Typically 1 year
Price escalation — Standard annual increase around May, amount varies. Can be avoided with multi-year lock-in.
Can downgrade — Yes

Continue researching

Gusto

Paylocity

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