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Gusto vs Rippling pricing
Gusto and Rippling are both popular with growing small businesses, but only one publishes self-serve payroll prices. This page shows what is publicly posted for each, using StackScope's payroll and HR report, last verified October 2026.
Gusto publishes its prices: Simple is $49 per month plus $6 per person, Plus is $80 plus $12 per person, and Premium is $180 plus $22 per person. For 5 employees Simple works out to $79 per month, and for 20 employees $169. Gusto's Simple tier is single-state only. Rippling's live pricing page does not publish a self-serve payroll price and routes to a custom quote, and its modules (benefits, time tracking, IT) are priced separately. Rippling's own 2026 content cites reference figures of $35 per month plus $8 per employee, but those are not presented as a posted price, so no direct price comparison can be made. Neither has an ongoing free plan.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry tier | Mid tier | Top tier / public price | Aggregated sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto | No ongoing free plan — free period ends when the first payroll is run. [VENDOR] Simple is single-state; multi-state requires Plus/Premium. [VENDOR] | $49/mo + $6/personSimple · [VENDOR]. 5 employees — Monthly: $79; Annualized equivalent: $948; separate annual-billing list price: not published. 20 employees — Monthly: $169; Annualized equivalent: $2,028; separate annual-billing list price: not published. 50 employees — Monthly: $349; Annualized equivalent: $4,188; separate annual-billing list price: not published. [DERIVED — VENDOR] $49 + $6×employees. | $80/mo + $12/personPlus · [VENDOR] public price; multi-state payroll. Separate annual-billing list price: not published. | $180/mo + $22/personPremium · [VENDOR] public price; dedicated support and advanced HR. Separate annual-billing list price: not published. | Catch: [3P — G2 + Capterra] Support responsiveness and scaling costs are recurring concerns. Review sentiment from G2 and Capterra; praise centers on ease of use and setup. Capacity: [VENDOR] Simple supports one state; additional-state payroll requires a paid add-on/upgrade, with price varying by state. AI: Gus is Gusto's AI assistant for payroll, benefits and HR questions, confirmed available on web and mobile for employers and employees; no separate price has been published and it is not sold as a paid add-on. [VENDOR] |
| Rippling | No permanent free plan — trial/promotion only. [VENDOR] Current pricing page routes to custom quote for full configurations. G2 currently says Rippling does not offer a free trial, while Capterra currently labels it as having one — a direct source conflict, not resolved here. [3P — G2 vs Capterra] | Quote required for Payroll[VENDOR] Rippling's live pricing page still does not publish a self-serve Payroll price. Rippling's own 2026 Payroll/HRIS content separately publishes reference figures — $35/mo base + $8/employee/mo — but these are not shown as a checkout/self-serve list price on the current pricing page; see footnote below the table. | Modular — no named mid tier[VENDOR] Additional modules (benefits, time tracking, IT) are priced separately; module-level rate card is not fully public. Rippling's own 2026 content cites Expense Management at $14/employee/mo as one example — not extrapolated into a universal bundle price. | No public top-tier price[VENDOR] Full multi-module configurations route to custom quote | Catch: [3P — G2 + Capterra] Modular add-ons can raise cost and the breadth of features can create a learning curve. Review sentiment from G2 and Capterra; praise centers on unified HR/payroll, automation and intuitive workflows. Capacity: [VENDOR] Supports multi-state U.S. payroll and employee/contractor payroll; no public numeric cap found in current vendor documentation. AI: Current platform markets "Ask Rippling AI" across all data plus automation/custom dashboards; this is bundled platform functionality under the same quote-based packaging, not a separately priced payroll AI add-on. [VENDOR] |
Figures are aggregated from vendor pricing pages and independent third-party pricing research as of October 2026 and reflect published list prices. This page shows two of the four tools in the full Payroll & HR Software report, which carries the complete footnotes and every source conflict we flagged. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor before purchasing. This is not a recommendation to buy any specific product.
Sources checked
FAQ
Common questions
Is Gusto or Rippling cheaper?
That can't be confirmed from public data. Gusto publishes its prices (Simple starts at $49 per month plus $6 per person), while Rippling's pricing page requires a custom quote for payroll. Rippling's own 2026 content cites $35 per month plus $8 per employee as reference figures, but not as a posted price.
Does Gusto or Rippling have a free plan?
Neither has an ongoing free plan. Gusto's free period ends when the first payroll is run, and Rippling offers a trial or promotion only. Sources disagree on whether Rippling offers a free trial, so confirm with the vendor.
Does Gusto support multi-state payroll?
Not on Simple, which is single-state only. Multi-state payroll requires Plus or Premium.
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Vendor pricing: Gusto pricing · Rippling pricing