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Justworks vs Gusto pricing
Justworks and Gusto both publish payroll prices, which makes them easy to compare on cost for small teams. This page uses StackScope's payroll and HR report, last verified October 2026.
At the entry tier Gusto is cheaper: Simple is $49 per month plus $6 per person, which is $79 per month for 5 employees and $169 for 20, against Justworks Payroll at $8 per employee plus a $50 base, which is $90 per month for 5 employees and $210 for 20. Gusto's Simple tier is single-state only, while Justworks Payroll includes multi-state payroll and contractor payments, so the cheaper price comes with a capacity limit. Justworks also sells PEO plans: PEO Basic is $79 per employee per month and PEO Plus is $124 with benefits administration included. Neither has an ongoing free plan.
| Tool | Free plan | Entry tier | Mid tier | Top tier / public price | Aggregated sentiment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justworks | No ongoing free plan publicly listed. [VENDOR] Current pricing page lists paid Payroll, PEO Basic, PEO Plus and EOR. Current page also advertises "3 Months Free!" for Payroll — a promotion, not a permanent free tier; full eligibility terms aren't exposed on the page. [VENDOR] | $8/mo/employee + $50 basePayroll · [VENDOR]. 5 employees — Monthly: $90; Annualized equivalent: $1,080; separate annual-billing list price: not published. 20 employees — Monthly: $210; Annualized equivalent: $2,520; separate annual-billing list price: not published. 50 employees — Monthly: $450; Annualized equivalent: $5,400; separate annual-billing list price: not published. [DERIVED — VENDOR] $50 + $8×employees. New add-ons confirmed on current pricing page: Time Tracking $8/employee/mo, International Contractors $39/contractor/mo. Important: PEO Basic/Plus below are NOT pricier tiers of Payroll — they're a separate co-employment model bundling benefits access, not a feature upgrade path. | $79/mo/employeeAlternative model: PEO Basic (not a Payroll upgrade) · [VENDOR]. 5 employees — Monthly: $395; Annualized equivalent: $4,740. 20 employees — Monthly: $1,580; Annualized equivalent: $18,960. 50 employees — Monthly: $3,950; Annualized equivalent: $47,400. [DERIVED — VENDOR] Separate annual-billing list price: not published. | $124/mo/employeeAlternative model: PEO Plus · [VENDOR] public price; benefits administration included. EOR is separate at $599/employee/mo. | Catch: [3P — G2 + Capterra] Reviewers cite limited reporting/customization and some benefits/pricing limitations. Review sentiment from G2 and Capterra; praise centers on simple HR/payroll administration and support. Capacity: [VENDOR] Payroll includes multi-state payroll and contractor payments; PEO tiers add compliance, HR and benefits — no public numeric cap found in current vendor documentation. AI: New — Justworks MCP connects live Justworks data (headcount, payroll, time off, deductions) to AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT; no separate price is published for it on the current public page. [VENDOR] |
| 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] |
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.
FAQ
Common questions
Is Gusto cheaper than Justworks?
At the entry tier, yes: Gusto Simple is $79 per month for 5 employees and $169 for 20, while Justworks Payroll is $90 and $210. Gusto Simple is single-state only, and Justworks Payroll includes multi-state payroll.
What is Justworks PEO pricing?
PEO Basic is $79 per employee per month and PEO Plus is $124 per employee per month, with benefits administration included. EOR is separate at $599 per employee per month.
Do Gusto and Justworks have free plans?
Neither has an ongoing free plan. Gusto's free period ends with the first payroll run, and Justworks advertises 3 months free for Payroll as a promotion.
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Vendor pricing: Justworks pricing · Gusto pricing