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Gusto vs Paylocity

A source-aware comparison of pricing, documented capabilities and workflow fit.

Short answer

These lines are generated from the pricing we track, not from a paid placement. How we score tools.

What Gusto is

Gusto is a modern HR platform that simplifies complex payroll, tax, and benefits processes. Designed for small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), it automates 'boring' HR tasks and provides a user-friendly portal for employees to manage their own info, view paystubs, and request time off. Gusto acts as a security layer for companies, ensuring they stay compliant with ever-changing labor laws so they can focus on their teams rather than paperwork.

What Paylocity is

Paylocity provides US payroll and HR with self-service and workforce management features.

Side by side

GustoPaylocity
CategoryHR SoftwareHR Software
How to start$40/user/moverifiedNot verifiednot a monthly price
Public APIYesnot checked
Mobile appYesnot checked
Open source / self-hostableNonot checked
SSO (SAML)Yesnot checked
VisitGustoPaylocity

What Gusto is built to do

Full-Service Payroll
Pay your team, taxes, and deductions accurately with just one click.
Employee Self-Service
A dedicated panel for employees to access their own documents and benefits.
Legal Compliance
Stay automatically updated with changing labor and tax laws in your region.
Digital Onboarding
Complete new hire paperwork digitally and easily from the dashboard.

Choose Gusto if

  • Startups and Small Business Owners.

Choose Paylocity if

  • US companies wanting payroll and HR from one vendor.

Evidence and freshness

Where a claim on this page comes from a vendor page, it is linked here.

Gusto

Sources have not been attached to this record yet.

Paylocity

Sources have not been attached to this record yet.

Gusto: pros & cons

  • Beautiful Design: The most friendly and modern interface among HR software.
  • Auto Taxes: Automatically calculates and pays federal and state taxes (US-focused).
  • Employee Experience: Makes managing pay and benefits easy and pleasant for the team.
  • Wide Integration: Works flawlessly with accounting tools like QuickBooks and Xero.
  • Geographic Focus: Its core features are heavily oriented toward the US market.
  • Additional Costs: Some advanced health insurance integrations may not be available everywhere.
  • Pricing: The base fee plus per-employee costs can rise quickly for larger teams.

Paylocity: pros & cons

  • Solid US payroll and tax handling
  • Employee self-service reduces HR load
  • Workforce management included
  • US only
  • Implementation takes time
  • Support quality varies by account

Our verdict on Gusto

A platform that transforms 'boring' HR and payroll into a pleasant, modern experience.

Our verdict on Paylocity

A dependable US payroll choice. Irrelevant outside the US.

Other Gusto comparisons