Gusto vs OnPay: One Price vs Three Tiers
Updated July 2026 · Prices verified against vendor sites — payroll pricing changes often; confirm before you buy.
Gusto and OnPay charge nearly the same at the door — about $49/month plus $6 per employee (verify OnPay's current base at checkout; its marketing pages have shown 'starts at $55' while its help center documents $49 + $6). The difference is the model. OnPay sells one plan with everything included: HR tools, benefits administration, multi-state payroll. Gusto sells three tiers, and the features you'll eventually want — next-day deposit, time tracking, real support — live in Plus ($80 + $12) and Premium ($180 + $22).
Review patterns back the models up: OnPay holds ~4.6–4.8/5 across G2 and Capterra with no hidden-fee complaint pattern, while Gusto's consumer rating suffers from slow support on the cheap tier. Gusto counters with a more polished product and faster payment options OnPay simply doesn't have.
Gusto vs OnPay at a glance (July 2026)
| Gusto | OnPay | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | 3 tiers: $49+$6 / $80+$12 / $180+$22 | One plan: $49 + $6/employee (verify at checkout) |
| HR tools & benefits admin | Gated by tier | All included |
| Direct deposit | 4-day → next-day → same-day by tier | 2–4 day only; no same-day |
| Time tracking | From Plus | Not native — integrations only |
| Multi-state payroll | All plans | Included |
| Contractor-only plan | $35 + $6/contractor (base waived 6 months) | Same single plan covers contractors |
| Review pattern | G2 4.6 / Trustpilot 2.4 — support complaints on Simple | ~4.6–4.8 across platforms, consistent |
When OnPay is the better buy
Budget certainty. A 10-person team pays about $109/month on OnPay — with HR templates, org charts, benefits administration and multi-state filing already in the price. Getting the equivalent from Gusto means Plus at $200/month. If your team is stable and nobody needs same-day pay, OnPay's total cost of ownership is the lowest of any mainstream provider.
It's also the provider whose reviews stay consistent across B2B and consumer platforms — the absence of a hidden-fee or billing-surprise pattern is worth something after reading ADP and Paychex complaint threads.
When Gusto justifies its tiers
Payment speed and product polish. OnPay tops out at 2–4 day direct deposit; Gusto Plus gets you next-day and Premium same-day — a real difference when cash-flow timing or an urgent off-cycle payment matters. Gusto's onboarding flows, app ecosystem and native time tracking (from Plus) are also stronger.
And if you run international contractors, Gusto's contractor-only plan ($35/month, base fee waived the first six months) handles payments in 120+ countries — OnPay is US-focused.
Our verdict
For a stable small team optimizing total cost, OnPay wins: one honest price, everything included, consistently strong reviews. Pick Gusto when payment speed (next-day/same-day), native time tracking, or international contractors are on your list — and budget for Plus, because Simple is where its complaints concentrate.
Criteria: all-in monthly cost at 10 employees, feature completeness at entry price, deposit speed, review consistency as of July 2026.
FAQ
Is OnPay really one price for everything?
Which is better for contractors only?
How fast is direct deposit on each?
Do both handle payroll taxes in every state?
More payroll comparisons
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