Gusto

Gusto is an all-in-one payroll, benefits, and HR platform built for US small and mid-sized businesses. Its core job is making payroll painless: run payroll in a few clicks, and Gusto automatically calculates, files, and pays federal, state, and local payroll taxes, handles direct deposit, and generates year-end forms like W-2s and 1099s — the tedious, error-prone work that trips up small employers.

Around payroll, Gusto bundles the rest of people operations: health insurance and benefits administration, employee onboarding with self-service profiles, time tracking and PTO, offer letters and hiring, and integrations with accounting and time tools. It is known for a friendly, approachable experience that non-HR-expert owners can actually use, which made it a favorite among startups, agencies, and small teams that do not have a dedicated HR department.

Gusto suits US-based small businesses that want payroll plus light HR without complexity. Pricing is a monthly base fee plus a per-person charge, across Simple, Plus, and Premium tiers; it is US-focused, so companies hiring internationally often pair it with or move to a global platform.