# Gusto vs Paylocity > Gusto and Paylocity both run payroll and file payroll taxes for a small business, but they target different stages of growth. Gusto is self-serve, with published plans an owner can set up without an accountant. Paylocity is more configurable, aimed at a business with multiple pay rates, locations, or seasonal staffing swings, and is quoted through a sales conversation. Source: https://kitfinch.com/compare/gusto-vs-paylocity Author: Amine from KitFinch Last checked: 2026-09-26 ## Verdict **Gusto** is our pick for a small service business that wants self-serve payroll without a sales call. **Paylocity** fits a business that has outgrown simple payroll apps and needs more configurable rules for pay rates, locations, or seasonal staff. Gusto lists its plan tiers and every feature included in each one directly on its pricing page. Paylocity instead segments its payroll product by company size and routes every prospect to a demo request form rather than a price list. For a platform that adds IT device management on top of payroll, see [Gusto vs Rippling](/compare/gusto-vs-rippling). ## Gusto vs Paylocity at a glance | | Gusto | Paylocity | |---|---|---| | Built for | Small businesses running self-serve payroll | Small to enterprise businesses wanting configurable HR and payroll | | Best team size | Solo owner up to a small crew | Small business up to enterprise headcounts | | Payroll/HR scope | Payroll, tax filing, basic HR add-ons, benefits | Payroll, tax services, time and labor, expense management, HR | | Payments | Direct deposit or printable checks; domestic contractor payments | On-demand pay included on its small-business tier | | Integrations key | App directory covering accounting, POS, time tracking and more | Built-in general ledger mapping plus open APIs for custom integrations | | Mobile app | Employer and employee mobile apps included | Employee self-service; access described as tied to the platform, not detailed per device | | Pricing model | Published per-plan base fee plus per-person fee | Quoted per business after a demo request | ## Choose Gusto if - You want self-serve setup and a published pricing page you can read before you sign up, rather than a sales call. - Your payroll needs are straightforward: one or a few states, similar pay schedules across the team. - You want domestic contractor payments and an employer mobile app included on every plan tier. - You'd rather browse an app directory of roughly a hundred and fifty integrations than negotiate a custom integration. ## Choose Paylocity if - You manage multiple pay rates, locations, or seasonal staffing swings that need more configurable check types and time-off accruals. - You want a payroll readiness dashboard with dozens of built-in audits that flag pay spikes or errors before you submit. - You're comfortable requesting a demo and sharing your employee count to get a quote instead of reading prices online. - You expect to grow past a small crew and want a platform that also serves midsize and enterprise teams without switching providers. ## Key differences ### Payroll and tax filing Gusto's plans all include unlimited payroll runs, tax filings and payments, and multiple pay rates and schedules, even on its entry-level tier. Paylocity builds tax compliance around a geolocation check that audits each employee against the correct tax jurisdiction, backed by tax specialists who prepare, review and file the documents. Both automate the filing step; the difference is how much manual configuration sits underneath it. Gusto's flow is meant to be usable without an accountant, while Paylocity's setup accepts more customization of check types and general ledger mapping in exchange for a longer initial setup. ### HR and benefits Gusto folds HR into its plan tiers: its top tier adds a dedicated service advisor, access to certified HR experts, and performance and compensation management. Paylocity treats HR as part of a broader workforce platform that spans payroll, time and labor, expense management and benefits, unified so that data moves between them without manual re-entry. Paylocity markets itself as a single HCM platform covering payroll, talent, benefits administration and employee experience, sized and priced to match the size of the organization rather than a fixed feature list. A one-location crew may only need Gusto's add-on HR tools, while a business managing several departments benefits more from Paylocity's unified employee data model. ### Pricing model Gusto states its pricing directly, including which features are bundled into each tier and which are paid add-ons, such as state tax registration or next-day pay. Paylocity's payroll page routes every visitor toward a demo request form and segments its offering by company size band instead of publishing a price list. Neither page states an exact dollar figure appropriate to repeat here; the pricing table on this page has the specific numbers Kitfinch has verified for each vendor. ### Integrations Gusto runs an app directory organized by category, including accounting, point of sale, time tracking and hiring, with roughly a hundred and fifty apps listed. Paylocity's payroll product emphasizes built-in connections for retirement and benefit files plus open APIs for custom integrations, rather than a public directory of pre-built apps. If your shop already runs a point-of-sale or scheduling tool, check Gusto's app directory first; if you need a custom data pipeline into a finance system, ask Paylocity's sales team what open API options exist for your stack. ## Which trades each suits A solo [plumber](/for/plumbers) or a small [electricians](/for/electricians) crew with one location and simple pay rates fits Gusto's self-serve model well, especially if contractor payments and a mobile app matter more than deep HR tooling. A multi-location [hvac](/for/hvac) company or a [landscapers](/for/landscapers) business with seasonal crews and varying pay rates by job or region is closer to what Paylocity's configurable check types and time-and-labor tools are built to handle. [Roofers](/for/roofers) businesses that scale up quickly, adding crews and possibly new states, may outgrow Gusto's simpler tier structure and be better served starting on Paylocity or planning a migration path. ## Switching between them Gusto lists "payroll migration and account setup" as a named feature on its top-tier Premium plan, meaning Gusto expects to help import prior payroll history for businesses that sign up. Neither Gusto nor Paylocity publishes a dedicated help-center article describing an export or import path specifically between the two platforms, so no public export/import documentation between Gusto and Paylocity was found in this review. Before switching either direction, ask the receiving vendor's onboarding team what payroll history, tax filings and employee records they can import, and confirm the cutover timing against your next filing deadline. For a comparison against the platform that adds IT device management, see [Gusto vs Rippling](/compare/gusto-vs-rippling). To compare Paylocity directly against that same modular platform, see [Paylocity vs Rippling](/compare/paylocity-vs-rippling). More payroll options are in [Payroll tools](/tasks/payroll). ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Gusto or Paylocity better for a small service business? Choose Gusto if you want self-serve payroll and benefits an owner can run without an accountant, with published pricing tiers. Choose Paylocity if you have multiple pay rates, locations, or seasonal staffing changes and want a more configurable platform, and you're comfortable requesting a demo and quote instead of buying off a price list. ### What is a downside of Paylocity? Paylocity's own product pages do not list plan prices; a business has to request a demo and share its employee count before getting a quote. It also targets a wider range of company sizes, from small businesses up to enterprise, so a very small crew may find more configuration than it needs on day one. ### Who competes with Gusto and Paylocity? Both compete with other payroll and HR platforms serving small and mid-sized businesses, including Rippling and ADP-family products such as RUN Powered by ADP. The right competitor to evaluate depends on whether a business wants simple self-serve payroll, added IT device management, or a more configurable platform for complex pay rules. ### Where can I compare Gusto and Paylocity pricing? Gusto's published plan tiers and Paylocity's quoted pricing both appear in the pricing table on this page rather than in this text. Check the pricing table here, since Paylocity pricing depends on a sales conversation and can vary by employee count and which modules a business selects. ## Sources - https://gusto.com/product/pricing - https://www.paylocity.com/products/hr/payroll/ - https://gusto.com/product/integrations - https://www.paylocity.com/products/hr/ Cite as: Amine from KitFinch, "Gusto vs Paylocity", Kitfinch, https://kitfinch.com/compare/gusto-vs-paylocity