BambooHR vs Gusto
- ✦ Employee Records
- ✦ Applicant Tracking
- ✦ Onboarding
- ✦ Payroll Processing
- ✦ Tax Filing
- ✦ Health Insurance
BambooHR and Gusto are both HR & People Ops tools. BambooHR starts at $10/mo, Gusto at $49/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose BambooHR vs Gusto
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
BambooHR's performance module manages review cycle scheduling, peer feedback collection, and manager scoring in one system, removing the Google Forms and spreadsheet coordination of manual performance reviews.
Gusto's onboarding checklist sends I-9, W-4, direct deposit, and benefits enrollment forms to new hires before their start date, so day one is spent working rather than filling out paperwork.
BambooHR's self-service portal lets employees request time off, view their balance, and track approval status without emailing HR, cutting PTO-related HR admin requests by 40-60% for most teams.
BambooHR's offboarding workflow assigns equipment collection, system access revocation, and final paycheck tasks to relevant owners automatically when a termination is initiated.
Gusto calculates, withholds, and files federal and all 50 state payroll taxes automatically on each pay run, eliminating the quarterly filing cycle that causes penalties for payroll tax mistakes.
Gusto's benefits advisor surfaces side-by-side health plan comparisons for employees during open enrollment, reducing HR time spent answering benefits questions by giving employees self-serve plan selection tools.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified Jul 2, 2026
BambooHR Plans
Paid plans only
Core
$10/user/moBest for: SMBs needing foundational HR automation
- ✓HR Data & Reporting
- ✓Hiring & Onboarding
- ✓Time Off & Benefits Tracking
- ✓Employee Experience Tools
- ✓HR Insights
Gusto Plans
Paid plans only
Simple
$49/moBest for: Small businesses needing single-state payroll + basic support
- ✓Full-service payroll
- ✓Direct deposit
- ✓Federal & state tax filing
- ✓W-2s & 1099s
- ✓New hire reporting
Capability Breakdown
3 differences found across 15 standardized features
- •Employee Records
- •Applicant Tracking
- •Onboarding
- •Performance Reviews
- •Time-Off Management
- •Payroll
- •Benefits Administration
- •Employee Satisfaction
- •HR Reporting
- •Mobile App
- •Document Storage
- •E-Signatures
- •SSO
- •API Access
- •Custom Workflows
- •Payroll Processing
- •Tax Filing
- •Benefits Administration
- •Health Insurance
- •401k Plans
- •Time Tracking
- •PTO Management
- •Employee Onboarding
- •HR Documentation
- •Compliance Alerts
- •Contractor Payments
- •Workers Comp
- •Direct Deposit
- •Reporting
- •Mobile App
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
- +Centralizes employee data into a single, accessible system of record.
- +Streamlines onboarding with customizable new hire packets and task lists.
- +Strong applicant tracking system (ATS) is seamlessly integrated.
- +Employee self-service for time-off requests and personal data updates.
- +Intuitive, clean user interface simplifies daily HR tasks for all users.
- −Lacks an integrated payroll module; requires third-party integration.
- −Limited benefits administration capabilities compared to dedicated platforms.
- −Performance management tools are solid but lack deep customization.
- −Reporting is good for standard needs but lacks advanced, custom analytics.
- −Pricing is quote-based and can be expensive for very small businesses.
- +Automated payroll with unlimited runs and off-cycle payments
- +Full-service benefits admin including health, 401(k), and commuter
- +Employee self-onboarding and lifetime portal access
- +Handles multi-state payroll and tax filings automatically
- +Integrates time tracking, PTO, and hiring tools in one platform
- −Payroll processing is limited to the United States only
- −No dedicated account manager on lower-tier plans (Simple, Plus)
- −Advanced HR features (surveys, performance) require Premium plan
- −Limited third-party integrations compared to larger competitors
- −Per-employee pricing can become costly for larger SMBs
At a Glance
Recent Price History
Gusto removed the "Solo" plan
Plan removed · Jun 5, 2026
Gusto added a new "Select" plan (Custom pricing)
Plan added · Jun 5, 2026
Update · May 29, 2026
BambooHR added a new "Elite" plan (Custom pricing)
Plan added · May 29, 2026
Gusto added a new "Solo" plan at $49/mo
Plan added · May 26, 2026
Gusto updated "Premium" from Custom to $180/mo
Price change · May 26, 2026
Gusto raised "Simple" from $40/mo to $49/mo (+23%)
Price change · May 26, 2026
BambooHR removed the "Enterprise" plan
Plan removed · May 21, 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Comparisons
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Gustofrom $49/moSources & Data Trail · BambooHR
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Sources & Data Trail · Gusto
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