Gusto vs Remote
Gusto and Remote are both HR & People Ops tools. Gusto starts at $49/mo, Remote at $29/mo. Compare features, pricing, and ratings below to find the best fit for your team.
When to Choose Gusto vs Remote
The question that matters: “In what situation will I regret choosing A over B after 3 months?”
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.
Remote's equity management handles cross-border RSU and option grants with jurisdiction-specific tax guidance, preventing the compliance gaps that occur when equity admin assumes everyone is in the US.
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.
Remote Benefits administers health insurance, pension, and statutory leave across countries in a single admin interface, removing the need to manage per-country vendor relationships separately.
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.
Remote's Employer of Record generates jurisdiction-specific employment contracts with correct notice periods, severance, and benefits for 180 countries, reducing local legal review from weeks to days.
Pricing Comparison & PlansHigh· Verified Jul 2, 2026
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
Remote Plans
Free tier available
Payroll
$29/contractor/moBest for: Organizations with existing local entities needing global payroll infrastructure
- ✓Global payroll across borders
- ✓simple self-service platform
- ✓dedicated specialist support
- ✓local payroll regulations in every country
- ✓integrated benefits management
Contractor Management
$29/employee/moBest for: Companies engaging global contractors
- ✓Only pay for actively-worked contractors
- ✓international contractor management
- ✓tailored/localized contracts
- ✓one-click invoice approval or auto-pay
- ✓transparent payments
Equity
$39/moBest for: Companies granting equity to global employees/contractors
- ✓Equity grant management for Delaware C-Corps
- ✓tax handling & reporting
- ✓simple equity knowledge on-demand
- ✓compliant legal documentation globally
- ✓deep equity program insights
Contractor Management Plus
$99/contractor/moBest for: Companies needing contractor compliance indemnity protection
- ✓indemnity coverage up to $100K per contractor for penalties
- ✓compliant contract creation/editing/signing
- ✓zero hidden fees
- ✓includes HR Core as standard
Professional Employer Organization
$99/employee/moBest for: Companies hiring US employees without separate legal entities per state
- ✓Hire & manage US employees across all states
- ✓fast guided onboarding
- ✓payroll accurate & on time
- ✓federal/state/local compliance support
- ✓large-group benefits access
Contractor of Record
$325/contractor/moBest for: Companies wanting Remote to directly engage and pay contractors with full compliance
- ✓Direct contractor engagement & payment by Remote
- ✓uncapped indemnity protection
- ✓transparent payments
- ✓AI tools for misclassification risk reduction
- ✓IP transfer with Remote IP Guard
Capability Breakdown
2 differences found across 15 standardized features
- •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
- •Employer of Record
- •Contractor Management
- •Global Payroll
- •Benefits Administration
- •Equity Management
- •Compliance Management
- •IP Protection
- •Multi-Currency Payments
- •Contract Templates
- •Time Off Management
- •Expense Management
- •HR Analytics
- •API Access
- •Background Checks
- •Onboarding Workflows
Strengths & Limitations
Evaluative strengths and weaknesses: not feature lists
- +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
- +Owns legal entities in 60+ countries, ensuring direct compliance
- +Flat, transparent pricing for Employer of Record ($599/mo)
- +Strong intellectual property & invention rights protection built-in
- +Manages contractor payments, EOR, and global payroll in one platform
- +Includes benefits administration in its core EOR offering
- −EOR pricing is fixed and can be costly for lower-wage countries
- −Customer support response times can be slow during peak periods
- −Platform UI can feel less intuitive than some modern competitors
- −Limited advanced HRIS features like performance management
- −Global Payroll service is only available in select countries
At a Glance
Recent Price History
Remote renamed the "Employer of Record (EOR)" plan to "Employer of Record"
Update · Jun 28, 2026
Remote renamed the "Contractor Management" plan to "Payroll"
Update · Jun 28, 2026
Remote renamed the "Global Payroll" plan to "Contractor Management"
Update · Jun 28, 2026
Remote renamed the "PEO" plan to "Professional Employer Organization"
Update · Jun 28, 2026
Remote added the "Equity" plan at $39/mo
Plan added · Jun 28, 2026
Gusto removed the "Solo" plan
Plan removed · Jun 5, 2026
Gusto added a new "Select" plan (Custom pricing)
Plan added · Jun 5, 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
Frequently Asked Questions
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