Pricing comparison
Gusto vs OnPay
Side-by-side pricing breakdown for HR & Payroll decision-makers
Each amount uses its recorded currency; no currency conversion is applied. Confirm billing units, commitments, and current regional terms.
Compare the plan that fits your requirements
Check billing units, included usage and renewal terms. Starting prices alone do not establish an overall winner.
Dataset dated 2026-04-21. Sources: Gusto pricing and OnPay pricing.
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Recorded starting rates: Gusto $55/mo for 1 worker (Simple; payroll); OnPay $55/mo for 1 worker (Payroll Essentials; payroll). Billing units and commitments can differ. Compare the plans that include your required features, then request quotes for the same quantity and term.
Starting totals use one billed worker on each lowest known monthly plan. Compare included features and current terms.
Simple: for 1 worker; payroll. Base fee included.
Payroll Essentials: for 1 worker; payroll. Base fee included.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| payroll processing | Yes | Yes |
| tax filing | Yes | Yes |
| direct deposit | Yes | Yes |
| benefits admin | Yes | Yes |
| time tracking | Yes | Add-on |
| onboarding | Yes | Yes |
| global payroll | EOR via Remote; separate service | No |
| contractor payments | Yes | Yes |
| compliance | Not assessed by StackScored; verify scope, vendor terms, and your obligations. | Not assessed by StackScored; verify scope, vendor terms, and your obligations. |
| integrations | 250 | 40 |
| api | Yes | No |
| mobile app | Yes | Yes |
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Dive Deeper
About the hr & payroll category
Compare the service as well as the headline price. Gusto Simple and OnPay Payroll Essentials each cost $169/month for 20 people at their published $49 base plus $6 per-person rates. Buddy Punch Starter time tracking costs $138.80/month for 20 users on monthly billing; payroll is a separate add-on. Deel Core HR starts at $5 per employee per month, while contractor management and EOR are separate services. Selected prices and terms were checked on October 2, 2026 UTC; this is a partial refresh of the older category snapshot, and feature coverage remains incomplete.
How to choose between hr & payroll options
Start with worker locations and required services: domestic payroll, international contractor management, EOR, HR records or time tracking. Then add every base fee, per-worker charge and required module. Gusto Simple is single-state; Plus and Premium support multi-state payroll. OnPay offers native time tracking as an add-on, and Buddy Punch offers payroll as an add-on. Compare a like-for-like set of services before treating a lower headline rate as a saving.
Building Your Business Stack?
Decision-makers comparing tools often need more than one category. Here are related comparisons:
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is Gusto cheaper than OnPay?
- Gusto: $55/mo for 1 worker (Simple; payroll). OnPay: $55/mo for 1 worker (Payroll Essentials; payroll). These starting plans use the same service and billing unit; compare included features before buying.
- Is Gusto cheaper than OnPay for a team of 5?
- Gusto: $79/mo for 5 workers (Simple; payroll). OnPay: $79/mo for 5 workers (Payroll Essentials; payroll). The listed monthly totals are equal. Base fees are included once. Optional add-ons and taxes are excluded.
- Are the annual and renewal terms equivalent?
- Use each plan’s published billing terms. Missing annual components or future renewal rates are unknown, not a promise that today’s monthly price will remain unchanged.