Prices checked 2026-10-19
Gusto vs OnPay: real monthly cost for 1, 5 and 10 people
Both start at the same published price, so the difference is in what each plan includes. Here is every plan priced by crew size, with the features and fees side by side.
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The short answer
- Cheapest plan that files your payroll taxes: Gusto Simple ($49/mo + $6/person) vs OnPay Payroll Essentials ($49/mo + $6/person).
- By crew size, at regular prices: 1 to 50 people: the same price.
- For 5 people: Gusto $79/mo vs OnPay $79/mo ($948 vs $948 a year).
- Where those two plans differ, from each vendor’s pages: Multi-state: Gusto No, OnPay Yes; Workers' comp: Gusto Add-on, OnPay Yes; Next-day deposit: Gusto Add-on, OnPay Not stated.
Price comparisons use regular monthly list prices on each vendor’s cheapest plan that files and deposits payroll taxes. Features differ by plan; check the table below.
Cheapest full-service plan, by crew size
Each side’s lowest-cost plan that files payroll taxes at that crew size: base fee + per-person fee × crew. Year = monthly × 12.
| Crew | Gusto | OnPay | Difference per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $55/moSimple · $660/yr | $55/moPayroll Essentials · $660/yr | Same |
| 2 people | $61/moSimple · $732/yr | $61/moPayroll Essentials · $732/yr | Same |
| 3 people | $67/moSimple · $804/yr | $67/moPayroll Essentials · $804/yr | Same |
| 5 people | $79/moSimple · $948/yr | $79/moPayroll Essentials · $948/yr | Same |
| 8 people | $97/moSimple · $1,164/yr | $97/moPayroll Essentials · $1,164/yr | Same |
| 10 people | $109/moSimple · $1,308/yr | $109/moPayroll Essentials · $1,308/yr | Same |
| 15 people | $139/moSimple · $1,668/yr | $139/moPayroll Essentials · $1,668/yr | Same |
| 20 people | $169/moSimple · $2,028/yr | $169/moPayroll Essentials · $2,028/yr | Same |
Every plan, priced for 1, 5 and 10 people
Regular monthly price. Intro offers are listed separately. Bundles with accounting or HR software are on the vendor pages.
| Plan | Regular price | Intro offer | 1 person | 5 people | 10 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto Simple | $49/mo + $6/person | — | $55/mo | $79/mo | $109/mo |
| Gusto PlusNext-Day pay included | $80/mo + $12/person | — | $92/mo | $140/mo | $200/mo |
| Gusto PremiumNext-Day pay and Business Compliance included | $180/mo + $22/person | — | $202/mo | $290/mo | $400/mo |
| OnPay Payroll EssentialsFull-service payroll; W-2 and 1099 workers; unlimited pay runs; multi-state at no extra cost; federal/state/local filings, W-2s, 1099s and year-end filings included; no implementation fees | $49/mo + $6/person | — | $55/mo | $79/mo | $109/mo |
If you want time tracking or HR too
OnPay sells its extras as bundles on top of payroll; Gusto puts them in its higher plans. Regular prices as listed, for 5 people:
| Plan or bundle | Regular price | 5 people |
|---|---|---|
| OnPay Payroll + Time Tracking + HRDiscounted from $79 base + $12/worker ('Popular for businesses with hourly employees') | $70/mo + $10/person | $120/mo |
| OnPay Payroll + HR + Compliance Resources + Live HR SupportDiscounted from $139 base + $8/worker ('salaried employees') | $120/mo + $7/person | $155/mo |
| OnPay Payroll + Time Tracking + HR + Compliance Resources + Live HR SupportDiscounted from $154 base + $12/worker ('growing businesses') | $130/mo + $10/person | $180/mo |
| Gusto PlusNext-Day pay included | $80/mo + $12/person | $140/mo |
| Gusto PremiumNext-Day pay and Business Compliance included | $180/mo + $22/person | $290/mo |
The bundles and plans don’t include identical features; the notes are each vendor’s own wording.
Features on each plan
From each vendor’s own pages. “Not stated” means we couldn’t find it either way, not that the feature is missing. Certified payroll isn’t listed: neither vendor states it on the pages we checked.
| Feature | Gusto Simple | Gusto Plus | Gusto Premium | OnPay Payroll Essentials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Files and deposits payroll taxes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pays 1099 contractors | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Job costing | Not stated | Not stated | Yes | Not stated |
| Multi-state | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Time tracking | Add-on | Yes | Yes | Add-on |
| Workers' comp | Add-on | Add-on | Add-on | Yes |
| Next-day deposit | Add-on | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| Year-end W-2 / 1099 filing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
What each vendor says (12)
- Gusto, multi-state: Simple: "Run basic payroll in one state". Plus: "Multi-state payroll". Premium includes everything in Plus.
- Gusto, time tracking: Plus lists "Time tracking and scheduling". On Simple, Time & Attendance Plus is an add-on: free trial, then $6/mo per person.
- Gusto, next-day deposit: Next-Day pay is an add-on on Simple ($15/mo + $3/mo per person). Plus: "Unlimited next day pay". Premium: "Unlimited same day + instant pay". Same-day ($90 per payroll) and Instant ($100 per payroll) are add-ons on Simple and Plus.
- Gusto, job costing: Premium lists "Project based rules and costing". Simple and Plus do not list job costing (Time & Attendance Plus mentions project tracking only).
- Gusto, workers' comp: "Set up pay-as-you-go workers' comp plans that integrate with your payroll." Starting at $14/mo, through partner NEXT Insurance.
- Gusto, year-end w-2 / 1099 filing: FAQ: "We file federal, state, and local payroll tax forms ... (things like Form W-2, Form 1099, Form 940, Form 941...)"
- Gusto, pays 1099 contractors: US contractors are billed at the plan's per-person rate only in months they are paid. Global contractor payments are an add-on.
- OnPay, time tracking: An add-on for Payroll Essentials ($15 + $4/worker). Included in the "Payroll + Time Tracking" bundles.
- OnPay, multi-state: Multi-state payroll is included at no extra cost.
- OnPay, workers' comp: Integrated pay-as-you-go workers' comp through ERGO NEXT.
- OnPay, next-day deposit: The vendor direct-deposit page says "maximum of 4-day turnaround". Next-day is not stated.
- OnPay, job costing: The construction page mentions labor cost breakdown reporting but not job costing.
Who gets counted, trials and fees
| Gusto | OnPay | |
|---|---|---|
| Who is billed per person | Per active person per month on top of base; US contractors billed at the per-person rate only in months they are paid | $6 per paid worker per month |
| Free trial or offer | Not stated on pricing page | 'Get one month free' (pricing page) |
| Pay runs and optional fees | Regular pay runs: no per-run fee published; Off-cycle runs: no extra charge; Same-day pay: $90 per payroll (included in Premium); Instant pay: $100 per payroll (included in Premium); Global contractor payment: $5 per payment to US-based bank accounts | Regular pay runs: no per-run fee published; Off-cycle runs: no extra charge |
Optional fees are shown as notes, not added to the totals: you pay them only if you use them.
Gusto price history
List-price changes first seen on Gusto’s own pricing page in archived snapshots.
| First seen at the new price | Plan | Price | Old → new | Change | Effective date (announced) | Sources | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-10old price last seen 2025-02-28 | Gusto Simple | Base fee per month | $40 → $49 | ▲ +$9 (+23%) | Not announced | After · Before | — |
| 2024-07-12old price last seen 2024-06-07 | Gusto Premium | Base fee per month | no public price → $180 | New public price | Not announced | After · Before | Premium price published (it had been "Exclusive pricing / Contact us"). |
| 2024-07-12old price last seen 2024-06-07 | Gusto Premium | Per employee per month | no public price → $22 | New public price | Not announced | After · Before | Premium price published (it had been "Exclusive pricing / Contact us"). |
| 2022-08-19old price last seen 2022-07-02 | Gusto Simplethen: Core | Base fee per month | $39 → $40 | ▲ +$1 (+3%) | Not announced | After · Before | Plan restructure: Core became Simple. Per-person fees unchanged (Core/Simple $6; Complete/Plus $12). |
| 2022-08-19old price last seen 2022-07-02 | Gusto Plusthen: Complete | Base fee per month | $39 → $80 | ▲ +$41 (+105%) | Not announced | After · Before | Plan restructure: Complete became Plus. Per-person fees unchanged (Core/Simple $6; Complete/Plus $12). |
| 2022-08-19old price last seen 2022-07-02 | Gusto Premiumthen: Concierge | Base fee per month | $149 → no public price | Price no longer public | Not announced | After · Before | Plan restructure: Concierge became Premium. Per-person fees unchanged (Core/Simple $6; Complete/Plus $12). Premium showed "Exclusive pricing / Contact us for details" (no public price); Concierge had been $149 + $12/person. |
Every change we track: payroll price tracker.
OnPay price history
List-price changes first seen on OnPay’s own pricing page in archived snapshots.
| First seen at the new price | Plan | Price | Old → new | Change | Effective date (announced) | Sources | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Between 2025-02-10 and 2025-05-12wide gap between snapshots | OnPay Payroll Essentials | Base fee per month | $40 → $49 | ▲ +$9 (+23%) | Not announced | After · Before | Still $40 on 2024-12-27 and 2025-02-10. The 2025-09-14 snapshot title says "Starts at $55 Per Month", which is the $49 base + $6 for one worker, not a separate price. |
| 2022-08-12old price last seen 2022-05-28 | OnPay Payroll Essentials | Base fee per month | $36 → $40 | ▲ +$4 (+11%) | Not announced | After · Before | Single-plan pricing at the time (no bundles). $36+$4 still shown on 2021-06-03. |
| 2022-08-12old price last seen 2022-05-28 | OnPay Payroll Essentials | Per employee per month | $4 → $6 | ▲ +$2 (+50%) | Not announced | After · Before | — |
Every change we track: payroll price tracker.
Gusto pricing · OnPay pricing · Payroll calculator for any crew size · Cheapest payroll for 1, 2 and 5 employees
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