Vendor comparison
Gusto vs OnPay: published prices, plans, and features
Gusto Simple and OnPay Payroll Essentials publish the same starting formula, $49 plus $6 per person, but they do not cover the same ground. The table below uses official pricing and help pages only. It is not a verdict and it does not use ranking language. If a cell could not be verified, it is marked TBD.
Source status labels: Official vendor page, Official government page, Quote-only / unpublished. A cell marked TBD was not found on an official page on the check date. Dates use the America/Los Angeles calendar (Pacific Time). Last checked 10 November 2026.
Vendor names in this article link to official pages for verification. Affiliate tracking links are placeholders only. See the disclosure.
Published base prices
| Item | Gusto | OnPay |
|---|---|---|
| Entry full-service plan | Simple: $49/mo + $6/mo per person, one-state payroll | Payroll Essentials: $49 base + $6/worker per month, multi-state included |
| Next published tier | Plus: $80/mo + $12/mo per person (multi-state, time tracking and scheduling, contractor invoices, unlimited next-day pay, as listed) | Optional add-ons or bundles, for example Payroll + Time Tracking + HR at a discounted $70 base + $10/worker (regular $79 + $12/worker), per the costs page |
| Higher published tier | Premium: $180/mo + $22/mo per person | Larger bundles listed, for example $130 base + $10/worker discounted versus $154 + $12 regular, for payroll plus time, HR, compliance resources, and live HR support |
| 1 person paid, entry plan | $55 | $55 |
| 5 people paid, entry plan | $79 on Simple (one state only) | $79, any number of states as published |
| 5 people paid, two states | $140 on Plus (80 + 12 x 5). Simple is not the multi-state plan. | $79 on Essentials |
| How contractors are billed | Pricing FAQ: US contractors billed at the per-person cost, only in months you pay them. Global contractor payments: $5 per payment to US-based bank accounts, no monthly per-contractor fee (FX may vary). | Billing FAQ and costs page: per-worker fee applies to each worker included in a pay run during the lookback period, even if net pay is $0. W-2 and 1099 workers are both listed as included. |
| Month-to-month | Yes. Pricing FAQ: no long-term contract, cancel anytime. Downgrades take effect on the first of the next month. | Monthly billing described in the billing FAQ. Formal cancel-anytime sentence: TBD on the pages checked. |
| Setup and migration | Pricing FAQ describes help transferring payroll. Middesk and Business Compliance have published fees (see multi-state guide). | Costs page: free account setup, full migration of employee and prior wage data, no implementation or integration fees. First-month promotion appeared in the costs-page title on this check date; confirm whether it is still offered. |
Sources, checked 10 November 2026: Gusto pricing; Gusto plan help; Gusto multi-state; OnPay costs and pricing; OnPay pricing help; OnPay billing FAQ.
Selected features as published
| Feature | Gusto | OnPay |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited payroll runs | Included on every plan, including off-cycle, no extra charge | Included, including extra runs for bonuses or commissions |
| Federal, state, and local tax filings | Included, as described on pricing and plan help (W-2, 1099, 940, 941, and others named in the FAQ) | Included, including year-end W-2s and 1099s. Costs page also lists 941 and 943 filings. |
| Multi-state payroll | Plus and Premium only | Included on Essentials |
| Time tracking | Listed on Plus and Premium. Add-on for Simple: Time and Attendance Plus, trial then $6/mo per person | Add-on: $15 base + $4/worker, or in a bundle |
| HR extras | HR guidance listed on Premium. Gusto HR Partners is "for eligible Plus and Premium customers" with no public price on the pricing page (TBD). | HR add-on $15 base + $2/worker. Live HR Support $65/month base. Compliance Resources $10/month base. |
| Health benefits administration fee | Pricing FAQ: no extra Gusto administration fee when Gusto is the broker; you pay premiums. Keep your own broker: $6/mo per eligible employee. | Benefits add-on: "Pay plan premiums only," with licensed in-house benefits agents listed on the costs page. |
| Phone or chat support | Basic support on Simple and Plus (Help Center 24/7; phone or chat during business hours). Priority Support add-on $30/mo + $3/person. Premium includes Premium Account Support. | Phone, email, and live chat listed for all clients. Extended hours: 9am-8pm weekdays, as published. |
| Error or accuracy guarantee | Not described under that name on the pricing page checked. TBD whether a written tax-penalty guarantee exists elsewhere. | Costs page: "error-free guarantee" and a statement that if OnPay makes a mistake, they will take care of the tax agency. |
Same official sources as above, checked 10 November 2026.
Related guides
For tip fields and Form 8846 notes, see payroll for restaurants. For Middesk and Business Compliance fees, see multi-state payroll. For a first employee, see first W-2 hire.
Questions
Is the starting price the same?
On the pages checked, both Gusto Simple and OnPay Payroll Essentials are $49 per month plus $6 per person or worker. The plans are not identical. Gusto Simple is one-state payroll. OnPay lists multi-state as included on Essentials. Gusto Plus, which includes multi-state, is $80 plus $12 per person.
Do both include unlimited payroll runs?
Yes, on the official pages checked. Gusto's pricing FAQ says every plan includes unlimited payroll runs, including off-cycle runs, at no extra charge. OnPay's costs page and pricing help article say unlimited pay runs are included, with no extra charge to edit or cancel a run within the stated cutoff.
Which add-ons have published prices?
Gusto publishes many add-on prices on its pricing page, including Time and Attendance Plus at $6 per person per month on Simple after a trial, Priority Support at $30/mo plus $3 per person, and Business Compliance at $85 per state per month on a 12-month term. OnPay publishes Time Tracking at $15 base plus $4 per worker, HR at $15 base plus $2 per worker, Compliance Resources at $10 base, Live HR Support at $65 base, and discounted bundles. Benefits administration on OnPay is described as plan premiums only.