HR and payroll software · Comparison
Deel vs Gusto
2 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | Deel | Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Built-in reachPay US employees, contractors abroad and employees hired through an employer of record from one platform, each with a published price. | Worth the priceFull-service US payroll with tax filings, onboarding and benefits administration at a published monthly price, with no long-term contract. |
| Overall score | 6.3 | 6.3 |
| Free option | Paid only | Free trial |
| Card to start | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Sales call required | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $22/employee/mo | $49/mo + $6/person |
| Pricing model | Per seat | Seat + usage |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Per employee or contractor per month; activation through a quote | Monthly base fee plus a price per active person; US contractors billed only in months they are paid |
| Free option | No free plan or trial; free demo | Free account to set up and onboard; billing starts with the first payroll |
| Reference scenario (10 employees, one state) | $220/mo on HR + US Payroll Core ($22 × 10), computed | $109/mo on Simple ($49 + $6 × 10), computed |
| Multi-state payroll | All 50 states, self-serve or managed | Plus ($80 + $12 per person) |
| International hiring | Contractors $49/mo each; EOR $599 per employee | Contractors in 120+ countries, per-payment fee; no employer-of-record service listed |
| PEO option | PEO Starter $110, PEO Pro $120 per employee ($125 on another card) | None listed |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 | SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports (type not stated); ISO 27001 not stated |
| Contract terms | Month to month per the pricing FAQ | Month to month, cancel anytime |
| Data export | Reports as CSV, PDF or Excel; REST API | Reports as CSV, PDF or Excel; a payroll data export workbook per year |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, Deel is the broadest published price list here for paying people in the US and abroad, with SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001. US payroll costs more than Gusto or Justworks for 10 people, activation goes through sales, and a few cards disagree on PEO prices. | From its public pages, Gusto is the clearest buy here: full-service payroll with HR basics from $109 a month for 10 employees, month to month. Multi-state payroll needs Plus, and there is no employer-of-record or PEO option on the pricing page. |
Evidence: Deel: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Gusto: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our Deel review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Deel when
- You pay people abroad or hire through an employer of record, or need SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 stated.
- Pick Gusto when
- You only pay US staff and want a lower price ($109 vs $220 a month for 10, computed) and online sign-up.
From our Gusto review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Gusto when
- You want to sign up online and pay month to month without a quote from sales, at about half Deel’s 10-employee price.
- Pick Deel when
- You hire employees abroad through an employer of record, or need SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 on the public page.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- DeelDeel Payroll: US$29/employee/moSelf-service; managed payroll priced by quote
- Payroll across all 50 states
- Federal, state and local tax filings
- W-2, W-4 and new-hire reporting
- Built for fewer than 200 US employees
- GustoSimple$49/moPlus $6 per person a month
- Full-service payroll in one state, unlimited payroll runs
- Federal, state and local tax filings and payments
- Time off, offer letters with e-signature, digital I-9s and W-4s
- Time tracking add-on at $6 per person
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Deel 2026-10-16, Gusto 2026-10-16.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- GustoSelf-serve sign-up; the only one here you can use right after signing up.
- Lowest starter price
- Deel$22/employee/mo for the Deel HR + Deel Payroll — US, Core plan.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score
Full reviews
More in HR and payroll software
Add a product
Search by product name or by what it does, such as “email” or “feature flags”. 2 more fit in this comparison.