HR and payroll software · Comparison
BambooHR vs Gusto vs Justworks
3 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 | BambooHR | Gusto | Justworks |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Easy to adoptA complete HR record, from hiring and onboarding to time off and reviews, with payroll that reads from the same data. | Worth the priceFull-service US payroll with tax filings, onboarding and benefits administration at a published monthly price, with no long-term contract. | Worth the priceLow-cost multi-state payroll for small US teams, with a PEO path to group health benefits when you need it. |
| Overall score | 3.6 | 6.3Best | 5.6 |
| Free option | Free trial | Free trial | Paid only |
| Card to start | No card needed | –Not measured | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Sales call required | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $250/mo | $49/mo + $6/person | $50/mo + $8/employee |
| Pricing model | Tiered | Seat + usage | Seat + usage |
| Pricing page | Prices hidden | Public prices | Public prices |
| Billing unit | Flat monthly price up to 25 employees, then per employee; add-ons by quote | Monthly base fee plus a price per active person; US contractors billed only in months they are paid | Payroll: monthly base fee plus a price per employee; PEO: per employee, no base fee |
| Free option | Free trial, no card; length not stated | Free account to set up and onboard; billing starts with the first payroll | No free plan or trial stated |
| Reference scenario (10 employees, one state) | Not priced: payroll add-on by quote ($250/mo Core plus payroll) | $109/mo on Simple ($49 + $6 × 10), computed | $130/mo on Payroll ($50 + $8 × 10), computed (prices as of May 21, 2026) |
| Multi-state payroll | Not stated on the payroll page | Plus ($80 + $12 per person) | Included on every plan |
| International hiring | EOR and contractors through Remote, by quote | Contractors in 120+ countries, per-payment fee; no employer-of-record service listed | Contractors $39 each; EOR $599 per employee on PEO plans |
| PEO option | None listed | None listed | PEO Basic $79, PEO Plus $109 per employee |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 1 and SOC 2 Type 2; ISO 27001 not listed | SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports (type not stated); ISO 27001 not stated | Not stated on the pages we read |
| Contract terms | Month to month or an extended term | Month to month, cancel anytime | Not stated; first year of PEO fees can be prepaid |
| Data export | Custom reports; API generates reports in several formats | Reports as CSV, PDF or Excel; a payroll data export workbook per year | Each payroll downloads as CSV |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, BambooHR is a well-rounded HR system with payroll as a quoted add-on. Its score is held back by the unpublished payroll price and add-ons, not by the HR plans themselves. | 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. | From its public pages, Justworks pairs low-cost multi-state payroll with a priced PEO path. Its score is held back by a security file and API that its pages do not state, and its pricing page could only be read in a May 2026 archive copy. |
Evidence: BambooHR: 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; Justworks: 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 BambooHR review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick BambooHR when
- You want a deeper HR system, with reviews on Pro, and a free trial without a card.
- Pick Gusto when
- You want payroll at a published price, from $109 a month for 10 employees (computed).
From our BambooHR review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick BambooHR when
- You want built-in performance reviews and data hosting outside the US.
- Pick Justworks when
- You want payroll priced on the page and multi-state payroll stated on the entry plan.
From our Gusto review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Gusto when
- You want the lower 10-employee price ($109 vs $130 a month, computed) and built-in performance reviews on a published plan.
- Pick Justworks when
- You need multi-state payroll on the entry plan, or a PEO plan for access to group health benefits.
From our Justworks review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Justworks when
- You employ people in more than one state and want multi-state payroll on the entry plan.
- Pick Gusto when
- You want built-in performance reviews, a free account before the first payroll, or the lower price ($109 vs $130, computed).
From our Justworks review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Justworks when
- You want payroll priced on the page and multi-state payroll stated.
- Pick BambooHR when
- You want a deeper HR system with built-in reviews and a free trial.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- BambooHRCore$250/moFlat for 25 employees or fewer; above that $10 per employee (plan card) or $10.25 (FAQ)
- Employee records, reports and dashboards
- Applicant tracking (5 openings), onboarding, e-signatures
- Time-off management and benefits tracking
- On-demand pay
- GustoLowest priceSimple$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
- JustworksPayroll$50/moPlus $8 per employee a month (pricing page, Internet Archive copy of May 21, 2026)
- Multi-state payroll, tax filings, W-2 and 1099 filings
- Online onboarding, PTO management, basic timecards
- Phone and chat support
- Health insurance add-on at $8 per benefits-eligible employee
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: BambooHR 2026-10-16, Gusto 2026-10-16, Justworks 2026-10-16.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- GustoSelf-serve sign-up; the highest score of the 2 self-serve products here (6.3/10).
- If you want to try it without entering a card
- BambooHRFree trial, no card needed; scored 3.6/10.
- Lowest starter price
- Gusto$49/mo + $6/person for the Simple plan.
- Highest overall score
- Gusto6.3/10 (Good). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score
Full reviews
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