- Your team is growing past 25 employees and you want a platform that scales with you. You need built-in time tracking so employees can clock in from a phone or browser without a separate app. You rely on a large software stack and need payroll to connect with 100+ tools for accounting, expenses, and point-of-sale. You want workforce analytics, custom reports on labor costs, and employee satisfaction surveys in one place. You plan to add advanced HR features like performance reviews, org charts, or compliance alerts over time.
- Your team is under 50 employees and you want to know exactly what your payroll costs every month with no tier upgrades. You value responsive human support and want to talk to a real person when something goes wrong. You run payroll across multiple states and do not want to pay extra for multi-state processing. You already use a separate time-tracking tool and do not need one built into your payroll software. You prefer a straightforward platform that does payroll and benefits well without layering on HR modules you may not use.
Both platforms start at $49 per month plus $6 per person, which makes the entry-level cost identical. The pricing story changes as your needs grow. Gusto's Simple plan covers basic payroll and benefits, but time tracking, workforce reports, and advanced hiring tools require upgrading to the Plus plan at $80 per month plus $12 per person, or the Premium plan at $180 per month plus $22 per person. Add-on modules can push a small team's monthly cost well past $100. OnPay takes the opposite approach. Their single plan includes everything they offer at that $49 plus $6 price point. There are no tiers to compare and no surprise charges when you need a feature that was hiding behind a paywall. For a 10-person team on the base plan, both cost $109 per month. But the moment you need time tracking or better reporting from Gusto, you are looking at $200 per month on the Plus plan. OnPay stays at $109.
Payroll processing: Both platforms run unlimited payroll for W-2 employees and 1099 contractors across all 50 states. Both handle federal, state, and local tax filings automatically. OnPay backs this with an error-free guarantee, which Gusto does not explicitly offer on all plans. Benefits administration: Both are licensed to administer health, dental, vision, and 401(k) plans in all 50 states. Gusto also offers HSAs, FSAs, and commuter benefits on higher-tier plans. Time tracking: Gusto includes built-in time tracking on Plus and Premium plans with mobile clock-in, PTO requests, and automatic payroll sync. OnPay has no native time tracking and depends on integrations with tools like When I Work or QuickBooks Time. Onboarding and HR: Both offer employee self-service portals, digital onboarding with I-9 and W-4 forms, and e-signatures. Gusto adds org charts, employee surveys, and performance review tools on higher plans. Reporting: Gusto provides workforce analytics, project costing, and custom reporting. OnPay covers the payroll reporting basics but does not go deeper into HR analytics. Integrations: Gusto connects with 130+ apps. OnPay integrates with a focused set including QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, and Xero.
Final Take
Gusto and OnPay start at the same price, but they are built for different stages of business. Gusto gives growing teams a platform they can expand into, with time tracking, workforce analytics, and a deep integration library that keeps everything connected. The trade-off is that those features live behind higher-priced plans, and costs climb as you unlock them. OnPay is the better fit for smaller teams that want predictable pricing and a clean payroll experience without managing plan tiers. Its all-inclusive model and well-regarded support team make it a strong pick for businesses that just need payroll done right. If you are under 50 employees and want simplicity, go with OnPay. If you are building a team that will outgrow a basic payroll tool, Gusto gives you more room to grow.
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