Payroll / Gusto vs OnPay
Gusto vs OnPay: when is Gusto worth the extra cost?
- Payroll only
- OnPay: $199/month for 25 workers. Keep your existing time tool if it works.
- Payroll + time
- OnPay: $314/month. Gusto Plus: $380/month, including scheduling.
- Already happy?
- A $792 annual difference alone is a weak reason to move a working payroll.
In this guide
- The right choice depends on who runs the working week
- What will you pay at your headcount?
- Why choose OnPay over Gusto for payroll alone
- When we would spend the extra $66 on Gusto
- Ignore comparisons that say OnPay has no native time tracking
- Should you switch a payroll that already works?
- Three details that can change the answer
- Ready to compare them for your team?
The right choice depends on who runs the working week
| Your situation | Our pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Salaried staff; no new time or scheduling tool needed | OnPay payroll | A lower subscription for the payroll scope you need. |
| Hourly staff; managers already have a scheduling system they like | OnPay, with time tracking if needed | Avoid paying for a second scheduling workflow. |
| Hourly staff; schedules and hours are scattered across tools | Gusto Plus | Its included scheduling gives you a reason to pay more. |
| Your current payroll works reliably | Keep it unless the alternative fixes a real problem | Subscription savings have to outweigh transition work. |
This is a comparison of two specific purchasing routes, not a claim that either suits every small business. Complex pay rules or a critical accounting integration can change the answer.
Read the OnPay assessment · Read the Gusto assessment
For 20 employees in two states needing payroll alone, Patriot Full Service is our wider shortlist’s first choice at $149/month. OnPay is $169; this two-provider comparison does not establish the market’s lowest price.
What will you pay at your headcount?
Use OnPay's published Payroll Essentials rate of $49 plus $6 per worker and the separate Time Tracking addition of $15 plus $4 per worker. Gusto Plus is $80 plus $12 per person. All amounts below are USD per month, calculated at constant billed headcount, without promotional discounts.
| Configuration | 10 people | 25 people | 50 people |
|---|---|---|---|
| OnPay payroll only: $49 + $6n | $109 | $199 | $349 |
| OnPay payroll + time: $64 + $10n | $164 | $314 | $564 |
| Gusto Plus: $80 + $12n | $200 | $380 | $680 |
| Gusto Plus less OnPay payroll + time | $36 | $66 | $116 |
For 25 employees, the annual subscription difference is $792. Comparing Gusto Plus with payroll-only OnPay gives a $181 monthly gap, but excludes OnPay's time product. Both calculations are valid; they answer different questions.
This is component arithmetic, not a negotiated quote. Optional services, insurance premiums, taxes and third-party products are outside these totals. OnPay also advertises bundles; get the applicable written bundle price rather than combining unrelated calculator states or assuming a discount lasts forever.
Optional Gusto Priority Support adds $30 plus $3 per person monthly to Plus. At 25 people, that adds $105, taking the $380 subscription to $485 before other extras. It provides phone/chat queue priority, not the dedicated Premium Account Partner listed with Premium. Compare the support scope you actually need.
Why choose OnPay over Gusto for payroll alone
For a lean team, the strongest argument for OnPay is straightforward: buy the payroll you need without paying for a broader package you will barely use. Its base plan includes multi-state payroll.
At 25 workers, payroll alone costs $199 monthly. Add its separately priced Time Tracking product and the total becomes $314. OnPay describes clock-in, supervisor approval and approved hours flowing into payroll.
The trade-off: the OnPay configuration priced here is payroll plus time tracking. Gusto Plus also includes scheduling. If your manager needs to build rotas as well as approve hours, the lower price does not settle the purchase.
When we would spend the extra $66 on Gusto
Gusto Plus includes scheduling, time tracking and multi-state payroll. That combination is attractive when a manager currently writes schedules in one place and prepares payroll hours somewhere else.
At 25 people, Gusto Plus costs $66 more a month than OnPay payroll plus time. Compare that with the time and software cost of preparing schedules separately. At an illustrative $40 hourly value, the difference equals 1.65 hours a month. That is a break-even illustration, not a measured product saving.
Our reservation: if scheduling already works well elsewhere, this advantage shrinks. Include the cost of any existing scheduling subscription you could cancel.
Ignore comparisons that say OnPay has no native time tracking
OnPay now markets its own Time Tracking product. Older comparisons that describe it as integrations-only miss a material change.
The useful distinction is what your team needs alongside time tracking. Gusto’s package includes scheduling; OnPay lets the buyer start with payroll and add time.
Should you switch a payroll that already works?
Usually not for $66 a month alone. That is $792 a year at a constant 25-person headcount. Count the time needed to prepare records, configure the new system and help employees through the change.
OnPay advertises free setup and historical-data migration. That can reduce the supplier bill, but your team still has work to do. Do not assume a switching fee exists; do not assume switching takes no time.
For a first purchase, choose OnPay when payroll and hours cover the need. Choose Gusto Plus when bringing scheduling into the same system solves a recurring headache.
Three details that can change the answer
- States: this comparison uses Gusto Plus because the scenario needs multi-state payroll. Gusto Simple is a different scope.
- Hours: confirm who approves timesheets and how corrections reach payroll. Ask the supplier to correct an approved timesheet and show the updated payroll record.
- Quote: compare the ongoing price, included modules and any bundle terms—not just an introductory offer.
Ready to compare them for your team?
Choose OnPay if payroll cost leads your decision. Choose Gusto if scheduling could simplify your working week.
Request an OnPay demo · Request a Gusto demo
People Ops Buyer handles your request and follows up about the next step. A meeting is not booked until confirmed.
Questions buyers ask
Does OnPay have native time tracking?
Yes. Its current official product page advertises OnPay Time Tracking, including clock-in, supervisor approval, edit logs and approved hours sent into payroll. The add-on is separately priced.
Which is cheaper for 25 employees in two states?
At the published rates used here, OnPay payroll is $199 monthly, OnPay payroll plus time is $314, and Gusto Plus is $380. These scopes differ; totals exclude other modules, premiums, taxes and promotions.
When is Gusto Plus worth the difference?
When scheduling or another included workflow solves a real need that the proposed OnPay configuration does not cover. At 25 people the payroll-plus-time subscription gap is $66 per month; require an actual workflow reason to pay it.
Should we switch an otherwise working payroll to save $66 a month?
Usually not on that fact alone. Compare migration and retraining costs with the $792 annual subscription difference and any separately demonstrated improvement.
Sources and research scope
Primary Gusto and OnPay pricing and product pages checked 2 October 2026. Calculations use published component rates without promotional discounts. Recommendations are editorial assessments of scope and cost; no hands-on usability or support-quality test is claimed. Plus and Priority Support rates rechecked 5 October 2026. Component subscription rates rechecked 6 October 2026; the wider shortlist now leads with Patriot for its separate 20-person, two-state payroll-only example.
- OnPay pricingPayroll base rate, separate modules and bundle distinctions.
- OnPay Time TrackingNative product scope and $15 plus $4 per worker monthly addition.
- Gusto pricingPlus price and included time, scheduling, multi-state and next-day-pay propositions.
- Gusto multi-state payrollPlus/Premium plan boundary.