CharlieHR vs Gusto
A detailed comparison of CharlieHR and Gusto. See how they stack up on features, pricing, and user ratings.
At a Glance
| CharlieHR | Gusto | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | 4.5/5 |
| Starting Price | $5/mo | $40/mo |
| Free Trial | Yes | No |
| Free Plan | Yes | No |
| Features | 9 | 9 |
| Best For | SMB | SMB |
CharlieHR
Simple, affordable HR software designed for small UK and European businesses with 2-200 employees, covering time off, onboarding, and people management.
Rating
4.7/5
Best for
SMB
Free trial
Yes
Free plan
Yes
Gusto
Cloud-based payroll and HR platform for small businesses handling payroll processing, benefits administration, time tracking, hiring, and compliance in one system.
Rating
4.5/5
Best for
SMB
Free trial
No
Free plan
No
Feature Comparison
| Feature | CharlieHR | Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow Automation | ||
| Reporting Dashboard | ||
| EEO/OFCCP Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliance | ||
| API Access | ||
| HRIS Integration | ||
| Slack Integration | ||
| Zapier Integration | ||
| Mobile App |
Pricing Comparison
CharlieHR
Free
Free
Team
$5/mo
Gusto
Simple
$40/mo
Plus
$80/mo
Premium
Custom
Integrations
Both tools integrate with
Gmail
Google Workspace
Slack
Xero
Zapier
Only Gusto
Google Calendar
Microsoft 365
Outlook
Outlook Calendar
QuickBooks
Salesforce
Pros & Cons
CharlieHR
Pros
- +Extremely simple setup — most teams are running within a day
- +Free plan available for very small teams (up to 2 users)
- +Clean, modern interface designed for non-HR people
- +Affordable per-employee pricing for UK and European SMBs
Cons
- -No payroll module — you need a separate payroll provider
- -Limited API and integrations compared to larger platforms
- -Feature depth is shallow — not suitable for 200+ employee companies
- -Performance reviews are basic compared to Lattice or HiBob
Gusto
Pros
- +Best-in-class payroll for small businesses
- +Very easy to set up and use
- +Transparent, affordable pricing
- +Excellent employee self-service portal
Cons
- -Limited to US-based companies (mostly)
- -HR features less deep than dedicated HRIS tools
- -Reporting not as robust as enterprise solutions
- -Not ideal for companies over 200 employees
Which Should You Choose?
Choose CharlieHR if:
- • Your company is SMB size
- • You want to start with a free plan
- • You want to try before committing (free trial available)
- • Higher user ratings matter to you (4.7 vs 4.5)
- • Budget is a priority (starts from $5/mo vs $40/mo)
- • Extremely simple setup — most teams are running within a day
Choose Gusto if:
- • Your company is SMB size
- • Best-in-class payroll for small businesses
How we evaluate tools
Our ratings combine verified user reviews from G2 and Capterra with hands-on feature analysis. Pricing is checked against official sources. We may earn a commission through affiliate links, but this never influences our rankings or recommendations. Read our full methodology.