Gusto vs Lattice
A detailed comparison of Gusto and Lattice. See how they stack up on features, pricing, and user ratings.
At a Glance
| Gusto | Lattice | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.7/5 |
| Starting Price | $40/mo | $11/mo |
| Free Trial | No | No |
| Free Plan | No | No |
| Features | 9 | 9 |
| Best For | SMB | Mid-Market |
This comparison is a bit of a category mismatch. Gusto and Lattice both sit under the HR umbrella, but they do very different things. You probably need one or both — not one instead of the other.
Gusto (founded 2011, rated 4.5/5) is a payroll and HR platform for US small businesses. Starting at $40/month + $6/person, it handles payroll processing, tax filings, benefits administration (health, dental, vision, 401k), time tracking, and basic hiring tools. Gusto is operational HR — it makes sure people get paid correctly and compliantly. It does not include performance reviews, goal tracking, engagement surveys, or career development tools.
Lattice (founded 2016, rated 4.7/5) is a performance management and employee engagement platform. Pricing is custom (typically starting around $6-11/person/month depending on modules). Lattice handles performance reviews, OKRs and goal tracking, engagement surveys, 1:1 meeting agendas, career development plans, and compensation benchmarking. Lattice does not process payroll, manage benefits, or handle tax compliance.
These tools complement each other. Gusto answers "how do I pay my team correctly?" Lattice answers "how do I develop, retain, and engage my team?" Many companies use both.
Editor's Note
These aren't competitors — they're complements. If you're choosing between them, you're probably at different stages. Every company needs payroll (Gusto) from day one. Performance management (Lattice) typically becomes important at 20-50+ employees when you need structured reviews, goal alignment, and engagement data. If you're a small team under 20 people, start with Gusto and add Lattice when informal feedback no longer scales. If you're growing fast and losing visibility into team performance, Lattice fills that gap.
Gusto
Cloud-based payroll and HR platform for small businesses handling payroll processing, benefits administration, time tracking, hiring, and compliance in one system.
Lattice
People management platform combining performance reviews, engagement surveys, OKRs, compensation management, and HRIS for growing companies.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Gusto | Lattice |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow Automation | ||
| Reporting Dashboard | ||
| EEO/OFCCP Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliance | ||
| API Access | ||
| HRIS Integration | ||
| Slack Integration | ||
| Zapier Integration | ||
| Mobile App |
Pricing Comparison
Gusto
Lattice
Integrations
Both tools integrate with
Only Gusto
Only Lattice
Pros & Cons
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
Lattice
Pros
- +Excellent performance management and review workflows
- +Clean, intuitive interface with high user adoption
- +Strong OKR and goal tracking deeply integrated with reviews
- +Compensation management with salary benchmarking data
Cons
- -HRIS module is relatively new and less mature than dedicated HRIS platforms
- -No payroll functionality — requires separate payroll solution
- -Modular pricing adds up quickly if you need multiple modules
- -Best suited for tech companies — less industry-specific configuration
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Gusto if:
- • Your company is SMB size
- • Best-in-class payroll for small businesses
Choose Lattice if:
- • Your company is Mid-Market size
- • Higher user ratings matter to you (4.7 vs 4.5)
- • Budget is a priority (starts from $11/mo vs $40/mo)
- • Excellent performance management and review workflows
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need both Gusto and Lattice?
It depends on your size. Every company needs payroll (Gusto), but not every company needs formal performance management (Lattice). Under 20 employees, you can usually handle reviews and feedback informally. Once you hit 20-50+ people, structured performance reviews, goal tracking, and engagement surveys become important — that's when Lattice adds value. The two integrate, so running both isn't complex.
Does Gusto have any performance management features?
Very basic ones. Gusto offers simple performance review templates and feedback tools, but they're not comparable to Lattice's depth. Gusto's reviews work for companies that want a checkbox process. Lattice is for companies that want performance management to be a strategic tool — continuous feedback, OKRs, engagement analytics, and career pathing.
Is Lattice worth the cost for a small team?
For teams under 15-20 people, probably not. Lattice's value comes from creating structure and visibility that you lose as organisations grow. At small scale, a simple spreadsheet and regular 1:1s achieve the same outcome. Lattice becomes worth the investment when informal processes start breaking down — missed reviews, unclear goals, or difficulty tracking performance across teams.
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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.