Gusto vs Zenefits
A detailed comparison of Gusto and Zenefits. See how they stack up on features, pricing, and user ratings.
At a Glance
| Gusto | Zenefits | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | 4.0/5 |
| Starting Price | $40/mo | $8/mo |
| Free Trial | No | No |
| Free Plan | No | No |
| Features | 9 | 9 |
| Best For | SMB | SMB |
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
Zenefits
HR platform for small and mid-sized businesses covering onboarding, benefits administration, payroll, time-and-attendance, and compliance. Now part of TriNet.
Rating
4.0/5
Best for
SMB
Free trial
No
Free plan
No
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Gusto | Zenefits |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow Automation | ||
| Reporting Dashboard | ||
| EEO/OFCCP Compliance | ||
| GDPR Compliance | ||
| API Access | ||
| HRIS Integration | ||
| Slack Integration | ||
| Zapier Integration | ||
| Mobile App |
Pricing Comparison
Gusto
Simple
$40/mo
Plus
$80/mo
Premium
Custom
Zenefits
Essentials
$8/mo
Growth
$16/mo
Zen
$27/mo
Integrations
Both tools integrate with
Gmail
Google Calendar
Google Workspace
Microsoft 365
Outlook
Outlook Calendar
Slack
Zapier
Only Gusto
QuickBooks
Salesforce
Xero
Only Zenefits
ADP
Azure AD
Gusto
Microsoft Teams
Okta
OneLogin
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
Zenefits
Pros
- +Affordable all-in-one HR platform
- +Good benefits administration
- +Clean, intuitive interface
- +Strong for companies with 10-500 employees
Cons
- -Past compliance issues affected reputation
- -Payroll is a paid add-on, not included
- -Limited recruiting and ATS functionality
- -Customer support has mixed reviews
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Gusto if:
- • Your company is SMB size
- • Higher user ratings matter to you (4.5 vs 4.0)
- • Best-in-class payroll for small businesses
Choose Zenefits if:
- • Your company is SMB size
- • Budget is a priority (starts from $8/mo vs $40/mo)
- • Affordable all-in-one HR platform
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.