How we evaluate payroll providers

What we look at, in this order

1. What it costs for your team. Base fee plus per-person fees at list price, for your headcount and states, from each company’s own pricing page.^123456789 No published price? We write “quote only.”
2. What’s included. Federal, state and local filings, W-2s and 1099s, multi-state payroll, and which plan you need for each.¹⁰
3. Contractors. How they’re billed, and whether a contractor-only team has a plan.¹¹
4. How hard the move is. Whether Gusto can import your old provider’s reports, or you type history in.¹²
5. Support and contracts. Published support hours, and month-to-month vs. an agreement.¹³

Rules we hold ourselves to

• Every price on the site links to its source, with the date we checked it. Last full check: Oct 31, 2026.
• Every switch guide has a “Where [competitor] is genuinely better” section and a “Who shouldn’t use Gusto” box.
• The quiz can, and often does, say “stay put.”
• Gusto is the only company that pays us (a referral reward). That’s exactly why we show the math and the cheaper options. How we make money.
• No star ratings, testimonials, reviews or user counts. Stories are made up and labeled that way.

Spot something out of date? Email hello@payrolldad.com and we’ll fix it and update the date.