SoftwareGlimpse

ADP Workforce Now vs Gusto

Choose Gusto for published US SMB payroll (cluster award). Choose ADP Workforce Now when mid-market tax/compliance payroll+HR is the job and you will take a custom quote. Do not rank them as interchangeable. Compare published pricing, hiring, core HRIS, payroll, scheduling, training, time tracking, integrations, and mobile.

Independently recommendedLast updated Aug 17, 20264 evidence sourcesHow we compare
Compare another
ADP Workforce Now logo

ADP Workforce Now

7.3/10

Mid-market payroll + HR (Select / Plus / Premium packaging) — custom PEPM quote; no published seat $. Landscape vs Gusto.

Best for

  • • Mid-market payroll compliance
  • • Select/Plus/Premium package path

No free plan

Visit ADP Workforce Now
Read review

VS

Our verdict

Our verdict

No universal winner

Choose Gusto for published US SMB payroll (cluster award). Choose ADP Workforce Now when mid-market tax/compliance payroll+HR is the job and you will take a custom quote. Do not rank them as interchangeable.

ADP Workforce Now is better for

  • ✓ Hiring workflow
  • ✓ Core HRIS depth
  • ✓ Payroll processing
  • ✓ Scheduling depth

Choose ADP Workforce Now if: Mid-market payroll compliance

Choose Gusto if: Published SMB payroll

See detailed comparison ↓
Gusto logo

Gusto

7.1/10

US SMB payroll + benefits + light HR — Simple from $49/mo + $6/person; Plus $80 + $12; Premium $180 + $22.

Best for

  • • Published SMB payroll
  • • Simple $49 + $6/person

Starting from $49.00/user/mo

No free plan

Visit Gusto
Read review

Comparison scorecard

Criterion-by-criterion results for ADP Workforce Now and Gusto. Numeric bars appear only when both products have approved scores.

  • Starting pricing

    Published floor price and what that floor actually includes.

    Depends

    Gusto publishes Simple from $49/mo + $6/person. ADP Workforce Now is custom quote (Select / Plus / Premium) with no published PEPM.

    ADP Workforce NowDepends
    GustoDepends

  • Free plan

    Whether a usable free plan is published, and what it gates.

    Depends

    Neither is a free-forever payroll product. Gusto setup is free until first payroll.

    ADP Workforce NowDepends
    GustoDepends

  • User / licence minimum

    Seat floors, per-employee minimums, and small-team pricing traps.

    Depends

    Gusto is SMB-scaled with a platform + per-person fee. ADP WFN quotes mid-market headcount and modules.

    ADP Workforce NowDepends
    GustoDepends

  • Hiring workflow

    Applicant tracking, job posts, interviews, and offer workflow depth.

    ADP Workforce Now

    ADP Workforce Now is the stronger fit for hiring workflow (5/10 vs 4/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.

    ADP Workforce NowStronger
    GustoWeaker

  • Core HRIS depth

    Employee records, PTO, onboarding, and people-admin as a system of record.

    ADP Workforce Now

    ADP Workforce Now is the stronger fit for core HRIS depth (7/10 vs 5/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.

    ADP Workforce NowStronger
    GustoWeaker

  • Payroll processing

    Payroll depth, country coverage, and whether payroll is core or an add-on.

    ADP Workforce Now

    ADP Workforce Now is the stronger fit for payroll processing (10/10 vs 9/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.

    ADP Workforce NowStronger
    GustoWeaker

  • Scheduling depth

    Shift scheduling, availability, and frontline rostering.

    ADP Workforce Now

    ADP Workforce Now is the stronger fit for workforce scheduling (6/10 vs 2/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.

    ADP Workforce NowStronger
    GustoWeaker

  • Training depth

    SOPs, onboarding paths, and employee training — not a full LMS by default.

    ADP Workforce Now

    ADP Workforce Now is the stronger fit for training and SOPs (4/10 vs 2/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.

    ADP Workforce NowStronger
    GustoWeaker

  • Time tracking depth

    Clock-in, timesheets, geofencing, and attendance workflows.

    ADP Workforce Now

    ADP Workforce Now is the stronger fit for time tracking (7/10 vs 5/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.

    ADP Workforce NowStronger
    GustoWeaker

  • Integrations

    Important third-party integrations.

    ADP Workforce Now

    ADP Workforce Now is the stronger fit for integrations (8/10 vs 7/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.

    ADP Workforce Now8/10
    Gusto7/10

  • Mobile / frontline

    Phone-first admin and hourly/frontline employee experience.

    ADP Workforce Now

    ADP Workforce Now is the stronger fit for mobile and frontline use (7/10 vs 6/10). Scores reflect job-cluster fit from vendor documentation, not a lab test of the UI.

    ADP Workforce NowStronger
    GustoWeaker

Some visit links may be affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Comparison outcomes are never based on commission.

Affiliate disclosure: some links may be affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Rankings and scores are never based on commission. Full disclosure

Methodology disclosure: scores and recommendations follow SoftwareGlimpse evaluation criteria (version 1.0.0). Affiliate relationships do not determine rankings.

How we recommend: product claims are tied to recorded research where available.

AI-assisted disclosure: drafts may be AI-assisted from approved facts and assessments. Humans approve publishable editorial judgments. AI does not invent live prices or claim hands-on testing.