Deputy vs Gusto
Compare Deputy and Gusto on features, pricing, and buyer fit using the same researched criteria.
Deputy
Mid-market hourly WFM — Lite $5 / Core $6.50 / Pro $9 per user/mo; $30 invoice minimum; up to 31-day trial.
Best for
- • Multi-location hourly operators who need scheduling + time + labor compliance
- • Teams that will trial Core for up to 31 days before Homebase-style SMB hubs
- • Ops leaders who want WFM AI with a human-in-the-loop
Starting from $5.00/user/mo
No free plan
VS
Our verdict
No universal winner. Choose based on which criteria matter most for your team.
Deputy is better for
- ✓ Starting pricing
- ✓ Integrations
Choose Deputy if: Multi-location hourly operators who need scheduling + time + labor compliance
Choose Gusto if: US small businesses running payroll (and benefits) for the first time
Gusto
US SMB payroll + benefits + light HR — Simple from $49/mo + $6/person; Plus $80 + $12; Premium $180 + $22.
Best for
- • US small businesses running payroll (and benefits) for the first time
- • Teams that want published month-to-month pricing instead of HCM quotes
- • Single-state companies that can start on Simple and upgrade for multi-state
Starting from $49.00/user/mo
No free plan
Comparison scorecard
Criterion-by-criterion results for Deputy and Gusto. Numeric bars appear only when both products have approved scores.
- Deputy
Starting pricing
Published floor price and what that floor actually includes.
Deputy publishes a lower researched starting floor ($5/mo vs $49/mo for Gusto). Confirm currency, renewals, and add-ons — not a total TCO winner.
DeputyStrongerGustoWeaker - Depends
Free plan
Whether a usable free plan is published, and what it gates.
Deputy does not research a free plan; Gusto does not research a free plan.
DeputyDependsGustoDepends - Depends
User / licence minimum
Seat floors, per-employee minimums, and small-team pricing traps.
Check employee or licence minimums for Deputy and Gusto on current vendor packaging.
DeputyDependsGustoDepends - Deputy
Integrations
Important third-party integrations.
Deputy leads on integrations (8/10 vs 7/10) from approved SoftwareGlimpse editorial assessments — not hands-on lab testing.
Deputy8/10Gusto7/10
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