Gusto Review - why 4.7 stars?

• Payroll: Gusto helps businesses with their payroll needs by running payroll in minutes, filing taxes automatically, synchronizing employee hours, and automating payroll solutions with AutoPilot.
• Employee Benefits: Gusto Payroll helps employers offer health and financial benefits to their teams with tools like Gusto Wallet, support for workers compensation, HSA, and FSA, health insurance administration, paycheck splitter, Cashout, commuter benefits, etc.
• Hiring and Onboarding: Gusto helps businesses recruit, hire, and onboard employees with tools for jobs and offers, custom onboarding checklists, device management for company assets, software setup, and integrations with applicant tracking software.
• Time Tools: Gusto Payroll features automated time tracking tools to manage employee hours and track productivity. The software features tools like geolocation verification, auto sync with payroll, project tracking, calendar sync, PTO policies, reporting, time off requests, etc.

• Gusto is generally easy to set up for new users
• The software is a low-cost option compared to its alternatives
• Some features on Gusto, like time tracking and reporting, work excellently

• Customer support personnel are generally unresponsive and take a lot of time to attend to issues
• Gusto is not as user-friendly as it should be

• Cloud/On-premise: Gusto is a fully cloud-based payroll and HR software solution. In comparison, all top alternatives of Gusto Payroll are fully cloud-based solutions.
• Cost: Gusto Payroll pricing starts at $45 per month. Add-ons are available, and no free trial or free version is offered. In comparison, Rippling pricing starts at $8 per user per month, while the other top alternatives do not disclose their pricing details.
• Customers/Industries: Gusto targets businesses across various industries and is typically used by solo contractors, team leads, and small business employers. In comparison, all top Gusto Payroll alternatives target similar customers and industries— businesses of all sizes in tech, finance, healthcare, nonprofit, etc.
• Functionality: Gusto has typical functionalities for payroll and HR software like full-service payroll, accounting integrations, onboarding checklists, etc. Compared to its top alternatives, Gusto does not have the learning management feature available on Rippling.
• Popularity: Gusto was founded in 2011. The company is valued at over $9 billion and has raised over $600 million in funding. Over 200,000 businesses use Gusto Payroll. In comparison, Paychex Flex serves over 700,000 businesses, Namely has raised over $200 million in funding, and Paylocity won the HR Tech award for Best SMB-focused Software for Talent Development.
• Scalability: Gusto can support businesses of all sizes and stages, whether small, medium, or large-scale. In comparison, Namely is built to support teams in midsized businesses, while the other alternatives can support businesses of all sizes.
• Support: Gusto offers the following support channel options to its users: email, phone, and a knowledge base. In comparison, Namely has no phone support; Rippling has live chat support, Paychex Flex support is available 24/7, while Paylocity does not have email support.

What is the REAL total cost of implementation? on top of the total cost of licenses which is easy to calculate you need to add the cost of training, customization, data migration, and other "hidden cost". ITQlick pricing score is 4 out of 10 (10 is most expensive). You can fine here the REAL total cost breakdown for Gusto.