Gusto vs OnPay: both $49 + $6, so the $0 gap comes down to multi-state, year-end forms and a free first month
Last updated 2026-10-03. OnPay's pricing page was re-read that day. Gusto's pricing page could not be read that day (403), so its figures are as read 2026-09-27.
Short version: the price is a tie, so start with what is in it
- Gusto Simple and OnPay Payroll Essentials are both a $49 base fee plus $6 per employee. One employee: $55. Ten: $109. A hundred: $649. The gap is $0 at every headcount.
- The difference is in what each pricing page says is included. OnPay's $49 + $6 covers multi-state payroll, W-2s, 1099s and year-end filings, and the page states "No implementation or integration fees."
- Gusto Simple does not include multi-state payroll. A second state means Plus ($80 + $12), which takes ten employees from $109 to $200. Gusto's pricing page does not mention year-end forms.
- OnPay showed "Get Your First Month Free" on 2026-10-03. Gusto Simple carried no discount on the day it was read.
- Gusto Plus against OnPay's HR bundle (shown at $70 + $10 on 2026-10-03) is $200 against $170 at ten employees.
What the same $49 + $6 includes, side by side
| Line on the pricing page | Gusto Simple (read 2026-09-27) | OnPay Payroll Essentials (read 2026-10-03) |
|---|---|---|
| Tax calculation | not stated | included |
| Tax filing (federal and state) | included | included ("Federal, state, and local tax filings included") |
| Direct deposit | included | not stated |
| Year-end W-2s and 1099s | not stated | included |
| Multi-state payroll | not included (Plus and up) | included ("Pay in as many states as you need") |
| Off-cycle pay runs | included | included |
| Setup or implementation fee | not stated | $0 ("No implementation or integration fees") |
| Contract term | month-to-month, cancel anytime | not stated |
| Promotion | none on Simple | first month free |
"Not stated" means the pricing page does not say it, not that the vendor does not do it. What a payroll price normally covers is laid out in article-04.
The monthly bill, identical on every row
| Employees | Gusto Simple | OnPay Payroll Essentials | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $55 ($55 per employee) | $55 ($55 per employee) | $0 |
| 5 | $79 ($15.80) | $79 ($15.80) | $0 |
| 10 | $109 ($10.90) | $109 ($10.90) | $0 |
| 25 | $199 ($7.96) | $199 ($7.96) | $0 |
| 50 | $349 ($6.98) | $349 ($6.98) | $0 |
| 100 | $649 ($6.49) | $649 ($6.49) | $0 |
Monthly total, per-employee figure in parentheses. List prices, no promotions.
Put any headcount into this site's calculator and the two land on the same line. The effective per-employee figure is the same too: $10.90 at ten, $7.96 at twenty-five, $6.98 at fifty.
When one state becomes two
This is where a gap appears. OnPay stays on Payroll Essentials at $49 + $6 however many states are involved. Gusto Simple covers one state, so a second state means Plus at $80 + $12.
| Employees | Gusto Plus (multi-state included) | OnPay Payroll Essentials (multi-state included) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $140 | $79 | $61 |
| 10 | $200 | $109 | $91 |
| 25 | $380 | $199 | $181 |
| 50 | $680 | $349 | $331 |
Plus brings more than multi-state; it carries everything Gusto's page lists under the Plus column. The table lines up the cheapest combination on each side that can run a second state, not two products of the same scope. The items to compare before choosing a provider are in article-08.
Gusto Plus against OnPay's HR bundle
On 2026-10-03 OnPay's pricing page showed three HR bundles, the lowest at a $70 base fee plus $10 per worker, with $79 + $12 struck through beside it. The bundle names could not be captured, so this article cites it only as "the HR bundle shown at $70 + $10 on 2026-10-03." When this site's dataset read the page on 2026-09-07 it recorded "HR add-on +$15 base, +$2/worker," which is $64 + $8 in total, so the page has changed. The figures below use the 2026-10-03 reading.
| Employees | Gusto Plus ($80 + $12) | OnPay HR bundle ($70 + $10) | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $92 | $80 | $12 |
| 5 | $140 | $120 | $20 |
| 10 | $200 | $170 | $30 |
| 25 | $380 | $320 | $60 |
| 50 | $680 | $570 | $110 |
| 100 | $1,280 | $1,070 | $210 |
Base + per-employee x headcount. The $10 base-fee gap and the $2 per-employee gap point the same way, so OnPay's side falls further below with every employee added. What each vendor puts under the word HR is whatever its pricing page lists, and this article does not weigh one against the other.
A free first month, and the contract terms
OnPay's pricing page carries "Get Your First Month Free" (2026-10-03). At ten employees the first year is $109 x 11 = $1,199, which is $109 under the $1,308 that twelve full months would cost. The page does not state a contract term or a trial period.
Gusto's page lists Simple, Plus and Premium as "month-to-month, cancel anytime," and the 2026-09-27 reading showed no discount on any of the three payroll plans (only Contractor Only carried a limited-time $0 base fee). Gusto's page does not state a setup fee or a trial period.
What this page does not settle
This compares published list prices and the conditions written on two pricing pages. It is not a product comparison, and we have not used either. Do not read a "not stated" line as "not offered." Negotiated prices, state-by-state tax rules and support quality are outside it. US prices only.
Sources
- https://gusto.com/pricing, checked 2026-09-27 (returned 403 on 2026-10-03, could not be re-read)
- https://onpay.com/payroll/software/costs-pricing/, checked 2026-10-03
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/d/gusto, checked 2026-10-03
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/d/onpay, checked 2026-10-03
Related on this site
- OnPay pricing, effective per-employee figure by headcount (d/onpay)
- Gusto's three plans by headcount (d/gusto)
- Payroll vendors with published prices other than OnPay (alt/onpay-alternatives)
- Gusto alternatives that publish a price (alt/gusto-alternatives)
- What payroll software pricing includes (article-04)
- OnPay against QuickBooks Payroll, $49 base against $88 (vs/onpay-vs-quickbooks-payroll)
- Your own headcount, every vendor (tool)
Written by Kaz (pen name). Figures are copied from vendors' published pricing pages on the dates shown. We have not used these products.
Written by Kaz, independent publisher. No commercial relationship with the companies named unless it is listed on the disclosure page.
Published September 27, 2026. The figures above come from the government and vendor pages listed under Sources.
I have not used these products. Nothing here is a personal test result.
Corrections: contact form.