Gusto vs Roll by ADP: $39 + $5 with three months free against $49 + $6, a $507 gap in year one at 10 employees
Last updated 2026-10-03
Short version
- List prices: Roll by ADP is $39 a month plus $5 per employee, Gusto Simple is $49 plus $6. Roll is lower on both numbers, so there is no headcount where the order flips. One employee: $44 against $55. Ten: $89 against $109. Fifty: $289 against $349.
- Roll's page says "Try 3 months free*" (terms apply). Counting those as three of twelve months, a ten-employee first year is $801 at Roll and $1,308 at Gusto, $507 apart. From year two the gap is the list-price gap, $240 a year at ten.
- Multi-state is included at Roll. Gusto Simple does not include it; Plus ($80 plus $12) does.
- Neither pricing page says how year-end forms are handled.
- Roll: "no long-term contracts." Gusto: "Month-to-month, cancel anytime."
- Roll was re-read 2026-10-03. Gusto's figures are from 2026-09-27; the page could not be re-read on 2026-10-03.
Year one, with the three free months
Roll's pricing page leads with "Unlimited payroll for $39 / Month" and, next to it, "Try 3 months free*". The asterisk points to Roll's terms. This site's dataset records the free period as 90 days.
Read as three months free and nine months at list, the first year looks like this.
| Employees | Roll list x 12 | Roll year one (9 months billed) | Gusto Simple x 12 | Year-one gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $768 | $576 | $948 | $372 |
| 10 | $1,068 | $801 | $1,308 | $507 |
| 25 | $1,968 | $1,476 | $2,388 | $912 |
Annual figures. Roll's free months are read as three of twelve; the conditions are Roll's. For Gusto Simple, this site's 2026-09-27 reading records no promotion (the Contractor Only plan carries a limited-time $0 base fee, which is a different plan).
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From year two: the list-price gap
Take the promotion away and the difference grows in step with headcount. Ten dollars on the base fee, one dollar per employee, so the gap is $10 plus $1 for each person on payroll.
| Employees | Gusto Simple | Roll by ADP | Gap per month | Gap per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $55 ($55 each) | $44 ($44 each) | $11 | $132 |
| 5 | $79 ($15.80) | $64 ($12.80) | $15 | $180 |
| 10 | $109 ($10.90) | $89 ($8.90) | $20 | $240 |
| 25 | $199 ($7.96) | $164 ($6.56) | $35 | $420 |
| 50 | $349 ($6.98) | $289 ($5.78) | $60 | $720 |
| 100 | $649 ($6.49) | $539 ($5.39) | $110 | $1,320 |
Monthly total, effective per-employee figure in parentheses. List prices only. Gusto read 2026-09-27, Roll read 2026-10-03.
Roll is lower at every size. The monthly gap runs from $11 to $110 and widens as the team grows, while the gap per employee shrinks from $11 to $1.10.
Inclusions, page by page
Whether the two prices cover the same work is a question for the pages themselves. Lined up on the items this site's dataset tracks:
| Item | Roll by ADP | Gusto Simple |
|---|---|---|
| Tax calculation | included | not stated |
| Tax filing and payment | not stated | included |
| Direct deposit | included | included |
| Year-end forms (W-2 / 1099) | not stated | not stated |
| Multi-state | included | not included (from Plus) |
| Off-cycle pay runs | included | included |
"Not stated" means the pricing page does not say, not that the item is missing. Roll's page also reads "No Hidden Fees, No Surprises, No Training."
Multi-state is the one line that turns into a number. A company paying in a second state moves to Gusto Plus, which is $200 for ten employees while Roll stays at $89. That gap is $111, a different figure from the $20 in the list-price table. At 25 employees it is $380 against $164, a gap of $216.
Contract terms
Roll: "no long-term contracts." The dataset holds a contract minimum of zero months and no stated setup fee.
Gusto: "Month-to-month, cancel anytime." Setup fee, free trial and contract minimum are not on the pricing page, and the dataset marks all three as unconfirmed.
Where ADP RUN fits
Roll by ADP is the small-business app on which ADP publishes a price. ADP RUN is a separate product whose page shows four package names and a "Get pricing" button, with no dollar figure. Gusto set against ADP RUN is its own article. How much of a pay run happens without anyone touching it is a separate question again; this page is about price only.
Enter your headcount in the calculator and Roll and Gusto appear in the same column.
Before you read this as a verdict
This compares prices and the wording of two pricing pages, not how the products work. We have not used either. List prices, not quotes; US dollar plans only. Check the conditions on Roll's three free months in Roll's own terms.
Sources
- https://www.rollbyadp.com/pricing (checked 2026-10-03)
- https://gusto.com/pricing (as read 2026-09-27; the page could not be re-read 2026-10-03)
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/d/roll-by-adp (checked 2026-10-03)
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/d/gusto (checked 2026-10-03)
Related on this site
- Roll by ADP's price and what the page says it includes (d/roll-by-adp)
- Gusto Simple, Plus and Premium at each headcount (d/gusto)
- Roll by ADP against Square Payroll, which swap at 5 employees (vs/roll-by-adp-vs-square-payroll)
- Gusto against ADP RUN: a published price next to a quote form (article-49)
- Year one against year two once trials and discounts are counted (article-13)
- How far a payroll run goes on its own (article-17)
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.