Justworks PEO vs Gusto: $79 per employee against $49 + $6, a $681 a month gap at 10 employees
*Last updated 2026-10-03. Justworks' pricing page could not be re-read on 2026-10-03 (403); its figures are from 2026-09-06. Gusto's page returned 403 the same day; its figures are from 2026-09-27.*
Short version
- Justworks PEO Basic is $79 per employee per month with no base fee. Gusto Simple is $49 a month plus $6 per employee. One employee: $79 against $55. Ten: $790 against $109. Twenty-five: $1,975 against $199.
- At 10 employees the gap is $681 a month, $8,172 a year, and it widens with every hire, because the PEO stays at $79 a head while Gusto's base fee spreads thinner.
- The PEO is the lower figure only against Gusto's upper tiers and only at very small headcounts: at 1 employee against Plus ($80 + $12), and up to 3 employees against Premium ($180 + $22).
- Justworks also sells plain payroll software, its Payroll plan at $50 + $8. That one runs $3 above Gusto Simple at 1 employee, $21 at 10 and $201 at 100.
- The difference between $79 and $55 is the price of what Justworks' page says Basic includes (compliance, HR consulting, 24/7 support, a 401(k)), not a ranking of the two products.
The gap at every headcount
| Employees | Justworks PEO Basic ($79 each) | Gusto Simple ($49 + $6) | Gap per month | Gap per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $79 | $55 ($55 each) | $24 | $288 |
| 5 | $395 | $79 ($15.80 each) | $316 | $3,792 |
| 10 | $790 | $109 ($10.90 each) | $681 | $8,172 |
| 25 | $1,975 | $199 ($7.96 each) | $1,776 | $21,312 |
| 50 | $3,950 | $349 ($6.98 each) | $3,601 | $43,212 |
| 100 | $7,900 | $649 ($6.49 each) | $7,251 | $87,012 |
Gusto's effective cost per employee falls from $55 at one employee to $6.49 at a hundred. PEO Basic is $79 a head at any size. The calculator gives both figures for your own headcount (switch the type to PEO for the Justworks line).
Links on this page currently go directly to providers without affiliate tracking. [CTA: Gusto | See Gusto pricing | https://gusto.com/pricing] Links on this page currently go directly to providers without affiliate tracking.
Where the PEO is the lower number
Gusto's upper tiers carry a larger base fee, so at the smallest headcounts PEO Basic comes in under them.
| Employees | PEO Basic ($79) | Gusto Plus ($80 + $12) | Gusto Premium ($180 + $22) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $79 | $92 | $202 |
| 2 | $158 | $104 | $224 |
| 3 | $237 | $116 | $246 |
| 4 | $316 | $128 | $268 |
| 5 | $395 | $140 | $290 |
Against Plus, only at one employee ($79 to $92). Against Premium, up to three ($237 to $246 at three), with Premium lower from four. Against Simple there is no such headcount: even at one employee it is $79 to $55.
What sits inside $79, and inside $49 + $6
Justworks' page lists payroll, compliance, HR consulting, 24/7 support and a 401(k) as part of PEO Basic. Plus, at $124 per employee, adds medical, dental and vision, HSA/FSA, mental health and fertility benefits. Whether tax filing or direct deposit are named separately is recorded in this site's data as "not stated", and no base fee is stated.
Gusto Simple's $49 + $6 includes tax filing, direct deposit and off-cycle pay runs. It does not include multi-state payroll; that starts at Plus ($80 + $12). Year-end forms (W-2, 1099) are not mentioned on the pricing page, and this site records them as not stated. Billing is month-to-month, cancel anytime.
So the $681 at 10 employees is the monthly price of what a PEO layers on top of payroll (benefits provision under co-employment, an HR consulting line, compliance), not a price difference for the same work. PEO pricing per employee puts four vendors' rates side by side and explains what the fee is for.
Justworks also sells payroll software, at $50 + $8
You can take Justworks' Payroll plan without the PEO. It is priced the same way as Gusto Simple, base plus per-employee, and sits $1 higher on the base and $2 higher per employee.
| Employees | Gusto Simple ($49 + $6) | Justworks Payroll ($50 + $8) | Gap per month | Gap per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $55 | $58 | $3 | $36 |
| 5 | $79 | $90 | $11 | $132 |
| 10 | $109 | $130 | $21 | $252 |
| 25 | $199 | $250 | $51 | $612 |
| 50 | $349 | $450 | $101 | $1,212 |
| 100 | $649 | $850 | $201 | $2,412 |
Justworks Payroll is recorded as including tax filing, year-end forms, multi-state payroll and off-cycle runs, and on 2026-09-06 it carried a "3 Months Free!" promotion. Because Gusto Simple leaves out multi-state, a company paying people in a second state is on Gusto Plus ($200 at 10 employees), and at that point Justworks Payroll's $130 is the lower of the two.
When each figure was read
Justworks' pricing page was read on 2026-09-06; a re-read on 2026-10-03 returned a 403 error. Gusto's page was read on 2026-09-27 and also returned 403 on 2026-10-03. Every number here carries one of those two dates. If either vendor has changed its price since, the Justworks vendor page and the Gusto vendor page are updated first. Justworks alternatives ranked by payroll cost uses the Payroll plan's $50 + $8 as its baseline, not the PEO.
The edge of this comparison
List prices only: no quoted discounts, no benefit premiums or insurance rates. Product quality and support are outside this site's scope. US prices only. Justworks PEO against Deel PEO is a separate comparison.
Sources
- https://www.justworks.com/pricing, checked 2026-09-06 (403 on 2026-10-03)
- https://gusto.com/pricing, checked 2026-09-27 (403 on 2026-10-03)
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/d/justworks, checked 2026-10-03
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/d/gusto, checked 2026-10-03
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/article-42, checked 2026-10-03
Related on this site
- PEO pricing per employee: $79 to $125 where published
- Justworks vs Deel PEO, side by side
- Justworks pricing and cost per employee
- Gusto pricing and cost per employee
- Justworks alternatives by payroll cost
- Payroll and HR in one product, or two?
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.