Deel US Payroll vs Gusto: $29 per employee is below $49 + $6 only at 1 or 2 employees, and the $29 was off the page on 2026-10-03
*Last updated 2026-10-03. Deel's $29 was read on 2026-09-27 on the Pay / US tab of its pricing page; a re-read on 2026-10-03 did not find it. Gusto's figures are from 2026-09-27 (403 on 2026-10-03).*
Short version, with a condition attached
- Deel US Payroll: $0 base, $29 per employee per month (self-service). Gusto Simple: $49 plus $6 per employee. One employee is $29 against $55, two is $58 against $61, and at three it flips to $87 against $67.
- At 10 employees Deel is $290 and Gusto $109, a gap of $181 a month or $2,172 a year. At 25 it is $725 against $199.
- Against Gusto Plus ($80 + $12) Gusto is lower from 5 employees; against Premium ($180 + $22), from 26.
- The $29 was first recorded on 2026-09-07, was still readable on 2026-09-27, and was not shown on the page on 2026-10-03. Everything here holds only if the $29 is still in force.
- Deel's $29 is recorded as including multi-state payroll and year-end forms. Gusto Simple leaves multi-state out, so a company in two or more states is really comparing Deel with Plus.
Where the $29 comes from, and why this page is conditional
This site's log of price changes records no published figure for Deel's US payroll in the 2026-09-06 reading and, on 2026-09-07, the appearance of "$29 per employee per month (self-service)" under Pay, then US, on the pricing page. It was readable in the same place on 2026-09-27. The page's note said the managed option is quoted rather than priced, and that the $29 includes registration support in all 50 states. The site's data treats the $29 as a "from" figure, a floor.
On the 2026-10-03 re-read, Contractor Management at $49, Contractor of Record at $325, PEO at $125 and EOR at $599 were all confirmed, but neither the US Payroll $29 nor the Global Payroll $29 could be found. Whether it was removed, moved, or simply did not load is unknown. The tables below use the 2026-09-27 figure as recorded, and the Deel vendor page will be the first place a change shows.
Monthly totals, and which side is lower
| Employees | Gusto Simple ($49 + $6) | Deel US Payroll ($0 + $29) | Lower side, and by how much (month) | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $55 | $29 | Deel, $26 | $312 |
| 2 | $61 | $58 | Deel, $3 | $36 |
| 3 | $67 | $87 | Gusto, $20 | $240 |
| 5 | $79 ($15.80 each) | $145 | Gusto, $66 | $792 |
| 10 | $109 ($10.90 each) | $290 | Gusto, $181 | $2,172 |
| 25 | $199 ($7.96 each) | $725 | Gusto, $526 | $6,312 |
| 50 | $349 ($6.98 each) | $1,450 | Gusto, $1,101 | $13,212 |
| 100 | $649 ($6.49 each) | $2,900 | Gusto, $2,251 | $27,012 |
Deel stays at $29 a head. Gusto's $49 base spreads over more people as the team grows, down to $6.49 a head at 100. Your own headcount goes into the cost calculator.
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.
Why the flip lands on the third employee
The question is how many employees it takes for the $23 per-head difference ($29 - $6) to cover the $49 gap in base fees. Two heads give $46, still under $49, so Deel is $3 lower. Three give $69, past $49, so Gusto is $20 lower. The site's formula (base plus per-employee rate times headcount) puts the Gusto Simple vs Deel US Payroll crossover at 3; the crossover library lists the other pairs computed the same way.
Against Plus and Premium: 5 and 26
| Employees | Deel US Payroll ($29) | Gusto Plus ($80 + $12) | Gusto Premium ($180 + $22) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | $116 | $128 | $268 |
| 5 | $145 | $140 | $290 |
| 25 | $725 | $380 | $730 |
| 26 | $754 | $392 | $752 |
The Plus crossover is 5 employees (at 4, Deel is $12 lower; at 5, Plus is $5 lower). The Premium crossover is 26 (at 25, Deel is $5 lower; at 26, Premium is $2 lower).
What each price includes
Deel's $29 is recorded with tax calculation, year-end forms, multi-state payroll and 50-state registration support included; tax filing and direct deposit are not stated. Gusto Simple includes tax filing, direct deposit and off-cycle runs, and excludes multi-state; year-end forms are not stated.
For a company paying people in more than one state, Deel's counterpart at Gusto is Plus ($80 + $12), not Simple. On that pairing Deel is lower up to 4 employees and Plus from 5. Gusto bills month-to-month with cancellation at any time; contract terms for Deel's US payroll are not recorded in the data.
The other Deel products that were confirmed on 2026-10-03, the $125 PEO and the $599 EOR, price different work and do not belong next to domestic payroll. Global payroll or an employer of record draws that line. Deel alternatives ranked by cost shows which vendors sit in the same US payroll column, and Deel against Remote is compared on price here.
What this article cannot tell you
Whether the $29 is still published after 2026-10-03. What the managed option costs, or what a quote would contain. Product quality is outside this site's scope. US prices only; Deel's Global Payroll ($29, also absent from the page on 2026-10-03) is a different category.
Sources
- https://www.deel.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-03 (US Payroll $29 not shown that day; figure as read 2026-09-27)
- https://gusto.com/pricing, checked 2026-09-27 (403 on 2026-10-03)
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/d/deel, checked 2026-10-03
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/d/gusto, checked 2026-10-03
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/changes, checked 2026-10-03
- https://seatbill.com/payroll-pricing/research/crossover-library, checked 2026-10-03
Related on this site
- Deel pricing: US Payroll $29 (2026-09-27), PEO $125, EOR $599
- Gusto pricing, from Simple at $49 + $6
- Deel alternatives for US payroll, ranked by cost
- Paying someone abroad: global payroll or an employer of record?
- Crossover library: the headcount where the cheaper side flips
- Deel against Remote on payroll pricing
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.