Rippling vs Gusto: published pricing, September 2026
Only Gusto can be priced from its public page: 10 US employees cost $109 a month on Simple, $200 on Plus and $400 on Premium, checked 28 September 2026.
Gusto publishes its prices and Rippling does not. Gusto’s pricing page, checked 28 September 2026, prices 10 US employees at $109 a month on its Simple plan, $200 on Plus and $400 on Premium.1 Rippling’s pricing page offers a custom quote instead, with most products billed per employee per month.2 A price comparison between the two therefore starts with a Rippling quote, set against the Gusto plan that matches the same features.
TL;DR
- Gusto is the only one of the two that can be costed without a sales call. Its fees run from $49 a month plus $6 per person on Simple to $180 plus $22 on Premium.1
- At 10 people, per-person fees make up 55% to 60% of every Gusto bill. Headcount moves the price more than the base fee does.1
- Multi-state payroll starts on Plus. A 10-person team with staff in two states pays at least $200 a month.1
- On Simple, buying next-day pay, performance reviews and time tracking as add-ons costs $244 a month for 10 people. Plus costs $200.1
- Rippling sells each product separately on top of a required Rippling Platform and publishes no figure for any of them.2
- Third-party prices are stale on both sides. Two 2026 reviews still put Gusto’s entry base fee at about $40, and the “$8 per user” Rippling figure is absent from Rippling’s own page.3,4,2
Rippling and Gusto prices side by side
Gusto lists a base fee and a per-person fee for every plan, while Rippling lists how it bills but no figures.1,2 We read both companies’ own pricing pages on 28 September 2026 and priced a 10-person US team from Gusto’s listed fees, following our research standard. Figures are US dollars as listed. Gusto’s page shows no tax line, so treat them as before tax.
| Gusto | Rippling | |
|---|---|---|
| Prices on the pricing page | Yes, four plans | No, custom quote |
| How the price is built | Monthly base fee plus a monthly fee per person | Mostly per employee per month; some products add a monthly base fee |
| Entry price | Simple: $49 a month plus $6 per person | Not published |
| 10 US employees, entry plan | $109 a month | Not published |
| How products are bought | A plan, plus priced add-ons | Each product bought separately, alongside the required Rippling Platform |
| Contract | Month to month, cancel any time | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Payroll runs | Unlimited on every plan | Not stated on the pricing page |
| Health insurance administration | No fee when Gusto is the broker; employer pays premiums | Not stated on the pricing page |
The table draws on Gusto’s pricing page and Rippling’s pricing page, both checked 28 September 2026.1,2
Rippling’s quote form asks for a company name, a headquarters country and a count of employees plus contractors, chosen from bands that start at 1-10.2 A 10-person company sits in the smallest band. Nothing on the page links that band to a price.
What does Gusto charge on each plan?
Gusto lists four plans on its pricing page: Contractor Only, Simple, Plus and Premium. Each charges a monthly base fee plus a monthly fee per person, in US dollars, checked 28 September 2026.1 Simple is the entry plan for teams with W-2 employees. Plus and Premium add multi-state payroll, time tracking and dedicated support.
| Plan | Base fee a month | Fee per person a month | Gusto’s description | Headline inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contractor Only | $0 for the first 6 months, usually $35 | $6 | Contractor-only businesses without W-2 employees | Domestic contractor payments, 4-day pay, Form 1099 filings |
| Simple | $49 | $6 | Single-state payroll, reports and basic support | Single-state payroll, unlimited payrolls, tax filings and payments, basic PTO and holiday pay |
| Plus | $80 | $12 | Advanced payroll, benefits, HR and time tracking | Multi-state payroll, next-day pay, time tracking |
| Premium | $180 | $22 | Full-service payroll, benefits and HR with dedicated support | Dedicated Service Advisor, certified HR experts, performance and compensation management, custom reports, priority support, payroll migration and account setup |
Plan descriptions and prices come from Gusto’s pricing page, checked 28 September 2026.1
The billing rules shape the bill as much as the list prices. Gusto charges only for active employees, so the monthly price rises as people join.1 US contractors are billed at the plan’s per-person rate, but only in months when they are paid.1 Every plan includes unlimited payroll runs, and Gusto says it never charges extra for off-cycle payrolls.1 Plans run month to month with no long-term contract. Upgrades apply at once, and downgrades apply from the first of the next month.1
Support is tiered by plan. Simple and Plus include basic support: a 24/7 online help centre, plus phone and chat during business hours. Priority support costs $30 a month plus $3 per person on those two plans. Premium includes priority support and a Dedicated Service Advisor.1
Gusto’s plan comparison shows where other features start. Workforce cost reports and unlimited custom earning types start on Plus. Expenses and reimbursements are included from Plus and sold as an add-on on Simple. Custom admin roles are Premium only.1 Same-day pay and instant pay are included only in Premium; Simple and Plus buy them per payroll.1 The Contractor Only discount lasts six months, and that plan excludes add-ons other than global contractor payments.1
What does Rippling publish about its pricing?
Rippling publishes no prices. Its pricing page, checked 28 September 2026, asks buyers to name the services they need and returns a custom quote.2 The page states that most Rippling products are billed per employee per month, and that some carry or include a monthly base fee.2
The page does publish the structure of the bill. Each HR, finance and IT product can be bought separately, “alongside the core, required Rippling Platform”.2 The page gives no price for that platform on its own. Its product list shows how wide a quote can run:
- HR: HRIS, recruiting, performance, benefits administration, PEO, time and attendance
- IT: identity and access, device management, inventory management
- Payroll: payroll, global payroll, employer of record, contractor of record
- Finance: expense management, corporate cards, bill pay, travel
None of these products carries a price on the page.2 Rippling’s homepage presents the same catalogue as HR, payroll, IT and finance on one system, and invites buyers to start with the apps they need or run them all together.5
Rippling also offers partner pricing for brokers and accountants.2 On price level, the page’s only statement is that “each Rippling bundle is competitive with more narrowly-focused competitors’ pricing”.2 That is a company claim with no figure attached. A buyer cannot test it from the page.
What would 10 employees cost?
On Gusto’s listed fees, checked 28 September 2026, 10 US employees cost $109 a month on Simple, $200 on Plus and $400 on Premium.1 Rippling publishes no cost for 10 employees or for any other headcount.2
| Gusto plan | Base fee | 10 x fee per person | Monthly total | First 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | $49 | $60 | $109 | $1,308 |
| Plus | $80 | $120 | $200 | $2,400 |
| Premium | $180 | $220 | $400 | $4,800 |
| Contractor Only, 10 contractors | $0 for 6 months, then $35 | $60 | $60, then $95 | $930 |
| Rippling, any product mix | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Each Gusto total is the plan’s base fee plus 10 times its per-person fee, from Gusto’s pricing page checked 28 September 2026.1 The contractor row assumes all 10 contractors are paid every month, because Gusto bills contractors only in months they are paid.1
Per-person fees drive the bill. At 10 people they make up $60 of the $109 Simple bill, $120 of the $200 Plus bill and $220 of the $400 Premium bill. Each new employee adds $6, $12 or $22 a month.1 Plus costs more than Simple at every headcount, because both its base fee and its per-person fee are higher. The step from Simple to Plus is $91 a month at 10 people. The step from Plus to Premium is $200.
Gusto’s entry total also sits below another listed payroll price checked the same day. Justworks’ Payroll plan listed $50 a month plus $8 per person, or $130 for 10 employees.6
Which Gusto inclusions change the price?
Two inclusions decide most Gusto plan choices: multi-state payroll and pay speed. Multi-state payroll and next-day pay start on Plus, while same-day and instant pay are included only in Premium.1 Simple covers single-state payroll only, so a 10-person team with staff in two states starts at Plus, at $200 a month.1
The add-on arithmetic favours Plus once a Simple customer needs next-day pay, performance reviews and time tracking together.
| Simple with add-ons, 10 people | Monthly cost |
|---|---|
| Simple plan ($49 plus $6 per person) | $109 |
| Next-day pay ($15 plus $3 per person) | $45 |
| Performance ($3 per person) | $30 |
| Time & Attendance Plus ($6 per person, after a free trial) | $60 |
| Total | $244 |
Add-on prices come from Gusto’s pricing page, checked 28 September 2026.1 Plus costs $200 for the same 10 people and lists next-day pay and time tracking as plan features.1 Gusto’s comparison page lists performance management on Plus and Premium, with an add-on for Simple.7 The two routes differ in scope: the Time & Attendance Plus add-on also lists project tracking and scheduling.1 Even so, a Simple customer buying all three add-ons pays $44 a month more than Plus. Next-day pay alone takes Simple to $154, which is still $46 below Plus.
Same-day pay costs $90 per payroll and instant pay $100 per payroll on Simple and Plus. Premium includes both.1 For a 10-person team on Plus, two same-day payrolls a month bring the bill to $380. Three bring it to $470, which is $70 above Premium’s $400. A team that runs same-day payroll three or more times a month pays less on Premium.
Benefits pricing sits outside the plan fees. With Gusto as the broker, health insurance administration carries no extra fee and the employer pays only premiums. Keeping an outside broker costs $6 a month per eligible employee, and Premium customers get that integration free.1 For 10 eligible employees, that fee adds $60 a month on Simple or Plus. State tax registration is an add-on on every plan, priced by state.1
Why do third-party Rippling and Gusto prices disagree?
Glamdring Research’s check on 28 September 2026 found that third-party Rippling and Gusto prices lag the companies’ own pages. Two 2026 reviews still put Gusto’s entry base fee at about $40 a month, while Gusto’s page lists $49.3,4,1 A Rippling figure of $8 per user circulates on third-party and competitor pages, but Rippling’s own pricing page shows no figure.4,7,2
Workology’s comparison, dated 7 January 2026, gives Gusto’s core payroll pricing as “Starts around $40/month base + $6–$12 per employee per month”.3 Workology discloses that it is paid by many of the companies listed in its marketplace.3 Alpine Mar’s review, updated 5 March 2026, lists Simple at $40 a month plus $6 per employee and describes Premium as custom pricing.4 Gusto’s page now prices Premium at $180 a month plus $22 per person.1
The Rippling figure has a similar trail. Alpine Mar describes Rippling pricing as starting at $35 a month plus $8 per user.4 Gusto’s own comparison page lists Rippling at “Starting at $8/mo. per user” beside “No transparent monthly pricing”.7 Gusto dates that competitor data to July 2025 and makes no representation about its accuracy.7 None of these figures appeared on Rippling’s pricing page when checked. Treat $8 as an unverified historic figure, and ask Rippling for a written quote.
Gusto’s comparison page also marks many Rippling features as “Extra fees”.7 Rippling’s comparison page, in turn, lists products it says Gusto lacks, such as a native IT suite.8 Both are company statements about a competitor. They show what each company wants a buyer to ask. They do not establish either company’s price.
What the published prices cannot tell you
The published pages settle Gusto’s plan fees and nothing more. Four gaps remain:
- Rippling’s price for your team. Only a quote shows it.2
- The full Gusto bill. State tax registration is priced by state, 401(k) pricing varies by integration, and health premiums sit outside the plan fee.1
- Service quality. Trustpilot showed Gusto at 1.9 out of 5 from 2,523 reviews and Rippling at 4.5 from 2,469 reviews on 28 September 2026.9,10 Both profiles are claimed, both companies pay for a Trustpilot subscription and both invite customers to review. Trustpilot says it does not fact-check reviews.9,10 These are reported ratings, and they do not measure service.
- Future prices. Gusto’s contractor discount is time-limited, and every figure here reflects 28 September 2026.1
To test Rippling against Gusto, list the products you need and ask Rippling for a written quote for that scope. Set it beside the Gusto plan with the same features, plus the add-ons that plan would need. The decision changes if Rippling publishes list prices or Gusto changes its plan fees. Our other checked software comparisons sit in published research.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rippling a Gusto competitor?
Yes. Each company publishes a page comparing itself with the other.8,7 Rippling’s page says Gusto is “generally best suited for small businesses” while Rippling scales to companies of any size.8 Gusto’s page describes its plans as simple and transparent, with no surprise fees.7 On price, only Gusto gives a buyer a published figure to compare.
What are the downsides of Gusto payroll?
On price, the limits sit in the lower plans. Simple covers single-state payroll only, same-day and instant pay cost extra below Premium, and priority support is an add-on on Simple and Plus.1 On service, Gusto’s Trustpilot rating was 1.9 out of 5 from 2,523 reviews on 28 September 2026. Trustpilot’s AI summary of 238 recent reviews says most reviewers were unhappy, citing slow support and errors in payroll, tax and benefits.9 Those are reported reviews, not a measured error rate.
Does Gusto or Rippling require a long-term contract?
Gusto does not. Its plans run month to month and can be cancelled at any time.1 Rippling’s pricing page states no contract length or billing term, so confirm both in the quote.2
Can Gusto or Rippling pay people outside the US?
Both can pay international contractors, and they differ on employees. Gusto’s pricing page offers global contractor payments in more than 120 countries with no monthly per-contractor fee.1 Rippling lists global payroll, employer of record and contractor of record as products, with no price.2 Rippling’s comparison page says it covers 185+ countries and that Gusto relies on its partner Remote for global solutions.8 Gusto’s own comparison lists employer of record for international employees as an add-on.7
Sources checked
Company-owned pages establish what a company says. They do not prove a market conclusion. Each source is dated so readers can judge each claim.
