Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
BizMerlin
Score 9.0 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
BizMerlin is an HR Management Solution targeted at small and medium-sized teams, allowing them to hire, onboard, manage, allocate and retain their team members. The application is cloud based and available via web browsers and native iOS and Android mobile apps. The vendor also offers 100+ integrations with JIRA, Salesforce, QuickBooks and others. According to the vendor, key capabilities…N/A
Gusto
Score 7.6 out of 10
N/A
Gusto offers payroll, benefits and compliance capabilities. Gusto is scaled for small to mid-sized businesses, and emphasizes an easy to use interface.
$46
per month
Pricing
BizMerlinGusto
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
Simple: A streamlined set of automatic payroll features and benefits integrations
$40/month + $6/mo per person
$12 per employee/contractor
Plus: Comprehensive payroll, benefits, and HR tools for employers building a great place to work
$80/month + $12/mo per person
Premium: Scalable payroll and benefits, expert HR, and dedicated support for the complex needs of growing teams
Exclusive pricing, contact Gusto
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
BizMerlinGusto
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsGusto offers three pricing plans for payroll, benefits, and HR, so you can choose the plan that meets your business needs.
More Pricing Information
Features
BizMerlinGusto
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
BizMerlin
9.0
3 Ratings
14% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
BizMerlin
9.0
2 Ratings
11% above category average
Gusto
8.4
163 Ratings
2% above category average
Support for external payroll vendors9.02 Ratings8.58 Ratings
Benefit plan administration9.02 Ratings7.6107 Ratings
Pay calculation00 Ratings8.3155 Ratings
Direct deposit files00 Ratings8.4158 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings8.1134 Ratings
Reimbursement management00 Ratings9.511 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
BizMerlin
9.0
3 Ratings
11% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Balance details9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
BizMerlin
9.0
3 Ratings
10% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
BizMerlin
9.0
3 Ratings
17% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Report builder9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
BizMerlin
9.0
2 Ratings
11% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
New hire portal9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
BizMerlin
9.0
3 Ratings
10% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
BizMerlin
9.0
3 Ratings
12% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Performance plans9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
BizMerlin
9.0
2 Ratings
13% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
BizMerlin
9.0
3 Ratings
14% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention9.02 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts9.03 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
BizMerlinGusto
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
BizMerlinGusto
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(3 ratings)
7.0
(176 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(7 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(3 ratings)
Support Rating
-
(0 ratings)
1.6
(24 ratings)
Implementation Rating
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
BizMerlinGusto
Likelihood to Recommend
BizMerlin
We took the trial of 3 HR software before going with BizMerlinHR. We wanted to have a comprehensive HR solution to cover our Paperless employee records, employee onboarding, PTO, Timesheets and Employee Performance Management. We were not looking for an Applicant Tracking system and Retention management module, but when we saw the functionality and easy use we were completely sold to those modules as well. It was like add-on but the price of everything was more economical than the other software that we were reviewing
Read full review
Gusto
I would love to use Gusto for companies of all staff sizes but I understand that larger businesses will opt for a PEO and willingly give up flexibility and features to do that. However, I love that Gusto can be customized on so many levels – offer letter, adding documents for new hires, document verification, deploying documents to existing staff, tracking who has signed, helping staff select health benefits (love that this is an entirely paperless process!), screen share support (love this!), a host of integrations with other apps are easy to link up. The interface is delightful (love the piglet!), HR support for Master Admins is very professional. There are templates, forms, rules and updates provided for all States. And the reports are so easy to read, customize and understand. Amazing!
Read full review
Pros
BizMerlin
  • Multiple integrations including LinkedIn for Business, Okta, and QuickBooks Online Advanced.
  • Payroll management.
Read full review
Gusto
  • The self-service aspect of the software is very nice. We rarely need to get customer service involved.
  • For the first 2 years of our subscription to Gusto, customer service has been good when we needed it.
  • We have also had good experience with third parties recommended by Gusto including a 401(k) administrator, R&D tax credit analyst, and background check software.
Read full review
Cons
BizMerlin
  • Wall of fame or the feedback given to the users cannot be controlled. The users cannot choose or control who can view their wall of fame.
  • The dashboard is customizable at organization and geography level but cannot be customized at the individual level.
  • The filter on archived goals does not work properly using text search.
Read full review
Gusto
  • The support isn't very impressive, although it's rare that we even need their help.
  • I would like to see a better scheduling tool for the staff. Currently I have to use Homebase for this feature alone because Gusto's offering is lacking in this area.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
BizMerlin
No answers on this topic
Gusto
Unless they break it, I'm never leaving. It's just too easy. Gusto is also really affordable, and for what I pay, it's worth having the historical record within the system. I like that I can go back and pull up W2's for year's past. This sort of easy access reporting, has been helpful especially when getting reports for PPP loans.
Read full review
Usability
BizMerlin
No answers on this topic
Gusto
The UI is clean and simple. It's incredibly easy to find what you need to find, and if you can't, a quick search of their help files will direct you where you need to go about 90% of the time. For that last 10%, a support e-mail will result in a quick answer. Almost any time I try to do something new I haven't done before with Gusto, I can do it in a few minutes.
Read full review
Support Rating
BizMerlin
No answers on this topic
Gusto
Gusto's customer service has really deteriorated lately and they seem to have really changed their focus. It used to be when you called you were routed to an individual who knew about payroll, benefits, reporting, etc. but now you get someone who seems to have not received the correct training. My last call about a dismissal payroll took me over an hour of my time and the person still could not help me and finally transferred me to someone else.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
BizMerlin
No answers on this topic
Gusto
Super easy to implement and use!
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
BizMerlin
We took the trial of 3 HR software before going with BizMerlinHR. We wanted to have a comprehensive HR solution to cover our Paperless employee records, employee onboarding, PTO, Timesheets and Employee Performance Management. We were not looking for an Applicant Tracking system and Retention management module, but when we saw the functionality and easy use we were completely sold to those modules as well. It was like add-on but the price of everything was more economical than the other software that we were reviewing. Also, they really mean when they say "No setup fees" - because they helped us move all of our legacy data into the new system at no extra charge and helped us integrate with QuickBooks online. They definitely provide the best value of money when comparing the same set of features.
We have been using BizMerlinHR since 2018, and both our HR managers and users are very happy.
Read full review
Gusto
Gusto was the only payroll provider we used for our business. Before Gusto we were running payroll manually, which was cumbersome and didn’t account for our tax liability. Gusto is heads and shoulders above running payroll manually. It takes the load of payroll management off your shoulders and gives employees and easy to use portal to manage their personal payroll information.
Read full review
Return on Investment
BizMerlin
  • In terms of costs, it is a very accessible platform, it is flexible and very easy to process the payroll, we also synchronize it directly with Linkedin for job announcements.
Read full review
Gusto
  • Saves me time and time is money so I've definitely saved money using Gusto over other payroll providers
  • 401k integration was not a good fit for my size company unfortunately, which I was disappointed about initially, but if you are a larger company it could be an excellent asset to your benefits structure for your team
  • Has increased employee retention because of its ease of use
Read full review
ScreenShots

BizMerlin Screenshots

Screenshot of Centralized People databaseScreenshot of FeedbackScreenshot of Publish positions openlyScreenshot of Skill MatrixScreenshot of Resource ForecastingScreenshot of Project Team

Gusto Screenshots

Screenshot of Flexible, automated payrollScreenshot of Time-off trackingScreenshot of The source of truth for HR data