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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    ClayHR

    Score10 out of 10
    Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
    ClayHR (formerly 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 include: Centralized database of people:…N/A

    Gusto

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/AGusto offers payroll, benefits and compliance capabilities. Gusto is scaled for small to mid-sized businesses, and emphasizes an easy to use interface.

    $49

    per month

    Pricing
    ClayHRGusto
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    Simple: A streamlined set of automatic payroll features and benefits integrations
    $49/month + $6/mo per person
    per month
    Plus: Comprehensive payroll, benefits, and HR tools for employers building a great place to work
    $80/month + $12/mo per person
    per month
    Premium: Scalable payroll and benefits, expert HR, and dedicated support for the complex needs of growing teams
    $180/month + $22/mo per person
    per month
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    ClayHRGusto
    Free Trial
    YesYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsGusto offers three pricing plans for payroll, benefits, and HR.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    ClayHRGusto
    Considered Both Products
    ClayHR
    No answer on this topic
    Gusto
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    No answers on this topic
    92%
    Would buy again
    563 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    No answers on this topic
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    464 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    No answers on this topic
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    576 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    No answers on this topic
    91%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    316 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    No answers on this topic
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    376 Answers
    Features
    ClayHRGusto
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of ClayHR and Gusto
    Feature
    ClayHR
    9.0
    3 Ratings
    9% 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 ClayHR and Gusto
    Feature
    ClayHR
    9.0
    2 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Gusto
    9.1
    611 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Support for external payroll vendors9.02 Ratings8.58 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration9.02 Ratings8.7417 Ratings
    Pay calculation00 Ratings9.5587 Ratings
    Direct deposit files00 Ratings9.7592 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management00 Ratings9.0462 Ratings
    Reimbursement management00 Ratings9.0196 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of ClayHR and Gusto
    Feature
    ClayHR
    9.0
    3 Ratings
    9% 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 ClayHR and Gusto
    Feature
    ClayHR
    9.0
    3 Ratings
    9% 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 ClayHR and Gusto
    Feature
    ClayHR
    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 ClayHR and Gusto
    Feature
    ClayHR
    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 ClayHR and Gusto
    Feature
    ClayHR
    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 ClayHR and Gusto
    Feature
    ClayHR
    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 ClayHR and Gusto
    Feature
    ClayHR
    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 ClayHR and Gusto
    Feature
    ClayHR
    9.0
    3 Ratings
    13% 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
    ClayHRGusto
    Small Businesses
    UZIO
    Score9.4 out of 10
    Patriot Payroll
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Zoho People
    Score8.6 out of 10
    APS
    Score5.7 out of 10
    Enterprises
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.1 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    ClayHRGusto
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.0
    (3 ratings)
    9.1
    (633 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (14 ratings)
    Usability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.4
    (457 ratings)
    Support Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    4.2
    (27 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    ClayHRGusto
    Likelihood to Recommend
    ClayHR
    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 think Gusto is well-suited for any business, big or small, to use for accounting purposes. It makes it easy to keep track of many things, such as pay stubs, benefits, paid time off, and much more. Where I could see it being less useful is maybe for enterprise businesses with way more employees.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    ClayHR
    • Multiple integrations including LinkedIn for Business, Okta, and QuickBooks Online Advanced.
    • Payroll management.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Gusto
    • New employee/contractor onboarding - all the documents are stored and easily accessible (the same goes for off-boarding).
    • A one-click option for syncing hours worked with payroll.
    • The option to run payroll on auto-pilot.
    • Ensuring I'm tax compliant with the states we have employees in.
    • Always having digital records of payroll runs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    ClayHR
    • 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
    • Digital compliance tools for remote teams
    • Gusto upsold us labor law posters, but I later found them available for free online. Since we’re a fully remote team, I had to manually download and distribute them digitally. It would be much more efficient if Gusto offered free, auto-distributed digital posters tailored to remote compliance.
    • Benefits setup is unintuitive for startups
    • While our rep was helpful, navigating the benefits system felt complex and not tailored to early-stage companies. More guided flows or simplified options for small, remote startups would be a big help.
    • Limited dashboard customization for remote workflows
    • As a fully online company, we’d benefit from dashboard options that highlight relevant tools for remote operations—like compliance tracking, digital communications, or onboarding checklists.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    ClayHR
    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
    ClayHR
    No answers on this topic
    Gusto
    Gusto is pretty user-friendly, and the website is easy to navigate overall. They also offer good, responsive customer support and have helpful articles available when needed. So far, I have not had any major issues with the platform and am overall very happy with it.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    ClayHR
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    ClayHR
    No answers on this topic
    Gusto
    Reach out to support immediately if you are having trouble setting up Gusto. Rather than being confused and trying to figure it out yourself, it's much better to talk to someone who knows what they are doing. Save yourself time and frustration and reach out to support
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    ClayHR
    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
    While I never actually got to the point of trying out ADP, I had several conversations with an ADP representative, and it seemed that they would be able to provide the same (if not less) level of service for a significantly higher price
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    ClayHR
    • 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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Gusto
    • Time tracking + payroll calculations me 30-60 minutes every time I run payroll.
    • Integrated workers' comp, so I didn't have to find an outside carrier and get quotes—it's all taken care of in the same platform.
    • Improved employee experience with onboarding.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    ClayHR Screenshots

    Screenshot of the centralized People databaseScreenshot of feedbackScreenshot of where to publish positions openlyScreenshot of the Skill MatrixScreenshot of resource forecastingScreenshot of the project team interface

    Gusto Screenshots

    Screenshot of Gusto's automated payrollScreenshot of the time-off tracking interfaceScreenshot of the source of truth for HR data