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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Criterion HCM

    Score8.6 out of 10
    Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
    Criterion provides human capital management (HCM) software for midmarket organizations in construction, financial services, nonprofits and higher education, empowering them to streamline their critical HR, payroll, talent engagement, and workforce management processes.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
    Criterion HCMGusto
    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
    Criterion HCMGusto
    Free Trial
    NoYes
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoYes
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional Details—Gusto offers three pricing plans for payroll, benefits, and HR.
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Criterion HCMGusto
    Considered Both Products
    Criterion HCM
    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
    Criterion HCMGusto
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Criterion HCM and Gusto
    Feature
    Criterion HCM
    5.3
    1 Ratings
    43% below category average
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Employee demographic data5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employment history5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.6.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Criterion HCM and Gusto
    Feature
    Criterion HCM
    5.0
    1 Ratings
    48% below category average
    Gusto
    9.1
    611 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Pay calculation5.01 Ratings9.5587 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment5.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration5.01 Ratings8.7417 Ratings
    Direct deposit files5.01 Ratings9.7592 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management5.01 Ratings9.0462 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors00 Ratings8.58 Ratings
    Reimbursement management00 Ratings9.0196 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Criterion HCM and Gusto
    Feature
    Criterion HCM
    4.0
    1 Ratings
    69% below category average
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Approval workflow4.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Balance details4.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employee Self Service
    Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Criterion HCM and Gusto
    Feature
    Criterion HCM
    4.0
    1 Ratings
    69% below category average
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    View and generate pay and benefit information4.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Update personal information4.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of Criterion HCM and Gusto
    Feature
    Criterion HCM
    1.0
    1 Ratings
    156% below category average
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    New hire portal1.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Criterion HCMGusto
    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
    Criterion HCMGusto
    Likelihood to Recommend
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (633 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (14 ratings)
    Usability
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.4
    (457 ratings)
    Support Rating
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    4.3
    (27 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Criterion HCMGusto
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Criterion HCM
    We have not been happy with the functionality or reporting reports with this software. Numerous issues with employees not being able to clock in and out of the system. Employees' time sheets disappearing. Quarterly reports not matching to totals on batch payroll reports. Does not have the capability to electronically submit w-2's to state reporting agencies.
    Incentivized
    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
    Criterion HCM
    • changes in pay rates
    • rehiring employees
    • payroll calculations
    • assisting with PTO accruals
    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
    Criterion HCM
    • payroll reports
    • state filing of W-2s
    • support
    • implementation
    • employees access to W-2
    Incentivized
    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
    Criterion HCM
    We are changing to another payroll/HR vendor.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Criterion HCM
    too many instances of errors, unable to access program/time sheets
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Criterion HCM
    Support is very slow to correct issues. I have actually reported an issue then 2-3 hours later received screen shots where they were able to do what we could not as though we were doing something different that usual. They are quick to say it is user error. Took too long to correct payroll reports and reports still do not reconcile. Very difficult to complete quarterly and annual reporting.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Criterion HCM
    Had to continually repeat our information. Kept getting us confused with another client.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Criterion HCM
    When reviewing the various software before selecting Criterion HCM, it appeared to be the best choice and value. During implementation (which took nine months with us having to do most of the work) we realized we were not given accurate information regarding the software
    Incentivized
    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
    Criterion HCM
    • does not impact our ROI
    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

    Gusto Screenshots

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