Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Dayforce
Score 8.0 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
Dayforce is a people platform that simplifies HR operations. As a unified HCMS, it delivers HR, payroll, benefits, workforce management, talent, and analytics—helping organizations boost productivity, stay compliant, and make smarter decisions with embedded intelligence and personalized experiences.N/A
Gusto
Score 8.9 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.
$496
per month
Pricing
DayforceGusto
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
DayforceGusto
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsGusto offers three pricing plans for payroll, benefits, and HR.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
DayforceGusto
Considered Both Products
Dayforce
Chose Dayforce
The impact is that everything is in one place, our team also created content in the HUB and this has been extremely helpful and useful for employees to access information as needed. This has everything from benefits information to compliance. The tool has helped employees get …
Chose Dayforce
Saved time, reduced costs. Eliminated bloated suite of third party partners.
Chose Dayforce
I have not used any other systems than Dayforce.
Chose Dayforce
It’s been very helpful. With our HR and Payroll operating separately this has helped us eliminate many other steps.
Chose Dayforce
It is much easier to have access to all employee information in one place. At my other companies, we used different programs for different aspects of HR. If you needed information, you had to call people in other offices/locations to find what you were looking for. Dayforce …
Chose Dayforce
Having Payroll, HR, Time, and Benefits all in a single application with Dayforce has significantly improved efficiency and accuracy. Unlike other solutions with third-party integrations, Dayforce eliminates data silos, reduces errors, and saves time by streamlining processes, …
Chose Dayforce
It has been timesaving having all in the same application as for the most part information flows over. We have had some issues using Lever being integrated into our payroll system. We have also had issues with taxation and retro adjustments. We have to manually fix them. It …
Chose Dayforce
ADP has a lot of system errors, especially on Mondays. I haven't noticed anything like that working with Dayforce. But I like that you can easily access employee's timecard via ADP, by just searching an employee and open its timecard. In case of Dayforce, you have to open …
Chose Dayforce
By having a single application we have seen an increase in our efficiency and an accuracy in our data. Our previous system had third party modules for many systems and they didn't do a good job "talking" to each other. Our data was often incorrect, charging employees the wrong …
Chose Dayforce
Not something I personally work with
Chose Dayforce
Due to it being an all-in-one application, we are able to look at the information that is stored and make meaningful and accurate decisions based on that info instead of trying to pull information from
Chose Dayforce
We have noticed huge time savings across a variety of processes.
Chose Dayforce
Dayforce is one of the only systems that allows us to list multiple work assignments. In the fitness industry this is crucial since most team members do multiple jobs. Having everything in one place makes our jobs as administrators so much easier. Couldn't imagine using modules …
Chose Dayforce
I have found the process to be more straightforward. When you have data flowing back and forth, you can update once and not worry about it. In the past, we had a file feed from time and attendance to payroll. The biggest problem was that when you missed that feed, you had to …
Chose Dayforce
Processes flow nicely having all in one system and there is one contact (Dayforce) in case there in an issue. Once you understand how the system works, you will understand how the system flows. I have worked in another payroll system where we had to upload timecards. While it …
Chose Dayforce
Less integration, allows for more timely processing, less errors and maintenance and creates a system to be a one stop shop.
Chose Dayforce
We don't use Ceridian benefits, so we do have to have multiple up and downstream integrations.
Chose Dayforce
I love having all the time data, benefits, and HR employee data including compensation in one system. Is wonderful when pulling reports etc.
Chose Dayforce
the ease of use in unmatched in my experience with other vendors. We are able to use Ceridian Dayforce to accomplish many goals without the need for other vendors. However, we do have other outside vendors we are required to use that we are able to integrate successfully with …
Gusto
Chose Gusto
I think Gusto has much better marketing than the rest of their competition, and it has the assets to get in front of more people, like on live TV during a sports game, so I just knew about it before the others. When comparing, I think feature-wise and usability were big for …
Chose Gusto
Quick Books was more than we needed for a simple consulting firm.
Chose Gusto
I like Gusto because it's much more user-friendly than Workforce. I would rate QB a 6/10 and Gusto a 10/10 for user reliability and friendliness.
Chose Gusto
When I first started with this company 5 years ago we used QuickBooks Time. I used it for about a year before we switched over to Gusto. QB Time was accurate and organized, but very chaotic and clunky to use. That software provided way too much info all at once and was not …
Chose Gusto
In my opinion, Rippling had a super bad UX. I felt like it was impossible to find the areas I wanted to go to- their site navigation simply did not make sense. With Gusto it's so much easier to naviagate.
Chose Gusto
I have not tried any other products like Gusto, so I cannot speak to how it compares.
Chose Gusto
I have evaluated Rippling, it is more expensive but does have more of the features for connecting to other systems to make onboarding and off boarding team members easier. It is more complex and will take time to implement, so I do think Gusto has a lot of whats needed for …
Chose 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.
Chose Gusto
It is more user-friendly, but I feel like the company still has some things to figure out before it is seamless.
Chose Gusto
Gusto was at a price point that fit our budget, without all the extra features our small company would not take advantage of. It was truly the right fit for our growing company, and we are happy that we made this switch! Looking forward to seeing more capabilities come out as …
Chose Gusto
Not sure what we used before I came into my role. We started using Gusto when we changed accounting services and it was their recommended platform to use.
Chose Gusto
Paycom was more than we needed for our payroll and human resource needs at this time. While it may offer additional integrations, features, and other bells and whistles it wasn't something we needed in the short team and Gusto meets our current and short term future needs. We …
Chose Gusto
I believe Gusto is the superior tool compared to these two. It's ease of use and 'all in one' HR platform makes it second to none. Gusto offers more features and does not look ancient like these other tools. Ease and functionality and the numerous possibilities make it above …
Chose Gusto
Gusto is cheaper and just much more user friendly than other tools with similar skill sets that I have used previously. I much prefer its user interface, how the mobile app and desktop work seamlessly, and how just how much more affordable it is. While it still is expensive, …
Chose Gusto
Gusto is a cost-effective solution for small businesses who don't require added modules, complex integrations or advanced reporting. Simple and effective!
Chose Gusto
From an employee point of view, Gusto makes it much easier to track your hours and clock in.
Chose Gusto
They are both user friendly and both are easy to start implementing.
Chose Gusto
Gusto is more cost-effective and has been very responsive to inquiries.
Chose Gusto
Rippling has been more than frustrating to work with, to say the least. Gusto doesn't just do what a payroll software should do; they make it so easy that it doesn't feel like a burden. The comparison is unmatched. Gusto doesn't meet expectations; it blows them out of the …
Chose Gusto
Paychex way to big for a small business. Never able to get immediate help when needed.

Toast Payroll outsourced company with lots nice features but needs more time to figure it out.
Features
DayforceGusto
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.2
Ratings
1% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history9.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration9.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.9.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting6.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management6.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)7.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.6
Ratings
6% above category average
Gusto
9.1
Ratings
10% above category average
Pay calculation9.20 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors7.00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment9.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.50 Ratings8.70 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.20 Ratings9.60 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.30 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
9.0
Ratings
10% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Approval workflow9.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.3
Ratings
1% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information8.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.5
Ratings
5% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
6.2
Ratings
19% below category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Report builder6.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports6.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data6.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.7
Ratings
9% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
New hire portal9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools8.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.6
Ratings
7% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting8.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking8.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.1
Ratings
3% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Performance plans8.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders8.30 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
8.5
Ratings
8% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools9.20 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking8.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search8.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Dayforce
9.3
Ratings
17% above category average
Gusto
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management9.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting9.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting9.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking9.60 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts9.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
DayforceGusto
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.1 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.1 out of 10
Enterprises
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
DayforceGusto
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Usability
4.2
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
Availability
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
5.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.9
(0 ratings)
3.3
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.9
(0 ratings)
9.1
(0 ratings)
Configurability
9.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
7.3
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
9.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
8.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
9.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
DayforceGusto
Likelihood to Recommend
Dayforce has great customer support, and you can always count on them to get you the professional help you need. It is a great place to store all your personal data in a very secure manner by assigning different user roles. The only thing where I wouldn't see it appropriate is for very small-scale companies, less than 50 people.
Read full review
Gusto is well-suited for small businesses looking for a one-stop platform for payroll, tax-related tasks, and onboarding. It has many automated features that make tasks related to running a business/running an S-Corp simpler. I have not tried any other similar platforms, so I am unsure how it compares, but the pricing Gusto offers feels reasonable compared to other providers.
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Pros
  • Payroll - it shows everything in real time and it runs quickly.
  • People - Having all employee details from the offer letter to W2 information in the same spot.
  • Dayforce Wallet: The on-demand feature is fully integrated with Timesheets and Payroll. What shows in one will be in the other.
Read full review
  • Quarterly tax access for CPA
  • Gusto makes it easy for our CPA to access quarterly tax data directly, which saves us time and ensures tax reporting stays accurate for our LLC.
  • IRS support via human reps
  • Whenever we get confusing IRS mail, I forward it to Gusto. A real human rep either walks me through next steps or handles it directly—huge peace of mind.
  • Payroll automation
  • Once payroll is set up, it runs smoothly and automatically with little effort on my part. It’s reliable, affordable, and a great “set it and forget it” solution for a small business.
Read full review
Cons
  • In payroll, there are sometimes issues with calculating pay when people’s rates change mid-pay period
  • Would love to see an option to assist with building SQL or XML statements in the future (maybe co-pilot AI?)
  • Would love an easy way to store pre-hire documents with candidates that syncs over to their HR profile when hired
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  • I honestly don't have any complaints about Gusto as it stands.
  • Maybe add 2-factor authentication for security purposes. I haven't seen that being part of the login process yet.
  • I think Gusto pushes its easy Gusto card payroll method a bit too much. I'd like to see direct deposit as the main method it suggests and the Gusto card as a secondary one.
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Likelihood to Renew
We are highly invested in Ceridian's Dayforce product. It give us the flexibility and scaling that our growing company needs. Its potential reaches beyond the basic HR functions to the decision making that our Management Team needs. Ceridian is always innovating the employee and employee experiences to offer cutting edge options.
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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.
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Usability
I give Dayforce a 10 because it was easy to integrate into our network since it was cloud-based. It is also user friendly and easy to maneuver around the web site. We were able to integrate three separate applications into just one site which made it easier for employees to access the tools they need
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Wonderful overall usability – especially for the new business owner. The user interface is clean and intuitive, so it's easy to find what you're looking for. They also have great explanation pages ingrained into the process, so if you get stuck knowing what to do next, there's a link right there to walk you through the process!
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Reliability and Availability
Dayforce's high availability ensures that our HR processes are supported around the clock, which is critical for a global organization like ours. The platform is cloud-based, offering reliable access from any location at any time, allowing our employees, managers, and HR teams to stay connected regardless of time zones or geographic locations. This level of availability ensures that payroll processing, employee self-service, and real-time data access continue uninterrupted, even during peak periods or unforeseen disruptions. The system’s robust infrastructure minimizes downtime, which is vital for operations that span multiple regions. Additionally, having a centralized platform that’s always available helps keep our teams aligned, ensures compliance, and facilitates timely decision-making across all our locations.
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No answers on this topic
Performance
We haven't noticed any slow-down due to the integration of Dayforce WFM with our Ceridian HPL products (HRIS and Payroll). The new HTML view of the timesheets don't load as quickly as the old Silverlight view - however, we have gotten used to the change.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
This is dependent on what type of support that is needed. Ceridian has opportunities to make improvements relating to support on the global/UK side. I find it challenging to get problems solved quickly with our UK Native payroll. The US side is different. We tend to get our issues resolved quickly when we encouter issues on the US side.
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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.
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In-Person Training
This training was at insights, it was great once we have been on the system for a while so it makes sense.
Read full review
No answers on this topic
Online Training
The courses are very interactive and informative. There are classes for every topic, which allows you to make the most of the system. There are also some "go at your own pace" course which is a great option for a busy schedule.
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No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Have a strong internal team. Communicate with your implementation team - they are there to make it work for you. Take the time to really think about how you want the system to work for you - in some cases, you may need to rethink your own business practices to see if you are working harder when the system could do it for you
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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
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Alternatives Considered
Having Payroll, HR, Time, and Benefits all in a single application with Dayforce has significantly improved efficiency and accuracy. Unlike other solutions with third-party integrations, Dayforce eliminates data silos, reduces errors, and saves time by streamlining processes, providing a more cohesive and user-friendly experience. Dayforce also had a competitive price point versus competitors
Read full review
I think Gusto has much better marketing than the rest of their competition, and it has the assets to get in front of more people, like on live TV during a sports game, so I just knew about it before the others. When comparing, I think feature-wise and usability were big for Gusto.
Read full review
Scalability
Overall, we are extremely happy with the Dayforce WFM module. Our biggest pain point is concerning the twice annual software upgrades - which is the only reason I haven't rated them as a '10'. Because every customer is configured differently, the upgrades can sometimes have adverse effects on our current configured policies/rules. And although they roll-out the upgraded version in a test environment several weeks before go-live, not all testing is accurate in that environment. Some issues do not present themselves until you are working with live punches.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • Easy to integrate to SAP Fiori an BlueWorx
  • The efficiency within Ceridian DayForce has allowed our payroll department of only 2.5 FTE handle paying ~3,000 employees.
  • Easily handles the differences and nuances in our multiple bargaining agreements. Everything from different pay schedules and unique rates/bonuses for some of the most detailed/granular CBA details.
Read full review
  • It saves me time and energy - I'm not worried about being compliant or having everything I need for tax season. It's all there!
  • I don't wonder when my team is working- they can easily log in and out of the system.
  • I don't have to handle updating information when an employee or contractor has changes - they have their own portal.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Dayforce Screenshots

Screenshot of Dayforce HubScreenshot of Human Resources (Position Management)Screenshot of Dayforce Reporting & AnalyticsScreenshot of People AnalyticsScreenshot of Dayforce HR Service DeliveryScreenshot of Dayforce Flex Work

Gusto Screenshots

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