Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Gusto
Score 7.7 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
Iris HR Software
Score 6.2 out of 10
N/A
Iris HR Software (formerly Octopus HR, acquired by Iris Software Group April 2016) is an HR suite.
$1.50
Per User Per Month
Pricing
GustoIris HR Software
Editions & Modules
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
Basic
$1.50
Per User Per Month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
GustoIris HR Software
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNo
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
Community Pulse
GustoIris HR Software
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
GustoIris HR Software
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
8.6
162 Ratings
4% above category average
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
0% below category average
Pay calculation8.6154 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.58 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.9106 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.7157 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.4133 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.511 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
2% above category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
1% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Iris HR Software
8.3
1 Ratings
2% above category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
5% above category average
Report builder00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
0% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
2% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
1% above category average
Performance plans00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
1% above category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Iris HR Software
8.0
1 Ratings
3% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
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GustoIris HR Software
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
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Score 9.0 out of 10
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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
GustoIris HR Software
Likelihood to Recommend
7.2
(175 ratings)
7.0
(2 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(7 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
8.1
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
2.0
(23 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.2
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
GustoIris HR Software
Likelihood to Recommend
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!
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IRIS Software Group
Our staff is kept updated with more company policies and we are able to track their holiday and sick days much better. The help and support of their contact support are super good. They reply super fast and are very kind. Also, their sales department isn't pushy like other services they are very knowledgeable and kind.
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Pros
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
IRIS Software Group
  • It's simple. I really appreciate that the layout of Octopus HR isn't something I have to question. I know where to look for something because it's clearly labeled, that's more than I can say for a lot of other HR systems I've seen.
  • Support. If I ever have a question about setting something up, or if something goes wrong, they're always on top of it. For instance, I had no idea how to set up employee photos on our accounts. I tweeted them and they responded right away, I'm based in LA and they're a UK company, I was impressed that they were able to respond right away. They make sure their customers are taken care of.
  • Great self guide. If there's ever an ordinary question I need answered their "Octopus Guide" is very thorough and walks you through everything.
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Cons
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.
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IRIS Software Group
  • It can take some effort to understand
  • Perhaps the price can go down a bit
  • Menu layout
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Likelihood to Renew
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.
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IRIS Software Group
Employees don't complain about it! If anything they've commented on how nice of a tool it is to have.
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Usability
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.
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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
Support Rating
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.
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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
Implementation Rating
Gusto
Super easy to implement and use!
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IRIS Software Group
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
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.
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IRIS Software Group
I would say the pricing is good but it could be better. Also, the customer service is amazing they do such a great job and you can tell they know what they are doing. Visually it is very easy to use and looks very professional. It is a quick set up and they do their best to give you what you want and need.
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Return on Investment
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
IRIS Software Group
  • Employee efficiency. There's never a question of who I request my time off with. The program sets up line managers who take in all the requests.
  • Less wasted time. Contact info and photo are very visible and easily accessed.
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ScreenShots

Gusto Screenshots

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