Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
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.
$49
per month
Meta4 PeopleNet
Score 6.0 out of 10
N/A
Meta4 PeopleNet is an all-in-one integrated HR Solution providing Core HR with personnel administration, total talent management, compensation management with payroll, as well as workforce management (time and attendance, analytics). Meta4 is a Cegid company (acquired late 2019).N/A
Pricing
GustoMeta4 PeopleNet
Editions & Modules
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
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
GustoMeta4 PeopleNet
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.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
GustoMeta4 PeopleNet
Features
GustoMeta4 PeopleNet
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
9.0
569 Ratings
9% above category average
Meta4 PeopleNet
6.2
1 Ratings
27% below category average
Pay calculation9.4546 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.58 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.8393 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.3551 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.0426 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.1164 Ratings6.01 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Meta4 PeopleNet
7.0
2 Ratings
15% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Meta4 PeopleNet
6.3
1 Ratings
26% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Meta4 PeopleNet
7.2
2 Ratings
13% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Meta4 PeopleNet
7.0
2 Ratings
8% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Meta4 PeopleNet
9.0
1 Ratings
12% above category average
New hire portal00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Meta4 PeopleNet
9.0
2 Ratings
11% above category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Meta4 PeopleNet
9.0
2 Ratings
13% above category average
Performance plans00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Meta4 PeopleNet
9.0
1 Ratings
14% above category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Meta4 PeopleNet
9.0
2 Ratings
16% above category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
Best Alternatives
GustoMeta4 PeopleNet
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.7 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 9.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
GustoMeta4 PeopleNet
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(590 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(12 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(414 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.4
(26 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
GustoMeta4 PeopleNet
Likelihood to Recommend
Gusto
Gusto is a great fit for small teams and startups that want a simple, reliable way to run payroll, manage tax filings, and give CPAs access without constant micromanagement. It’s especially useful for founders who need something that “just works.” The human support has been excellent—especially when forwarding confusing IRS mail.
That said, it’s a bit less intuitive when it comes to benefits and compliance for fully remote companies. For example, labor law poster distribution isn’t streamlined for digital teams, and setting up benefits felt more complex than it needed to be. Still, I’d recommend Gusto to any startup looking to get payroll right from day one.
Read full review
Cegid
Meta4 PeopleNet Core HR is a very powerful HR tool with abundant features that could fulfill pretty much all the HR needs of a small to medium sized organization. It might be an overkill for very small businesses with less than 20 employees as its really geared towards larger organizations. It offers powerful tools to performance reviews as well as employee HR management tasks. One interesting feature is the ability for employees to perform self administrative tasks through the software which allows some automation of tasks. On the other hand, the program can be so feature rich that require an advanced user with data analytic skills to fully utility. Companies that use the software will need to have at least one manager procure training before utilizing its full range of features.
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Pros
Gusto
  • Gusto really kills it on the simplicity. The app and website are very clear and straightforward.
  • Gusto also does a great job at being easy to navigate, visually pleasing, and logically posed.
  • Gusto communicates very clearly and provides just the right amount of communication.
  • Gusto makes the onboarding process very easy. I recently started at a new company and the process of filling out the necessary documents, filling out forms, and getting my benefit information input was soooooo easy!
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Cegid
  • Clean and easy navigation: it is very user-friendly and compared to other solutions I have utilized, there is a clear difference on how information is displayed and also ease of navigation and speed of response of the platform.
  • All modules are really integrated and it is so much power when there is a correlation between say the data displayed in Talent Management and the info seen on the C&B module for example from a performance and compensation perspective, visualizing info and being able to analyze it easier for decision making.
  • Customizable, in our case, we use the solution and enjoy the multiple benefits and efficiencies due to how data is organized and presented and the same time we have the advantage that the user interface is all customized to our own corporate brand/look and feel, color palette and graphical line.
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Cons
Gusto
  • Adding in previous time manually could be more accessible.
  • Notifications for when employees manually change hours.
  • We should allow 1099 users to use the mobile app instead of restricting them to the website, especially since they can just log into the full website on their mobile device.
Read full review
Cegid
  • Meta4 PeopleNet Core HR can be a bit overwhelming for light users with limited experience.
  • The performance review features are extensive and require a highly skilled manager that work with data analytics
  • The program is not quite as strong in its recruitment features as other software offerings.
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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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Cegid
No answers on this topic
Usability
Gusto
The overall platform and its speed of response are amazing. I would recommend this to any other business owner for ease of use and reliability. Email reminders are great if I’m super busy and have forgotten a few tasks. The price point compared to local payroll service is hands down a huge win.
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Cegid
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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Cegid
It is excellent support so far, during implementation and also while live, the only reason why I am giving a 9 is because in some cases we could have had a quicker response or solution, but so far this doesn't look like an issue at all, and the vendor has been making sure we have what we need.
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Implementation Rating
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
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Cegid
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Gusto
It's been a while since I used QuickBooks for payroll, but it doesn't even come close to it. Gusto is infinitely easier, allowing for employee time tracking, handling calculations and payments of payroll and payroll taxes, managing regulatory compliance in the background, and more. I had a lot of moments using QuickBooks Payroll where I thought, "Am I even doing this right?" — it felt like you had to have additional knowledge of HR regulations in your state to do everything correctly. Gusto has it ALL handled so you can focus your time on higher-impact tasks in your business.
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Cegid
Meta4 PeopleNet Core HR really shines as a flexible product capable of evolving with an organization's changing needs. Its robust features, cloud based architecture, and performance analysis help push the product ahead of some of its competitors. While not perfect, the software offers in-depth performance review functions and data analysis tools that show performance trends. With its self administrative tools, employees can help manage their own information, reducing workload for HR managers
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Return on Investment
Gusto
  • For me, it is hard to quantify payroll software as having an ROI. It does save quite a bit of time per pay period, so perhaps we could assign a theoretical number to an employee taking that time. I'd say, at the least, it saves 30-60 minutes a pay period compared to a more difficult-to-use payroll software.
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Cegid
  • We now have a tool which is a single solution and connects our employee information for 5 countries and 30K + employees, a single source, talk about efficiency.
  • This is a big step in Digital Transformation, reducing times to complete several processes and also the use of paper forms.
  • Definitely, savings related to the number of solutions software wise that is now integrated and scalable with meta4 PeopleNet Talent Management.
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