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
Paycom
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
Paycom is an automated HCM platform, built on a single database that eliminates redundant data entry through automation. A payroll and HR software solution, Paycom is used by organizations of all sizes to access employee data without navigating multiple systems.N/A
SherpaDesk
Score 8.4 out of 10
Mid-Size Companies (51-1,000 employees)
SherpaDesk is a help desk / ticketing platform with time tracking, invoice generation, and business intelligence capabilities.
$0
per agent
Pricing
GustoPaycomSherpaDesk
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
1st Tech Free
$0
per agent
Adventure Package
$39
per agent
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
GustoPaycomSherpaDesk
Free Trial
YesNoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoNoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesNoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsGusto offers three pricing plans for payroll, benefits, and HR.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
GustoPaycomSherpaDesk
Considered Multiple Products
Gusto
Chose Gusto
Gusto is better for our company's size right now and easier for our HR/payroll folks to use. It makes HR fun and humanizing instead of a pain.

The quick editing on the tax forms are key. Welcome emails for the team and payroll emails are fun. The time off segment is easy to …
Chose Gusto
Paycom is really ugly, and the interface is not easy to navigate. I think it's often buggy, and I can't see it being something really friendly and workable. When I look at the different options like Workday as well, I feel similar. Gusto feels much more friendly compared to its …
Chose Gusto
Homebase is extremely crude and the only thing I find useful is their scheduling tool. I wish Gusto would take a note about this one facet of their business from them. Paycom is extremely comprehensive and offers lots of tools that I have no use for. As a result, their software …
Chose Gusto
I chose Gusto over Paycom for its superior user-friendliness and seamless integration of hour tracking with external insurance options, making it more efficient and convenient for my needs as a self-contractor.
Chose Gusto
Gusto is 100000% better than ADP. ADP is confusing, misleading, overly complicated, and not clear at all. Gusto just makes the whole process smooth as butter. Paycom is good, but Gusto seems much better. Paycom seems to have a lot of its own internal lingo and just doesn't make …
Chose Gusto
I will say i do prefer Paycom in comparison to Gusto because there are more perks when it comes managing employee timecards, getting help from a rep and all of the HR/Benefit modules they had. Gusto is universes better and easier to manage than ADP.
Chose Gusto
Paycom is a much more difficult interface than Gusto. It’s harder to access for employees and more difficult to find what you are looking for initially. Gusto has all of its options laid out on the main page to allow for easy access and understanding to use it. I would never …
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
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
ADP is cumbersome, complex, and hard as ever to find anything on the site. The ADP program is focused on Payroll only and does not offer the all-in-one feature that Gusto does. Gusto gives ease of use and practicality, while other programs, such as ADP that boast this, but end …
Chose Gusto
N/A - I am an employee and did not choose our company's HR software.
Chose Gusto
Gusto is the easiest to use out of all the payroll programs that I have tried out at various companies. Manually entering time is less complicated and requires less time on gusto than on the others.
Chose Gusto
I used this payroll service at a previous employer, and it was very irritating to have to use your fingerprint every time you clocked in or out. Sometimes it wouldn't read, and the system was constantly going down.
Chose Gusto
I like Gusto. It's user-friendly. Plus, I like that piggy bank that they use as a loading cursor.
Chose Gusto
Gusto is so easy and very user friendly. Navigating through the other sites is difficult and confusing. I have never had an easier time selecting benefits or splitting paychecks. Gusto gives me confidence that I have control over my paychecks and benefits.
Chose Gusto
Neither Gusto nor QB Payroll offer dedicated support. The cost of each is comparable with Gusto being a little higher on average. QB is glitchy from all of their recent updates (2020-2021). Tech phone support can take a minimum of an hour per issue. Gusto used to be very …
Chose Gusto
Gusto is much more simple that the 3 companies that I've used in the past. It pulls over less information but also leaves a lot of flexibility for custom payroll settings. I also appreciate the one way communication with our HRIS platform, making changes in Gusto will not …
Paycom
Chose Paycom
Paycom allows more flexibility. The cloud-based integration is great and flexible, it also has a lower learning curve, allowing for an easy transfer to new team members if needed. We use almost all functionalities managing hundreds of accounts with personal data and archives, …
SherpaDesk

No answer on this topic

Features
GustoPaycomSherpaDesk
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
9.1
610 Ratings
9% above category average
Paycom
8.3
556 Ratings
2% above category average
SherpaDesk
-
Ratings
Pay calculation9.5586 Ratings8.9540 Ratings00 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.58 Ratings6.447 Ratings00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.7417 Ratings8.4474 Ratings00 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.6591 Ratings9.1537 Ratings00 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.1462 Ratings8.4449 Ratings00 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.1196 Ratings8.3311 Ratings00 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings8.589 Ratings00 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
8.1
556 Ratings
0% below category average
SherpaDesk
-
Ratings
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.9510 Ratings00 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings8.1490 Ratings00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings8.2490 Ratings00 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings8.1492 Ratings00 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings7.6396 Ratings00 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings8.0435 Ratings00 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings8.1407 Ratings00 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
8.5
488 Ratings
4% above category average
SherpaDesk
-
Ratings
Approval workflow00 Ratings8.5462 Ratings00 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings8.4463 Ratings00 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings8.5388 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
8.7
558 Ratings
6% above category average
SherpaDesk
-
Ratings
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings9.1548 Ratings00 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings9.2554 Ratings00 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings8.7494 Ratings00 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings8.0271 Ratings00 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings8.6455 Ratings00 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
4.9
26 Ratings
48% below category average
SherpaDesk
-
Ratings
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings4.926 Ratings00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
7.2
493 Ratings
4% below category average
SherpaDesk
-
Ratings
Report builder00 Ratings8.0486 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings8.0481 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings5.855 Ratings00 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
8.4
486 Ratings
5% above category average
SherpaDesk
-
Ratings
New hire portal00 Ratings8.6480 Ratings00 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings8.3419 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
6.3
288 Ratings
24% below category average
SherpaDesk
-
Ratings
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings4.236 Ratings00 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings8.0266 Ratings00 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings4.835 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings8.0283 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
7.9
365 Ratings
0% above category average
SherpaDesk
-
Ratings
Performance plans00 Ratings7.8337 Ratings00 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.8320 Ratings00 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings8.0325 Ratings00 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings8.0333 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.8297 Ratings00 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
7.9
90 Ratings
1% above category average
SherpaDesk
-
Ratings
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings7.950 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings7.868 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings7.985 Ratings00 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings7.971 Ratings00 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
7.6
364 Ratings
3% below category average
SherpaDesk
-
Ratings
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings7.8327 Ratings00 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings8.0322 Ratings00 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.4254 Ratings00 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings7.7298 Ratings00 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings6.9277 Ratings00 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings7.7334 Ratings00 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings7.9345 Ratings00 Ratings
Incident and problem management
Comparison of Incident and problem management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
-
Ratings
SherpaDesk
8.5
3 Ratings
3% above category average
Organize and prioritize service tickets00 Ratings00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
Subscription-based notifications00 Ratings00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
ITSM collaboration and documentation00 Ratings00 Ratings6.82 Ratings
Ticket creation and submission00 Ratings00 Ratings8.93 Ratings
Ticket response00 Ratings00 Ratings8.93 Ratings
Self Help Community
Comparison of Self Help Community features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
-
Ratings
SherpaDesk
7.3
1 Ratings
9% below category average
External knowledge base00 Ratings00 Ratings5.51 Ratings
Internal knowledge base00 Ratings00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
Multi-Channel Help
Comparison of Multi-Channel Help features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Paycom
-
Ratings
SherpaDesk
9.1
2 Ratings
13% above category average
Customer portal00 Ratings00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
Email support00 Ratings00 Ratings9.12 Ratings
Help Desk CRM integration00 Ratings00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
Best Alternatives
GustoPaycomSherpaDesk
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Score 9.0 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
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Agiloft Service Desk (discontinued)
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
SysAid
SysAid
Score 8.9 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
GustoPaycomSherpaDesk
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(631 ratings)
8.7
(728 ratings)
8.0
(3 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(14 ratings)
9.0
(31 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(455 ratings)
9.0
(124 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
9.5
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
3.1
(27 ratings)
8.9
(59 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
7.8
(5 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(3 ratings)
6.6
(9 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.6
(4 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
GustoPaycomSherpaDesk
Likelihood to Recommend
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.
Read full review
Paycom
As I mentioned, the onboarding process is incredibly easy. We have around 300 employees and are constantly hiring, so Paycom has been a huge help. In fact, the ATS functionality was a major factor in our decision to switch to Paycom.
Read full review
SherpaDesk
[It's] well suited for cloud support applications as there's no installation or maintenance required.
Read full review
Pros
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.
Read full review
Paycom
  • I like the employee self-service feature. It's very straightforward and easy to use. I also like my representative, Mikey. He's been very helpful—every time I call him, I get the assistance I need. I also appreciate how quickly I can get someone on the phone and get help when needed.
Read full review
SherpaDesk
  • Ticketing is very fast & easy
  • Tracking time is fast
Read full review
Cons
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.
Read full review
Paycom
  • I am not a fan of the most recent update. I wasn't prepared for the change especially given it came right before payroll was processed. I'm told given time, I will get used to it and I'm always open to change for the better.
  • IWant™ feature isn't what I hoped it would be. I haven't used it much given the information I need in Paycom I can find quickly on my own. I have heard however that several employees utilize and appreciate the IWant™ feature.
Read full review
SherpaDesk
  • Its ability to switch between tickets, assets, etc., is a little clunky. A static menu bar would be helpful.
  • The ability to see the latest update in the ticket view.
Read full review
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.
Read full review
Paycom
we are having no problems with how the system works and our support system at paycom is the best - we are learning more and using the system in more ways all the time the only thing that could be better is pricing on some things
Read full review
SherpaDesk
No answers on this topic
Usability
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.
Read full review
Paycom
I'm probably going to have to go seven and three-quarter to eight, and that may be user error to me because I know Paycom has got it figured out, but there's times I just can't figure it out, even with some of the tutorials, the university, the show-mes, and calling Alex, our representative. He can hold my hand and walk me through that process, and it just may be I didn't get it, but that's why I gave that score. I'd give it a solid nine.
Read full review
SherpaDesk
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Gusto
No answers on this topic
Paycom
They are very dependable and I have never experience any outages
Read full review
SherpaDesk
No answers on this topic
Performance
Gusto
No answers on this topic
Paycom
Yes load quickly
Read full review
SherpaDesk
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.
Read full review
Paycom
In 6 years, we've never had a bad experience with client support. We implemented during COVID, and I was the only person in HR at the time. I was also having to homeschool our children, which meant bizarre work hours and limited time to focus on platform build at times. There were nights that I was literally on calls at 11 pm and the implementation team was unbelievably supportive. Recently, a Position Seat specialist came on site to help us set up for our 5 client codes - the experience was transformative for how we use the platform and an absolute game changer. I trust Paycom because I trust our representatives. They truly are strategic partners for us, and work to ensure we're maximizing the platform and that our needs are being met
Read full review
SherpaDesk
No answers on this topic
In-Person Training
Gusto
No answers on this topic
Paycom
Tadd and Ellie have been great! They have show us many aspects that implementation did not. They are very personable and action oriented as well. Anytime we need them they offer to swing in.
Read full review
SherpaDesk
No answers on this topic
Online Training
Gusto
No answers on this topic
Paycom
It was good, but hard to know what questions you need to ask until you actually get in there and start working with a live product. But Paycom is also very helpful every time I call and can't figure something out. Nathan has been very friendly and helpful no matter what I call him about. He is always eager to help out.
Read full review
SherpaDesk
No answers on this topic
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
Read full review
Paycom
Not at all satisfied it was a nightmare we spent over 8 months with the implementation team having issues after issues all related to the Puerto Rico regulations (half my employees are in Puerto Rico) and at the end we were moved over from the implementation team to the production team without all the issues being resolved
Read full review
SherpaDesk
No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
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
Read full review
Paycom
I have not currently used any other products. I'm still kind of new to the HR industry. The only other thing that I really have to compare it to is Vonmar's system, which they created themselves, and it was not user-friendly.
Read full review
SherpaDesk
When looking for solutions for our business, I personally looked at Aautotask. I am not the decision maker so I don't know what my boss looked at in full. Autotask seems good. It looked like it got a bit complicated and may be for very large enterprise customers. Just lots of features that we don't need.
Read full review
Scalability
Gusto
No answers on this topic
Paycom
They are not able to meet our current needs
Read full review
SherpaDesk
No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
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.
Read full review
Paycom
  • It's helped us save time. We've been able to automate a number of payroll and accounting functions. It's also enabled our employees to use the ask gear feature. So it's really saved time, and also we've not gotten hacked, which is always a plus.
Read full review
SherpaDesk
  • As a single freelance consultant Sherpadesk has exceptional ROI because it's free but if my company had more support people I would definetly go with SherpaDesk again.
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

Paycom Screenshots

Screenshot of a new study that reveals that for a composite organization representative of interviewed clients, unifying HR and payroll in a single-database software with automation and streamlined workflows achieved a three-year 362% ROI and resulted in: $1.4M net present value*; over 45% total time saved by HR; 80% time saved on compliance work.Screenshot of IWant, which is a command-driven AI engine in a single database, for instant access to employee data.Screenshot of Direct Data Exchange®, which takes a detailed pulse of how employees interact with Paycom. It automatically assigns a dollar value of savings based on Ernst & Young research.

SherpaDesk Screenshots

Screenshot of Techs get instant access to what needs to be done and how they are performing against their teamScreenshot of Manage all open tickets and sort by priority on what needs to be completed firstScreenshot of Track and enter all billable and non-billable timeScreenshot of Review project progress and profitabilityScreenshot of Create flexible rate plans and compile invoices that can be sent out through QuickBooks or FreshBooks integrationsScreenshot of Update customer requests, add time and expenses remotely