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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    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

    Sage 500

    Score6.2 out of 10
    N/ASage 500 ERP includes accounting and finance, distribution and supply chain, and manufacturing operations support modules. The latest Sage 500 release includes accounts payable enhancements, credit card processing, and general updates, as well as updates to the solution's modules.N/A
    Pricing
    GustoSage 500
    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
    GustoSage 500
    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
    GustoSage 500
    Considered Both Products
    Gusto
    No answer on this topic
    Sage
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    563 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    464 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Happy with the feature set
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    576 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    91%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    316 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation went as expected
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    376 Answers
    No answers on this topic
    Features
    GustoSage 500
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    9.1
    611 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Sage 500 ERP
    7.0
    2 Ratings
    7% below category average
    Pay calculation9.5587 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors8.58 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.7417 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Direct deposit files9.7592 Ratings7.02 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management9.0462 Ratings00 Ratings
    Reimbursement management9.0196 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    8.5
    3 Ratings
    12% above category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    8.5
    3 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    8.0
    3 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings6.03 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    8.0
    3 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    8.0
    3 Ratings
    0% above category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings6.03 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings10.03 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    8.8
    2 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings9.02 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Subledger and Financial Process
    Comparison of Subledger and Financial Process features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    5.9
    2 Ratings
    25% below category average
    Billing Management00 Ratings10.02 Ratings
    Cash and Asset Management00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Travel & Expense Management00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Budgetary Control & Encumbrance Accounting00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
    Period Close00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
    Project Financial Management
    Comparison of Project Financial Management features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    6.9
    1 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Budgeting and Forecasting00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Project Costing00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
    Cost Capture00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Capital Project Management00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Customer Contract Compliance00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Project Revenue Recognition00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
    Project Execution Management
    Comparison of Project Execution Management features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    4.5
    1 Ratings
    45% below category average
    Task Insight for Project Managers00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Project Mobile Functionality00 Ratings5.01 Ratings
    Grants Management
    Comparison of Grants Management features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    7.5
    1 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Award Lifecycle Management00 Ratings6.01 Ratings
    Procurement
    Comparison of Procurement features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    6.0
    1 Ratings
    17% below category average
    Contract Authoring00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Contract Repository00 Ratings10.01 Ratings
    Requisitions-to-Purchase Orders Integrated00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Supplier Management00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
    Risk Management
    Comparison of Risk Management features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    4.3
    1 Ratings
    44% below category average
    Risk Repository00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
    Control Management00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Control Efficiency Assessments00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
    Remediation and Certification00 Ratings3.01 Ratings
    Supply Chain
    Comparison of Supply Chain features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    1.3
    1 Ratings
    140% below category average
    Forecasting00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Inventory Planning00 Ratings2.01 Ratings
    Performance Monitoring00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
    Product Lifecycle Management
    Comparison of Product Lifecycle Management features of Gusto and Sage 500 ERP
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Sage 500 ERP
    5.3
    1 Ratings
    33% below category average
    Proposal Management00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Product Master Data Management00 Ratings4.01 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    GustoSage 500
    Small Businesses
    Patriot Payroll
    Score8.6 out of 10
    Zoho One
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    APS
    Score5.7 out of 10
    Zoho One
    Score9.2 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.1 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics AX (discontinued)
    Score4.8 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    GustoSage 500
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.1
    (633 ratings)
    10.0
    (5 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (14 ratings)
    6.3
    (2 ratings)
    Usability
    9.4
    (457 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Support Rating
    4.3
    (27 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    GustoSage 500
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    Sage 500 ERP is great for companies with core accounting needs, distributors, and discrete manufacturers. Some areas, such as process manufacturing, would require a companion product from an ISV for the software to be truly functional. Some areas, such as construction or retail apparel, may simply not be well-served.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    • Sage is the one-stop-shop for all of our needs. We're able to control contracts, subcontracts, and field reports from the program.
    • Another strength is the ability to database all the information and export it to excel. This makes data-based investigations a breeze.
    • The ability for Timberscan to be imported to Sage is a huge help with invoice management. Prior to this it all had to be done manually and slowed the process to an essential halt as there are thousands of invoices per month.
    Incentivized
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    • The biggest concern/complaint of Sage 500 users is speed. Some of the screen take a while to load.
    • The user interface needs some refreshing. Screens need to be updated to take advantage of shortcuts and to be more intuitive.
    Incentivized
    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
    Sage
    It's too pricey for our size of company.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    I have been using Intacct for almost 10 years in 2 different companies and I just simply love it. I tried SAP (GUI) and Netsuite and they dont come close to what Ive seen.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Sage
    The online training courses are not up to date. We experienced technical issues with two of the classes.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    Keep your database and application in different servers.
    Install Microsoft Office on your application server so you can use some of the data analysis tools in Sage.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    500 seems much smoother at handling some of the basic accounting tasks, for example both issuing and later reconciling checks in Dynamics AX seems a little tedious.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Sage
    • Positive: The program allows for a lot of data entry and splitting of information. It has the capability of replacing multiple programs and therefore saving cost.
    • Negative: The modules are cumbersome and not user friendly at all. As a result not many user are comfortable using it. This means that the program is not being used to its capacity.
    • Negative: Although the program has the capacity to be great, the user interface destroys that potential. Sage needs to seriously work on their program to simplify it. It's as if it still uses Command-line entries from 1995. Needs to be updated ASAP.
    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