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
Sage HRMS
Score 9.8 out of 10
N/A
Sage HRMS is an HR management solution that integrates payroll, benefits, recruiting, employee self-service, and analytics capabilities.N/A
Pricing
GustoSage HRMS
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 HRMS
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
YesYes
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 HRMS
Features
GustoSage HRMS
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
9.0
570 Ratings
8% above category average
Sage HRMS
4.8
7 Ratings
52% below category average
Pay calculation9.4547 Ratings6.17 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.58 Ratings4.04 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.8393 Ratings2.16 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.3552 Ratings8.07 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.1426 Ratings3.06 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.1165 Ratings3.27 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings6.92 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
5.5
9 Ratings
38% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings8.08 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings8.09 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings1.39 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.99 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings6.04 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings6.06 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings1.27 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
1.2
7 Ratings
149% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings1.26 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings1.27 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings1.06 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
3.9
8 Ratings
71% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings4.18 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings4.27 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings1.16 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings6.04 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings4.05 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
7.0
2 Ratings
13% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
3.7
8 Ratings
69% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings2.07 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings1.28 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings8.06 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
7.0
4 Ratings
13% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.04 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
7.3
2 Ratings
10% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings7.02 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings6.02 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
7.8
5 Ratings
1% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings9.03 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings8.03 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings8.04 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.03 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
8.5
1 Ratings
9% above category average
Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Candidate ranking00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
Sage HRMS
7.6
3 Ratings
1% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings5.02 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings7.23 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings7.01 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings8.01 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings8.02 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings9.01 Ratings
Best Alternatives
GustoSage HRMS
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
GustoSage HRMS
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(590 ratings)
1.2
(10 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(12 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(414 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.4
(26 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(2 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
GustoSage HRMS
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.
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Sage
Sage HRMS is a software that fits in all organizations whether small or large and this makes it the most suitable HR solution as it will help you manage your workforce even if it may appear small. The software has analytics and reporting tools that are applicable in performance management where you will use them in assessing the productivity of your employees and plan on how to improve further as a workforce. It further helps in employee on-boarding, payroll management, and talent management
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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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Sage
  • Ability to see history (like job history) easily at a glance.
  • Ability to make changes easily.
  • Organizing info in the employee record.
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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
Sage
  • We changed our chart of accounts. The system does not allow you to change the numbering format, so we had to start over with new databases.
  • The tax return portion of the software does not file local taxes. We would definitely like to see this functionality in the future.
  • The payroll piece does not handle complicated move up and move downs for union pay. This could definitely be improved upon.
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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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Sage
I do not work with this software anymore, and I am not involved with the renewal of it. However, if I were, I would still suggest using it unless something better was introduced
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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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Sage
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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Sage
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
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Sage
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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Sage
Sage HRMS was very cost effective for a non-profit. It does all that we needed as a company and more. It also allows us to handle payroll ourselves instead of outsourcing [it].
Read full review
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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Sage
  • there can be a high ROI when processing payroll in house compared to outsourced. Not to mention the flexibility you gain.
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