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.
$496
per month
TriNet
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
TriNet provides small and medium size businesses (SMBs) with full-service HR and payroll solutions tailored by industry. TriNet also offers specialized services through client access to HR representatives for advice and notifications on impactful regulatory changes.N/A
Pricing
GustoTriNet
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
GustoTriNet
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional DetailsGusto offers three pricing plans for payroll, benefits, and HR.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
GustoTriNet
Considered Both Products
Gusto
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
Quick Books was more than we needed for a simple consulting firm.
Chose Gusto
I like Gusto because it's much more user-friendly than Workforce. I would rate QB a 6/10 and Gusto a 10/10 for user reliability and friendliness.
Chose Gusto
When I first started with this company 5 years ago we used QuickBooks Time. I used it for about a year before we switched over to Gusto. QB Time was accurate and organized, but very chaotic and clunky to use. That software provided way too much info all at once and was not …
Chose Gusto
In my opinion, Rippling had a super bad UX. I felt like it was impossible to find the areas I wanted to go to- their site navigation simply did not make sense. With Gusto it's so much easier to naviagate.
Chose Gusto
I have not tried any other products like Gusto, so I cannot speak to how it compares.
Chose Gusto
I have evaluated Rippling, it is more expensive but does have more of the features for connecting to other systems to make onboarding and off boarding team members easier. It is more complex and will take time to implement, so I do think Gusto has a lot of whats needed for …
Chose 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.
Chose Gusto
It is more user-friendly, but I feel like the company still has some things to figure out before it is seamless.
Chose Gusto
Gusto was at a price point that fit our budget, without all the extra features our small company would not take advantage of. It was truly the right fit for our growing company, and we are happy that we made this switch! Looking forward to seeing more capabilities come out as …
Chose Gusto
Not sure what we used before I came into my role. We started using Gusto when we changed accounting services and it was their recommended platform to use.
Chose Gusto
Paycom was more than we needed for our payroll and human resource needs at this time. While it may offer additional integrations, features, and other bells and whistles it wasn't something we needed in the short team and Gusto meets our current and short term future needs. We …
Chose Gusto
I believe Gusto is the superior tool compared to these two. It's ease of use and 'all in one' HR platform makes it second to none. Gusto offers more features and does not look ancient like these other tools. Ease and functionality and the numerous possibilities make it above …
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
Gusto is a cost-effective solution for small businesses who don't require added modules, complex integrations or advanced reporting. Simple and effective!
Chose Gusto
From an employee point of view, Gusto makes it much easier to track your hours and clock in.
Chose Gusto
They are both user friendly and both are easy to start implementing.
Chose Gusto
Gusto is more cost-effective and has been very responsive to inquiries.
Chose Gusto
Rippling has been more than frustrating to work with, to say the least. Gusto doesn't just do what a payroll software should do; they make it so easy that it doesn't feel like a burden. The comparison is unmatched. Gusto doesn't meet expectations; it blows them out of the …
Chose Gusto
Paychex way to big for a small business. Never able to get immediate help when needed.

Toast Payroll outsourced company with lots nice features but needs more time to figure it out.
TriNet
Chose TriNet
Justworks was a front runner but literally couldn't run payroll the way we needed at all. There was no way to make it work.
Rippling didn't have the certifications we wanted and found that their 'we don't nickel and dime you' promise as all-inclusive as they promised.
ADP is …
Chose TriNet
TriNet stands out far from the crowd. The Trinet team is pleasant to work with and understands our organization's needs. Their sales team was reasonable and worked with our PEO broker to ensure the arrangement was beneficial for everyone. Unlike some other popular payroll …
Chose TriNet
GreenShades had several issues with the benefit platform! We continued to find issues with the benefit deductions and enrollments with the providers for 9 months after open enrollment. Much of my time was spent auditing and fixing the errors.
Chose TriNet
TriNet is more streamlined than Workday
Chose TriNet
TriNet is quite similar, but not as user-friendly. The support is much better in my experience, though.
Chose TriNet
Easier implementation and processing with other vendors, but HR compliance is strong at TriNet.
Chose TriNet
Rippling is more of a tech company than HR. They didn’t provide a specific point of contact but a generic email address for customer success/support. Overall, the platform looked better than TriNet, but we were not sold on the EPLI they offered. We didn’t hear good things from …
Chose TriNet
I researched all 3 but TriNet clearly had the most to offer. Justworks focuses on small businesses like us and they were a close second but ultimately, I felt that TriNet gave us the biggest bang for our buck. Plus, our specialist is local to our headquarters which just made me …
Chose TriNet
TriNet does a great job at payroll, compliance, caring for the employees, resources for benefits, even free services offered to help and assist if needed. Very clean UI, and user-friendly and intuitive. Great for back office compliance. The customer service is vastly better …
Chose TriNet
I used ADP in the company I worked for before, but I was not responsible for nearly as much as I am with my current job. I never got too in-depth with ADP, but I already know that TriNet far exceeds what we had with ADP.
Chose TriNet
In short, cost. The per-person admin fee and benefit costs were less expensive, with overall services provided being commensurate.
Chose TriNet
Leaving TriNet due to high fees and poor tax team support
Chose TriNet
My company has been using TriNet for over a decade. The decision was made before I joined; however, it was a good business decision for us at the time due to the size of our company.
Chose TriNet
Not listed in the database is CoAdvantage, another excellent competitor that is under the radar. In any case, all three offer dramatically higher quality product, better benefits negotiation and stronger customer support. In my opinion, they are clearly going after clients who …
Chose TriNet
Because of TriNet's ability to work with Hawaii and K-1, they've stood out. However, our search for other PEO's or doing an ASO partnership haven't stopped due to the cost of medical coverage.
Chose TriNet
Smaller business feel, a lot more attentive fees seem comparable
Chose TriNet
When we first started with TriNet, it was a long process to get a report setup with all the information we needed on it. This report is what I use to complete my own report to corporate office. I was able to get all the information on one report but I was not able to have it …
Chose TriNet
In my opinion, TriNet is old and slow compared to some of the others.
Chose TriNet
We use ClearCompany for performance management and as our ATS. At the time, we were looking to add an ATS, TriNet's system was just not as flexible and was not as advanced as ClearCompany's system. Same with performance management. We are able to do a lot more with a lot more …
Chose TriNet
We use Justworks quite a bit, but the difference is the designated support specialist. They only offer a general # to call into or a chat box. Also, they don't offer an audit prior to payroll processing, which I find helpful to keep accuracy and detect any errors. The JW …
Chose TriNet
Comparable on most things. But the education and the Wing is great and a huge additive to TriNet.
Features
GustoTriNet
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
9.1
Ratings
10% above category average
TriNet
8.0
Ratings
1% below category average
Pay calculation9.50 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.50 Ratings8.00 Ratings
Benefit plan administration8.70 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Direct deposit files9.60 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management9.10 Ratings8.10 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.10 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.2
Ratings
12% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings7.50 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings7.60 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings7.80 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
6.9
Ratings
17% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.4
Ratings
10% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.50 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.10 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings6.00 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
1.0
Ratings
156% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings1.00 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
6.7
Ratings
11% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.10 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings6.50 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.2
Ratings
10% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings7.00 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
6.4
Ratings
23% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings6.30 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings6.60 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
6.6
Ratings
18% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings6.60 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings6.40 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.3
Ratings
7% below category average
Candidate ranking00 Ratings8.20 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings6.90 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings6.70 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.3
Ratings
7% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings7.20 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings5.50 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings9.10 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings7.40 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings7.30 Ratings
Best Alternatives
GustoTriNet
Small Businesses
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 out of 10
Dayforce Powerpay
Dayforce Powerpay
Score 9.2 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
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.1 out of 10
PeopleStrong
PeopleStrong
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
GustoTriNet
Likelihood to Recommend
9.1
(0 ratings)
7.4
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
5.9
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.5
(0 ratings)
7.5
(0 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.5
(0 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
7.6
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
3.3
(0 ratings)
7.1
(0 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
9.4
(0 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.1
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
9.1
(0 ratings)
9.5
(0 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
5.2
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
5.2
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.7
(0 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.2
(0 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
6.9
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
GustoTriNet
Likelihood to Recommend
Gusto is well-suited for small businesses looking for a one-stop platform for payroll, tax-related tasks, and onboarding. It has many automated features that make tasks related to running a business/running an S-Corp simpler. I have not tried any other similar platforms, so I am unsure how it compares, but the pricing Gusto offers feels reasonable compared to other providers.
Read full review
TriNet is extremely knowledgeable and able to meet a wide variety of needs, such as handling K-1 employees and employees in Hawaii. It's challenging in the sense that pulling reports can result in blocks/barriers based on the number of employees one has.
Read full review
Pros
  • Quarterly tax access for CPA
  • Gusto makes it easy for our CPA to access quarterly tax data directly, which saves us time and ensures tax reporting stays accurate for our LLC.
  • IRS support via human reps
  • Whenever we get confusing IRS mail, I forward it to Gusto. A real human rep either walks me through next steps or handles it directly—huge peace of mind.
  • Payroll automation
  • Once payroll is set up, it runs smoothly and automatically with little effort on my part. It’s reliable, affordable, and a great “set it and forget it” solution for a small business.
Read full review
  • Extensive variety of benefit program plan designs and partners. Something for everyone.
  • One stop shopping for all health and wellness benefits.
  • Continue to add new offerings, such as access to Salary.com at a discount and access to Carta at a discount to manage employee stock programs.
  • On top of compliance by state.
Read full review
Cons
  • I honestly don't have any complaints about Gusto as it stands.
  • Maybe add 2-factor authentication for security purposes. I haven't seen that being part of the login process yet.
  • I think Gusto pushes its easy Gusto card payroll method a bit too much. I'd like to see direct deposit as the main method it suggests and the Gusto card as a secondary one.
Read full review
  • Time Clock More User Friendly
  • On Staff Admin ability to assist employees is slightly less than I'd like. I don't like being told to have the employee contact for platform issues. I'd like to advocate more for my employees.
  • Expense Reimbursement better integrated with the payroll functionality.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
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
e are currently seeing a massive shift in HR tech, with rapid strides being made in the integration of AI and Machine Learning models. These advancements allow for:Predictive analytics for workforce planning.Automated, intelligent chatbots for instant employee support.Smart data synthesis that provides actionable insights rather than just raw numbers.TriNet appears to be lagging in these areas, missing opportunities to leverage AI to reduce administrative overhead and improve data accuracy
Read full review
Usability
Wonderful overall usability – especially for the new business owner. The user interface is clean and intuitive, so it's easy to find what you're looking for. They also have great explanation pages ingrained into the process, so if you get stuck knowing what to do next, there's a link right there to walk you through the process!
Read full review
The platform is highly intuitive and user-friendly, making it easy to navigate for both admins and employees when handling everyday tasks like payroll processing, benefits enrollment, and HR reporting. The flexibility in HR and payroll features does not require a need for extensive training. The mobile app stands out as amazing, with a great interface that enables quick access to employee related items
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
No answers on this topic
We had an issue with application errors - took TriNet 5 months to fix it, mean while we had someone manually tracking and keeping up with many requests and questions about the application error which affected time off. When we were all registering for Benefits during open enrollment there were lots of bugs that caused issues with registering for benefits or being able to see what benefits were available
Read full review
Performance
No answers on this topic
For the most part pages load quickly. Working for a software company we understand performance is everything, even a few seconds delay can feel like a lifetime, that being said, we ran into a few times where pages didn't load, information didn't load correctly, and an influx in users (like open enrollment) cause things to slow down
Read full review
Support Rating
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
The support overall is very good. There seems to be a good number of customer support staff and they are knowledgeable and pleasant to deal with and it almost all cases are able to resolve the question or issue very quickly. My only complaint would be having to wait in some cases as I'm based in the UK and the correct department may not be open 24 hours.
Read full review
In-Person Training
No answers on this topic
it's been awhile, but I recall them being helpful. I got through a lot of it and when I needed help, they can walk me through it over the phone. It's also pretty user friendly in general at a platform. I don't really know what else to type, but they came and helped me in person and also when there was something new, they came and talked to me. They have not done that since with the new model that I hate
Read full review
Online Training
No answers on this topic
it was good, but now I haven't done much and since they changed their model, it's a lot harder to deal with. We're talking online training of the trinet platform and not the online training they provide, right? Their online training is ok, and is unfortunate that there is a totally separate model for training that costs extra when we would only watch one or two things. However, the mandatory sexual harassment training is actually pretty good, it was just a little clunky
Read full review
Implementation Rating
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
not applicable as I implementation was done 5 years ago and have no recollection of the details of the process. Above it says to skip question if not involved in the process but it will not allow me to skip it as it states explanation requitred thus making this process extremely frustrating.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
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 Gusto.
Read full review
I researched all 3 but TriNet clearly had the most to offer. Justworks focuses on small businesses like us and they were a close second but ultimately, I felt that TriNet gave us the biggest bang for our buck. Plus, our specialist is local to our headquarters which just made me feel better
Read full review
Scalability
No answers on this topic
We are a small company, do we use it across departments and sites? Yes, we are all remote working, so there are as many sites as there are people. We also have our entire staff using TriNet, so every department from Accounting, Admin, HR, Development, QA, and Management are all using this. Can't say for sure how great the scalability is as we are only about 30 employees
Read full review
Return on Investment
  • It saves me time and energy - I'm not worried about being compliant or having everything I need for tax season. It's all there!
  • I don't wonder when my team is working- they can easily log in and out of the system.
  • I don't have to handle updating information when an employee or contractor has changes - they have their own portal.
Read full review
  • TriNet has raised the level of professionalism for our organization by having a really good platform that provides employees and management with easy data entry and reporting infrastructure.
  • I am sure that the benefits that TriNet offers have helped us recruit and retain excellent staff.
  • TriNet has reduced the time and energy spent on onboarding new employees.
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