Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Gusto
Score 7.6 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.
$46
per month
TriNet
Score 7.1 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
$40/month + $6/mo per person
$12 per employee/contractor
Plus: Comprehensive payroll, benefits, and HR tools for employers building a great place to work
$80/month + $12/mo per person
Premium: Scalable payroll and benefits, expert HR, and dedicated support for the complex needs of growing teams
Exclusive pricing, contact Gusto
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
GustoTriNet
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, so you can choose the plan that meets your business needs.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
GustoTriNet
Considered Both Products
Gusto
Chose Gusto
My employer had already selected Gusto. I would say it's about the same, but the UX is better. TriNet has a better benefit page that clearly breaks down what is included in your insurance. I got a much better monthly payment for similar health insurance with Gusto than I did …
Chose Gusto
Payroll is on par, however, the benefits management is not even close. BambooHR and TriNet both offered better benefit plans and over the course of years, never caused my teams to be uninsured for any period of time. BambooHR and TriNet support teams have always communicated …
Chose Gusto
Gusto has been my favorite option both as an end-user (ie. employee) and admin (ie. employer). It's easy to use, has all the features we need, integrates with Guideline (our preferred 401k provider), and priced well for great value.
Chose Gusto
Gusto was affordable and worked the best for what our organization needed. We only have four employees, so we didn't want something expensive or hard to use. Gusto is easy and works for us!
TriNet
Chose TriNet
TriNet has quite a bit more functionality, albeit at a greater cost. For those companies moving from small to medium in size, TriNet is likely the better solution. For those that are very small, Gusto may be the better solution. Both should be evaluated side by side for each …
Chose TriNet
I use Gusto for a non-profit client. It's fine as a payroll service, but is not as comprehensive as a PEO in the HR management arena.
Chose TriNet
Gusto is geared more specifically to small businesses, which would service the majority of my clients. I find their platform and customer service are also quite good. Since they are more geared to a small business, under 5 employees, the cost difference is helpful for those …
Chose TriNet
When Astrolabe was founded we used Gusto. They have a slick portal and they are significantly cheaper than TriNet (order of magnitude or more). Unfortunately, Gusto does not provide small companies (less than 5 employees) with benefits or any concrete HR services other than …
Chose TriNet
I looked into Gusto, Concierge, but then I started seeing terrible reviews from my colleagues who utilize their service so I did not pursue a relationship with them.
Chose TriNet
Out of all of the platforms, I still think that Gusto is the most user friendly for employers and employees. However, they did not provide the support that I get with TriNet. In just a year, I feel that TriNet is listening to it clients and have already made changes to improve …
Chose TriNet
Trinet has more features than Gusto and QuickBooks Online as far as HR reporting, census, off-cycle payroll, tax reports etc. But the biggest thing it doesn't have that all of these other do is a live chat feature that is completely necessary for immediate payroll issues that …
Chose TriNet
TriNet is a less modern interface and less friendly UI than Gusto and Deel
Chose TriNet
We thought the PEO route was the way to go, but for our smaller company it was a mistake I believe.
Chose TriNet
Very bottom of the list - I did not select TriNet, as I joined the company after it had already been implemented and in use for some time. If I had been involved, Rippling and/or Zenefits would have been my top choices due to their wide breadth of HR/Payroll/People support …
Chose TriNet
TriNet has fulfilled our requirements and making a switch would require us to change our benefit offerings quite a bit. From that standpoint, it paid to stay with TriNet. They also have been extremely responsive and we enjoy the level of support we receive. The only issue we …
Chose TriNet
TriNet by far is superior in terms of service and platform. Their focus on state and federal compliance is unparalleled compared to the other products I have used in the past.
Chose TriNet
TriNet had a more comprehensive approach and their online platform was very intuitive!
Chose TriNet
I think TriNet is the most streamlined and the most cost-effective. It also offers the best support for both employees and for the employer.
Chose TriNet
We have used Zenefits and Gusto in the past. They were ok but didn't have the complete suite of features that we were looking for. The only advantage Gusto has over TriNet is that contractor payments and 1099 generation is built in and handled by their service on regular …
Chose TriNet
TriNet was the clear choice (vs Insperity, ADP, Gusto, PayChex).
Insperity's reporting and customer service (as experienced at a different client) were horrible, and the fees were hidden.
ADP's PEO service didn't seem robust enough at the time (although we have not reviewed the …
Chose TriNet
TriNet offers benefits and HR support. We did not have this before. We need that live voice to help us.
Chose TriNet
I'm switching from Trinet to Justworks. JW is cheaper and easier to use. It has less HR/Compliance than Trinet, but the first two are higher priority for me.
Chose TriNet
We started with TriNet before the other services were offered. We considered swapping to Zenefits, however there were many reports of payroll errors and benefits administration errors on their platform, and they ran into substantial compliance issues which made them …
Top Pros
Top Cons
Features
GustoTriNet
Payroll Management
Comparison of Payroll Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
8.4
153 Ratings
4% above category average
TriNet
8.1
677 Ratings
1% above category average
Pay calculation8.4145 Ratings8.2651 Ratings
Support for external payroll vendors8.58 Ratings8.05 Ratings
Benefit plan administration7.599 Ratings7.9662 Ratings
Direct deposit files8.4148 Ratings8.8614 Ratings
Salary revision and increment management8.4124 Ratings8.0537 Ratings
Reimbursement management9.511 Ratings7.5329 Ratings
Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings8.1176 Ratings
Human Resource Management
Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.0
620 Ratings
11% below category average
Employee demographic data00 Ratings7.1420 Ratings
Employment history00 Ratings7.0460 Ratings
Job profiles and administration00 Ratings6.7429 Ratings
Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.2517 Ratings
Organizational charting00 Ratings6.5353 Ratings
Organization and location management00 Ratings6.9370 Ratings
Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings7.7480 Ratings
Leave and Attendance Management
Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.0
425 Ratings
14% below category average
Approval workflow00 Ratings6.9343 Ratings
Balance details00 Ratings7.2405 Ratings
Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings7.0326 Ratings
Employee Self Service
Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
8.1
660 Ratings
0% below category average
View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings9.1638 Ratings
Update personal information00 Ratings8.4652 Ratings
View company policy documentation00 Ratings8.5549 Ratings
Employee recognition00 Ratings5.9185 Ratings
View job history00 Ratings8.6478 Ratings
Asset Management
Comparison of Asset Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
1.0
1 Ratings
154% below category average
Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings1.01 Ratings
HR Reporting
Comparison of HR Reporting features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.4
546 Ratings
3% below category average
Report builder00 Ratings7.2462 Ratings
Pre-built reports00 Ratings7.5515 Ratings
Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings7.5251 Ratings
Onboarding
Comparison of Onboarding features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
8.0
540 Ratings
0% below category average
New hire portal00 Ratings8.3539 Ratings
Manager tracking tools00 Ratings7.7325 Ratings
Performance and Goals
Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
6.5
81 Ratings
23% below category average
Corporate goal setting00 Ratings6.572 Ratings
Individual goal setting00 Ratings6.380 Ratings
Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings6.670 Ratings
Performance tracking00 Ratings6.578 Ratings
Performance Management
Comparison of Performance Management features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.3
148 Ratings
8% below category average
Performance plans00 Ratings7.0127 Ratings
Performance improvement plans00 Ratings7.2124 Ratings
Review status tracking00 Ratings7.1119 Ratings
Review reminders00 Ratings8.0126 Ratings
Multiple review frequency00 Ratings7.23 Ratings
Succession Planning
Comparison of Succession Planning features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
7.2
60 Ratings
9% below category average
Candidate ranking00 Ratings8.21 Ratings
Candidate search00 Ratings6.957 Ratings
Candidate development00 Ratings6.453 Ratings
Recruiting / ATS
Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Product A and Product B
Gusto
-
Ratings
TriNet
6.5
92 Ratings
17% below category average
Job Requisition Management00 Ratings6.570 Ratings
Company Website Posting00 Ratings5.51 Ratings
Publish to Social Media00 Ratings5.056 Ratings
Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings6.470 Ratings
Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings9.11 Ratings
Applicant Tracking00 Ratings6.674 Ratings
Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings6.782 Ratings
Best Alternatives
GustoTriNet
Small Businesses
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Patriot Software
Patriot Software
Score 9.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Paypro Workforce Management
Paypro Workforce Management
Score 9.5 out of 10
Enterprises
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
Infor Human Resources
Infor Human Resources
Score 7.3 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
GustoTriNet
Likelihood to Recommend
6.9
(166 ratings)
7.1
(693 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
8.9
(7 ratings)
9.1
(44 ratings)
Usability
8.1
(3 ratings)
7.4
(588 ratings)
Availability
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(10 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
7.9
(10 ratings)
Support Rating
2.1
(23 ratings)
7.1
(674 ratings)
In-Person Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(5 ratings)
Online Training
-
(0 ratings)
8.9
(5 ratings)
Implementation Rating
8.2
(1 ratings)
3.7
(25 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(9 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(6 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
8.4
(10 ratings)
Professional Services
-
(0 ratings)
5.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(10 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
7.9
(10 ratings)
User Testimonials
GustoTriNet
Likelihood to Recommend
Gusto
I would love to use Gusto for companies of all staff sizes but I understand that larger businesses will opt for a PEO and willingly give up flexibility and features to do that. However, I love that Gusto can be customized on so many levels – offer letter, adding documents for new hires, document verification, deploying documents to existing staff, tracking who has signed, helping staff select health benefits (love that this is an entirely paperless process!), screen share support (love this!), a host of integrations with other apps are easy to link up. The interface is delightful (love the piglet!), HR support for Master Admins is very professional. There are templates, forms, rules and updates provided for all States. And the reports are so easy to read, customize and understand. Amazing!
Read full review
TriNet
The level of benefits and cost is very attractive for smaller companies, who normally would not be able to offer "big company benefits" if they had to manage each of these benefits directly with a broker or other. Has been a very position employee acquisition and retention feature for our small company of 50 employees. TriNet is not for you if you prefer to customize all of your employee benefits programs and other offerings. TriNet is one approach, and either you can make it work, or it may not be for you.
Read full review
Pros
Gusto
  • The self-service aspect of the software is very nice. We rarely need to get customer service involved.
  • For the first 2 years of our subscription to Gusto, customer service has been good when we needed it.
  • We have also had good experience with third parties recommended by Gusto including a 401(k) administrator, R&D tax credit analyst, and background check software.
Read full review
TriNet
  • state final pay compliance - we have employees in every state and it is nice to be able to rely on the fact that we are always compliant when people leave
  • Leave administration - I love not having to manage employees leaves
  • VOE - I love that we could give away VOE's. Simply scan and send to TriNet
Read full review
Cons
Gusto
  • The support isn't very impressive, although it's rare that we even need their help.
  • I would like to see a better scheduling tool for the staff. Currently I have to use Homebase for this feature alone because Gusto's offering is lacking in this area.
Read full review
TriNet
  • System can be challenging to navigate for employees with multiple nav options on left and upper areas or subjects are not easily related to what is in their mind; multiple handbooks and similar
  • Customer service has improved in the last year but there is still room for improvement. Some tickets/cases simply take way too long with little communication while open. Best improvement is putting more power in the hands of the front line.
  • Managing unusual circumstances with payroll
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
TriNet
This is one stop shopping perse. They provide tools for Benefits and 401k. There reports are easy to read and the support given from Trinet support is awesome. Having everything in one place is best then having multiple places for things. Why change if things are working well? All the information is all there when needed.
Read full review
Usability
Gusto
The UI is clean and simple. It's incredibly easy to find what you need to find, and if you can't, a quick search of their help files will direct you where you need to go about 90% of the time. For that last 10%, a support e-mail will result in a quick answer. Almost any time I try to do something new I haven't done before with Gusto, I can do it in a few minutes.
Read full review
TriNet
Compared to other PEOs we have used, the TriNet platform is both powerful and user friendly. Both the employee and admin views are extremely easy to navigate and, with the exception of time off tracking, we only hear positive feedback from employees. Overall, it is a solid and versatile platform.
Read full review
Reliability and Availability
Gusto
No answers on this topic
TriNet
They used to be really good at this when I had a dedicated person. Now that it's a general customer service account, it's really gone downhill and I don't get responses at all sometimes
Read full review
Performance
Gusto
No answers on this topic
TriNet
Pages load at a speed that isn't too fast or too slow. I never have to wait long, but it's not instantaneous
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.
Read full review
TriNet
We don't need to use the Customer Service features often, but when we do, the team is quick to respond and very knowledgeable about our needs. Once again, making our time in the system minimal allows us to focus on growing our business.
Read full review
In-Person Training
Gusto
No answers on this topic
TriNet
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
Gusto
No answers on this topic
TriNet
Since this was already implemented. I have another employee briefly train me. Then Trinet rep gave me some training as needed for things that came up. For one payroll preview report I figured it could be done, but I had asked the rep to be sure. One important training was when there was an employee leaving the company.
Read full review
Implementation Rating
Gusto
Super easy to implement and use!
Read full review
TriNet
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.
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Alternatives Considered
Gusto
Gusto was the only payroll provider we used for our business. Before Gusto we were running payroll manually, which was cumbersome and didn’t account for our tax liability. Gusto is heads and shoulders above running payroll manually. It takes the load of payroll management off your shoulders and gives employees and easy to use portal to manage their personal payroll information.
Read full review
TriNet
TriNet worked with our smaller employee headcount and offered coverage for both the US and Canada. And we switched from Insperity because of the cost savings which were significant. I liked Insperity but TriNet has been an excellent firm to work with as well.
Read full review
Contract Terms and Pricing Model
Gusto
No answers on this topic
TriNet
I was not part of the process
Read full review
Scalability
Gusto
No answers on this topic
TriNet
Cause it can be used as mentioned for sites and departments. Or even if employees work out of state and not at the HQ the the employer. Trinet makes is easy to do for payroll in other states as well.
Read full review
Professional Services
Gusto
No answers on this topic
TriNet
Not sure it was used or not as the implementation was completed before I started working for the company
Read full review
Return on Investment
Gusto
  • Saves me time and time is money so I've definitely saved money using Gusto over other payroll providers
  • 401k integration was not a good fit for my size company unfortunately, which I was disappointed about initially, but if you are a larger company it could be an excellent asset to your benefits structure for your team
  • Has increased employee retention because of its ease of use
Read full review
TriNet
  • I mainly used the ATS and I had to do a lot of extra work than other ATS's I have used in the past.
  • When hiring a candidate, transferring the information from the ATS to the HRIS is nil, there is a lot you have to manually put in, which can be very frustrating.
  • I like the way how I can upload a candidates resume seamlessly.
Read full review
ScreenShots

Gusto Screenshots

Screenshot of Flexible, automated payrollScreenshot of Time-off trackingScreenshot of The source of truth for HR data