OnPay vs Gusto: Payroll Software Comparison (2026)

An independent side-by-side comparison of OnPay and Gusto for payroll software buyers — pricing, features, integrations, and how often each is cited by major AI engines.

AI Citation Scorecard

How often each is cited by major AI engines when buyers ask payroll software questions. Last 90 days across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Claude, and Copilot.

Gusto leads overall100% cited vs OnPay 43% across 60 probes.
ChatGPT
OnPay
1 / 6 probes
17%
Average
GustoLeads
6 / 6 probes
100%
Excellent
Perplexity
OnPay
4 / 6 probes
67%
Excellent
GustoLeads
6 / 6 probes
100%
Excellent
Gemini
OnPay
5 / 6 probes
83%
Excellent
GustoLeads
6 / 6 probes
100%
Excellent
Claude
OnPay
1 / 6 probes
17%
Average
GustoLeads
6 / 6 probes
100%
Excellent
Copilot
OnPay
2 / 6 probes
33%
Good
GustoLeads
6 / 6 probes
100%
Excellent
Scale:NoneLowFairStrongExcellent

Probes run hourly; each (engine × query) combo retests every ~3 days.

Pricing

OnPay
Starting price
$49/month + $6/worker
Free tier
onpay.com
Gusto
Starting price
$35/mo
Free tier
gusto.com

Key Features

OnPay
  • Direct deposit
  • Hiring and onboarding
  • Health insurance
  • Built-in reporting
  • PTO management
  • 401(k) retirement
  • Mobile friendly
  • Employee self-service
Gusto
  • Domestic contractor payments
  • 4 day pay
  • Form 1099 creation and filings
  • Single-state payroll
  • Unlimited payrolls per month
  • Tax filings and payments
  • Multi-state payroll
  • Dedicated Service Advisor

When to choose OnPay

Choose OnPay if your team prioritizes its strengths over Gusto's. Full guidance populates as OnPay's feature data is indexed.

When to choose Gusto

Choose Gusto if your team prioritizes its strengths over OnPay's. Full guidance populates as Gusto's feature data is indexed.

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