OnPay vs Gusto

If you want to make payroll fast and easy, while eliminating all the busywork associated with filing and paying payroll taxes, you can’t make a bad choice here. Both Gusto and OnPay handle the basics beautifully and process both employer payroll taxes and employee tax forms (like W-2s and 1099s) for no extra fee.

OnPay’s accuracy guarantee gives business owners the added assurance that payroll will be done right. And while both OnPay and Gusto have different levels of permissions that allow employers to delegate some of the payroll duties, Gusto requires an expensive upgrade to access this functionality. With Gusto, if you need to pay workers in multiple states it requires an upgrade will nearly double your base and per-employee cost.

Your business finances don’t start and end with payroll, so your payroll provider should make it easy to get your data where it needs to be. From accounting software to time tracking apps, being able to sync with the other platforms you use will save tons of time and duplicated efforts.

OnPay offers the most robust integrations with leading accounting software like QuickBooks and Xero. Features like custom item mapping and employee-level detail let you (or your accountant) do more to set up the general ledger in a way that makes sense for your business. Both providers also offer integrations with top time tracking software, and Gusto has the option to use an internal time tracking feature for an additional fee.

If you run a restaurant, a farm, or a nonprofit, the IRS throws a few different payroll tax wrinkles at you. If you’re making a choice between OnPay or Gusto (or any other payroll provider), it’s a good idea to make sure all the special filings, deductions, and exemptions for your industry can be processed without too much extra legwork.

OnPay is designed to serve every type of business well — in fact, it also receives the highest rating from accounting publication CPA Practice Advisor. Whether it’s filing Form 943 for ranches, processing payroll for workers on an H2-A visa, or helping churches with parsonage exemptions, OnPay does more to get all the little details right.

Keeping a team healthy and happy — and keeping your business compliant — requires a lot more than just paying employees and filing taxes. OnPay and Gusto are among the top-rated payroll services because they help businesses do more to take care of their teams. Both offer employee self-service, e-signable offer letters, and new hire reporting. And both can help with integrated health plans, workers’ comp, and retirement plans.

In addition to basic HR functionality, OnPay offers some features that require expensive upgrades with Gusto (like org charts, PTO management, and HR document templates). OnPay also includes the ability to create custom HR workflows, delegate tasks around your organization, and perform compliance audits — all for the same low fee.

Moving to a new payroll provider can sometimes feel intimidating. Both these providers offer personal onboarding support that takes care of most of the work for you. When it comes to ongoing support, both OnPay and Gusto offer similar access to weekday support by phone, email, or on-site chat.

While the levels of service look similar on paper, OnPay’s customers approve of its customer support 97% of the time, while only 84% of Gusto customers give it the thumbs up. OnPay likely gets higher marks for its accuracy guarantee and its highly-trained support staff.