Employee management is a critical aspect of any small business. The more efficient you can make your workflow, the more likely you are to turn a profit. That’s why managers often turn to leading HR software like Gusto to monitor attendance, streamline payroll, and administer benefits.
But while Gusto is a robust platform, it’s not the best fit for everyone. Some small businesses may find Gusto lacks key features like scheduling and communication and they don’t want to juggle all its integrations. Others might find Gusto’s prices don’t suit their budget and paying per employee makes it more challenging to expand.
Fortunately, there are many Gusto alternatives that are also worth considering. Our article shows you the top ten companies like Gusto and explores their pricing, features, and best use cases.
Best Gusto alternatives:
1. Homebase: Best all-in-one solution for small businesses
If you’re looking for the whole package, Homebase is your best option. The versatile HR software lets you schedule employees, track their hours, and run payroll from almost any device. That means you can run your business and check in on your team even if you’re offsite.
You can also contact team members from inside the app to effortlessly arrange covers or leave notes about specific shifts. And when you have a vacancy, Homebase boosts your job listings, screens applicants, and streamlines the onboarding process for successful candidates.
But what makes Homebase really stand out from the competition is its free plan. For one location, you can access basic scheduling, time tracking, and chat features free of charge and for up to 20 employees. So, if you’re just starting out, you don’t have to worry about paying until you’re ready.
Scheduling
As Gusto doesn’t have scheduling tools, users have to rely on its integrations. But switching between different apps can slow you down and split your focus. That’s why busy managers may prefer Homebase’s built-in scheduling feature — we sync everything so you can go straight from assigning shifts to tracking hours and paying your team.
We also have a range of scheduling tools. Create instant timetables based on your team’s availability with autoscheduling and templates. Or give employees more flexibility by letting them decide their hours with open shifts and shift trades via the app.
Time tracking
Recording your team’s hours accurately stops you from overspending on labor and keeps your business profitable. So, the best HR apps like Homebase and Gusto have robust time clocks. Both let you verify your staff’s location as they clock in with GPS — whether that’s your storefront, a venue, or a client’s house. They also have clock in controls which save you money by preventing early arrivals and late departures.
But while Gusto charges for all its time tracking features, Homebase includes nearly all the basics on its free account. That means you don’t end up spending the money you save on labor.
Team communication
Although Gusto integrates with Slack, it doesn’t have its own messaging system. That means you can’t contact staff directly from the platform to leave notes about specific shifts or get schedule confirmations. Whereas Homebase links its chat app to all its features so you can efficiently manage schedule changes, request cover, and more.
Homebase also has a variety of messaging options. You can contact individuals, custom groups (like who’s working or who’s available), or the entire team — no need to bother everyone with messages intended for one person. There’s also the option to leave shift notes for specific employees and post important announcements on the dashboard where nobody can miss them.
Payroll
Automating payroll spares you the expense of hiring an accountant or the headache of doing the paperwork yourself. It also prevents you from making costly mistakes and helps you pay employees on time. So, top payroll software like Homebase and Gusto lets you automatically calculate wages, pay employees, and file taxes.
But Homebase has a serious advantage over Gusto because users can sync schedules, timesheets, and payroll in one place. That’s less time you have to spend moving between tools and checking you’ve inputted the data correctly.
Pricing
Unlike Gusto, Homebase has a robust free plan with basic schedule, time tracking, and communication features for one location. There are also three plans:
- Essentials for $24.95 monthly to get extra scheduling and time tracking features like shift notes and GPS clock in verification.
- Plus for $59.95 monthly to access tools like clock in controls and late alerts.
- All-in-one for $99.95 monthly for access to qualified HR professionals and onboarding tools.
Payroll is on a separate plan for $39 per month plus $6 per employee. Homebase also integrates with popular payroll providers so you can choose whether to keep your existing accounting system or keep all your data on one platform.
2. Rippling: Best for global workforce management
Rippling is a cloud-based platform like Homebase that provides employee onboarding, payroll, and benefits administration. What makes it stand out from the competition is its global workforce management. While other competitors limit themselves to specific regions or countries, Rippling helps you manage HR and payroll across the world. That makes it an interesting option for small businesses with remote employees in different countries who are struggling to manage payments.
Features
- Employee management: Automatically track your team’s hours and create alerts for overtime and missed breaks.
- Payroll: Manage HR and payroll globally so you can pay employees in their own currency and stay compliant with each country’s laws and regulations. Rippling helps you do this by setting up a separate entity in your team’s home country.
- Benefits: Choose benefits from over 4000 plans and enroll team members. Then let Rippling handle deductions and add new hires.
- Training: Create learning courses, add employees to them, and track their progress over time.
Pricing
Rippling offers a custom price for its services.
3. ADP: Best for a scope of services
ADP (which stands for Automatic Data Processing) is a global HR management system. It’s noteworthy for its wide range of features from payroll and compliance to talent management and benefits. Businesses with complex laws and regulations like healthcare, IT, and financial services may appreciate the choice of different HR support. Then you’ll find it easier to manage challenging compliance issues like following Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) guidelines in hospitals or ensuring you don’t violate data protection laws at your software company.
Features
- Employee management: Automate schedules and track time using ADP’s time clock. Also, manage leave and analyze patterns of absences with its analytics tool.
- Payroll: Choose from two packages to run your payroll — small business or medium to enterprise level.
- HR and compliance: Use HR tools, speak to professionals, or use ADP’s consultants to receive guidance on compliance issues.
- Talent management: Offer different training programs and create review cycles to provide feedback on employee performance.
- Benefits: Manage all your benefits, insurance, and compensation programs in one place.
Pricing
ADP offers custom pricing based on the size of your team and what features you need.
4. Paylocity: Best for employee experience
Paylocity is an HR and payroll provider for businesses of all sizes. It differentiates itself from the competition with its emphasis on employee experience. The software isn’t just intuitive and accessible but also includes survey, collaboration, and feedback tools to improve your work culture. That way you don’t just run your business more smoothly but also keep your team happier — leading to less turnover.
Features
- Employee management tools: Schedule teams and accommodate a diverse workforce by giving them multiple ways of clocking in.
- Payroll: Pay employees and file their taxes no matter where they are in the world.
- Employee experience tools: Boost morale by collecting feedback via surveys and letting employees praise each other on the app.
Pricing
Paylocity offers custom pricing for its services.
5. Paychex: Best for personalized service
Businesses with 50 to 200 employees may be especially interested in Paychex’s payroll and HR services. While you’re large enough to have complex needs, you still may not be able to afford internal HR personnel and accountants. So, Paychex’s team of experts can give advice and create custom action plans for your specific context instead. It also includes benefits management and time-tracking tools in its packages.
Features
- Payroll: Autocalculate taxes and pay employees while a team of experts oversees your processes to ensure you’re staying compliant.
- Time and attendance: Use biometric data like facial recognition and iris scanners to prevent employees from clocking in for each other.
- Benefits: Offer affordable benefits packages and manage employee enrolment.
- HR and compliance: Outsource your HR and benefit from expert advice on the specific challenges your business faces.
Pricing
Paychex paid plans start at $39 per month plus $5 per employee but you need to contact them for an exact quote.
6. Zenefits: Best for benefits administration
With Zenefits, you can shop for benefits programs or manage your existing ones online. They have a range of packages you can choose from based on your team’s needs and preferences. For example, construction workers may be especially interested in disability insurance as they’re more likely to have an accident that prevents them from doing their jobs. So, if you’re in a low-turnover industry like IT or financial services, and employees are more likely to benefit from long-term programs, you may appreciate Zenefits.
Although Zenefits is primarily a benefits administration software (hence the name), they also have payroll and HR tools.
Features
- Payroll: Zenefits lets you pay businesses of all sizes — from individuals to companies with thousands of employees.
- Benefits: Arrange coverage from the platform and let employees self-enroll to save time inputting data manually.
- Hiring and onboarding: Post job listings to multiple websites to raise your chances of getting the best applicants. Then rank and track each candidate’s progress. After you’ve offered someone the job, collect all their documents and let them enroll in your benefits packages.
Pricing
Zenefits offer three paid plans:
- Essentials for $8 monthly per employee to receive onboarding and employee management tools.
- Growth for $16 monthly per employee for access to access compensation and performance management.
- Zen for $21 monthly per employee and you get surveys and task-tracking tools.
There are also separate HR, payroll, and recruiting tools for an extra cost.
7. Namely: Best for employee self-service
Transform your HR system into your company’s social networking site with Namely. The platform lets employees create their own profiles and receive updates via the company news feed. That way you can be sure everyone sees your important updates and announcements. Namely is also notable for its robust employee self-service tools including time-off requests and benefits enrollment.
Features
- Employee self-service: Let employees log into the system to create profiles, request time off, and upload essential documents.
- Newsfeed: Keep team members up to date by sharing information on a custom-made feed. Integrate with Slack so your news will spread further.
- Performance management: Conduct regular reviews and help your employees create goals to develop their job skills.
Pricing
Namely offers three plans but you have to contact them for an exact quote.
8. Paycor: Best for industry-specific features
Paycor separates itself from the competition by offering plans tailored to different industries. For instance, restaurants have more scheduling features whereas manufacturers can use production tracking tools. Paycor also has partnerships with companies in different industries which helps it stay current with recent trends and ensure its products meet current needs. You can find plans for the following types of businesses:
- Healthcare
- Manufacturing
- Restaurants
- Retail
- Professional services
- Nonprofit
- Education
Features
- Performance management: Combine one-on-one meetings, performance reviews, and goal-setting sessions to develop your team.
- HR and compliance: Paycor’s expert team will help you navigate your industry’s specific compliance issues.
- Benefits: Automate benefits enrolment to spare yourself the paperwork and introduce new hires to your packages more efficiently.
- Employee experience: Conduct surveys to get an insight into your team’s well-being and find what improvements your business needs to make.
Pricing
Paycor has four plans for small businesses and custom pricing for companies with more than 50 employees. You have to contact them for a quote.
9. BambooHR: Best for performance management
BambooHR is a human resources platform designed with small to medium businesses in mind. It’s known for its focus on employee experience — there are tools to streamline onboarding, improve performance, and collect feedback from team members. These features make sure staff know exactly what they need to do their jobs well and perhaps develop their skill set further. Plus, there are self-service features, which enable employees to manage their own data, time off requests, and other HR tasks.
Features
- Performance management: Write custom questions for one-on-one meetings, 360 reviews, and self-assessments to get a clear picture of each employee’s progress.
- Onboarding and offboarding: Create tasks and assign them to team members who are just starting or about to leave.
- Leave management: Let staff request time off and report absences to reduce unnecessary paperwork.
- Surveys: Ask your team questions about what affects their performance and happiness at work.
Pricing
Bamboo prices are not readily available but there are two plans and the following add-ons:
- Benefits
- Payroll
- Time tracking
- Performance management
Discover which Gusto alternative is best for you
Despite its popularity and high ratings, Gusto might not be what’s best for your business. The limited employee management features and restrictive pricing may make running your business more challenging instead of less.
If you’ve got over 50 employees, and you’re still growing fast, consider platforms like Zenefits, or BambooHR. Both apps specialize in different areas so choose depending on whether you need to prioritize benefits or employee experience.
But if you’re a small business that’s looking for a robust employee management solution, choose Homebase. Our platform covers:
- Scheduling
- Time tracking
- Payroll
- Hiring and onboarding
- HR and compliance
- Communication
These help you streamline all your essential tasks to have your business running more smoothly than ever. Plus, we have a free plan and only charge per location. That means if you’re planning to expand, you won’t get slowed down by extra costs as you hire more staff.
**The information above is based on our research on Gusto alternatives. All user feedback referenced in the text has been sourced from independent software review platforms, such as G2 and Capterra, in March 2023.
Remember: This is not legal advice. If you have questions about your particular situation, please consult a lawyer, CPA, or other appropriate professional advisor or agency.
