Justworks vs Gusto (2026): PEO or Payroll at 10-50 Staff
Justworks PEO costs $79-$124 per employee a month and adds large-group health plans; Gusto is $49 plus $6 per person. With Gusto you keep your own benefits. At 25 people that is $1,975+ against $199-$380. The gap only pays off if benefits access matters.
Justworks vs Gusto: which is better for PEO teams?
Pick Justworks PEO when you want large-group health plans and someone else carrying [HR compliance](/glossary/hr-compliance): $79 per employee on Basic, $109 to $124 on Plus, premiums extra. Pick Gusto when [payroll](/categories/payroll-software) and basic HR are the job: $199 a month at 25 people on Simple.
Don't join a PEO only on a savings promise. Justworks itself says it negotiates overall rate increases, not your company's rate, and that premiums are only known from a quote. Get the medical quote for your census and compare it with a broker's small-group quote run through Gusto.
If you only need payroll, compare like with like: Justworks Payroll is $50 plus $8 per employee ($250 at 25), against Gusto Simple at $199.
Justworks vs Gusto: what each tool does
Justworks is a professional employer organization that packages payroll processing, compliance support, HR tools, and access to large-group benefits into a single monthly per-employee fee.
- Starting price
- $50/mo + $8 per employee (Payroll)
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Free trial
- Available
Gusto is the payroll platform that most small businesses encounter first when they realize they need more than a spreadsheet and a quarterly trip to the accountant.
- Starting price
- $49/mo + $6 per person
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Free trial
- No standard free trial; promotional offers vary
Justworks vs Gusto: side by side
Rows are grouped by the decision they belong to, and a row is marked where the two products answer differently. Rows they answer the same way stay visible: that is an answer too.
| Pricing | Justworks | Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $50/mo + $8 per employee (Payroll) | $49/mo + $6 per person |
| Typical cost | $79 per employee/mo on PEO Basic | $80/mo + $12 per person on Plus ($680/mo at 50 staff) |
| Billing unit | per employee per month | per month + per person |
| Free trial | Not stated by vendor | No standard free trial; promotional offers vary |
| Price transparency | Prices published by vendor | Prices published by vendor |
Prices verified Sep 2026. Sources: Justworks pricing page (blocked to direct fetch; figures from search-result text), Justworks: CASRAI Justworks pricing (updated Aug 27, 2026), Justworks: South: What does Justworks cost in 2026, Justworks: PayrollDetective: Gusto vs Justworks, Justworks: RemotePeople Justworks pricing, Justworks: WhichPayroll Justworks pricing (verified Apr 2026), Justworks Help Center: EOR billing FAQs, Gusto pricing page, Gusto Help Center: Understanding Gusto plans, Gusto: CASRAI Gusto pricing guide (updated Aug 27, 2026).
Full plan tables: Justworks pricing, Gusto pricing.
| Criteria |  Justworks |  Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| Commercials | ||
| Starting priceDiffers | $50/mo + $8 per employee (Payroll) | $49/mo + $6 per person |
| Pricing model | Per-employee pricing | Per-employee pricing |
| Free trialDiffers | Available | No standard free trial; promotional offers vary |
| Typical costDiffers | $79 per employee/mo on PEO Basic | $80/mo + $12 per person on Plus ($680/mo at 50 staff) |
| Who it fits | ||
| Best forDiffers | Startups under 50 staff wanting Aetna or UnitedHealthcare plans | US small businesses wanting published payroll pricing and 50-state tax filing |
| Rollout & platform | ||
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Supported platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
Justworks vs Gusto: key differences
Co-employment or your own payroll: the real choice
In a PEO, Justworks becomes co-employer and your staff join its benefit plans. With Gusto you stay the only employer and buy benefits yourself.
- 12-person startup, wants competitive health plans to hire engineers: Justworks PEO Plus. Large-group plans are the reason to pay $109-$124 per head. See PEO software.
- 25-person shop, health benefits through a local broker already: Gusto Plus ($380 a month). A PEO fee buys little you do not have.
- Owner wants HR help for terminations and policies: Justworks PEO Basic includes HR consulting; Gusto Premium ($730 at 25) adds an HR resource center and a dedicated contact.
- Payroll only, no PEO: Justworks Payroll ($50 + $8) or Gusto Simple ($49 + $6). Pick on integrations and support hours.
Justworks vs Gusto monthly fees at 10, 25 and 50 employees
| Plan | 10 employees | 25 employees | 50 employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justworks Payroll ($50 + $8) | $130 | $250 | $450 |
| Justworks PEO Basic ($79 each) | $790 | $1,975 | $3,950 |
| Justworks PEO Plus ($109-$124 each) | $1,090-$1,240 | $2,725-$3,100 | $5,450-$6,200 |
| Gusto Simple ($49 + $6) | $109 | $199 | $349 |
| Gusto Plus ($80 + $12) | $200 | $380 | $680 |
What the Justworks PEO fee buys over Gusto
| Feature | Justworks | Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| Employer status | Co-employer under a PEO agreement | You remain the sole employer |
| Health plans | Access to Justworks' large-group plans (PEO Plus); not sold without the PEO | Your own plans through Gusto's brokerage or your broker |
| Workers' comp | Administered in the PEO | Bought separately through a partner |
| 401(k) | Empower multiple-employer plan, PEO customers only | Gusto 401(k) powered by Guideline |
| HR help | HR consulting in PEO Basic | HR resource center and dedicated contact on Premium |
| Support hours | PEO: 24/7 phone, email and chat; Payroll plan: weekdays 9am-6pm ET | Chat 5am-5pm PT weekdays; phone by callback |
| Accounting sync | QuickBooks, Xero; NetSuite and Sage Intacct on PEO only | QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero |
| Accountant access | Advisor Dashboard for firms | Gusto Pro for firms |
| International | EOR $599/employee; contractors $39 each | Contractors in 120+ countries; EOR through a partner |
Joining or leaving a PEO mid-year
- 1Joining Justworks: send a year-to-date payroll report from January 1 (Gusto calls it the Payroll Journal) with Social Security, Medicare and unemployment wages per employee.
- 2Time the start with your health plan renewal so employees do not reset deductibles mid-year. Ask Justworks how deductibles already met will be credited.
- 3Ask how state unemployment wages will be reported after the move and whether any employer tax overpayment can be recovered.
- 4Leaving Justworks: employees keep coverage to the end of the month after separation, then COBRA applies. Start new plans the next day.
- 5Download records during the wind-down window; former employees keep access to pay stubs and W-2s.
Leaving Justworks Payroll (not the PEO) is simpler: payroll runs under your own EIN, and you choose whether Justworks or your new provider files the quarter and issues W-2s.
Justworks and Gusto complaints worth checking
Themes from Trustpilot, G2, Capterra and GetApp, checked October 2026. Justworks has few Trustpilot reviews, so weigh its themes accordingly.
- Justworks, health renewal increases and limited plan choice (G2; GetApp).
- Justworks, slow support and phone support that is hard to find, with requests pushed to chat (Trustpilot, 2.1/5 from 37 reviews; Capterra).
- Justworks, payroll or tax errors and fund holds (Trustpilot).
- Gusto, slow support and unreturned callbacks (Trustpilot, 1.9/5 from 2,530 reviews).
- Gusto, tax filing errors that led to agency notices (Trustpilot; G2).
- Gusto, mistakes during onboarding, such as duplicate deductions or cancelled benefits (Trustpilot; Capterra).
Related: Justworks vs TriNet, Justworks vs Rippling, PEO vs payroll provider, and what is a PEO.
Frequently asked questions
Is Justworks more expensive than Gusto?
Yes, unless you compare the payroll-only plans. Justworks PEO Basic is $79 per employee per month, or $1,975 at 25 people, before health premiums. Gusto Simple is $49 plus $6 per person, or $199 at 25. Justworks Payroll, its non-PEO plan, is $50 plus $8 per employee, or $250 at 25, which is close to Gusto.
Does Justworks lower health insurance costs?
It can, but no source we found supports a fixed percentage. Justworks gives small companies access to large-group plans on its master policies; it says it negotiates overall rate increases, not individual company rates, that premiums are only known from a quote, and that renewals see some increase. Compare its quote with a small-group quote for the same employees.
Is Gusto a PEO?
Not for most customers. Gusto is payroll and HR software: you remain the sole employer and choose your own benefits. In 2026 Gusto began testing a PEO for a limited group of existing payroll customers in Texas, California and Florida. Justworks has run a PEO for years and also sells a payroll-only plan.
What do I need to switch from Gusto to Justworks mid-year?
Justworks asks for a year-to-date payroll report from January 1 to your start date, with Social Security, Medicare and unemployment wages per employee and work states. From Gusto that report is the Payroll Journal. Without it you cannot recover employer taxes overpaid when wage bases restart under the new arrangement.
What happens to employee benefits if we leave Justworks?
Coverage under Justworks' plans ends because those plans belong to Justworks. Employees who leave keep coverage to the end of the month after separation and can elect COBRA. If the whole company leaves, line up replacement plans to start the day after Justworks coverage ends, and confirm in writing which provider issues each employee's W-2 for the year.
Does Justworks support international employees?
Yes. Justworks offers employer of record service at $599 per international employee per month and pays international contractors for $39 each per month. Gusto pays contractors in 120+ countries and offers EOR through a partner. For a company with only a few people abroad, either works; compare per-country coverage first.