BambooHR
BambooHR
6
Overall Score / 10
Gusto
Gusto
7.2
Overall Score / 10
Our Verdict
Choose BambooHR if:
- —SMBs (25-350 employees) needing a dedicated HRIS
- —HR teams wanting strong onboarding and performance management
- —Companies prioritizing employee experience and self-service
Choose Gusto if:
- —US small businesses running payroll for the first time
- —Companies wanting payroll + benefits + HR in one simple tool
- —Businesses that value a clean, modern interface
The biggest difference: BambooHR is stronger on HR management with performance reviews, applicant tracking, and employee surveys. Gusto is stronger on payroll and benefits administration with simpler, more transparent pricing.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Criteria | BambooHR | Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest Paid Plan | Free onlySource: BambooHR pricing page → | $49/mo (Simple)Source: Gusto pricing page → |
| Free Tier | No No free tier. Free trial available. Flat rate ~$250/mo for companies with 25 or fewer employees. | No No free tier. Contractor-only plan available at $35/mo + $6/person/mo. |
| Value for Money | 6 | 7 |
| Ease of Use | 8 | 9 |
| Feature Power | 7 | 7 |
| Setup Ease | 6 | 8 |
| Migration Ease | 5 | 5 |
| Transparency | 4 | 7 |
| Deployment | cloud | cloud |
| API Available | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
| Compliance | SOC 2, GDPR | SOC 2 Type II, HIPAA (for benefits data) |
Feature Comparison
Feature Comparison Matrix
22 features compared · 21 differences
| Feature | BambooHR | Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| Automatic tax filing (federal, state, local) | None | Full |
| Benefits administration (health, dental, vision, 401k) | None | Full |
| Compensation management (Elite) | Full | None |
| Contractor payments | None | Full |
| Document storage | Full | None |
| Employee database | Full | None |
| Employee onboarding | None | Full |
| Employee satisfaction surveys | Full | None |
| Employee self-service portal | None | Full |
| Full-service payroll | None | Full |
| Hiring & applicant tracking | Full | None |
| Hiring and offer letters (Plus+) | None | Full |
| Mobile app | Full | None |
| Onboarding & offboarding | Full | None |
| Performance management (Pro+) | Full | None |
| PTO management | None | Full |
| Time tracking (Plus+) | None | Full |
| Time-off management | Full | None |
| Workers comp | None | Full |
| Advanced | ||
| Custom reports | Full | None |
| Integrations | ||
| API Access | Full | Full |
| Security | ||
| Training & compliance courses (Elite) | Full | None |
Pricing Comparison
BambooHR Pricing
~$10/employee/mo. Employee database, hiring, onboarding, benefits tracking, time-off management
~$17/employee/mo. Core + performance management, employee community, compliance training
~$25/employee/mo. Pro + compensation management, custom dashboards, HR benchmarking, 300+ training courses
Gusto Pricing
$49/mo base + $6/person/mo. Single-state payroll, benefits admin, basic HR
$80/mo base + $12/person/mo. Multi-state payroll, next-day deposits, time tracking, hiring tools
$180/mo base + $22/person/mo. Dedicated support, HR experts, compliance alerts, migration help
Who Should Choose Which?
Who should choose BambooHR
Best for
- SMBs (25-350 employees) needing a dedicated HRIS
- HR teams wanting strong onboarding and performance management
- Companies prioritizing employee experience and self-service
Avoid if
- You primarily need payroll (BambooHR payroll is an add-on)
- You want transparent, published pricing
- You're a very small team (under 10 people) — Gusto is simpler
Who should choose Gusto
Best for
- US small businesses running payroll for the first time
- Companies wanting payroll + benefits + HR in one simple tool
- Businesses that value a clean, modern interface
Avoid if
- You have employees outside the US (Gusto's global support is limited)
- You need advanced HR features like performance management (add-on)
- You're a large company (50+ employees) needing enterprise HR
Switching Guidance
Switching from BambooHR
Common triggers to leave:
- •Payroll is a separate add-on cost
- •Opaque pricing
- •Limited for companies over 350 employees
Potential blockers:
- •Employee records and history
- •Performance review data
- •Onboarding workflows and documents
Switching from Gusto
Common triggers to leave:
- •Price increases (Simple went from $40 to $49 in 2025)
- •Need international payroll
- •Need advanced HR features
Potential blockers:
- •Payroll tax history
- •Benefits enrollment data
- •Employee onboarding workflows
Try BambooHR
Contact sales for pricing
Try Gusto
Plans from $49/mo