BambooHR vs Gusto
We put BambooHR and Gusto head to head across pricing, features, ratings and the type of team each one fits best.
Quick Answer
Choose Gusto if payroll and benefits are your immediate problem, and BambooHR if you already run payroll elsewhere and need a proper HR system. Gusto is payroll-first and bundles full-service tax filing, W-2s and health benefits quoting into a transparent plan from $49/month plus $6 per person. BambooHR is HRIS-first, with stronger onboarding workflows, time-off management, performance reviews and applicant tracking, but it quotes pricing on request and treats payroll as an add-on or integration. For most US businesses under about 100 employees that need to pay people correctly and offer benefits, Gusto is the better first purchase.
Winner
Gusto edges it on overall rating (4.6 vs 4.5) and value (4.6 vs 4.3), with transparent per-person pricing and full-service payroll that BambooHR treats as an add-on.
Pricing Comparison
| BambooHR | Gusto | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | Quote-based (from ~$6/employee/month) | $49/month + $6/person |
| Free Trial | Yes | Yes |
| Free Plan | No | No |
| Pricing Model | Per-employee monthly subscription (quote-based) | Base fee plus per-employee monthly subscription |
Gusto publishes its pricing: $49/month plus $6 per person for Simple, $80/month plus $12 per person for Plus, and custom pricing for Premium. BambooHR quotes on request, typically starting around $6 per employee per month for core HR, with payroll and time tracking as separate add-ons. For a 25-person company Gusto costs roughly $199/month on Simple, while BambooHR core HR alone would land near $150/month before any payroll add-on. Gusto is the more predictable budget; BambooHR becomes competitive when you do not need its payroll module at all.
Feature Comparison
| Dimension | BambooHR | Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Starting Price | Quote-based (~$6/employee/month) | $49/month + $6/person |
| Pricing Transparency | Quote only, no public tiers | Published tiers |
| Full-Service Payroll | Add-on or third-party integration | Native, all 50 states |
| Tax Filing | Via payroll add-on | Automatic federal, state and local |
| Benefits Administration | Basic, broker integrations | Built-in brokerage and enrollment |
| Core HRIS Depth | Strong employee records and workflows | Good, but payroll-centred |
| Time-Off Management | Balances, accruals, approval flows | Included, simpler |
| Onboarding Workflows | Deep checklist automation | Solid document collection |
| Performance Reviews | Review cycles and 360 feedback | Basic on higher tiers |
| Applicant Tracking | Included on higher tiers | Hiring tools on Plus and above |
| Ease of Use | 4.8 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 |
| International Payroll | Not native | US-only (Gusto Global is limited) |
| Value for Money | 4.3 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
Where Each One Wins
BambooHR Advantages
- A genuine HRIS with deep employee records and document management
- Stronger time-off accruals, approval workflows and PTO visibility
- Better onboarding and offboarding checklist automation
- Performance management with review cycles and 360-degree feedback
Gusto Advantages
- Native full-service payroll with automatic tax filing in all 50 states
- Built-in benefits brokerage with employee self-enrollment
- Published pricing that is easy to budget against
- The friendliest interface for first-time employers and non-accountants
How to Choose
Choose BambooHR If…
- You already have payroll running and need a real HR system around it
- Time-off management, performance reviews and hiring are the priority
- You want deeper onboarding and offboarding automation
- You are standardising employee records across a growing team
Choose Gusto If…
- You need to run US payroll correctly and file taxes automatically
- You want to offer health benefits without a separate broker
- You are a first-time employer with no in-house accountant
- You value published pricing and a fast, friendly setup
Best For
BambooHR
Companies that have payroll covered and want HRIS depth
Gusto
US small businesses that need payroll plus benefits in one place
Value for Money
Gusto is the better value for most small US businesses because payroll, tax filing and benefits administration are included at a published price, which replaces what would otherwise be a separate payroll vendor and benefits broker. BambooHR justifies its quote-based cost when you are buying HR process depth rather than payroll, and its value improves if you deliberately skip the payroll add-on. For a team that needs to pay people and offer health cover, Gusto is clearly the stronger value; for a team with payroll already solved that needs onboarding, time-off and performance workflows, BambooHR earns its price.
Final Verdict
BambooHR and Gusto overlap but are not really the same product, and the right choice depends on which problem hurts more today. Gusto is payroll-first. It files federal, state and local taxes automatically, prepares W-2s and 1099s, brokers health benefits with employee self-enrollment, and publishes a price you can budget against from $49/month plus $6 per person. For a US small business that has never run payroll, that combination removes the two scariest parts of employing people. BambooHR is HRIS-first. It gives you a clean employee record, serious time-off accrual and approval workflows, strong onboarding and offboarding automation, performance review cycles and applicant tracking on higher tiers, all wrapped in the most adoptable interface in the category. Its weaknesses are pricing transparency and payroll, which is an add-on or an integration rather than the core. In practice, many companies run both: Gusto for payroll and BambooHR for HR. If you can only buy one, choose Gusto when paying people and offering benefits is the immediate problem, and choose BambooHR when payroll already works and your HR processes are the bottleneck.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, BambooHR or Gusto?
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