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LeadChange Group

Deel vs Gusto

Deel5.6/10

Gusto5.7/10

Scored in HRIS Software

The short answer

Deel hires, pays and manages workers worldwide: an employer of record in 130+ countries at $599 per employee a month, contractor management, a US PEO and US payroll at $29 per employee a month. Gusto is payroll, benefits and HR for US small businesses from $49 a month plus $6 per person.

By LeadChange Research TeamUpdated Based on 20 sources, most recently checked

Deel

Starting price
$5/employee/mo1
Best for
Companies hiring in 130+ countries via EOR

Choose Deel if

  • You hire employees abroad without a local entity (EOR in 130+ countries).
  • You pay contractors in 120+ currencies.
  • You want support at any hour, by chat, email, phone or Slack.
  • Your security review asks for SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and GDPR.

What Deel costsAlternatives to Deel

Gusto

Starting price
$180/mo + $22/employee/mo (Premium plan)2
Best for
US small businesses that want payroll tax filing on every plan

Choose Gusto if

  • Your team is in the US: Simple costs $49 a month plus $6 per person.
  • You want health, dental, vision and 401(k) benefits in the payroll account.
  • You want time tracking and scheduling included (Plus).
  • You want month-to-month billing with no setup fee.

Gusto pricingGusto alternatives

LeadChange Score: editorial assessment based on public information.

Scorecard

Deel wins 2Gusto wins 12 ties

Deel vs Gusto by dimension
DimensionDeelGusto
PricingFor US payroll, Gusto costs $49 a month plus $6 per person on Simple, $109 for 10 people; Deel Payroll: US costs $29 per employee a month, $290 for 10. Deel’s HR Core alone costs $5 per employee a month, without payroll.$5/employee/mo$180/mo + $22/employee/mo (Premium plan)
CapabilitiesBoth cover payroll, benefits, HR and contractor payments. Deel adds an employer of record, a US PEO, IT and immigration support; Gusto adds money management and time tracking synced to payroll. Payroll, HR, IT, Benefits, Hire, Mobility, EOR, PEO311 of 11 core capabilities11 of 11 core capabilities
IntegrationsDeel lists 200 integrations, including Workday, NetSuite, QuickBooks and Okta, with REST, webhooks and an MCP server. Gusto lists 153, including QuickBooks, Xero, Slack and Salesforce. 200+415 documented (vendor says 200+)8 documented (vendor says 154)
Fit and supportDeel serves startups to enterprises in 150+ countries, with 24/7 support. Gusto serves US small businesses, with weekday support from 6am to 6pm MST. Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises3Small businesses, mid-market companies, enterprisesSmall businesses
SecurityDeel states SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and GDPR and supports SAML sign-on and SCIM. Gusto states HIPAA compliance and supports single sign-on. Yes5SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPRSOC 2 (type not stated)

Deel or Gusto: what matters most to you?

We match on verified product facts for this need, never on who pays us.

Key differences

Where Deel and Gusto differ (5)
AttributeDeelGusto
Pricing modelPer employee6Base fee + per employee2
Best forSmall businesses, mid-market companies, enterprises3Small businesses7
Native integrations200+41548
Support channelsChat, Email, Phone, Slack9Phone, email, chat, online help center, dedicated account partner (Premium)10
Founded20191120127
Show 10 attributes where they are the same
Where they are the same (10)
AttributeDeelGusto
Price transparencyPublished6Published2
Free trial612
Free plan12
Contract termMonthly6Monthly2
API1314
Webhooks1315
Single sign-onSAML 2.0, OpenID Connect, Okta1617
Automatic tax filing62
Contractor payments62
OwnershipPrivate11Private7

Price by headcount

  • Deel HR Core$5/employee/mo6
  • Gusto Premium$180/mo base2 + $22/employee/mo2
Estimated list price per month by scenario
EmployeesDeel HR CoreGusto Premium
10$50/mo (lowest)$400/mo
50$250/mo (lowest)$1,280/mo
200$1,000/mo (lowest)$4,580/mo

The lowest monthly cost in each row is highlighted.

Monthly list price of each product’s entry plan with published per-employee pricing.

Analysis by dimension

Pricing. For US payroll, Gusto costs $49 a month plus $6 per person on Simple, $109 for 10 people; Deel Payroll: US costs $29 per employee a month, $290 for 10. Deel’s HR Core alone costs $5 per employee a month, without payroll.

Capabilities. Both cover payroll, benefits, HR and contractor payments. Deel adds an employer of record, a US PEO, IT and immigration support; Gusto adds money management and time tracking synced to payroll.

Integrations. Deel lists 200 integrations, including Workday, NetSuite, QuickBooks and Okta, with REST, webhooks and an MCP server. Gusto lists 153, including QuickBooks, Xero, Slack and Salesforce.

Fit and support. Deel serves startups to enterprises in 150+ countries, with 24/7 support. Gusto serves US small businesses, with weekday support from 6am to 6pm MST.

Security. Deel states SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and GDPR and supports SAML sign-on and SCIM. Gusto states HIPAA compliance and supports single sign-on.

Neither one?

BambooHR

BambooHR has the highest LeadChange Score in HRIS Software after excluding these two (9.3/10).

From $250/mo flat up to 25 employees, then $10.25/employee/mo18

BambooHR review

Frequently asked questions

Is Deel like Gusto?

Partly. Both run US payroll with tax filings and pay contractors. Deel’s core is hiring across borders, with an employer of record in 130+ countries and payroll in 130+ countries; Gusto is built for US small businesses, with benefits administration and HR in the same account.

Is Deel cheaper than Gusto for US payroll?

Only for the smallest teams. Deel Payroll: US costs $29 per employee a month; Gusto Simple costs $49 a month plus $6 per person. That is $58 against $61 for two employees, and $290 against $109 for 10.

Does Deel offer a PEO in the US?

Yes. Deel’s PEO Starter costs $110 per employee a month without PEO-sponsored health benefits, and PEO Pro costs $120 with them. Gusto offers health, dental, vision, life and disability plans from the payroll account and sells workers' comp separately, starting at $14 a month.

Do Deel and Gusto offer 401(k) plans?

Both do. Deel lists 401(k) among its US benefits, next to healthcare, dental, vision, mental health and fertility cover. Gusto offers 401(k) plans whose price depends on the 401(k) provider you connect.

Do Deel and Gusto charge extra fees?

Deel charges for funding, 2.9% + $0.30 for US or EU cards and $5 per ACH or wire payment, and asks for an EOR deposit of 1 to 1.5 times the monthly charges. Gusto’s extras include next-day pay on Simple at $15 a month plus $3 per person and a $100 fee if funds are short at the payroll debit deadline.

When can I reach Deel and Gusto support?

Deel offers 24/7 support by chat, email, phone and Slack. Gusto takes calls, emails and chats Monday to Friday between 6am and 6pm MST, keeps a help center online at all hours and gives Premium customers a dedicated account partner.

Do Deel and Gusto offer a free trial?

Neither lists a free trial; both sell through a demo or a quote.

Which has more integrations, Deel or Gusto?

Deel lists 200+ integrations; Gusto lists 154 integrations. Both connect to Slack, QuickBooks, Xero, and Google Workspace.

Is Deel or Gusto more secure?

Deel states SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and GDPR (unverified for Gusto). Gusto states HIPAA (unverified for Deel).

Who are Deel’s biggest competitors?

Deel ranks #12 of 19 in our HRIS software ranking. Besides Gusto, the highest-scored are BambooHR, Zoho People, and Namely. Every alternative, matched to the reason you might switch: Deel alternatives.

How this page was made

  • What it is built from

    47 verified facts, each checked against the vendor's own pages or another primary source, most recently on Nov 10, 2026.

  • Method

    Scored and compared with the LeadChange methodology, version 1.5. Read the methodology

  • Independent review

    Not reviewed yet by our independent reviewer. How we review

  • Hands-on testing

    We have not tested either product hands-on: this page uses public information only.

  • Who made it

    The LeadChange Research Team, following a written research process. No named expert has reviewed this page. About us

  • Independence and errors

    Who pays us never changes a score or a rank. If something here is wrong, tell us and we correct it publicly. Request a correction

Deel or Gusto? Your answer in 3 questions

Your team size, what matters most and your role: see which one fits more of your answers, from verified facts and list prices.

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Deel vs Gusto

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Sources

The 20 pages this page's facts come from. The date beside each is our last check of the facts taken from it (the oldest, when they differ). The numbers beside the figures above link here.

Quotes from the sources
  1. Deel deel.com/solutions/hr“Core starts at $5 per employee per month and covers worker profiles, org chart, time off, job architecture, workflows, approvals, anonymous reporting and people analytics.” “Deel HR comes in three levels. Core starts at $5 per employee per month”
  2. Gusto gusto.com/product/pricing“No contracts. Free account setup. Switch or cancel anytime.” “$49/mo + $6/mo per person”
  3. Deel deel.com“"Local and global payroll, your way." "One HR system for every worker." "Get 3 months free of PEO"” “Trusted by 40,000+ companies from startups to enterprise”
  4. Deel marketplace.deel.com/en“Browse 200+ integrations and connect your favorite tools to Deel in minutes.”
  5. Deel deel.com/solutions/payroll“SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, and GDPR-compliant.”
  6. Deel deel.com/pricing“$599 per EOR employee per month” “Transparent and fair pricing that grows with your business”
  7. Gusto gusto.com/about“Our small business platform helps businesses take care of their hardworking teams.” “Launched in 2012 as ZenPayroll, Gusto serves more than 500,000 businesses nationwide.”
  8. Gusto gusto.com/product/integrations“Showing 1–20 of 154”
  9. Deel deel.com/peo“24/7 support through chat, email, phone, and Slack”
  10. Gusto gusto.com/about/contact“Our sales and support teams at Gusto are available to help you via phone, email, and chat Monday through Friday 6am – 6pm MST. For expedited support, sign in to your Gusto account.”
  11. Deel deel.com/about“Founded in 2019, Deel’s technology helps companies simplify every aspect of managing an international workforce” “we've raised $650 million from some of the world's most respected investors”
  12. Gusto Payroll (Gusto)“We’ve got all kinds of plans for all sizes of business. Explore all the options. You’ll pay nothing ‘til you’re ready to run payroll.”
  13. Deel developer.deel.com/home“REST, webhooks, MCP, and a CLI for hiring, payroll, HR, and compliance.” “Subscribe to contracts, payments, timesheets, and approvals.”
  14. Gusto docs.gusto.com“Leverage Gusto's API to build your own in-app payroll solution, customized for your users' needs, with Gusto Embedded.”
  15. Gusto docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/webhooks“A webhook is an HTTP request that delivers information about an event as it happens.”
  16. Deel Help Center help.letsdeel.com/hc/en-gb/articles/22184491367953-How-to-setup-SAML-2-0-Integration-with-Okta-for-Single-Sign-On“"use single sign-on (SSO) with Okta as the identity provider (IdP)" "How to Setup OpenID Connect Integration with Okta for Single Sign-On"”
  17. Gusto gusto.com/product/payroll/security“Multi-factor authentication and single sign-on functions are also available to make sure only the right people see the most sensitive data.”
  18. BambooHR bamboohr.com/pricing“For companies with more than 25 employees, our HR software is priced on a per-employee, per-month basis. BambooHR pricing starts at $10.25 USD per employee per month for Core, $17.50 USD per employee per month for Pro, and $25 USD per employee per month for Elite.”
  19. Gusto gusto.com/security“We follow HIPAA guidelines to safeguard our customers’ protected health information (PHI). Additionally, we maintain business associate agreements (BAAs) between employers and Gusto, along with any third parties, like insurance companies.”
  20. Gusto gusto.com/product

What the LeadChange Score means

A 0–10 editorial assessment built only from verified facts, across six weighted dimensions: capabilities, pricing, integrations, security, fit and support, and data confidence.

Payments, commissions and lead fees are never inputs.