Gusto vs Workday — Pricing, Plans, and Verified Costs (2026)
Gusto starts at $49/mo. Workday uses custom pricing — request a quote to compare.
How pricing works
These two tools don't price the same way, so the headline numbers below aren't directly comparable until you plug in your own volume.
- Gusto (Hybrid) — Gusto is hybrid: a fixed subscription from $49/mo plus metered usage on top (Base fee + per employee). Your real bill moves with volume, not seat count.
- Workday (Per Usage) — Workday bills purely on usage — employees + modules. There is no fixed per-seat fee, so the monthly cost depends entirely on how much you consume.
Per-minute, per-credit and per-token rates exclude any downstream model, speech or telephony costs unless the vendor states otherwise.
US payroll + benefits platform positioned as the alternative to ADP and Paychex for SMBs (1-500 employees). Distinctive for its modern UX (unlike ADP's 1990s-era interface) and built-in benefits marketplace. Valued $9.6B private (2022). Priced $40/mo base + $6/employee (Simple) up to $80+$12 (Premium). Popular with US-based startups and SMBs — no international payroll (unlike Deel/Rippling). Direct competitor to Rippling in the US mid-market.
The dominant enterprise HR + Finance ERP, publicly traded (WDAY), ~$70B market cap. Positioned as the alternative to Oracle HCM Cloud and SAP SuccessFactors for large enterprises. Distinctive for its all-in-one HCM + Finance suite (Workday Financial Management) that few competitors match at scale. Pricing opaque, quote-only, typically $100-$400/employee/year with $500K-$5M+ implementation fees. Best fit for 1000+ employee organizations; overkill for anyone smaller.
All plans compared
| Tier role | Plan | Gusto monthly | Gusto annual | Workday monthly | Workday annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid | Simple / — | $49 | $49 | — | — |
| Mid tier | Plus / — | $80 | $80 | — | — |
| Pro / power | Premium / — | $180 | $180 | — | — |
Tier names differ across vendors. Rows are aligned by tier role, not name. Full tier structures on each tool's page.
What each is best for
Gusto is worth it if… US-based SMBs (1-100 employees) that need payroll + benefits + basic HR in one tool without hiring a bookkeeper — particularly if you're incorporating and running payroll for the first time. Simple covers basic payroll; Plus adds hiring and next-day direct deposit; Premium adds compliance alerts and dedicated support.
Workday is worth it if… large enterprises (5,000+ employees) that need cloud HRIS + payroll + financials + planning as a unified suite — particularly if you're a Fortune 500 running complex global HR operations. Custom-quoted per employee + modules; typical mid-market to enterprise contracts $200K-$5M+/year.
Bottom line: Choose based on how you want to pay — Gusto is hybrid, Workday is per usage.
Choose Gusto over Workday if…
Choose Gusto if…
- You're fine with a base subscription plus metered usage on top (from $49/mo).
- You match the profile Gusto is built for: US-based SMBs (1-100 employees) that need payroll + benefits + basic HR in one tool without hiring a bookkeeper — particularly if you're incorporating and running payroll for the first time.
- You need a general-purpose hr & people option rather than a vertical-specific one.
Choose Workday if…
- You want to pay only for actual usage (per usage, custom pricing).
- You match the profile Workday is built for: large enterprises (5,000+ employees) that need cloud HRIS + payroll + financials + planning as a unified suite — particularly if you're a Fortune 500 running complex global HR operations.
- You need a general-purpose hr & people option rather than a vertical-specific one.
At a glance
| Gusto | Workday | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | No | — |
| Entry price | $49/mo | Custom |
| Enterprise available | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing model | Hybrid | Per Usage |
| Last verified | September 11, 2026 | September 15, 2026 |
| Full pricing | View full pricing | View full pricing |
Pricing last verified September 15, 2026. Tracked daily.