Gusto vs Namely Pricing (2026)
Compare / Gusto vs Namely
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Team size
25 seats

Gusto vs Namely

HR/HRIS pricing comparison · 2026

Gusto pricing ranges from $49–$180/month, while Namely ranges from $9–$9/user/month. Namely is typically 86% more affordable, though your actual cost depends on tier and team size.

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See pricing on each vendor's site
Above-the-fold path — each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Gusto pricing
Discount programs →
Affiliate partner — does not affect ranking.
Visit Namely pricing
Discount programs →
Compare
2 products · HR/HRIS
Side-by-side · live
Gusto
Gusto is an all-in-one payroll, benefits, and HR platform designed for small businesses.
verified 17d ago
$1.4K $50K
View pricing →
Namely
Namely pricing starts at $12/employee/month for the Now plan, with the Plus plan at $18/em
verified 10w ago
$1.4K $50K
View pricing →
Recorded annual contract medians
Gusto median is $48K less than Namely · different customer contracts; not a quote
Cheapest $1.4K
Spread 97%
Estimated license cost
at 25 seats
List price × seats. Click a tier below to lock it.
Plus
$960/yr
year 1 license · flat plan price
NamelyNow
$2.7K/yr
year 1 license · $9/seat
What buyers actually pay
median, annual
Vendr deal-flow data. The real benchmark, not list price.
↓ Lowest median
Median annual
$1.4K/yr
Vendr · n=62
Median annual
$50K/yr
Vendr · n=41 avg 13% negotiated
REF · 01

Sources & confidence

Every dollar amount and contract clause below traces back to a sourced fact. We don't manufacture composite scores.

Where this data comes from
Vendr · TrustRadius · Reddit · BBB · official docs
Sources 25 sourced facts
21 hidden-cost · 1 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 2w ago
Confidence High confidence
Sources 8 sourced facts
3 hidden-cost · 2 contract · Vendr median · 2 review platforms
Last verified 2mo ago
Confidence Medium confidence
REF · 02

Plans at a glance

Every tier per product. Lock one to drive the cost row above and reveal a tier-specific outbound CTA.

Tier ladder
Click a tier to lock the cost row to it. Locking surfaces a tier-specific Visit CTA.
REF · 03

Hidden costs

Each cost is severity-ranked, with the dollar range quoted from its source (Vendr, Reddit, TrustRadius, BBB, official docs) — never our estimate.

Beyond the sticker
Severity-ranked, sourced
5 documented
  • Add-on service costs
    10-20% of license costs
    2 sources
  • Per-Employee Costs Scale Quickly
    $6-$12/user/month
    1 source
  • Additional Software Needed for Full Functionality
    $20-$50/month
    2 sources
  • Complex Contractor Payroll Processing
    2-5 hours/month
    1 source
  • Limited Customer Service Access
    $0/user/month
    3 sources
3 documented
  • Implementation and Setup Complexity
    5-10% of license costs
    1 source
  • ACA Compliance Support Inefficiencies
    $2,000-$5,000
    1 source
  • Tax Filing and Compliance Issues
    Variable - potential penalties and fines
    1 source
REF · 04

Contract terms

The fine print, surfaced. Green = buyer-friendly. Each clause backed by a quoted source.

Gusto
Namely
Auto-renewal
Yes
Yes
Cancellation
—
30 to 60 days
Commitment
—
✓ month-to-month to up to 3 years
Price escalation
—
—
Can downgrade
—
—
Based on 3 verified sources (Vendr · TrustRadius · BBB)
REF · 05

What users say

Aggregated, with sample sizes. We use whichever review platform has data.

User reviews
TrustRadius · Trustpilot · G2
TrustRadius
10out of 5 (6)
Trustpilot
1.2out of 5 (20)
Best for
Small businesses needing single-state payroll with basic HR
Watch out
Customer service is unresponsive and fails to resolve serious payroll and tax issues
TrustRadius
8out of 5 (5)
Trustpilot
1out of 5 (1)
Best for
Companies needing core HR and onboarding (25–250 employees)
Decide
Get a quote from each vendor
Each link opens the vendor's pricing page in a new tab.
Visit Gusto pricing
Discount programs →
Affiliate partner — does not affect ranking.
Visit Namely pricing
Discount programs →
License cost is computed from publicly listed plans (real math, list price × seats). Median annual cost is from Vendr's deal flow when available — see source badges. Hidden costs and contract terms each cite their own sources. We do not invent composite scores.
HR/HRIS

Gusto

$49–$180
/month
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →
VS
HR/HRIS

Namely

$9–$9
/user/month
4 plans
Full pricing breakdown →

Gusto and Namely both operate in the hr/hris category. This page compares their list pricing.

Plan-by-Plan Pricing

Plan Gusto Namely
Simple $49 /month $9 /employee/month
Plus $80 /month Custom
Premium $180 /month Custom
Solo $49 /month Custom

Cost at Scale

Total cost of ownership — licenses, implementation, and hidden costs included.

Gusto

5 scenarios
$79/month ($49 base + $30 for 5 contractors at $6 each)
Paying 5 Contractors on Simple
$80/month
Growing Business
+ $12/employee
$180/month
Enterprise Setup
+ $22/employee
See all 5 scenarios →

Namely

6 scenarios
Custom pricing — typically negotiated annually, contact sales for quote
Enterprise (100+ users)
Around $18/user/month on the most popular plan
Typical Usage
Around $18/user/month on the most popular plan
Typical Usage
See all 6 scenarios →

Market Intelligence

Gusto

Median annual cost
$1,368
Based on
62 deals

Namely

Median annual cost
$49,600
Average negotiated discount
13%
Based on
41 deals

What Users Say

Gusto

Trustpilot
1.2out of 5 (20)
TrustRadius
10out of 10 (6)
Top complaints
  • Customer service is unresponsive and fails to resolve serious payroll and tax issues
  • Tax filing errors result in IRS and state agency penalties that customers must absorb
  • Benefits administration failures — canceled coverage, duplicate deductions, unresolved transitions

Namely

Trustpilot
1out of 5 (1)
TrustRadius
8out of 10 (5)

Hidden Costs

Beyond the sticker price — what catches buyers off guard.

Gusto 12 hidden costs

medium
Add-on service costs 10-20% of license costs
medium
Per-Employee Costs Scale Quickly $6-$12/user/month
low
Additional Software Needed for Full Functionality $20-$50/month
low
Complex Contractor Payroll Processing 2-5 hours/month
medium
Limited Customer Service Access $0/user/month
See all Gusto hidden costs →

Namely 3 hidden costs

medium
Implementation and Setup Complexity 5-10% of license costs
medium
ACA Compliance Support Inefficiencies $2,000-$5,000
critical
Tax Filing and Compliance Issues Variable - potential penalties and fines
See all Namely hidden costs →

Contract Terms

Term Gusto Namely
Auto-renewal Yes Yes
Cancellation — 30 to 60 days
Minimum commitment — month-to-month to up to 3 years

Continue researching

Gusto

Namely

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