Gusto vs Deel
Gusto and Deel answer different questions. Gusto is payroll-first HR for small businesses in the United States. It charges a monthly base plus a fee per person, from $49 plus $6 on Simple. Deel sells global hiring, contractor, payroll and HR products. Each one is priced on its own, from $5 per employee for HR Core to $599 per employee for employer of record.
What each one costs
| Product | Price | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Gusto Simple | $49 / month | plus $6 per person; single state |
| Gusto Plus | $80 / month | plus $12 per person |
| Gusto Premium | $180 / month | plus $22 per person |
| Deel HR Core | from $5 | per employee / month |
| Deel Contractor Management | $49 | per contractor / month |
| Deel US PEO | $125 | per employee / month |
| Deel Employer of Record | $599 | per employee / month |
| PeopleMuster | $3 | per person / month, every module, no base fee |
Gusto figures read on gusto.com in a browser on 22 September 2026. Deel figures read from deel.com/pricing in September 2026. Deel also lists Contractor of Record at $325 and Find Talent at $14 per worker a month, and it quotes entity setup.
Why teams choose PeopleMuster
- PeopleMuster runs the people-and-projects side of a service firm: attendance, leave, timesheets, utilisation and client projects, in one database.
- Approved leave lands in the capacity plan the moment it's approved, so project leads see who's out before they book next week.
- Timesheets are logged daily against a project and approved by a manager. The utilisation report reads them by project and by department, and it can post to Slack.
- One price covers it all: $3 per person a month, with no base fee on top, and 14 days free with no card.
Questions people ask
Is Gusto or Deel better for a US-only small business?
Gusto is built for that case. Its plans are a monthly base plus a per-person fee, from $49 plus $6 on Simple, which covers one state. Deel's US PEO is $125 per employee a month, and its HR Core starts at $5 per employee.
Is Deel or Gusto the right pick for hiring in other countries?
Deel is. It sells employer of record at $599 per employee a month, Contractor Management at $49 per contractor, and Contractor of Record at $325. Gusto's published plans are built for US small businesses.
What runs leave, timesheets and client projects beside either one?
PeopleMuster does, for $3 per person a month with every module included. Attendance, leave, daily timesheets, utilisation and the capacity plan share one database, and we set it up with you at no setup fee.