Wave vs Gusto: which costs less?
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Wave prices re-confirmed on its own page: · Gusto last checked by hand:
For 5 employees in one state with taxes filed for you, Wave is cheaper: $70 a month (Wave Payroll (US)) vs $79 (Simple) (Wave's prices apply to new payroll customers who signed up after April 2, 2025). That holds at every team size up to 100.
Monthly price by team size
| Service | 1 employee | 5 employees | 10 employees | 25 employees | 50 employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wave | $46 | $70 | $100 | $190 | $340 |
| Gusto | $55 | $79 | $109 | $199 | $349 |
Other situations
| Situation | Wave | Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| 10 employees in 2 states, taxes filed for you | — | $200 (Plus) |
| 5 contractors, no employees | $70 (Wave Payroll (US)) | $79 (Simple) |
Feature differences
Features available on at least one plan (included or as a paid add-on), according to each provider's pricing page:
Only Wave
Nothing listed that Gusto lacks.
Only Gusto
- Local (city/county) tax filing
- Pay 1099 contractors
- Unlimited payroll runs
- Health benefits administration
- Pay-as-you-go workers' comp
- HR tools (onboarding, handbook, compliance)
- Phone support
- Next-day direct deposit
- Built-in time tracking
- Pay contractors outside the US
- Employees in more than one state
- Same-day direct deposit
- Access to HR advisers
See Wave pricing See Gusto pricing
Want a different team size or must-haves? Use the calculator, which compares all 13 services at once.
Sources we checked: Wave Payroll product page (monthly fee block, tax service FAQ, free trial FAQ) (checked 2026-10-22); Wave pricing page (payroll shown as add-on 'from $25/month' / 'from $40/month') (checked 2026-10-22); Wave Terms of Service for Payroll Tax Service (USA), effective August 16, 2021 (checked 2026-10-22); Gusto pricing page (plans, add-ons, plan comparison data, pricing FAQs) (checked 2026-10-22); Gusto pricing page, Wayback snapshot (cross-check: identical plan prices) (checked 2026-10-22); Gusto pricing page, Wayback snapshot that still showed the former Contractor Only plan (checked 2026-10-22); Gusto Help Center: Change your Gusto product plan (contractor-only plan discontinued) (checked 2026-10-22)