Patriot vs Gusto 2026: Cheapest Payroll or Full HR?

Patriot is the cheaper choice for a small US employer that only needs payroll with the taxes filed for it: Full Service Payroll is $37 a month plus $5 per worker paid, against $49 plus $6 per person on Gusto Simple. Gusto earns its premium when you want time tracking inside the plan, mobile apps, same-day pay or a wider benefits and HR catalog.

Both price lists were read on the vendors' own pages on 19 October 2026: Patriot's payroll pricing page and Gusto's plan pages for Simple, Plus and Premium, plus Gusto's pricing page for features and add-ons. Both bill monthly with no annual plan, so every figure below is a monthly list price.

Toolradar data: Toolradar's payroll ranking, from the software directory we run, tracked 75 payroll tools as of 19 October 2026. On Patriot Software's profile, its entry plan ranks 11th of 30 payroll tools with a verified entry price, where the median is $27 a month, so Patriot sits in the cheaper half of the market. Gusto's profile shows it listed as an alternative to 55 other tools, which is why so many buyers end up comparing it with something cheaper.

At a glance

The table tells a consistent story. Patriot wins every line where the question is price, and Gusto wins the lines where the question is product: apps, pay speed and the plan bundles that fold time tracking and reports into one bill. A buyer who knows which of those two questions matters more has already made the decision.

What payroll costs at 10, 25 and 50 people

Both vendors charge a base fee plus a per-person fee, so the monthly bill is base plus headcount times that fee. The table compares the two cheapest plans that file federal, state and local taxes for you, which is the like-for-like match. It assumes W-2 employees in one state, no benefits and no add-ons, at list price before tax. Totals are our arithmetic on the vendors' printed rates, not a quote.

The gap against Gusto Simple stays modest: $1 of the per-person fee and $12 of the base. At 10 people that is $22 a month, little enough that many owners will pay it for Gusto's apps alone. The gap only becomes a budget line at 50 people, where it reaches $62 a month.

The real spread opens when you compare against Gusto Plus. Plus is where Gusto puts time tracking, workforce cost reports, contractor invoice upload and unlimited custom earning types, and its per-person fee is double Simple's. A 25-person team that needs a time clock pays $380 a month on Plus. The same team on Patriot Full Service with the Time & Attendance add-on pays $218 a month: $162 for payroll plus $56 for the add-on at 25 employees. That is $162 a month, or $1,944 a year, saved by staying on Patriot.

Patriot's launch offer widens the first-year gap further. After the 30-day free trial, every Patriot product is 50% off for three months, so the 10-person Full Service bill drops to $43.50 a month for that period, a saving of $130.50. Gusto advertises free account setup and no contracts but lists no introductory discount on its pricing page.

Where Patriot is the better buy

You want the lowest bill that still files your taxes

Patriot Full Service deposits and files federal, state and local payroll taxes, and submits Forms 940, 941, W-2 and W-3 at no additional fee. Patriot also states that it covers penalties and interest if a filing error is its fault. For a one-state employer whose payroll is salaries, hourly pay and a few deductions, that covers the job, and Gusto Simple charges more for the same core service.

The catch is the product around the payroll run. Patriot has no installable app, only a mobile-friendly website, and its direct deposit is 4-day or 2-day rather than next-day. A manager who runs payroll on a phone late in the week will feel that difference more than the $22 a month.

You are willing to file taxes yourself

Basic Payroll at $17 a month plus $4 per worker paid is the cheapest way into either vendor. It runs unlimited payrolls with free direct deposit, an employee portal and contractor payments, but you deposit and file the payroll taxes yourself. Gusto has no equivalent: every Gusto plan files taxes for you, so its floor is the Simple plan and its higher base fee. Our guide to running payroll yourself covers what self-filing involves before you take that saving.

You pay staff in a second state

Patriot prints its multi-state price: $12 a month for each additional state on Full Service, on top of the plan's normal rates. Gusto's pricing page lists state tax registration as an add-on on Simple, Plus and Premium but prints no price for it there. A two-state, 25-person team on Patriot pays $174 a month at list price; on Gusto you would need a quote for the registration piece before you could compare.

You want free support you can phone

Patriot includes US-based support by phone, chat and email from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday, with free setup help that can enter your employee and year-to-date payroll data. Gusto's Simple and Plus include basic support during business hours, and faster access to phone and chat costs $30 a month plus $3 per person as the Priority Support add-on. At 25 people that add-on would cost $105 a month, more than half of Patriot's whole bill.

Where Gusto is worth the extra

You want time tracking and reports in the plan

Gusto Plus bundles time tracking synced to payroll, according to Gusto's time tools page, together with workforce cost reports and contractor invoice upload. Patriot sells time tracking and HR as two separate add-ons, each priced like the Time & Attendance row in the table above. Patriot stays cheaper on paper, but a buyer who would use project tracking, scheduling and labor cost reports from one vendor will find Gusto's bundle deeper than Patriot's time cards.

You need faster or more flexible pay

Gusto sells next-day pay as an add-on and includes same-day and instant pay on Premium, subject to eligibility. Instant pay lets you run payroll at any hour and pay the team within minutes. Patriot's fastest standard option is 2-day direct deposit for qualifying customers. A business that misses payroll deadlines, or runs payroll on a Thursday for a Friday payday, needs Gusto's faster rails more than Patriot's lower bill.

You pay contractors abroad or want the bigger catalog

Gusto's global contractor payments add-on reaches more than 120 countries with no monthly per-contractor fee, and its add-on list runs from R&D tax credits and remote I-9 checks to fractional HR help through Gusto HR Partners. Patriot pays domestic contractors inside payroll and gives them their own portal, but it has no international contractor product. This is the "full HR" half of the title: Gusto is a platform you can grow into, Patriot is payroll with optional time and HR modules.

Benefits: different routes, both workable

Both integrate health insurance without an extra admin fee when you use their partner broker: Gusto through its own licensed brokers, Patriot through SimplyInsured. Keeping an outside broker costs $6 a month per eligible employee on Gusto, while Patriot lets you make SimplyInsured the broker of record on your existing plan at no cost. Gusto also charges a $200 annual service charge that covers HSAs, FSAs, dependent care FSAs and commuter benefits, a range Patriot does not list. Patriot offers free 401(k) integration through Vestwell.

Who should pick which

Pick Patriot if you have one location, a simple payroll and a tight budget, and the plan you want is tax filing plus direct deposit with a phone number that answers. It is the stronger fit for a 5 to 50 person shop that already keeps its books in QuickBooks or in Patriot's own accounting software. Our Patriot Payroll review covers the product in more depth.

Pick Gusto if you want an app for managers and staff, need next-day or same-day pay, plan to hire across states or abroad, or would otherwise buy time tracking and HR tools from a third vendor. The Gusto review and Gusto pricing breakdown walk through each plan and add-on. Gusto buyers who balk at the price can also compare Gusto vs OnPay and Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll, or read our cheaper Gusto alternatives.

Pick neither yet if you want a third quote first. The best payroll software for small business ranking adds OnPay, Square and SurePayroll, and how much payroll costs for a small business prices the wider market. Teams under five people with no tax filing needs should also check the best free payroll software.

How we compared

We read Patriot's payroll pricing page, including its FAQ on per-worker fees, add-ons and multi-state filing, on 19 October 2026. Gusto's three plan prices come from its Simple, Plus and Premium plan pages, and its features, support tiers and add-ons from its pricing and time tools pages, read the same day. Every scenario total is our multiplication of those printed list rates before tax and benefits. HRpresso runs no test lab and holds no account with either vendor, so nothing here is a negotiated price or a hands-on timing.

FAQ

Is Patriot cheaper than Gusto?

Yes, at every headcount we priced. Patriot Full Service costs $37 a month plus $5 per worker paid, and Gusto's cheapest plan, Simple, costs $49 a month plus a higher per-person fee, so a 25-person team pays $162 a month on Patriot against $199 on Gusto. If you file taxes yourself, Patriot Basic at $17 plus $4 per worker is cheaper still.

Does Patriot file payroll taxes like Gusto does?

Only on Full Service Payroll. That plan deposits and files federal, state and local payroll taxes and year-end forms at no extra fee, which matches what every Gusto plan does. Patriot's Basic Payroll leaves the tax deposits and filings to you, which is the reason for its lower price.

Does Gusto have a free trial like Patriot?

Patriot offers a 30-day free trial on all its software, then 50% off for three months. Gusto offers free account setup and says you pay nothing until you run payroll, but its pricing page lists no free month or introductory discount. Neither vendor has a permanent free payroll plan, and both are month to month with no contract.

Which is better for time tracking?

Gusto, if you want it inside the plan: time tracking is included on Plus and Premium, with scheduling and project tracking available through Time & Attendance Plus. Patriot sells Time & Attendance as a separate add-on billed per employee, which keeps the total far below Gusto Plus. A 25-person team pays $218 a month on Patriot with the add-on against $380 on Gusto Plus.

How do Patriot and Gusto charge for workers who are not paid every month?

Patriot charges its per-worker fee only for workers you pay during the month and bills in arrears, and a month with no payroll costs only the base fee. Gusto charges for active employees and bills US contractors at the per-person rate only in months when you pay them. Seasonal businesses pay less on both in quiet months.

Can I switch from Gusto to Patriot?

Yes. Gusto is month to month and you can cancel anytime, and Patriot offers free setup assistance, including entering your employee data and year-to-date payroll figures. Most payroll teams time a switch to the start of a quarter or 1 January so each provider files complete quarters.

Cite this: HRpresso, "Patriot vs Gusto 2026: Cheapest Payroll or Full HR?", October 2026.

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