OnPay vs. Gusto : Which Is Better for Your Business?

These payroll processing systems have well-rounded features, enabling the seamless running of payroll for small to medium businesses. Read on to see the main features, highlighting the similarities and differences between Gusto and OnPay.

Short Comparison: Gusto vs. OnPay

Differences Between Gusto and OnPay

When put against each other, there are many similarities and some notable differences:

• Gusto has an extensive list of features that provide an excellent option for small businesses. Among the many features, this platform allows management of health benefits, employee benefits, automated payroll runs for salaried and hourly employees and can be integrated with many third-party systems.
• OnPay provides a great payroll platform with features that fit different small businesses. The features are well-rounded, and the main highlight is the single-price plan that includes all the OnPay features in one place. This includes automatic tax calculation and filing, paying salaried and contractor employees, managing health and employee benefits, and supporting integration with 13 additional third-party platforms.

Still, when you genuinely compare Gusto and OnPay, the main difference comes down to the payment plan(s): Gusto has three price plans with different features and has add-ons at an extra cost. OnPay has a single-price plan and has no add-ons at extra costs.

I need to mention that OnPay does not have integrated time tracking and relies on a third-party integration. Both platforms support employee self-onboarding within an employee portal, which makes setup and new hires very straightforward.

Comparing Gusto and OnPay

Gusto Features

The Gusto payroll processing platform has features that help small businesses run payroll. The features are rounded and balanced, so business owners can freely run payroll without fearing that they’ll forget something important. Here is a list of Gusto’s main features:

• Seamless payroll and unlimited payroll runs
• Automated payroll tax calculation and filing
• Employee benefits
• Employee self-onboarding and employee portal
• HR services
• Several payment options
• Intuitive navigation
• Payday email notifications

Gusto is straightforward payroll software. The onboarding process is very easy, as is the new hire setup. Gusto’s employee portal lets employees and contractors review pay stubs, hours, benefits, and more to prevent mistakes and issues.

Gusto supports an unlimited number of monthly payrolls, a convenient feature for businesses that pay different employees. It also allows saving the payroll for a later review. All the other Gusto features are helpful for any small business: the health benefits management is simple, as is HR, payroll automation, and more. What I find particularly interesting with Gusto’s features Is the two-day deposit option, the direct deposit payment option, and the time off management.

OnPay Features

OnPay also has a well-rounded list of features that help small businesses run payroll and manage employee benefits. The real advantage is the single-price plan that has all the features in one place. The list of OnPay features includes:

• Pay calculation and unlimited payroll runs
• Benefit Plan Management
• Direct deposit, debit card, printed check payment
• Easy payment of salaried and contractor employees
• Automated tax calculation and filing
• Employee Self-service and employee self-onboarding
• Paid time off tracking
• Multiple pay rates and payment schedules
• Third-party integrations

OnPay is a full-service payroll that provides employee self onboarding, automatic tax calculation, and filing. Among the notable OnPay features are employee self-onboarding and employee self-service via the employee portal. However, OnPay has added some commendable features like the custom fields in the employee records.

OnPay has a single pricing plan which makes it really attractive and competitive. All the features are available within the single plan, and for any extra features, the platform relies on third-party integrations that work nicely. One appealing feature is the multiple pay rate and schedule option, so you can pay salaried, hourly, and contractor employees separately at your convenience without changing the OnPay plan.

Comparing the Price Plans

Gusto has a three-tier price plan, as do most of the online payroll services:

• Core – $39/month + $6/month per person. The Core plan offers full-service payroll, health benefits management, employee self-service, employee benefits and supports accounting and time tracking integrations with third-party platforms.
• Complete – $39/month + $12/month per person. The Complete plan offers all the features from the Core plan; plus, it has next-day direct deposit, time tracking and paid time off management, project tracking and workforce costing, hiring and onboarding, and team management tools.
• Concierge – $149/month + $12/month per person. The Concierge plan includes everything the Core and Complete plans have, plus certified HR help, compliance alerts, dedicated best-in-class support, and an HR resource center

On top of these price plans, any user can add the add-ons like 401(k) plans, worker’s comp, Gusto wallet, health reimbursement, and 529 college savings, but some of these come with an additional fee.

The OnPay payment plan is $36/month + $4/month per person. OnPay does not have any add-ons and upsells, but all the offered features are included in the single plan. The base fee is unchanged, and the final price you pay depends on the number of employees on your payroll. The plan supports unlimited payroll runs, account setup and data migration (from another platform), automated payroll tax calculation, withholding, payment and filing, automatic filing of W-2s and 1099s, direct deposit, debit cards, or printed checks, and more.

Here is a comparison table where you can see the features of the core plans of both Gusto and OnPay side by side. Note that both payroll platforms have very similar features.

Winner: OnPay for its simple single-price plan with all-inclusive features

Comparing the Onboarding Process

Winner: Tie, both services have impressive and simple employee onboarding process

Comparing the User Experience

Winner: Gusto, for its impressive user experience and UI/UX design

What Type Of Customer Service Do Gusto and OnPay Provide?

Winner: OnPay, for its stellar customer service

When To Select Gusto?

From my research into Gusto, here is when you can select Gusto as a payroll provider:

• If you run a small business with less than 100 employees
• If you offer a wide array of employee benefits
• If you need payroll and HR features
• If you pay different types of workers

After the initial Gusto setup, you can automate plenty of the payroll options like automatic tax calculation and filing. The employee self-onboarding makes it a great option, as you save time and headaches when the employees take care of their personal data and link their bank accounts to the Gusto payroll platform.

When To Select OnPay?

From my research into the platform, here is when you can select OnPay:

• If you have a small business with less than 100 employees
• If you need to pay different types of employees
• If you offer a wide array of employee and health benefits
• When you need an affordable, all-inclusive payroll, benefits, and HR management platform

The OnPay setup is straightforward, and the employee portal with its employee self-onboarding is easy to set up. Once the employees fill out their profiles, you need to review and approve them, and you are ready to run payroll as many times a month as you’d like. The single payment plan makes it convenient to have all features handy, and the flexible payment lets you pay only for the employees you run payroll that month.

The Bottom Line: The Payroll Provider Should Fit Your Needs

Gusto and OnPay are the leaders in online payroll software, and both are good options for any small business in need of a payroll processing platform. The services of both are well-rounded, with benefits management, time-off management, and HR features. The only limitation I could note is that their health benefits management is not available in all 50 US states when it comes to Gusto. On the other hand, OnPay’s features are available all across the USA, but it only integrates with QuickBooks and Xero’s accounting platforms.

In terms of monthly fees, the OnPay all-inclusive single-price plan is the most affordable complete payroll, and benefits plan on the market today. Gusto’s price plans are a bit pricier than OnPay’s, and there are different tiers with different prices. But Gusto’s payroll automation process is one of its most impressive and appealing features.

Ultimately, the decision on payroll processing software will fall on you, and I advise you to select the plan that best suits the needs of your business and be in step with the benefits you provide for your employees.