Switch to Gusto from OnPay: Honest Comparison + Checklist

Dad’s short answer

One state? Same list price, so pick on features. Several states? OnPay is cheaper; stay unless you need Gusto’s tools.

One state: same list price. $49 + $6 per worker on OnPay and on Gusto Simple.⁶¹
More than one state: OnPay is cheaper. OnPay includes multi-state; Gusto needs Plus ($80 + $12 per person).⁶²
Gusto fits one-person S-corps (Solo) and teams that want time tracking in the plan.⁸

Provider	Best for	Starting price
Gusto	Most small teams that want payroll taxes filed for them, in one state (Simple) or several (Plus)	Simple $49/mo + $6/person; Plus $80/mo + $12/person¹
Patriot Software	The lowest full-service price for teams of 2 or more	Full Service $37/mo + $5/worker; Basic $17 + $4 if you file taxes yourself⁹
QuickBooks Payroll	People already doing their books in QuickBooks	From $88/mo + $6.50/employee, bundled with Simple Start accounting¹⁰
Square Payroll	Shops and restaurants already on Square POS	$35/mo + $6/person; contractor-only $6/person¹¹
OnPay you	Teams in several states that want one flat rate	$49/mo + $6/person, multi-state included⁶

Starting list prices from each company’s pricing page, verified Oct 31, 2026. Add-ons and promos not included. Confirm on their site.

Start on Gusto’s website →

Goes through our referral page first. We earn a reward if you sign up; your price doesn’t change.

Who this is for

You run payroll on OnPay today. Gusto fits you if:

One-person S-corp? Gusto Solo has a reasonable-salary calculator and a guided Form 2553.⁸
You want time tracking, scheduling and unlimited next-day pay in one plan (Plus).¹
You want add-ons like remote I-9 or global contractor payments in 120+ countries.¹
Your accountant already works in Gusto and wants all clients in one place.

Why Gusto, compared with OnPay

Dad story

Picture a two-person marketing shop.

One employee in Texas. One in Colorado.

OnPay: $49 + $6 a worker, any number of states. $61.⁶

Gusto Simple only covers one state. Two states means Plus: $80 + $12 a person. $104.¹²

That's a real difference.

We're not going to pretend it isn't.

Honest math. Still makes the coffee taste better.

(Made-up business. Real prices, checked Oct 31, 2026.)

List prices from each company's own site, read on Oct 31, 2026. Promos and quotes vary.

	OnPay	Gusto
Published pricing	$49/mo base + $6/worker. First month free.⁶	Simple $49/mo + $6/mo per person. Plus $80/mo + $12/mo per person. Premium $180/mo + $22/mo per person.¹ Month-to-month, cancel anytime.¹
What's included	Full-service payroll, unlimited pay runs, W-2s, 1099s and year-end filings, no implementation fees. Free setup and migration of employee data.⁶⁷	Unlimited payroll runs, including off-cycle. Automatic federal, state and local payroll tax filings, including W-2s, 1099s, Form 940 and Form 941.²
Contractor payments	Pay W-2 and 1099 workers. Contractors count toward the per-worker fee.⁶	US contractors cost your plan's per-person rate, and only in months you pay them.¹ The contractor-only plan closed to new customers on Oct 1, 2026.³
State tax filings	Federal, state and local filings included, in as many states as you need.⁶	Simple covers one state. Plus and Premium cover multiple states.² Registering in a new state is an add-on; price varies by state.¹
Switching into Gusto	No automated import into Gusto. You'll enter earlier payrolls from OnPay's reports.	Not on Gusto's transfer-automation list, so you enter earlier payrolls in setup: quarter-to-date totals for past quarters plus this quarter's pay stubs.⁴⁵

What it costs for your team

Change the numbers, or type in your last OnPay bill. Dad does the multiplication.

Your numbers

✓ Prices checked Oct 31, 2026

Current provider

What you pay now ($/mo, optional)

W-2 employees

Contractors paid / mo

States

List prices from each company’s own pricing page. Promos, add-ons and taxes not included. Quote-only providers show “quote only.” How we calculate

Start on Gusto’s website →

Goes through our referral page first. We earn a reward if you sign up; your price doesn’t change.

Where OnPay is genuinely better

Multi-state on the base price. OnPay doesn't charge more for extra states.⁶ Gusto needs Plus for that.
Free migration help when you move to OnPay.⁷
First month free.⁶
One plan, few decisions. If you hate choosing tiers, that's a feature.

Your OnPay-to-Gusto checklist

Do these in order. Grab a coffee. It's mostly downloading PDFs. Want to tick them off? Use the interactive switching checklist; it remembers your progress.

Company tax IDs. Your EIN, legal name exactly as the IRS has it, and whether you file Form 941 (quarterly) or 944. Pull your federal deposit schedule while you're in there.
State account numbers. State withholding account number, state unemployment (SUI) account number and current rate, and any local tax IDs. OnPay has these on file. Copy them before you cancel.
Year-to-date payroll. A YTD payroll register for every employee paid this year, including people who quit. Gross pay, taxable wages, withholding, deductions, check dates.
Prior quarter 941s and tax payments. Copies of every Form 941 and state quarterly return filed this year, plus proof of tax deposits. Gusto asks for YTD reports and documentation of this year's tax payments.²⁴
Employee W-4s and direct deposit. Each person's federal W-4 (and state form), pay rate, pay schedule, deductions, garnishments, PTO balances, and bank details.
Contractors. Names, W-9s, and what you've paid each one this year, so 1099s come out right.
Plan to type in earlier payrolls. Gusto asks for quarter-to-date totals from the last pay stub of each finished quarter, plus every pay stub from the current quarter. Include people who already left.⁵
Agree who files what. Only one provider can file a quarterly return for a given quarter. If both file, the second one gets rejected.²⁴ Get OnPay to confirm in writing which quarters it will file.
Run one payroll in Gusto, then cancel. Download every report and tax form from OnPay first. Once you lose access, those PDFs get hard to find.

Why the end of the year is the easiest time to switch

Gusto handles quarterly returns starting with the quarter of your first Gusto check date.²⁴ So the cleanest plan is a first Gusto payday in January 2027.

OnPay finishes 2026: the Q4 Form 941 and your 2026 W-2s. W-2s are due to employees and the SSA by February 1, 2027.²⁵ Get OnPay to confirm in writing that it's filing them.
Gusto starts 2027 with a clean slate. With a first check date in Q1, Gusto's list is just the pay stubs from the current quarter.⁵ Start in January and that's close to nothing.
Any other quarter works too. You'll just be entering more history.

If you sign up through our link by Jan 31, 2027 and run a paid payroll, Gusto's referral terms say you get a $100 Visa gift card. We get a referral reward too.²⁶

FAQ: OnPay to Gusto

Is OnPay cheaper than Gusto?

For one state, the list prices start the same: $49 + $6 per worker on OnPay and on Gusto Simple.⁶¹ If you pay people in more than one state, OnPay is cheaper at list price.

Does Gusto import OnPay data automatically?

OnPay isn't on Gusto's transfer-automation list. Enter quarter-to-date totals for finished quarters and this quarter's pay stubs during setup.

Should I switch mid-year?

You can, but January is cleaner. OnPay files 2026, and Gusto starts 2027.

Will my employees notice?

They'll get a new login for pay stubs and W-2s. Tell them before the first Gusto payday.

Sources, checked Oct 31, 2026

Every number on this page comes from one of these pages. Prices change; if a vendor updates its page, theirs wins.