Gusto
San Francisco payroll, benefits and HR platform for US small businesses, used by more than 500,000 companies and 18,000 accounting firms.
| Founded | 2011, San Francisco; launched in 2012 as ZenPayroll; offices in San Francisco and Denver |
|---|---|
| Founders | Josh Reeves (CEO), Edward Kim (CTO), Tomer London (CPO) |
| Ownership | Private; investors include General Catalyst, T. Rowe Price, CapitalG, Franklin Templeton, Sands Capital, Dragoneer, Ribbit Capital and Y Combinator; 2021 Series E with US$175m of primary capital, extended in 2022 at a valuation of nearly US$10bn; valued at US$9.3bn in a US$200m employee tender offer in June 2025; cash flow positive |
| Customers | More than 500,000 small businesses, roughly one in twelve employers in the US; more than 18,000 accounting firms |
| What it does | Full-service payroll with federal, state and local tax filings in all 50 US states, health insurance, 401(k) and other benefits, HR, time tracking, hiring and onboarding, and R&D tax credits; contractor payments in more than 120 countries; Gusto Pro dashboard for accountants with client alerts and People Analytics; Gus AI assistant |
| Recent moves | Gusto Cofounder, an AI teammate that runs automations such as payroll and reports (June 2026); 500,000 customers and nearly 75 product updates (April 2026); acquisition of compliance platform Mosey, with Gusto Business Compliance due later in 2026 (April 2026); agreement to acquire 401(k) provider Guideline (August 2025) |
| Pricing | Published monthly prices: Simple US$49 plus US$6 per person, Plus US$80 plus US$12 per person, Premium US$180 plus US$22 per person; Contractor Only US$35 plus US$6 per contractor; month-to-month with no long-term contract; accounting partner firms get a free Plus plan if they onboard one client every 12 months, and up to 20% revenue share |
| Markets | US; payroll in all 50 states, with single-state payroll on Simple and multi-state on Plus and Premium; health benefits in all 50 states and D.C.; contractors paid in 120+ countries in local currency; international employees through employer of record partner Remote |
| Peers | Rippling, ADP, Paychex, Justworks, OnPay, Deel |
Why it matters
Gusto runs payroll, benefits and HR for more than 500,000 US small businesses, roughly one in twelve US employers, and was valued at US$9.3 billion in a June 2025 tender offer. More than 18,000 accounting firms work with it, and partner firms get a free Plus plan, up to 20% revenue share and the Gusto Pro client dashboard.
Updated October 2026.
Part of Accountio’s accounting technology coverage.
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