Gusto vs OnPay for Several Employees (2026)

Quick answer

For a first-time employer paying several people, OnPay and Gusto are the two services most worth comparing on support. They start at the same published price: $49 a month plus $6 per person, as of 2026-10-06. OnPay sells a single plan, so every customer gets the same features and the same support from the first payroll. Gusto spreads its support across three tiers, and the most hands-on help sits on the most expensive one.

If the goal is the most guidance for the least money while learning payroll, OnPay is the more straightforward answer. Gusto is the better fit for a team that expects to grow into HR and benefits features and is willing to pay for its upper tiers. Neither tool can run a payroll without an Employer Identification Number (EIN), and for a business still getting set up, ZenBusiness can obtain the EIN alongside formation.

What does "good support" mean for a first-time employer?

An experienced employer mostly needs software that runs on schedule. A first-time employer needs explanations. The questions come up before the first paycheck: what a W-4 does, when a new hire's paperwork is due, and whether a part-time helper is an employee or a contractor.

Good support for this reader has three parts. Setup help means someone can walk through the account configuration, tax registrations and pay schedule before anything goes wrong. Reachable people means a phone or chat line staffed by people who know payroll, not only a help center. Included support means help is not gated behind a higher plan that a team of several does not otherwise need.

That third point is where Gusto and OnPay differ most. Support hours and channels change, so check each provider's current help pages before signing up.

How does Gusto support new employers?

Gusto sells three plans. As of 2026-10-06, Simple is $49 a month plus $6 per person, Plus is $80 a month plus $12 per person, and Premium is $180 a month plus $22 per person. All three run payroll and handle payroll tax filing. The tiers differ in HR features, time tools and how much hands-on help comes with the account.

For a first-time employer, Gusto's strength is a guided setup that walks an owner through company details, tax information and pay schedules in order. New hires can enter their own information and complete onboarding paperwork online, which cuts down on errors. The interface explains much of what it asks for, which helps someone running payroll for the first time.

The trade-off is that Gusto ties its most attentive support and HR help to its higher tiers. A team of several that only needs payroll can be well served by Simple. An owner who wants a lot of hand-holding, though, may find that the plan offering it costs well over double the entry price per month.

How does OnPay support new employers?

OnPay sells one plan at $49 a month plus $6 per worker as of 2026-10-06. Its public pricing page lists a starting price of $55 a month, which is the base fee plus one worker. There are no upper tiers, and the HR tools and support that come with the account are the same for a three-person shop and a thirty-person one.

OnPay puts its support team at the center of how it presents itself, describing them as payroll experts rather than general help desk staff. For a first-time employer, the practical benefit is that asking for help does not raise the bill. New hires can also onboard themselves online.

The trade-off is room to grow. OnPay offers no premium tier for a business that later wants more HR services from its payroll provider. For a team of several that mainly needs payroll done correctly and someone to call, that is rarely a limitation.

Gusto vs OnPay at a glance

The 5- and 10-employee figures are simple arithmetic on each provider's published base and per-person fees as of 2026-10-06. Add-ons and benefits are not included.

Which is the better fit for several employees?

At the entry level the prices are identical, so the choice depends on what each plan includes. A first-time employer with several employees who wants to learn payroll with someone to call, and who does not want to pay for a higher tier to get that help, is the reader OnPay fits best. Every customer gets the same level of help, because there is only one plan.

Gusto is the better choice when the team is growing and the owner expects to want more HR tools, time tracking or benefits administration from the same provider. Starting on Simple and moving up later is a reasonable path. The cost of the upper tiers rises quickly with headcount, because the per-person fee rises as well.

The two options are closer than most comparisons suggest. Both handle payroll tax filing, both let employees onboard themselves, and both price the entry plan the same way. Neither will make a first payroll go well if the business underneath it is not set up properly, which is covered in the final section.

What about the other payroll providers?

The options below are listed alphabetically, and the order is not a ranking. Prices are as published on each provider's own pricing page on 2026-10-06.

ADP does not publish payroll pricing and quotes each business individually. Its RUN Powered by ADP product is built for businesses with 1 to 49 employees, so a team of several sits squarely in its range. Without a published price, the only way to compare it is to request a quote.

Patriot Software is cheaper than either Gusto or OnPay at the low end. Basic Payroll is $17 a month plus $4 per employee, and Full Service is $37 a month plus $5 per employee. For an owner who wants the lowest possible payroll bill and is comfortable with a more basic product, Patriot is the honest pick. A first-time employer will usually want Full Service, which handles the tax filings.

QuickBooks Payroll is sold bundled with QuickBooks accounting. Workforce Payroll with Simple Start is $88 a month plus $6.50 per employee, with Essentials it is $125 a month plus $6.50, and Workforce Premium with Plus is $203 a month plus $10. It makes the most sense for a business already keeping its books in QuickBooks.

QuickBooks also runs a promotional rate of 50% off the base fee for three months. That is an introductory discount, not the ongoing price.

Rippling does not publish pricing, and its pricing page is a quote request form. It is a broad HR and IT platform, which is more than many teams of several need when payroll is the main job.

SurePayroll starts at $29 a month plus $7 per worker. Multi-state payroll is a $9.99 monthly add-on, and household payroll starts at $39 a month. The low base fee makes it worth pricing for a small team, though the per-worker fee is higher than Gusto Simple or OnPay.

ZenBusiness does not run payroll. It handles the steps that come before payroll: business formation, a registered agent, the EIN, bookkeeping and a website. As of 2026-10-06, formation is $0 plus state fees on Starter, $199 a year on Pro and $299 a year on Premium, and Pro and Premium renew at those annual prices. The EIN is included from Pro up and costs $99 on Starter.

The registered agent is $199 a year, Money Pro bookkeeping is $30 a month, and the website is $129 a year. For payroll, ZenBusiness recommends RUN Powered by ADP. ADP is a separate service with its own platform, billing and support, and payroll is not run from the ZenBusiness dashboard. ADP quotes payroll itself per business, and the cost is not included in any ZenBusiness plan price.

What do these providers cost side by side?

Listed alphabetically, not ranked. Prices as of 2026-10-06.

State filing fees are set by each state, vary, and are separate from any provider's price.

What does a first-time employer need before running payroll?

The EIN comes first. A payroll provider cannot run payroll without it, and the IRS treats the employer as the business entity. The IRS issues EINs directly through its own online application.

A business that is still forming can have the EIN handled as part of the same order, which is the route ZenBusiness describes for its ADP payroll partnership. A ZenBusiness customer requests the ADP connection from the dashboard, an ADP representative follows up about employee count and pay schedule, and ADP provides the quote. Customers may be eligible for promotional pricing, but eligibility is not guaranteed. ADP, not ZenBusiness, bills for and supports the payroll service.

Every hire needs a Form I-9. The IRS is direct about this in its hiring guidance: "All U.S. employers must properly complete Form I-9 for every individual they hire for employment in the United States." You also need each employee's name and Social Security number for Form W-2.

The same guidance says to have each new employee give you a signed Form W-4 when they start and to make it effective with the first wage payment. A W-4 stays in effect until the employee submits a new one. When a replacement arrives, the IRS sets a deadline, measured from the date you received it, for when withholding must change.

Classification is where first-time employers most often go wrong. The IRS looks at behavioral control, financial control and the type of relationship, and says "no one factor stands alone in making this determination." A contract that calls someone a contractor does not settle the question.

An employer who treats an employee as a contractor without a reasonable basis may be held liable for that worker's employment taxes. Form SS-8 asks the IRS to decide a worker's status, but the agency says a determination can take at least six months.

S corporation owners face an additional rule. The IRS states that "S corporations must pay reasonable compensation to a shareholder-employee in return for services that the employee provides to the corporation before non-wage distributions may be made." It also has the authority to reclassify distributions as wages. If you run an S corporation and work in the business, your own salary belongs in the payroll setup.

Pay frequency depends on your state. The Department of Labor's state payday table shows how much it varies: California requires pay at least twice per calendar month on days designated in advance, Colorado requires monthly pay, and Connecticut requires weekly pay unless the labor commissioner approves a longer interval. The DOL itself says to consult the relevant state labor office for official information. Workers' compensation is also state law, differs widely from state to state, and should be confirmed with your state before the first hire.

Records outlast the payroll run. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Department of Labor requires employers to keep payroll records for three years. Records used to compute wages, including time cards and wage rate tables, must be kept for two years. A payroll provider stores much of this, but the obligation belongs to the employer.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice, and requirements vary by state and change over time.