Homebase vs. Gusto: Which App Fits Your Team?

Homebase and Gusto are both solid options for small business payroll and HR — but they're built with different teams in mind.

Homebase is built specifically for hourly, shift-based teams. Scheduling, time tracking, and payroll work together in one app, and you can start for free. Gusto is a payroll and HR tool with an intuitive experience and strong benefits administration, designed to serve a broad range of businesses including salaried and mixed workforces.

If you're trying to figure out which one fits your team, here's what actually matters.

TL;DR: Homebase vs Gusto in 30s or less

Homebase is built for hourly teams where scheduling, time tracking, and payroll need to work together every day. Gusto is a payroll-first tool with strong HR and benefits capabilities that works well across many business types, but isn't designed specifically around shift-based hourly work.

Choose Homebase if you:

• Manage hourly workers who rely on shift schedules and time tracking
• Want scheduling and time tracking included without a costly plan upgrade
• Need shift swapping, open shift claiming, and real-time labor cost visibility
• Track tips and need automated tip pooling with customizable distribution rules
• Want full mobile access for managers, not just employees
• Are just starting out and want free scheduling and time tracking before adding payroll

Choose Gusto if you:

• Employ primarily salaried or mixed workforces
• Need comprehensive benefits administration with licensed broker support
• Want dedicated HR advisory and performance management tools
• Have distributed teams or multi-state compliance complexity
• Don't need shift trading, labor forecasting, or integrated team communication

What is Homebase?

Homebase is the everything app for hourly teams. We build tools for the businesses where shifts, tips, and labor costs drive daily decisions: restaurants, coffee shops, retail stores, salons, and more.

What makes us different: scheduling, time tracking, hiring, and payroll are all connected in one app. Hours flow automatically from timesheets into payroll with no re-entry. And you can start for free.

Over 150,000 small businesses run their teams on Homebase. The free plan includes scheduling, time tracking, team messaging, and POS integration for up to 10 employees at one location.

What is Gusto?

Gusto is a payroll and HR tool built for a wide range of small to medium-sized businesses. It started as a payroll-first product and has expanded significantly, adding benefits administration, HR tools, native time tracking, and scheduling.

Gusto has also made notable moves to expand its capabilities: acquiring Guideline for retirement benefits, Mosey for multi-state compliance, and partnering with Remote to offer employer of record services across more than 10 countries. It's a genuinely capable tool for businesses that need payroll, benefits, and HR infrastructure, especially those with salaried or mixed teams.

Scheduling and time tracking are available on the Plus plan and above. Plans start at $49/month + $6 per employee with no free tier.

Homebase vs. Gusto pricing (November 2025): what you'll actually pay

Homebase and Gusto use different pricing models. We charge by location with payroll as a separate add-on. Gusto bundles features into per-employee tiers, with scheduling and time tracking only available at higher price points.

Homebase pricing (visit joinhomebase.com/pricing for current rates):

• Basic: Free for 1 location, up to 10 employees. Includes scheduling, time tracking, team messaging, and POS integration.
• Essentials, Plus, and All-in-One: Paid tiers with advanced scheduling, hiring tools, reporting, and HR support.
• Payroll: $39/month + $6 per employee. Unlimited payroll runs, automatic tax filing, multi-state support, and tip management.

Gusto pricing (as of 2026 — visit Gusto's pricing page for current rates):

• Simple: $49/month + $6 per employee. Payroll and basic HR. Does not include time tracking or scheduling.
• Plus: $80/month + $12 per employee. Adds time tracking, scheduling, and PTO management.
• Premium: $180/month + $22 per employee. Adds dedicated HR advisors and performance management.

The key difference: With Homebase, scheduling and time tracking are included from day one, even on our free plan. With Gusto, you need the Plus plan ($80/month + $12/employee) before time tracking and scheduling are available.

For a 7-person team, that difference is meaningful. Homebase payroll runs $81/month. Gusto's Simple plan (without time tracking) runs $91/month. To add time tracking and scheduling with Gusto, you're looking at $164/month. These figures are illustrative based on published pricing. Verify current rates directly with each provider before making a decision.

Breakdown: Homebase payroll vs. Gusto payroll

Homebase payroll is built for hourly and tipped teams. Hours flow automatically from your timesheets to payroll, so there's no manual re-entry and no guesswork. It runs at one flat monthly fee regardless of how often you run it.

Homebase payroll includes:

• Timesheets sync directly to payroll with no re-entry
• Unlimited payroll runs at one flat monthly fee ($39/month + $6 per employee)
• Automatic tax filing (federal, state, and local)
• Multi-state and multi-location payroll support
• Automated tip pooling and distribution with customizable rules
• Contractor payments (1099s) alongside W-2 employees
• Earned wage access at no cost to you
• AI-powered payroll assistant to flag issues before payday
• Benefits, HR advisors, and workers' comp available as add-ons

Gusto payroll is mature and handles a lot of complexity well, particularly around benefits and multi-state compliance. Its recent acquisitions (Guideline for 401(k), Mosey for multi-state compliance) have made it more capable for businesses with layered HR and benefits needs.

Gusto payroll includes:

• Medical, dental, and vision across all 50 states
• 401(k) administration and retirement planning
• HSA and FSA management
• Multi-state payroll and contractor payments
• Employer of record services in 10+ countries via Remote partnership
• Time tracking and scheduling on Plus and Premium plans

Which is right for you? If your payroll involves variable hours, tips, and a team whose schedule changes every week, Homebase handles that complexity natively. If benefits administration, performance management, or distributed workforce compliance is the bigger headache, Gusto is designed for that.

Breakdown: Homebase scheduling vs. Gusto scheduling

Homebase scheduling is free and built for the reality of hourly work: availability changes constantly, shift swaps happen, and last-minute callouts are part of the job. Build schedules using templates or AI auto-scheduling based on your team's availability, publish them instantly, and let employees claim open shifts or request swaps with manager approval. You can see what your schedule will cost in labor before you publish it.

Homebase scheduling includes:

• AI-assisted schedule building based on team availability and roles
• Open shift claiming and shift swaps with manager approval
• Conflict alerts for double-bookings, overtime risks, and time-off overlaps
• Labor cost visibility against sales before you publish
• Real-time notifications to your team when schedules change
• Mobile access for managers and employees

Gusto added native scheduling in 2024, available on Plus and Premium plans. You can create schedules up to 6 months in advance, organize by department or location, and get conflict warnings. It integrates cleanly with Gusto time tracking and payroll.

Gusto scheduling includes:

• Drag-and-drop schedule creation up to 6 months in advance
• Schedule groups by department or location
• Conflict detection for double-booking and approved time off
• Printable PDFs for offline use
• Integration with Gusto time tracking and payroll

Which is right for you? If your schedule changes constantly and you need shift coverage tools built for hourly operations, Homebase is built for that. If your scheduling needs are more predictable and you're already on Gusto's Plus plan for other reasons, their scheduling handles the basics well.

Breakdown: Homebase timesheets vs. Gusto time tracking

Homebase time tracking is designed to protect your labor costs and keep your timesheets accurate before payday. It's free on the Basic plan and includes tools specifically built for hourly labor management.

Homebase time tracking includes:

• Photo verification at clock-in to prevent buddy punching
• GPS verification to confirm your team is in the right place
• Early clock-in prevention so hours don't get padded
• Automatic break reminders and overtime alerts
• Clock in via mobile app, web browser, tablet, or POS device
• Hours sync directly to payroll, no re-entry needed

Gusto time tracking is available on Plus and Premium plans. It covers straightforward clock-in/clock-out with payroll sync, and works well for teams with consistent, predictable hours.

Gusto time tracking includes:

• Clock in via web, mobile app, or Time Kiosk on tablets
• GPS location stamping
• Break policies with state-specific recommendations
• Overtime tracking and payroll sync

Which is right for you? If controlling labor costs and catching timesheet issues before they become payroll problems matters to your business, Homebase gives you those tools from day one at no cost. If you need clean, simple time tracking that feeds directly into Gusto payroll, their time tracking on the Plus plan works well.

Breakdown: Homebase HR vs. Gusto HR

Homebase HR is built for getting hourly workers onboarded fast and staying compliant with the labor laws that affect shift-based businesses most.

Homebase HR includes:

• Streamlined onboarding for hourly and frontline workers
• Digital I-9 and W-4 collection with e-signature
• Custom employee handbooks with HR expert support
• Compliance support for FLSA, overtime rules, and labor law
• Time-off request management
• Certified HR advisor access as an add-on

Gusto's HR tools go deeper on the people management and performance side, particularly on higher tiers.

Gusto HR includes:

• Dedicated HR advisors (Premium plan)
• Performance management and employee reviews
• Goal tracking and feedback tools
• Federal and state compliance alerts
• Digital onboarding and document management

Which is right for you? If your HR needs are centered on fast onboarding, labor law compliance, and frontline workforce management, Homebase is built for that workflow. If you need ongoing performance reviews, formal HR processes, and comprehensive benefits advisory, Gusto's Premium plan is designed for those needs.

Pros and cons of Homebase and Gusto

Here's a quick look at what each platform does best and where they fall short.

Homebase pros ✅

• Free plan with full scheduling, time tracking, and team messaging for up to 10 employees
• Scheduling, time tracking, and payroll connected in one app with no costly plan upgrade required
• Built for shift-based hourly operations: shift swaps, open shifts, labor cost forecasting
• Automated tip pooling and distribution with customizable rules
• Mobile-first for managers: create schedules, run payroll, and manage your team from your phone

Homebase cons ❌

• Optimized for hourly teams; not the right fit for businesses managing primarily salaried employees
• No performance management tools (reviews, goal tracking, or employee surveys)

Gusto pros ✅

• Intuitive, well-designed payroll and HR experience
• Comprehensive benefits administration with licensed broker support
• Performance management suite for salaried teams (reviews, goals, peer feedback)
• Expanding compliance and international capabilities through Guideline, Mosey, and Remote
• Dedicated customer success manager on Premium plans

Gusto cons ❌

• No free tier; starts at $49/month + $6 per employee
• Scheduling and time tracking require the Plus plan ($80/month + $12/employee)
• Less focused on the day-to-day operations of hourly, shift-based teams: shift swapping, labor cost optimization, and real-time team communication aren't core to the product
• Manager mobile experience is stronger for payroll and HR than for frontline workforce operations

The bottom line

Homebase and Gusto are both well-built products. The right choice comes down to how your team actually works.

If you're running a business where schedules change every week, tips need to be tracked, and labor costs matter, Homebase is built for that. Scheduling, time tracking, hiring, and payroll are designed to work together from day one, and you can start for free without unlocking a premium tier just to clock in your team.

If payroll, benefits administration, and HR infrastructure are your biggest needs, and you're managing a mixed or salaried workforce, Gusto handles that well. It's a genuinely capable product that continues to expand, especially for businesses with multi-state compliance needs or growing benefits complexity.

Choose the tool that fits how you run your team. Try Homebase free and see how scheduling, time tracking, and payroll work together in one app. No credit card required.