Side-by-side comparison · Legal, Finance & HR

Gusto vs Teal

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Gusto

4.1

From $49/mo + $6/person

Details Visit

Teal

4.0

From $0

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At a glance

Gusto4.1

Best overall

Pick it if: US small businesses with up to around 100 staff who want payroll, taxes and benefits handled in one place.

Teal4.0

Best value

Pick it if: Job seekers applying for lots of roles who want a tailored resume for each one and a tidy way to track applications.

Gusto scores highest overall, but Teal gives you more for your money. Which one is right comes down to what you value most.

Overview

Attribute	Gusto	Teal
In one line	Payroll, benefits and HR for US small businesses, with AI help and a Claude connector.	AI resume builder and job tracker that tailors your resume to each job you apply for.
Pricing model	Paid	Freemium
Starting price	$49/mo + $6/person	$0
Free plan	No	Yes
Works with Claude Code	Yes	No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

Attribute	Gusto	Teal
Overall rating	4.1Winner	4.0
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.	4.5	4.5
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.	4.5	4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.	4.0	3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.	3.5	4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.	4.0	4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

Attribute	Gusto	Teal
Access & platform
Free plan	No	Yes
Mobile app	Yes	No
Desktop app	No	No
Browser extension	No	Yes
API access	Yes	No
Teams & business
Team workspace	Yes	No
Enterprise plan or SSO	No	No
Connects to other apps	Yes	No
Open source or self-hosted	No	No
AI abilities
Works with your files	Yes	Yes
Understands images	–	–
Makes images	No	No
Makes video	No	No
Writes code	No	No
Runs agents or automations	Yes	No
Learns your brand or style	–	No
Works in many languages	No	No
Capabilities score	6/ 17	3/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

Attribute	Gusto	Teal
Plans	Simple $49/mo + $6/person Small teams in one state.	Free $0 Building a resume and tracking jobs.
	PlusOur pick $80/mo + $12/person Growing teams across several states.	Teal+Our pick $13/week, $29 per 30 days or $79 per 90 days An active job search with many applications.
	Premium $180/mo + $22/person Businesses that want HR advice and compliance help.
Which plan to pick	Simple works for a small team in one state. Move to Plus once you need time tracking, next-day pay or staff in more than one state, which is where most growing businesses land. There's no contract, so you can switch any time.	Start free to build your resume and track jobs. When you're applying to several roles a week, take Teal+ for 30 days, or the 90-day option if you expect a longer search, and cancel once you land the job.

Key features

Attribute	Gusto	Teal
Standout features	Full-service payroll Benefits Hiring and onboarding Time and PTO Gus AI Claude connector	AI resume builder Job description matching AI writing Job tracker Email templates

Pros and cons

Attribute	Gusto	Teal
Pros	One of the easiest ways to run US payroll Taxes, benefits and onboarding in one app Clear published prices with no contracts Official Claude connector that can prepare payroll Good employee app with payslips and early pay	Free plan is useful for building resumes and tracking jobs Clear keyword matching against each job ad Job tracker keeps a big search organised Short billing periods suit a short job search
Cons	US businesses only Per-person fees add up as you hire Multi-state payroll needs Plus Contractor-only plan closed to new customers in October 2026	Very few AI credits on the free plan Weekly and monthly billing costs more for long searches AI writing is generic until you add your own detail

Who each one is for

Attribute	Gusto	Teal
Best for	Running US payroll and payroll taxes Offering health insurance and 401(k)s Onboarding new hires with digital paperwork Paying US and overseas contractors Checking payroll from inside Claude	Tailoring your resume to each job ad Finding the keywords a job ad is looking for Tracking dozens of applications in one place Writing cover letters and resume bullet points
You'll find it used by	Small businesses Startups Restaurants and retail Agencies Accountants	Job seekers Career changers Graduates Career coaches

Questions people ask

Which is better, Gusto or Teal?

Gusto scores highest overall in our ratings (Gusto 4.1/5 and Teal 4.0/5). Gusto is best for Running US payroll and payroll taxes and offering health insurance and 401(k)s. Teal is best for tailoring your resume to each job ad and finding the keywords a job ad is looking for.

Which is cheaper, Gusto or Teal?

Gusto: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $49/mo + $6/person. Teal: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0.

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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