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AppyShift vs Gusto

Gusto is online payroll, benefits and HR for small US businesses, with scheduling and time tracking on its Plus and Premium plans or as an add-on. AppyShift is built around the shift: scheduling, clock-in, coverage, hiring and onboarding for hourly teams, with payroll in early access.

Gusto's prices and features checked on October 16, 2026, from Gusto's own website. See the sources.

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14-day free trial
No credit card required
Human response within 48 hours

The AppyShift team schedule for a week with scheduled hours, planned labor cost, open shifts and overtime risks above the grid

My Schedule in the AppyShift app: this week's hours and each shift with its status

The short answer

If your priority is full-service payroll that files and pays your taxes, with benefits and HR in the same place, Gusto is a proven choice. If your week is spent on schedules, call-outs, swaps and clock-ins for an hourly team, AppyShift covers that for $30 a month for up to 30 employees, where Gusto's scheduling comes with a payroll plan priced per person.

Side by side

AppyShift and Gusto, feature by feature

AppyShift compared with Gusto
Feature	AppyShift	Gusto
Starting price	$30 a month for up to 30 employees	$49 a month plus $6 per person (Simple) Source
How pricing works	One monthly price per plan, employees included: Basic $30 (30), Growth $60 (100), Pro $90 (200). Add 50 employees for $20 a month. 15% off when paid yearly. No contract.	A base fee plus a fee per person, monthly: Simple $49 + $6, Plus $80 + $12, Premium $180 + $22. No contract. Time & Attendance Plus on Simple adds $6 per person. Source
Free trial	Included. 14-day free trial, no credit card	Partly. Free setup with no credit card; nothing is charged until your first payroll. No free plan. Source
Scheduling	Included. Drag-and-drop schedule, availability, open shifts, labor rules (every plan)	Partly. Built in on Plus and Premium; on Simple with the $6-per-person add-on Source
Time clock and timesheets	Included. Phone, computer or shared kiosk, on-site clock-in rules, timesheet approvals (every plan)	Included. Web, mobile app or a tablet kiosk, with GPS location Source
Employee app	Included. iPhone and Android apps, included for every employee	Included. Employer and employee apps on every plan Source
Shift swaps and time off	Included. Swaps, pickups, call-out coverage, time off and PTO accruals (every plan)	Included. Time off on every plan; employees offer shifts to eligible coworkers with Request Shift Coverage Source
Labor cost while you schedule	Included. Planned labor cost and labor budget as you build the week (every plan)	Partly. Scheduled vs. worked reports and overtime totals; labor cost allocation on Premium Source
Tip pooling	Included. Tip pooling and cash tip declarations (Pro plan)	Not offered. Tips and service charges entered in payroll, with a tips report; no tip pooling tool Source
Hiring and applicant tracking	Included. Careers page, applicant tracking, texting and interviews (Growth plan)	Partly. Applicant tracking and job posts on Plus and Premium Source
Onboarding and e-signatures	Included. Onboarding tasks and forms, Form I-9, hand-drawn e-signatures (every plan)	Included. Self-onboarding with e-signed I-9 and W-4 on every plan; custom documents to sign on Plus and Premium Source
Team messaging	Included. Messages, announcements and a discussion board (Growth plan)	Not offered. No team chat listed; shift notifications by email and in the app Source
Payroll	Partly. Early access, by approval: $40.00 a month plus $4.00 per pay statement. Or send approved hours to your current payroll provider (Pro plan).	Included. Full-service payroll on every plan, unlimited runs; Simple covers one state Source
Files and pays payroll taxes for you	Not offered. No. AppyShift works out the taxes and shows what to pay; you file and pay them from your own bank.	Included. Yes: federal, state and local in all 50 states, with W-2s and 1099s Source
Needs their point of sale	Not offered. No. AppyShift works on its own, with any point of sale.	Not offered. No. Lists Clover, Shopify and Upserve integrations. Source
Built for	Hourly teams: restaurants, retail, healthcare, home care, hotels, cleaning, warehouses, child care and more	Small businesses of every kind, with industry pages from restaurants to law firms Source
Support	Human support replies within 48 hours, with most replies under 24 hours.	Chat every day (weekdays 5 AM to 5 PM PT, weekends 5 AM to 3 PM PT), phone callbacks on weekdays Source

Included Partly Costs extra Not offered

What it costs

25 hourly employees: scheduling, time clock and payroll

AppyShift

$30 a month on Basic, plus payroll in early access at $40 a month and $4 per pay statement: about $287 a month for 25 people paid every two weeks. You file and pay the payroll taxes yourself.

Gusto

Plus, with scheduling and time tracking included: $80 + 25 x $12 = $380 a month. Gusto files and pays your payroll taxes.

Scheduling and time tracking alone: AppyShift is $30 a month for up to 30 employees. Gusto sells them with a payroll plan, not on their own.

Fair comparison

Where each is stronger

AppyShift

Scheduling and time tracking for one flat price with employees included, without buying a payroll plan.
Made for shift work: open shifts, call-out coverage, availability and labor cost as you build the week.
Team messaging, announcements and a discussion board built in.
Tip pooling and cash tip declarations on Pro.
Applicant tracking from Growth ($60 a month for up to 100 employees), with applicant texting and interview scheduling.
Industry tools Gusto doesn't have, like home care visits, child care ratios and housekeeping room boards.

Best for: Hourly teams whose hardest work is the schedule and the time clock, who want those plus hiring and onboarding for one flat price.

Gusto

Full-service payroll that files and pays federal, state and local taxes in all 50 states.
Benefits from one place: Gusto acts as your health insurance broker, plus 401(k) and workers' comp options.
Next-day, same-day and instant pay options.
HR experts, a handbook builder and law change alerts on Premium.
Prices posted openly, and a large small-business customer base.

Best for: Small businesses that want full-service payroll, benefits and HR from one provider, with time tools added as they grow.

Common questions

Is AppyShift cheaper than Gusto?

For scheduling and time tracking, yes: AppyShift is $30 a month for up to 30 employees, and Gusto includes them only with a payroll plan (Plus is $80 a month plus $12 per person). With payroll, the totals are closer, and Gusto also files your taxes.

Can I use AppyShift with Gusto payroll?

Yes. Keep Gusto for payroll and use AppyShift for scheduling, time, hiring and onboarding. AppyShift sends approved hours to your payroll provider on the Pro plan.

Does AppyShift file payroll taxes like Gusto?

No. AppyShift payroll is in early access, by approval: it works out the taxes and shows you what to pay, and you file and pay them from your own bank. Gusto files and pays them for you.

Can I move from Gusto's scheduling to AppyShift?

Yes. Import your employees from a spreadsheet, set up your locations and positions, and invite your team to the AppyShift app. The free trial lets you run a real schedule before you switch.

See if AppyShift fits your team.

The trial is 14 days, with no credit card. Or open the demo first and click around.

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Sources

Gusto's prices and features are from Gusto's public website, checked on October 16, 2026, and can change at any time. AppyShift's are current on this page. Gusto is a trademark of its owner, used only to identify the product; AppyShift isn't affiliated with or endorsed by Gusto. Spot something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.