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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 built in through AppyPayroll.

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

Start free trial See AppyShift pricing

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

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. AppySchedule: drag-and-drop schedule, availability, open shifts and callout coverage (every plan); custom 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. AppyTime: 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 and call-out coverage in AppySchedule, time off and PTO accruals in AppyTime (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. AppySchedule: 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. AppyTime: tip pooling and cash tip declarations (every plan)	Not offered. Tips and service charges entered in payroll, with a tips report; no tip pooling tool Source
Hiring and applicant tracking	Included. AppyRecruit: 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. AppyOnboard: onboarding tasks and forms, Form I-9, hand-drawn e-signatures (Growth 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. AppyConnect: messages, announcements and a discussion board (Growth plan); app alerts, email and optional texts (every plan)	Not offered. No team chat listed; shift notifications by email and in the app Source
Payroll	Costs extra. AppyPayroll runs payroll from your approved hours and files and pays your federal and state payroll taxes, with pay stubs and W-2s in the app: $40.00 a month, plus $4.00 for each person you pay that month, now in early access. Or AppyTime sends approved hours to your current payroll provider (every plan).	Included. Full-service payroll on every plan, unlimited runs; Simple covers one state 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 AppyPayroll at $40 a month and $4 for each person paid that month: $170 a month for 25 people paid every two weeks, the same in a month with three paydays. AppyPayroll files and pays your federal and state payroll taxes too, included in the price.

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.
AppyConnect: team messaging, announcements and a discussion board built in.
Tip pooling and cash tip declarations on Pro.
AppyRecruit 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

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 for 25 people, AppyShift Basic and AppyPayroll come to $170 a month, and Gusto Plus to $380.

Can I use AppyShift with Gusto payroll?

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

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.

The AppyShift modules

Explore the AppyShift modules

See if AppyShift fits your team.

14 days free with every Pro feature. No credit card. Or open the demo first and click around.

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Sources (Gusto's website): pricing · free payroll setup · time tools · shift scheduling · help: set up scheduling · help: tips, service charges and tip credits · applicant tracking · point-of-sale integrations · industries · help: contact support

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.