Toolbox · Accounting & payroll
Accounting & payroll
Gusto
Full-service payroll, benefits and HR.
$49/mo + $6/employee
What it costs
Simple plan $49/mo + $6/employee; Plus $80/mo + $12/employee; Premium $180/mo + $22/employee. Contractor-only from $35/mo + $6/contractor. Add-ons (time tracking, benefits, multi-state) add $10-$30/employee.
Best for
Small to mid-size restaurants that want painless, full-service payroll, benefits and HR without restaurant-specific complexity.
Pros
- Easy, full-service payroll with automatic tax filing
- Transparent published pricing and a low base cost
- Handles benefits, onboarding and contractor pay
- Scales from a single shop to multi-location
Cons
- Generic, not built for restaurant tips or POS-native hours
- Per-employee and add-on fees stack with a large hourly team
- Lacks deep tip-pooling features of restaurant-specific payroll
Integrations
Integrates with many POS, scheduling and accounting tools (including QuickBooks and various restaurant platforms).
Alternatives
Toast Payroll · 7shifts Payroll · Homebase Payroll
Our take: A reliable, easy payroll choice for most small restaurants; if tip pooling and POS-native hours are critical, a restaurant-specific payroll may serve you better.
Pricing is the public list rate or a research estimate as of June 2026 — always confirm on a live quote. We take no commission from any vendor; this is for reference.