Gusto vs HiBob

Gusto's Simple plan ($49/mo + $6/person, after a 23% increase in March 2026) lacks multi-state payroll, time tracking, and PTO management. A 50-person company on Plus ($80/mo + $12/person) pays $680/month — $8,160/year — before benefits administration fees.

Gusto charges additional monthly fees for state tax registration in each state where you have employees. Companies with remote workers across 10+ states report $50-100/month in additional state registration fees.

Benefits administration adds broker fees and per-employee surcharges on top of insurance premiums. Users report Gusto's health insurance options are often 10-20% more expensive than going directly through a broker.

Gusto's customer support has degraded significantly according to recent reviews. Users report 2-4 hour wait times for phone support and critical payroll issues taking days to resolve — a serious risk when employees depend on timely pay.

HiBob's base HRIS starts around $8/employee/month on annual contracts, but most companies pay $12–20/employee/month after adding workforce management, performance modules, and payroll integrations. For a 100-person company, that's $14,400–$24,000/year before professional services.

HiBob does not publish pricing. All quotes are custom, making it nearly impossible to budget without a sales conversation. Users report the initial quote often rises significantly after discovery calls reveal standard feature requirements.

Core HR capabilities like advanced performance management, compensation planning, and learning management are sold as modules, each adding $2–5/employee/month. Companies report their total package costs 40–60% more than the initial base quote.

Annual contract lock-in is standard. Multiple G2 reviews cite difficulty cancelling and an aggressive renewal process. Implementation timelines of 2–4 months mean you're locked in for 14–16 months effectively on your first contract.