Part of your team is in the US and part is abroad, and you would like one tool to pay everyone. Maybe you pay contractors in several countries and worry a local authority will call them employees. Or you found the right hire in a country where you have no entity. You are comparing Deel and Gusto because one is built for US payroll and the other for hiring across borders.
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| Deel | Gusto | |
|---|---|---|
| Price we read | From $14 a month per worker for Find talent (hiring); Contractor, PEO and EOR are priced separately, up to $599 (read 9 Oct 2026) | Simple $49 a month plus $6 per person (single-state payroll) (read 16 Oct 2026) |
| Entry price | Find talent from $14 per worker a month; contractors from $49 each (read 9 Oct 2026) | Simple: $49 a month plus $6 per person, single-state payroll (read 16 Oct 2026) |
| How you pay | Per worker, per product, month to month; final quotes come through sales | Base fee plus a per-person fee, month-to-month, no contract, free setup |
| Free plan or trial | Free demo; no free plan or trial stated | No free plan or trial stated in our reading |
| Best for | Hiring contractors or employees abroad without a local entity, in 150+ countries | US small businesses wanting payroll, benefits and tax filing in one place |
| Main catch | Every price is 'starting at' behind a demo; buyers report EOR all-in costs 20-60% above the fee | US-only: new international hires go to Remote's EOR, from about $599 per employee a month |
You hire enough people in one foreign country that your own entity there beats paying EOR fees per employee forever. Gusto cannot employ them, and Deel's EOR keeps costing from $599 per employee a month.
EOR means renting an employer: it pays while you test a market and gets expensive once that country holds a real team, so a local entity with local payroll wins.
A US team of 10 plus 2 contractors abroad. Gusto Simple for the US staff: $49 + 10 × $6 = $109 a month (read 16 Oct 2026). Deel contractor management for the two contractors: 2 × $49 = $98 a month (read 9 Oct 2026). Both together: $109 + $98 = $207 a month. The same 10 US staff on Deel's US PEO would start at 10 × $125 = $1,250 a month. Gusto can also pay global contractors with no monthly fee, but it charges a service and foreign-exchange fee per payment that our reading does not price.
Contractor management, $49 per contractor a month (read 9 Oct 2026). Move to EOR, from $599 per employee a month, only for people who must be employees.
Start with Deel →Simple, $49 a month plus $6 per person, single-state payroll (read 16 Oct 2026). Plus at $80 plus $12 per person if staff work in several states.
Start with Gusto →Partly. Global contractors carry no monthly per-contractor fee; Gusto charges a service and foreign-exchange fee per payment instead. Since 1 May 2026, new international employees are referred to Remote's employer-of-record service, from about $599 per employee a month on a separate contract.
Who carries the misclassification risk. At $49 you manage the contractor yourself through Deel; at $325 Deel is the Contractor of Record. Its Contractor of Record page (read 9 Oct 2026) also asks a deposit of one month of the contractor's payment per contract.
It is a starting price. Buyers on Capterra and G2 (Aug 2026) report all-in costs 20-60% above the quoted fee once country-specific employer costs are added.
Not on our reading. Gusto is month-to-month with no long-term contract, and Deel's pricing FAQ says pricing is month to month with no long-term commitment.
Gusto's pricing page and pricing FAQ, read in a browser on 16 Oct 2026. Deel's pricing page and Contractor of Record page, read 9 Oct 2026, and Deel's help centre article on contractor contracts, read 21 Aug 2026. Prices change: each one carries the date we read it, and our reviews are re-checked against the vendor pages. How we review.