Encarmo vs Gusto: which platform
is right for your business?
Gusto is the leading payroll and HR platform for US small businesses, rated 4.6/5 on Capterra from over 4,000 reviews, trusted by 500,000+ businesses. It does payroll exceptionally well. What it doesn't do is accounting, CRM, or inventory, so businesses that need those alongside payroll end up paying for 3 to 5 separate tools on top of it.
The real question isn't which tool has better payroll. It's whether your business needs payroll software, or a platform that runs the whole operation.
The 15-second verdict
Payroll and HR are genuinely all you need. 2 to 50 employees, US-based, comfortable running accounting and CRM in separate tools.
You're running 3 or more tools already (payroll, accounting, CRM), and want them on one platform with one login and shared data.
What is Gusto?
A dedicated payroll & hr platform platform built to solve specific operational needs.
Gusto automates payroll calculations, tax filings, direct deposits, and W-2/1099 forms. Benefits administration, onboarding, and time tracking are available on higher tiers.
For accounting, Gusto connects to QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, and Sage through integrations, but these are separate subscriptions you manage and pay for independently. For CRM, inventory management, or scheduling, Gusto has no native capability.
What is Encarmo?
A modular business management platform that combines payroll, accounting, CRM, HR, invoicing, scheduling, reporting, and analytics in one connected system.
The core difference: where Gusto performs a single operational task and connects to other tools via integrations, Encarmo runs those functions natively in the same platform, with shared data, unified reporting, and one login.
Start with only the modules you need. Add more as your business grows.
| Accounting (base) | $0 Free Forever |
| Billing & Invoicing | $0 Free Forever |
| Sales & CRM | +$14/mo flat |
| Inventory Management | +$12/mo flat |
| HR Management | +$15/mo flat |
| Payroll | +$19/mo flat |
| Calendar & Scheduling | +$9/mo flat |
Annual pricing saves 17% (2 months free) on all plans.
Who is comparing Gusto vs Encarmo?
Two types of businesses arrive at this comparison, and the right answer depends heavily on which one you are.
Payroll-first businesses
Currently using or evaluating Gusto as their primary tool. Payroll and HR are the main concern. They may already have accounting software and are not looking to replace it.
Scaling businesses running too many tools
They need payroll but also need accounting, CRM, and reporting to actually talk to each other. They're paying for Gusto, QuickBooks, HubSpot, and something else, running manual exports between them, and looking for a way out of the stack.
Feature comparison
Every core capability, side by side.
| Feature | Encarmo | Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| Core functionality | Yes, native | Yes, native payroll |
| Double-entry accounting | Yes, native | Integration required |
| Billing & invoicing | Yes, free forever | Not available |
| Sales CRM & deals | Yes, native | Separate app needed |
| Integrated payroll & HR | Yes, native ($19/mo flat) | Yes, native ($49/mo base + $6/user) |
| Multi-location inventory | Yes, native | Not available |
| Unlimited team users | Yes, all plans | Priced per employee |
| Cross-module reporting | Yes, live ledger sync | Payroll and HR reports only |
Encarmo vs Gusto: Payroll Execution & Sync
Gusto is best-in-class for US businesses. AutoPilot runs payroll automatically on schedule. Tax filings, W-2s, and 1099s are handled without manual intervention.
Encarmo handles payroll as part of its broader platform. When you run payroll in Encarmo, your accounting entries update automatically, your HR records stay in sync, and scheduling feeds directly into time calculations. No export. No separate login.
Encarmo vs Gusto: Accounting & Finance Connection
Gusto does not include accounting. It integrates with QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, and Sage, meaning separate subscriptions, separate logins, and syncs that require monitoring.
Encarmo includes accounting natively: general ledger, bank reconciliation, financial statements, and multi-currency, 100% free forever with unlimited users and invoices.
Encarmo vs Gusto: CRM & Customer Management
Gusto has no CRM. Commission data from closed deals requires manual entry into payroll adjustments.
Encarmo includes CRM natively: pipeline, contacts, deals, quotes, and lead tracking. Sales commissions can feed directly into payroll without manual transfers.
Encarmo vs Gusto: pricing comparison
The honest comparison depends on which modules your business actually needs.
Payroll only, 10 employees
Payroll + Accounting, 10 employees
Payroll + Accounting + CRM + Invoicing, 15 employees
The real cost of a disconnected stack
The visible cost is the subscriptions.
The invisible cost is real.
When a growing business runs separate point solutions for each department, subscriptions are only part of the bill.
- 01Manual data re-entry between systems: sales closed in CRM, accounting entries after payroll runs.
- 02Errors and discrepancies caused by duplicate data entry.
- 03Time and engineering resources spent troubleshooting broken integrations.
- 04No single unified source of truth for financial and operational reporting.
Encarmo was built to eliminate that overhead. Whether that trade-off makes sense depends on your team size, the number of tools you currently run, and how much time you spend on cross-system administration.
Pros and cons
Gusto
- Best-in-class payroll for US businesses, rated #1 by Capterra at 4.6/5 with 4,000+ reviews.
- AutoPilot payroll runs automatically and requires almost no manual intervention.
- Strong benefits administration: health insurance, 401(k), HSA, FSA, workers compensation.
- Clean, fast onboarding: most teams are running payroll within a day.
- Trusted by 500,000+ US businesses.
- US employees only: international hires require Gusto Global at additional cost.
- No native accounting: requires a separate QuickBooks, Xero, or FreshBooks subscription.
- No CRM: customer management requires a separate tool.
- Costs scale with headcount and add-ons.
Encarmo
- One platform for payroll, accounting, CRM, billing, HR, and scheduling.
- Flat modular pricing: pay flat monthly rates with unlimited team users.
- Data flows natively between modules with no syncs, exports, or integrations to maintain.
- Cross-functional reporting connects payroll costs to revenue and customer data.
- Faster to implement than enterprise ERP alternatives: days instead of months.
- Newer platform with fewer third-party integrations than Gusto's 180+ app ecosystem.
- Focuses on unified operations rather than deep, specialized add-ons.
Who should choose which?
Choose Gusto if
- Payroll and HR are your primary software need.
- You are a US-based business with straightforward single-state or multi-state payroll.
- You are comfortable running accounting, CRM, and other functions in separate tools.
- You value a long-established platform with 500,000+ customers.
Choose Encarmo if
- You are currently running 3 or more separate business tools and spending time managing the gaps.
- You need payroll to connect directly to your accounting and CRM data.
- You want flat modular pricing: start with free accounting, add payroll and HR when ready.
- You are a growing team where operational complexity is increasing faster than headcount.
Side-by-side summary
| Encarmo | Gusto | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary strength | Full Business Platform | Specialized Payroll & HR Platform |
| Accounting | Native (free forever) | Integration required |
| Payroll & Tax Filing | Native ($19/mo flat) | Native ($49/mo base + $6/user) |
| CRM & Deals | Native ($14/mo flat) | Separate app needed |
| Pricing Model | Flat/modular, unlimited users | Per-user, tiered base fee |
| Team Users | Unlimited included | Priced per employee |
Questions people ask us
Straight answers on pricing, migration, and where each platform fits.
Visit the help centerHow does Encarmo pricing work?
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with a unified system?
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