Quick Summary
Choosing the right HR platform isn’t just about features but also about fit. This article compares Gusto, BambooHR, and Checkwriters across key areas like support, payroll, onboarding, and compliance. If your organization needs more than basic tools and values real support, this guide will help you see why Checkwriters may be the better long-term solution. Check our blog for more insights into choosing and maximizing the perfect HR solution.
Looking for an HR Platform that Supports How You Work?
Choosing HR software isn’t just about features, it’s about finding a system that fits how your team actually works. Gusto, BambooHR, and Checkwriters all offer payroll and HR tools, but their focus and strengths vary widely.
In this Checkwriters guide, we break down where each platform stands out, where it falls short, and what that means for your organization’s daily HR operations.
Why Listen to Us?
At Checkwriters, we deliver HR and payroll solutions that work the way your team does. With tools like applicant tracking, performance management, and streamlined payroll, organizations trust us for accuracy, control, and responsive support.
For example, Benhaven, a nonprofit organization, enhanced its operational efficiency and dedicated more time to its mission by using our features. This partnership allowed Benhaven to streamline administrative tasks, highlighting our role in supporting their success.
What Is Gusto?
Gusto is a cloud-based payroll and HR platform built primarily for small and mid-sized businesses. It handles core functions like payroll, employee benefits administration, hiring, and onboarding, with an emphasis on automation and ease of use.
By offering all the tools required to hire, pay, and manage teams, Gusto aims to simplify back-office work and improve team operations through a single, integrated system.
Key Features of Gusto:
- Full-Service Payroll: Runs unlimited payrolls automatically, calculates taxes, and files federal, state, and local payroll taxes. Direct deposit and contractor payments are included.
- Employee Benefits Administration: Handles health insurance, dental, vision, 401(k), HSAs, FSAs, and commuter benefits with seamless integration into payroll.
- Hiring and Onboarding: Offers digital offer letters, e-signatures, new hire checklists, and state onboarding compliance tools.
- Time and Attendance Tracking: Includes tools for employees to clock in/out, manage breaks, and sync hours directly to payroll. PTO and holiday tracking are also built in.
- Employee Self-Service: Allows employees to access pay stubs, update personal info, manage benefits, and view tax documents.
- HR Tools: Provides job descriptions, org charts, custom employee directories, document storage, and basic performance tracking tools.
- Insights and Reporting: Offers competitive compensation tools, employee feedback surveys, and workforce costing to help make important decisions faster and more accurately.
Pricing:
Gusto offers three main pricing tiers depending on the size of the business.
- Simple Plan (starts at $49/month + $6/user): Includes basic payroll, tax fillings, and employee portal and self-service features.
- Plus Plan (starts at $80/month + $12/user): Adds full HR tools, time tracking, health insurance management, and performance features to the features of the Simple Plan.
- Premium Plan (starts at $180/month + $22/user): Adds advanced features and a dedicated customer success manager to the features of the Plus Plan.
- Contractor Only Plan (starts at $35/month + $6/contractor): Built for contractor-only businesses without W-2 employees yet.
Discounts:
- Plus and Premium Plans: 25% off for the first 3 months.
- Contractor Plan: $0/month base price for the first 6 months.
What We Like
- Clean, Easy-to-Use Interface: Minimal training needed for admins or employees.
- Seamless Benefits-Payroll Integration: Benefits sync with payroll to reduce manual work.
- Automatic Tax Filing: Handles complex payroll tax filings behind the scenes.
- Helpful Onboarding Tools: E-signatures and custom workflows simplify new hire setup.
- Employee Wallet App: Gives workers more visibility and control over pay.
- Integration: Gusto integrates with many top software like Zoom, Slack, Google Workspace, etc, to streamline data.
What We Don’t Like
- Limited Health Coverage Availability: Health benefits are only offered in 38 states and D.C.
- No Mobile App for Admins: Employers can’t run payroll on mobile; only employees have app access.
- Support Delays: Users report inconsistent customer service and long wait times.
- Feature Gaps for Larger Teams: Lacks advanced compliance and workforce planning tools that larger or regulated organizations need.
What Is BambooHR?
BambooHR is also a cloud-based HR software platform built for small and midsize businesses. It helps teams manage employee data, automate HR tasks, and centralize core processes like onboarding, time-off tracking, and performance reviews.
While its core tools cover the essentials, BambooHR also offers add-ons like payroll, time tracking, and performance management for companies looking to expand functionality. With these features, employers can reduce administrative friction and improve the employee experience.
Key Features of BambooHR
- HR Data & Reporting: Simplifies data management with a secure, central database and offers 49 built-in reports for actionable insights.
- Hiring & Onboarding: Streamlines finding, evaluating, hiring, and onboarding talent, enhancing the candidate experience and facilitating seamless integration.
- Payroll, Time, & Benefits: Manages payroll, tracks hours worked, and oversees benefits enrollment from a single platform, eliminating double data entry and manual approvals.
- Employee Experience & Performance: Provides tools to measure employee satisfaction, gather feedback, and manage performance, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
- Integration Marketplace: Offers pre-built integrations with over 100 partner applications, allowing businesses to customize and extend BambooHR’s functionality.
- Employee Self-Service Portal: Empowers employees to access and update personal information, request time off, and view company documents.
- Mobile Accessibility: Provides a mobile app that allows employees and managers to perform HR tasks on-the-go, enhancing flexibility and responsiveness.
Pricing
BambooHR offers three primary pricing plans, each designed to accommodate different business needs:
- Core: Establishes a solid HR foundation with key features for managing employee records and standard HR processes.
- Pro: Builds upon the Core plan by incorporating advanced tools aimed at enhancing people strategies and HR operations.
- Elite: Provides comprehensive HR solutions with intelligent insights and premium services for organizations seeking to unlock the full potential of their workforce.
- Add-Ons: Payroll, Time Tracking, and Performance Management, which can be integrated into any plan for an additional fee.
Companies with over 25 employees are billed per employee per month, while smaller teams pay a flat monthly rate. Contact the BambooHR sales team for specific pricing details.
What We Like
- Strong Onboarding Tools: Automates first-day tasks, document collection, and welcome messages to streamline the new hire experience.
- Customizable Hiring Workflows: Allows teams to tailor applicant stages and communications within the built-in applicant tracking system.
- Time-Off Automation: Lets employees request PTO and lets managers approve it without emails or manual tracking.
- Responsive Customer Support: Users consistently report fast replies and helpful solutions from BambooHR’s support team.
- Integration: BambooHR connects with over 100 apps and platforms for a streamlined workflow.
What We Don’t Like
- Add-Ons Increase Cost Quickly: The Core plan lacks key features like time tracking and performance, which cost extra.
- U.S.-Only Payroll: Payroll services are not available for international companies or teams.
- Limited Design Flexibility: Few customization options for dashboards, reports, or visual layout preferences.
Checkwriters: A Great Alternative to Gusto and BambooHR
At Checkwriters, we offer a feature-rich payroll and HR management platform designed for organizations that need more control, support, and visibility across the employee lifecycle.
Larger platforms are often associated with challenges like complexity and compliance risks. Our platform eliminates these by keeping things simple. We deliver personalized service with U.S.-based support through dedicated representatives, keeping our customers closer than ever.
The Checkwriters platform combines applicant tracking, onboarding, time tracking, payroll, and HR management into a single system. Thus, you have all you need to reduce manual work and improve accuracy without unnecessary complexity.
We are your best option if you’re looking for a simpler and better alternative to Gusto and BambooHR.
Key Features of Checkwriters
- Applicant Tracking & Background Screening: Streamlines hiring with job postings, candidate tracking, and integrated background checks, all within a single dashboard.
- Payroll Processing: Runs accurate payroll with automated tax calculations, customizable pay types, and direct deposit, while keeping data synced across HR and finance.
- Onboarding: Automates new hire workflows with digital forms, e-signatures, and role-based task assignments for a smooth start.
- Time and Attendance: Tracks worked hours, overtime, and leave through mobile clock-ins, biometric terminals, or web punch tools, all connected to payroll.
- Mobile Access: Enables employees and managers to access payroll, benefits, and time tools on any device, including employee self-service updates and document uploads.
- Performance Management: Offers tools for evaluations, goal-setting, and feedback cycles, with templates that can be tailored to each department or role.
- Customer Support: Connects clients with dedicated account reps for personalized help, bypassing ticketing systems and automated phone menus for faster support.
Pricing
At Checkwriters, we customize pricing based on your organization’s specific needs instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Contact our team for an exact quote.
While our plans do not come with a free trial, we ensure every client receives hands-on support from day one.
Side-by-Side Comparison: Checkwriters, Gusto, and BambooHR
| Feature/Category | Checkwriters | Gusto | BambooHR |
| Support Model | Dedicated account rep, direct access | Ticket-based support, limited human interaction | Ticket-based, some live support |
| Payroll | Fully integrated with customizable pay types | Strong payroll with automatic tax filings | Add-on payroll (U.S. only), not included in core plans |
| Time & Attendance | Built-in with flexible scheduling and multiple input methods | Included with higher-tier plans | Add-on only |
| Performance Management | Included, customizable templates | Only in higher-tier plans | Available as add-on module |
| Compliance Approach | Tracks updates, alerts, and reporting—no legal advice | Offers tools but blurs lines on guidance | Offers tools, limited context |
| Best Fit For | Mid-sized organizations, schools, nonprofits, multi-site teams | Startups, contractor-heavy teams, simple payroll | General HR use, small to midsize companies |
Why Choose Checkwriters over Gusto and BambooHR?
1. Perfect for Mid-Sized Organizations
Gusto is built for startups and smaller teams with basic payroll needs. BambooHR focuses on HR recordkeeping but often requires third-party tools to fill gaps. These platforms work best for straightforward setups.
Checkwriters is a better fit for mid-sized organizations with layered operations, multiple locations, and specific compliance needs. We support flexible scheduling, permission-based access, and role-specific workflows without the bulk of enterprise software.
If your team has outgrown entry-level tools but doesn’t need enterprise complexity, Checkwriters strikes the right balance, offering powerful functionality, tailored workflows, and real support.
2. Direct Human Support
Gusto and BambooHR often push users through self-service portals, bots, or long ticket queues. If your issue is urgent, that delay can cost you time and trust.
At Checkwriters, you get a dedicated account representative who knows your name, business, and history. You don’t have to wait days for a response or explain your problem to someone new every time.
You talk to a real person who’s already up to speed, giving you fast, personal support when it matters most.
3. All-in-One System
With Gusto, performance tools and time tracking require higher-tier plans. BambooHR splits core functions into modular add-ons, increasing cost and complexity. At Checkwriters, we follow a more integrated approach.
You get onboarding, time tracking, payroll, performance reviews, and compliance features, all in one live system. There is no need to juggle logins, transfer data, or worry about missing important pieces of the puzzle.
Whether you’re a non-profit, mid-sized organization, or school, your workflows stay connected, efficient, and easy to manage.
4. Clear Compliance Tools
Many platforms offer “compliance support” but blur the line between tools and legal advice. Checkwriters stays clear: we provide alerts, reporting tools, and law updates to help you stay informed and take action around your workforce.
We offer a healthy balance of support and responsibility, giving you what you need to manage compliance without us pretending to be your legal team.
5. Custom Pricing That Fits You
Gusto and BambooHR lock you into tiers, where you either overpay or miss out on features. We eliminate this limitation by giving our clients pricing flexibility.
Checkwriters builds custom pricing around your needs, not a preset bundle. No upselling or unused extras, just straightforward pricing that scales with your team.
Switch to Checkwriters for a Better HR Experience
Gusto and BambooHR may suit startups and small teams, but their limitations in support, flexibility, and integration become clear as organizations grow. That’s where Checkwriters comes in.
We’re built for mid-sized organizations that need more than basic tools. With dedicated support, connected workflows, and features designed for real-world operations, Checkwriters offers a platform that works the way you do.Contact us today. Let’s talk about how Checkwriters can work for you.
Disclaimer: The information contained herein is not intended to be construed as legal advice, nor should it be relied on as such. Employers should closely monitor the rules and regulations specific to their jurisdiction(s) and should seek advice from counsel relative to their rights and responsibilities.