What is the difference between Ashby and Gusto?

Ashby is best for Fast-growing companies wanting an all-in-one recruiting platform, while Gusto is best for Small US businesses wanting easy payroll and benefits. Ashby starts at Custom and Gusto starts at $40/mo + $6/person.

Is Ashby or Gusto cheaper?

Ashby starts at Custom. Gusto starts at $40/mo + $6/person.

Ashby vs Gusto

Ashby is all-in-one recruiting platform with ATS, CRM, scheduling, and analytics, while Gusto is payroll, benefits, and HR platform built for small businesses. The biggest difference up front: Ashby is free, while Gusto starts at $40/mo + $6/person. Ashby is built for fast-growing companies wanting an all-in-one recruiting platform, whereas Gusto targets small us businesses wanting easy payroll and benefits.

At a glance

	Ashby	Gusto
Best for	Fast-growing companies wanting an all-in-one recruiting platform	Small US businesses wanting easy payroll and benefits
Starting price	Custom	$40/mo + $6/person
Free tier	—	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	—
Open source	—	—
ATS	✓	—
Analytics	✓	—
Benefits	—	✓
CRM	✓	—
HR	—	✓
Payroll	—	✓
Scheduling	✓	—
Time Tracking	—	✓

Ashby

Strengths

Includes ATS as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows
Includes CRM as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows
Focused toolset keeps the interface clean and easy to navigate
Includes analytics alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

No free tier, so you can't try it without committing to a paid plan
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in hr & recruiting
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try Ashby → Full review

Gusto

Strengths

Includes Payroll as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows
Includes Benefits as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows
Pricing starts at $40/mo + $6/person, which includes the full hr & recruiting feature set
Established product with 14+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Starts at $40/mo + $6/person — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in hr & recruiting
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Gusto → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Ashby is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Gusto starts at $40/mo + $6/person. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Ashby offers ATS, Analytics and CRM that Gusto lacks. Gusto brings Benefits, HR and Payroll that Ashby does not have.

Team fit: Ashby is geared toward mid-size teams teams, while Gusto is aimed at small teams teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: Ashby's biggest strengths are: includes ats as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows. includes crm as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows. Gusto's biggest strengths are: includes payroll as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows. includes benefits as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows.

Watch out for: With Ashby, users commonly note that no free tier, so you can't try it without committing to a paid plan. With Gusto, the main complaint is that starts at $40/mo + $6/person — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users.

Choose Ashby if...

You need a tool built for fast-growing companies wanting an all-in-one recruiting platform
Budget is a hard constraint — Ashby is free, Gusto is not
You specifically need ATS and Analytics
You care about includes crm as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows
Your team size fits the mid-size teams profile Ashby is designed for

Choose Gusto if...

You need a tool built for small us businesses wanting easy payroll and benefits
You specifically need Benefits and HR
You care about includes benefits as a core feature, purpose-built for hr & recruiting workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Gusto is designed for