New check

Comparison

NFC — USDA National Finance Center vs Gusto

NFC — USDA National Finance Center lands on Skip, and Gusto lands on Depends.

NFC — USDA National Finance Center

Skip

Confidence: Low

This is a USDA federal shared-services agency for government payroll and HR . private buyers cannot purchase it, so most readers should move on.

Read the full report

Gusto

Depends

Confidence: High

Buy if you're a small US team wanting bundled payroll, benefits, and HR with a proven, easy UI.

Read the full report

NFC — USDA National Finance Center versus Gusto
Compare	NFC — USDA National Finance Center	Gusto
Verdict	Skip	Depends
Best for	Federal agencies needing payroll/HR shared services	US small businesses running first payroll
Who it's not for	Private companies and startups . you cannot buy this	Companies needing international/global payroll
Privacy	No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.^⁵	UpGuard rates Gusto A (87/100); one unverified account-compromise report; no CVEs found in sources reviewed.¹⁶
Support quality	No user reports found	Recurring Reddit and Trustpilot complaints
Public sentiment	No independent user reviews of the USDA National Finance Center appeared in the sources reviewed.^⁴	Gusto is widely rated on G2 but polarizing on Reddit, where recent users report frustrating support and billing experiences.
Biggest gotcha	Guess: Leaving later is hard . federal payroll provider switches are multi-year projects.^¹	Per-employee fees stack as headcount grows; paid HR tiers sit above entry plan

Pick NFC — USDA National Finance Center when

Federal agencies needing payroll/HR shared services
Existing USDA NFC customer agencies
Agency staff seeking NFC training courses

When NFC — USDA National Finance Center is not a fit

Private companies and startups . you cannot buy this
Small teams wanting simple payroll . use Gusto or ADP
Anyone researching NFC tags or tap-to-review hardware . wrong NFC
Buyers who value easy exit . federal payroll migrations run for years

Pick Gusto when

US small businesses running first payroll
Teams wanting payroll + benefits bundled
Businesses paying contractors or W-2 staff
Teams already using QuickBooks

When Gusto is not a fit

Companies needing international/global payroll
High-growth startups wanting deeper finance tooling
Teams that can't tolerate support delays
Large enterprises with complex HR processes

Sources

National Finance Center: Homenfc.usda.gov
official
NFC Customer Board Members | National Finance Centernfc.usda.gov
official
Pricing | NFC Universitynfc.usda.gov
official
Feedback | National Finance Center - USDAnfc.usda.gov
official
Security pagenfc.usda.gov
security
Gusto Products | Read 14266 Reviews on G2g2.com
review
Avoid Gusto at All Costs : r/smallbusinessreddit.com
review
Do not use Gusto : r/smallbusinessreddit.com
review
Gusto Customer Service Reviews - Trustpilottrustpilot.com
review
Gusto Reviews 2026 - Capterracapterra.com
review
Gusto Security Rating, Vendor Risk Report - UpGuardupguard.com
security
Gusto Pricing, Plans & Fees (2026)gusto.com
official
Gusto hits $1B revenue - TechCrunchtechcrunch.com
news
Gusto Reaches 500,000 Customersfinance.yahoo.com
news
What is Gusto? | Our Platform, Team, and Culturegusto.com
official
linkedin.comlinkedin.com
review