UKG
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you're a large organization with complex payroll, time, and frontline scheduling needs plus budget for implementation and admins.
New check
Comparison
UKG vs Gusto
UKG and Gusto both land on Depends.
Gusto
Depends
Confidence: High
Buy if you're a small US team wanting bundled payroll, benefits, and HR with a proven, easy UI.
| Compare | UKG | Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Large enterprises (1,000+ employees) | US small businesses running first payroll |
| Who it's not for | Small teams needing simple scheduling or a contact list | Companies needing international/global payroll |
| Privacy | Mature enterprise security program, but a major 2021 ransomware outage and a 2024 breach filing are on record.⁵ | UpGuard rates Gusto A (87/100); one unverified account-compromise report; no CVEs found in sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | Unresolved outage complaints on Trustpilot | Recurring Reddit and Trustpilot complaints |
| Public sentiment | Praise for feature depth coexists with loud complaints about outages, clunky apps, and heavy implementations.¹ | Gusto is widely rated on G2 but polarizing on Reddit, where recent users report frustrating support and billing experiences. |
| Biggest gotcha | 2021 ransomware disrupted customer payroll for weeks; up to $6M settlement followed⁶ | Per-employee fees stack as headcount grows; paid HR tiers sit above entry plan |
Pick UKG when
- Large enterprises (1,000+ employees)
- Frontline, shift-heavy industries
- Complex payroll plus time tracking
- Orgs with dedicated HR/IT admins
When UKG is not a fit
- Small teams needing simple scheduling or a contact list
- Startups wanting predictable published pricing
- Buyers without admin/IT resources for rollout
- Anyone needing self-serve onboarding
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
review
- UKG Reviews on Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
- Downsides of UKG . r/humanresourcesreddit.comreview
review
- HR Platform UKG ransomware attackbankinfosecurity.comsecurity
- UKG agrees to pay up to $6M in breach lawsuitcybersecuritydive.comsecurity
security
official
- UKG Pro or UKG Ready guideukg.comofficial
- UKG Pricing Guide 2026peoplemanagingpeople.comnews
- Do not use Gusto : r/smallbusinessreddit.comreview
- Gusto Customer Service Reviews - Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
- Gusto Reviews 2026 - Capterracapterra.comreview
security