Direct answer: at public annual prices, ten US W-2 employees cost Gusto Simple USD 1,308/year or Justworks Payroll 1,560/year for payroll software; PEO options cost Justworks PEO Basic 9,480, PEO Plus 14,880 and Deel US PEO 15,000. Ten contractors cost Justworks 1,560 for US 1099s or 5,280 for international, and Deel 5,880. Ten EOR employees cost 71,880/year at both Justworks and Deel. EOR is 46–55× payroll software because it takes on the local legal employer, contracts, benefits and compliance, not just payslip generation.
This guide is for founders, HR, finance and procurement teams hiring US W-2 employees, US/international contractors or overseas EOR employees. Data cut-off: 5 November 2026; prices are US public list prices in USD, excluding tax, with no FX conversion; the TCO is an editorial calculation, not a vendor quote. The three vendors cover different worker types: Gusto is mainly US W-2 payroll, Justworks covers US payroll/PEO/contractors/EOR, and Deel covers global contractors/EOR/US PEO. Separate the worker type before comparing unit prices.
Separate W-2, 1099 contractor, PEO and EOR before comparing prices; every platform fee excludes salary, tax, benefits/social contributions and workers' comp; finally add FX, minimum headcount, contract term and offboarding/IP. A USD 8 Justworks Payroll seat, a USD 79 PEO seat and a USD 599 EOR seat are not the same thing.
Four worker types: W-2, contractor, PEO, EOR
A W-2 employee is employed in the US by you (or your PEO/EOR); the platform charges a base fee plus per person/month, while salary, tax and benefits are separate. A 1099 contractor is billed per contractor/month; the platform handles payments/tax forms but does not take on the employment relationship. A PEO is co-employment: you remain the employer, and the PEO provides payroll, benefits administration, compliance and a workers' comp channel for a per-person/month fee. An EOR is the nominal employer: the platform legally employs the worker overseas and takes on the contract, payroll, benefits and compliance for a per-person/month fee. The liability, country coverage and price differ by an order of magnitude.
| Worker type | Who employs | Typical pricing | Best fit | Excludes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US W-2 (payroll software) | You | Base fee + per person/month | US entity, own benefits | Salary, tax, benefits, workers' comp |
| US W-2 (PEO) | You + PEO co-employment | Per person/month | Benefits/compliance/workers' comp channel | Salary, tax, insurance premiums |
| 1099 contractor | The contractor | Per contractor/month | Short-term/project work, no employment | Payroll tax, benefits, employment compliance |
| EOR | The platform (nominal employer) | Per person/month | No local entity, need legal employment | Salary, statutory benefits/tax (usually separate) |
Sources: Gusto Pricing, Justworks Pricing and Deel Pricing (all accessed 5 November 2026). This is editorial grouping, not legal or tax advice; “excludes” covers only what the pricing pages verify and specific employment/tax liability needs local professional advice.
The official 2026 price lists
Gusto: Simple USD 49/month + 6/person/month; Plus 80 + 12/person/month; Premium 180 + 22/person/month; global contractor payments USD 5/payment (US bank account); state tax registration and next-day/instant/same-day pay are add-ons. Justworks: Payroll 50/month + 8/person/month; PEO Basic 79/person/month; PEO Plus 124/person/month; EOR 599/person/month; international contractors 39/contractor/month; US contractors 8/contractor/month; time tracking 8/person/month and dedicated HR 30/person/month. Deel: contractors 49/contractor/month; Contractor of Record 325/contractor/month; EOR 599/person/month; US PEO 125/person/month; Hire from 14/worker/month.
| Platform / plan | Public price (USD) | Unit | Coverage | Key boundary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto Simple | 49/month + 6/person/month | Base + person | US W-2 payroll | Single state; multi-state needs Plus |
| Gusto Plus | 80/month + 12/person/month | Base + person | US multi-state W-2 | Time tracking/next-day pay |
| Gusto Premium | 180/month + 22/person/month | Base + person | US W-2 + HR support | Compliance/dedicated support |
| Justworks Payroll | 50/month + 8/person/month | Base + person | US W-2 + contractors | Benefits/workers' comp separate |
| Justworks PEO Basic | 79/person/month | Person | US co-employment | Salary, tax, premiums separate |
| Justworks PEO Plus | 124/person/month | Person | US co-employment + benefits admin | Premiums separate |
| Justworks EOR | 599/person/month | Person | Global EOR | Salary/statutory benefits separate |
| Justworks international contractors | 39/contractor/month | Contractor | 60+ countries | Requires Payroll/Basic/Plus base plan |
| Justworks US contractors | 8/contractor/month | Contractor | US 1099 | Requires base plan |
| Deel contractors | 49/contractor/month | Contractor | Global, 120+ currencies | Does not include Contractor of Record liability |
| Deel Contractor of Record | 325/contractor/month | Contractor | Global | Platform takes classification liability |
| Deel EOR | 599/person/month | Person | 130+ countries | Salary/statutory benefits separate |
| Deel US PEO | 125/person/month | Person | US 50-state co-employment | Salary/premiums separate |
| Deel Hire | From 14/worker/month | Worker | Sourcing/screening | Add-on module |
Sources: Gusto Pricing (Simple 49+6, Plus 80+12, Premium 180+22; global contractor payments USD 5/payment; add-ons), Justworks Pricing (Payroll 50+8, PEO Basic 79, PEO Plus 124, EOR 599, international contractors 39, US contractors 8, time tracking 8, dedicated HR 30), Deel Pricing (contractors 49, Contractor of Record 325, EOR 599, US PEO 125, Hire 14). USD, excluding tax; all platform fees exclude salary, tax, benefits/social contributions, workers' comp and FX.
Ten US W-2 employees: payroll software vs PEO
Ten US W-2 employees, payroll software only: Gusto Simple 1,308/year, Gusto Plus 2,400, Gusto Premium 4,800 and Justworks Payroll 1,560. For a PEO (co-employment, benefits/compliance/workers' comp channel): Justworks PEO Basic 9,480, PEO Plus 14,880 and Deel US PEO 15,000. PEO costs 7–12× payroll software, but it buys co-employment, benefits administration, compliance and a workers' comp channel, not a fancier payslip.
| Option (10 US W-2) | Monthly | Annual | Vs Gusto Simple | What you buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto Simple | 109 | 1,308 | 1.0× | Single-state payroll, tax forms, basic PTO |
| Gusto Plus | 200 | 2,400 | 1.8× | Multi-state, time tracking, next-day pay |
| Gusto Premium | 400 | 4,800 | 3.7× | HR support, compliance, same-day/instant pay |
| Justworks Payroll | 130 | 1,560 | 1.2× | US payroll + contractors + basic HR |
| Justworks PEO Basic | 790 | 9,480 | 7.2× | Co-employment, compliance, 401(k), workers' comp channel |
| Justworks PEO Plus | 1,240 | 14,880 | 11.4× | Basic + medical/dental/vision admin |
| Deel US PEO | 1,250 | 15,000 | 11.5× | US 50-state co-employment, benefits admin |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Gusto = base fee + 10× per-person fee; Justworks Payroll = 50 + 10×8; PEO Basic = 10×79; PEO Plus = 10×124; Deel US PEO = 10×125. Excludes salary, tax, benefits/social contributions, workers' comp, add-ons, implementation and migration; “vs” = annual/1,308.
The point is that a PEO is not a replacement for payroll software: Gusto Simple at 1,308 only handles payroll/tax forms; Justworks PEO Basic at 9,480 adds co-employment, compliance, 401(k) and a workers' comp channel, while salary, tax and premiums remain separate. For a ten-person company that only needs payroll, the 7–11× gap is hard to justify as “convenience”; the PEO fee maps to benefits, multi-state compliance and workers' comp.
Ten contractors: US 1099 vs international
Ten US 1099 contractors: Justworks Payroll 50+10×8=130/month, 1,560/year; Deel 10×49=490/month, 5,880/year. Ten international contractors: Justworks 50+10×39=440/month, 5,280/year; Deel 10×49=490/month, 5,880/year. Justworks is 600/year cheaper than Deel for ten international contractors and 4,320/year cheaper for US contractors; but Deel covers 120+ currencies and Contractor of Record at 325/month can shift classification liability, while Justworks's 39 is payment/administration, not liability transfer.
| Option (10 contractors) | Monthly | Annual | Coverage/liability | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justworks US contractors | 130 | 1,560 | US 1099; base plan + 8/contractor | US short-term/project work |
| Deel contractors (global) | 490 | 5,880 | 120+ currencies; classification stays with you | Multi-country payments/contracts |
| Justworks international contractors | 440 | 5,280 | 60+ countries; base plan + 39/contractor | Few countries, lower price |
| Deel Contractor of Record | 3,250 | 39,000 | Platform takes classification/compliance liability | High classification risk/audit |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Justworks US = 50 + 10×8; international = 50 + 10×39; Deel contractors = 10×49; Contractor of Record = 10×325. Excludes payments/salary, FX, tax, add-ons and implementation; Justworks contractor add-ons require a Payroll/Basic/Plus base plan, priced here on Payroll at 50/month. Deel's US contractor price may differ at checkout.
If you only need to pay ten US 1099s, Justworks at 1,560/year is cheapest. If the contractors sit in five countries and need local contracts/payments/tax forms, Deel at 5,880/year is more robust. Moving from US to international contractors on Justworks takes the annual fee from 1,560 to 5,280, a 3,720 gap; that gap buys payment/compliance in 60+ countries, not the same service. If classification risk is high (long-term, full-time-like), Deel Contractor of Record at 39,000/year is the matching product, not the 49-dollar contractor plan.
Ten EOR employees: same price, different coverage
Ten overseas EOR employees: Justworks EOR 599×10=5,990/month, 71,880/year; Deel EOR 599×10=5,990/month, 71,880/year. The unit price is identical; the difference is country coverage, benefits/contract templates, onboarding/offboarding, IP/data handling, service response and local compliance. EOR is 55× the ten-US-W-2 payroll software price (1,308) and 13.6× the ten-international-contractor price (5,280); it buys a local legal employer, not a payslip.
| Option (10 people) | Monthly | Annual | Coverage | Key difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justworks EOR | 5,990 | 71,880 | Global EOR | Same platform as PEO/contractors; US PEO from 9,480 |
| Deel EOR | 5,990 | 71,880 | 130+ countries | Wider global coverage; contractors/EOR/PEO in one |
| Justworks Payroll (5 W-2 + 5 international contractors) | 285 | 3,420 | US + 60+ country contractors | No EOR employment relationship |
| Deel (5 US PEO + 5 contractors) | 870 | 10,440 | US PEO + global contractors | US co-employment + contractors |
Editorial calculation, not a quote. Justworks EOR = 10×599; Deel EOR = 10×599; Justworks mixed = 50 + 5×8 + 5×39; Deel mixed = 5×125 + 5×49. Excludes salary, tax, statutory benefits, premiums, FX, add-ons and implementation; EOR/PEO platform fees are not total employment cost.
When the two EOR prices match, procurement should compare “does coverage include your country, are local contracts/benefits compliant, how are onboarding/offboarding/IP handled, and what is the service response/local support”, not keep cutting 599. In a mixed team, Justworks at 3,420/year is only the platform fee for five US W-2 plus five international contractors; Deel at 10,440/year puts five US employees into a PEO and keeps five contractors. Neither is an EOR and neither takes on the overseas employment relationship.
Hidden costs: salary, tax, benefits, FX, add-ons
Every platform fee excludes salary, tax, benefits/social contributions, workers' comp and FX. Gusto add-ons include global contractor payments USD 5/payment, next-day pay 15/month + 3/person/month (Simple add-on; included in Plus/Premium), instant pay 100/payroll and same-day pay 90/payroll (Simple/Plus add-ons; included in Premium), state tax registration by state, Business Compliance 85/state/month, Remote I-9 20/submission and E-Verify 5/submission. Justworks PEO premiums/workers' comp are separate, time tracking 8/person/month, dedicated HR 30/person/month, CHOICE 25/person/month, international contractors 39 and US contractors 8. Deel EOR 599/US PEO 125 are platform fees with salary/benefits/tax separate; Contractor of Record 325 is classification liability; Hire from 14/worker/month; FX separate.
| Platform | Hidden cost/add-on | Public price | When it applies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gusto | Global contractor payments | 5/payment (US bank account) | Paying overseas contractors |
| Gusto | Next-day/instant/same-day pay | 15/month+3/person; 100/payroll; 90/payroll (Simple add-on; included in Plus/Premium) | Faster access to pay |
| Gusto | State tax registration/compliance | By state; 85/state/month | Multi-state expansion |
| Gusto | Remote I-9 / E-Verify | 20/submission; 5/submission | Remote onboarding/verification |
| Justworks | PEO premiums/workers' comp | Separate | PEO plans |
| Justworks | Time tracking/dedicated HR/CHOICE | 8/person/month; 30/person/month; 25/person/month | Add-ons |
| Deel | EOR/PEO salary/benefits/tax | Separate | All EOR/PEO |
| Deel | Contractor of Record | 325/contractor/month | Shift classification liability |
| Deel | Hire / FX | From 14/worker/month; FX separate | Recruiting/cross-border payment |
Sources: Gusto Pricing (global contractors 5/payment, next-day 15+3, instant 100/payroll, same-day 90/payroll, state registration, Business Compliance 85/state/month, Remote I-9 20, E-Verify 5), Justworks Pricing (PEO premiums separate, time tracking 8, dedicated HR 30, CHOICE 25), Deel Pricing (EOR/PEO platform fee, Contractor of Record 325, Hire 14, FX). Accessed 5 November 2026; USD, excluding tax; all prices follow the contract/checkout.
Capability matrix: W-2, PEO, contractors, EOR
Gusto is strong in US W-2 payroll, tax forms, benefits/401(k) and HR tools for companies with a US entity that manage benefits themselves. Justworks is strong in covering US payroll/PEO/contractors/EOR in one platform; PEO includes compliance, 401(k) and a workers' comp channel, and EOR at 599 matches Deel. Deel is strong in global coverage (130+ country EOR, 120+ currency contractors), Contractor of Record and US PEO, fitting multi-country teams. For US benefits/compliance choose Justworks PEO; for global EOR choose Deel/Justworks; for the cheapest US payroll choose Gusto/Justworks Payroll.
| Capability | Gusto | Justworks | Deel |
|---|---|---|---|
| US W-2 payroll | Strong | Strong | US PEO |
| PEO/co-employment | Not a focus | PEO Basic/Plus | US PEO 125 |
| US 1099 | Supported | 8/contractor/month | 49/contractor/month |
| International contractors | Global payments add-on 5/payment | 39/contractor/month, 60+ countries | 49/contractor/month, 120+ currencies |
| EOR | Not offered | 599/person/month | 599/person/month, 130+ countries |
| Classification liability transfer | Not offered | Not a focus | Contractor of Record 325 |
| Recruiting module | Not a focus | ATS integrations | Hire from 14/worker/month |
| Benefits/401(k) | Yes | PEO/payroll add-ons | EOR/PEO admin included |
Sources: the three official pricing pages (accessed 5 November 2026). This is an editorial comparison, not a full feature list; “not a focus/not offered” means the pricing page does not sell that capability as part of the plan, not that a partner cannot provide it; country compliance, benefit levels, onboarding experience and service response were not verified.
Which option fits which scenario?
Ten US W-2, manage benefits yourself: Gusto Simple 1,308/year or Justworks Payroll 1,560; for benefits/compliance/workers' comp: Justworks PEO Basic 9,480, PEO Plus 14,880, Deel US PEO 15,000. Ten US 1099s: Justworks 1,560; ten international contractors: Justworks 5,280 or Deel 5,880. Ten overseas EOR: both 71,880; choose on country coverage/service. Five US W-2 + five international contractors: Justworks 3,420 or Deel 10,440 (with US PEO).
- US W-2, payroll only: Gusto Simple 1,308/year; Justworks Payroll 1,560; for multi-state/time tracking, Gusto Plus 2,400.
- US W-2, benefits/compliance: Justworks PEO Basic 9,480/year; PEO Plus 14,880; Deel US PEO 15,000; salary/premiums/tax separate.
- US 1099: Justworks 1,560/year; Deel 5,880; choose Justworks for payment only, Deel for global contracts/payments.
- International contractors: Justworks 5,280/year (60+ countries) or Deel 5,880 (120+ currencies); high classification risk adds Deel Contractor of Record 39,000/year.
- Overseas EOR: Justworks/Deel both 71,880/year; compare country coverage, benefits, contracts, IP, service and local support, not just price.
- Mixed team: Justworks 5 W-2 + 5 international contractors 3,420/year; Deel 5 US PEO + 5 contractors 10,440; the latter includes US co-employment.
What should procurement and acceptance specify?
At least eight things: worker classification, country coverage, who carries employment/tax liability, salary/tax/benefits/workers' comp beyond the platform fee, FX and payment speed, minimum headcount/eligibility, contract term and offboarding/IP, and a two-week real onboarding/payroll POC. The POC should use the same employees/contractors and record onboarding, contracts, payroll, tax forms, benefits, FX, offboarding and support response, not just the demo.
- Classification: W-2/PEO/EOR carry different liability; do not budget an EOR at contractor prices, and do not use an EOR to fix misclassification.
- Coverage: Justworks international contractors 60+ countries and EOR global; Deel EOR 130+ countries and contractors 120+ currencies; confirm your country is covered.
- Total cost: add salary, tax, benefits/social contributions, workers' comp, FX and payment fees; PEO/EOR 79/125/599 is not total employment cost.
- Classification: long-term, full-time-like contractors carry risk; to shift liability use Deel Contractor of Record at 325/month, not the 49-dollar contractor plan.
- Minimum/eligibility: PEO/EOR minimum headcount, local entity and industry restrictions; confirm eligibility.
- Contract/offboarding: term, early termination, severance, IP/data ownership, equipment/account recovery.
- Service: local HR/legal support, response time, language, emergency payroll/offboarding.
- POC: two weeks, real employees/contractors, 5–10 people; record onboarding, contracts, payroll, tax forms, benefits, FX, offboarding and support.
FAQ
Ten US employees: what is cheapest?
Payroll software only: Gusto Simple 1,308/year (49+10×6) is cheapest; Justworks Payroll 1,560 (50+10×8); Gusto Plus 2,400. For benefits/compliance/workers' comp: Justworks PEO Basic 9,480, PEO Plus 14,880, Deel US PEO 15,000. A PEO is not a payroll-software replacement; premiums/salary/tax are separate.
What is the difference between PEO and EOR?
A PEO is co-employment: you remain the employer and the PEO provides payroll, benefits administration, compliance and a workers' comp channel, mainly in the US; Justworks PEO is 79/124 per person/month. An EOR is the nominal employer: the platform legally employs the worker locally and takes on contracts/payroll/benefits/compliance; Justworks/Deel are 599 per person/month. A PEO does not solve overseas hiring without an entity, and an EOR is not for “I have a US entity and only want to outsource benefits”.
Ten international contractors: which one?
Justworks international contractors 50+10×39=440/month, 5,280/year; Deel 10×49=490/month, 5,880/year. Justworks is 600/year cheaper and covers 60+ countries; Deel covers 120+ currencies, better for multi-country/multi-currency. High classification risk adds Deel Contractor of Record 325/contractor/month, 39,000/year for ten.
Why is EOR so much more expensive than payroll software?
The 599/person/month EOR fee buys a local legal employer, contracts, payroll, statutory benefits, tax compliance and offboarding; the 49+6 payroll software only buys payroll/tax forms, with the employment relationship still yours. Ten EOR employees at 71,880/year is 55× the 1,308 ten-US-W-2 payroll software, but the legal liability is completely different.
What is the difference between Justworks PEO Basic and Plus?
Basic 79/person/month: payroll, core HR, compliance, 24/7 support, 401(k), workers' comp channel; Plus 124/person/month adds medical/dental/vision administration, HSA/FSA, mental health and fertility benefits. Premiums are separate; PEO requires workers' comp.
Does Deel's 599 include salary/benefits?
No. The 599/person/month is the EOR platform fee; salary, statutory benefits, tax, bonuses and expenses are separate. US PEO 125/person/month is also a platform fee, with salary/premiums separate. Contractor of Record 325/contractor/month is classification liability, not salary. Budget “platform fee + salary/benefits/tax” separately.
How should a mixed team be calculated?
Five US W-2 + five international contractors: Justworks Payroll 50+5×8+5×39=285/month, 3,420/year; Deel 5×125 (US PEO) + 5×49 (contractors)=870/month, 10,440/year. The former is payroll + contractor payments, the latter includes US co-employment; choose based on who carries the employment relationship.
What other costs are hidden?
Gusto: global contractor payments 5/payment, next-day 15+3/person (Simple add-on; included in Plus/Premium), instant 100/payroll and same-day 90/payroll (Simple/Plus add-ons; included in Premium), state registration, Business Compliance 85/state/month, Remote I-9 20, E-Verify 5. Justworks: PEO premiums/workers' comp separate, time tracking 8, dedicated HR 30, CHOICE 25, international contractors 39, US contractors 8. Deel: EOR/PEO salary/benefits/tax separate, Contractor of Record 325, Hire 14, FX. None includes tax/implementation/migration.
Research method and limitations
This article separates “official facts” from “editorial modelling”: plan prices, units, add-ons and coverage come from the three official pricing pages; the ten-person TCO is monthly fee × 12 arithmetic, not a vendor quote. It does not compare country compliance quality, benefit levels, onboarding experience, payroll accuracy or support response.
Eight limitations: (1) only US public list prices are compared, excluding tax, salary, benefits/social contributions, workers' comp, FX, implementation and migration; (2) all PEO/EOR prices are platform/service fees, not total employment cost; (3) Justworks PEO premiums/workers' comp are separate and Deel US PEO salary/premiums are separate; (4) EOR 599 excludes salary/statutory benefits/tax; (5) country coverage, PEO eligibility, minimum headcount and industry restrictions were not verified; (6) contractor classification, contracts/IP, offboarding and data compliance were not verified; (7) quote-only vendors such as Rippling/ADP/Paylocity are not compared; (8) mainland China social insurance/individual income tax/labour relations and local pricing are excluded. Treat this as a unit-alignment template and replace assumptions with a two-week real onboarding/payroll POC.
Sources and basis
- Gusto, Pricing: gusto.com/product/pricing. Simple 49/month+6/person/month; Plus 80+12; Premium 180+22; global contractor payments 5/payment; next-day 15+3/person (Simple add-on; included in Plus/Premium), instant 100/payroll and same-day 90/payroll (Simple/Plus add-ons; included in Premium); state tax registration, Business Compliance 85/state/month, Remote I-9 20, E-Verify 5. Accessed 5 November 2026.
- Justworks, Pricing: justworks.com/pricing. Payroll 50/month+8/person/month; PEO Basic 79/person/month; PEO Plus 124/person/month; EOR 599/person/month; international contractors 39/contractor/month (60+ countries); US contractors 8/contractor/month; time tracking 8, dedicated HR 30, CHOICE 25; no implementation fee. Accessed 5 November 2026.
- Deel, Pricing: deel.com/pricing. Contractors 49/contractor/month; Contractor of Record 325/contractor/month; EOR 599/person/month (130+ countries); US PEO 125/person/month; Hire from 14/worker/month; 120+ currencies; FX separate. Accessed 5 November 2026.
Data cut-off 5 November 2026; prices are public list prices excluding tax; all models are editorial calculations. This is not legal, tax or employment advice.