The Problem
Why teams leave Gusto
Per-person pricing on top of base fee
HR features limited on Simple/Plus plans
Performance management only on Premium
Limited custom reporting capabilities
Payroll compliance for multi-state is complex
What We Build Instead
Your custom hr & people tool
Payroll processing with tax calculations and filing
Employee self-service for paystubs and W-2s
Benefits enrollment and management
PTO tracking and management
Onboarding checklists and document signing
Custom reporting and payroll analytics
The Math
Gusto vs. custom build
Based on 75 seats at $8/seat/month, with ~10% annual SaaS price increases.
Keep paying Gusto
Build with 86 SaaS
3-year savings with 75 seats
-$26,990
-114% less than Gusto
Pricing Breakdown
Gusto tier pricing vs. one-time custom build
Compare what you pay per seat across Gusto's tiers against a single investment in software you own forever.
| Tier | Monthly/Seat | Annual/Seat | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | $6/mo | $5/mo | Full payroll, Employee self-service, Health benefits, Workers comp |
| Plus | $12/mo | $10/mo | Time tracking, PTO management, Next-day deposits, Permissions |
| Premium | $22/mo | $18/mo | Performance reviews, Surveys, Insights & reporting, Compliance alerts |
| Custom Build by 86 SaaS | $25,000–$45,000 one-time | $0/seat | Unlimited users, full ownership, no recurring fees |
Migration Timeline
From Gusto to ownership — week by week
A structured migration plan to move off Gusto in 6-10 weeks with zero downtime.
Discovery & Audit
1 weekAudit current payroll, benefits, and HR processes
Architecture & Design
1-2 weeksDesign payroll engine with tax calculation and benefits enrollment
Core Development
3-5 weeksBuild payroll processing, benefits admin, PTO, and employee portal
Data Migration & Testing
1-2 weeksMigrate employee data, payroll history, and run parallel payroll cycles
Deployment & Training
1 weekGo live with payroll and train HR team and employees
Total build time
6-10 weeks
Feature Comparison
What you keep, what you skip, and why
A transparent comparison of Gusto features vs. your custom-built alternative.
| Feature | Gusto | Custom Build | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll Processing | |||
| Tax Filing & Compliance | |||
| Benefits Enrollment | |||
| Employee Self-service | |||
| PTO Management | |||
| Time Tracking | |||
| Performance Reviews | |||
| Onboarding Checklists | |||
| State Tax Registration | Use dedicated payroll tax services for multi-state compliance | ||
| Unlimited Employees | No per-person pricing — flat cost for your org |
Your custom build focuses on the features your team actually uses — typically 15-20% of what Gusto offers — built exactly for your workflow.
How It Works
From Gusto to ownership in 6-10 weeks
Free Audit
We analyze your Gusto usage and identify exactly which features your team actually uses.
Scope & Build
We build your custom hr & people tool with only the features you need. 6-10 weeks.
Deploy & Migrate
We deploy to your infrastructure, migrate your data from Gusto, and train your team.
You Own It
Full source code, documentation, and optional maintenance retainer. No vendor lock-in. Ever.