Gusto vs SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll
payroll head-to-head for ERP teams: evidenced capabilities, published pricing, and which ERPs each actually integrates with.
| Starting price | From $6/user/mo (published) | Quote-based |
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Company size | SMB, Mid-market | Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Stated ERP integrations | QuickBooks, Xero | SAP |
| Vendor | Gusto, Inc. | SAP |
Our take
Where Gusto leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 9 of the 24 capabilities where they differ (led by year-end forms (w-2/1099 or local equivalents) and new-hire reporting).
- Published pricing where the alternative quotes.
- Stated QuickBooks, Xero integration the alternative doesn't list.
Where SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll leads
- Stronger evidenced coverage on 15 of the 24 capabilities where they differ (led by multi-country payroll runs and retroactive pay calculations).
- Stated SAP integration the alternative doesn't list.
Where they differ
The 24 capabilities (of 36 in the payroll taxonomy) where the evidence separates them, biggest gaps first. “Not evidenced” means our research found no public documentation of this capability — the vendor may still offer it. Confirm on a demo.
| Capability | ||
|---|---|---|
| Multi-country payroll runsGross-to-Net Processing | Not evidenced | Core strength 50+ country versions |
| Retroactive pay calculationsGross-to-Net Processing | Not evidenced | Core strength Complex retroactive and off-cycle payroll processing |
| Year-end forms (W-2/1099 or local equivalents)Tax Filing & Compliance | Core strength W-2/1099 preparation and filing | Not evidenced |
| Local statutory complianceTax Filing & Compliance | Not evidenced | Core strength 50+ country versions with automatic regulatory updates via SAP |
| New-hire reportingTax Filing & Compliance | Core strength | Not evidenced |
| Direct deposit / local bank transfersPayments & Disbursement | Core strength | Not evidenced |
| HRIS employee data syncTime & Data Inputs | Not evidenced Gusto is the primary HR system of record, not a sync target | Core strength Native integration with SuccessFactors Employee Central |
| Contractor paymentsTime & Data Inputs | Core strength Contractor payments and 1099 handling | Not evidenced |
| Broad in-country coverageGlobal Coverage & Entities | Not evidenced | Core strength 50+ countries on the mature SAP payroll engine |
| Single-platform global consolidationGlobal Coverage & Entities | Not evidenced | Core strength |
| Off-cycle and correction runsGross-to-Net Processing | Partial Unlimited payroll runs; off-cycle not explicitly documented | Core strength |
| Gross-up calculationsGross-to-Net Processing | Not evidenced | Supported |
| Multi-state / multi-jurisdiction taxTax Filing & Compliance | Supported All 50 US states | Not evidenced |
| GL mapping and journal creationReporting & General Ledger | Not evidenced | Supported |
| Payroll cost analyticsReporting & General Ledger | Not evidenced | Supported Payroll control center for process monitoring |
| Custom report builderReporting & General Ledger | Not evidenced | Supported Standard and statutory reporting |
| Public API & webhooksPlatform & Integrations | Supported Public API and partner marketplace | Not evidenced |
| Audit trails & role-based accessPlatform & Integrations | Not evidenced | Supported Audit trails |
| Automated tax filing and remittanceTax Filing & Compliance | Core strength | Supported Statutory and legal reporting per country |
| Multi-currency paymentsPayments & Disbursement | Not evidenced | Partial Implied by global country coverage; not separately documented |
| Self-service portal / mobile appEmployee Experience & Benefits | Core strength | Supported AI-powered Explain Pay, mobile access |
| Benefits deduction handlingEmployee Experience & Benefits | Core strength Automatic benefit deductions synced to payroll | Supported Benefits and pension provider integration |
| Automated ERP GL postingReporting & General Ledger | Supported Payroll journal entries sync to QuickBooks Online / Xero | Core strength Native integration with SAP ERP/S/4HANA finance |
| iPaaS / prebuilt ERP connectivityPlatform & Integrations | Supported Certified QuickBooks Online and Xero app-store connectors | Core strength Native to SAP SuccessFactors and S/4HANA |
Both grade identically on the other 12 capabilities — see each product's full profile: Gusto, SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll.
Gusto vs SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll — FAQs
Is Gusto or SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll better for ERP integration?
They state different ERP coverage: Gusto lists QuickBooks, Xero; SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll lists SAP.
Which is cheaper, Gusto or SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll?
Gusto publishes a starting rate ($6/user/mo); SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll prices by quote, so a like-for-like number requires asking both.
Get pricing for both
Tell us your ERP, seat count and must-haves and we'll come back with an independent view of what Gusto and SAP SuccessFactors Employee Central Payroll should each cost you — and whether a third option belongs on your shortlist.