Rippling vs Gusto: pricing, payroll and paying people abroad (2026)

US payroll price

Gusto publishes three plans: Simple at $49 a month plus $6 per person for basic payroll in one state, Plus at $80 plus $12 with multi-state payroll and time tracking, and Premium at $180 plus $22 with a named advisor and HR tools. Plans are month to month with unlimited payroll runs, and Gusto says there is no long-term contract.

Rippling says its plans start at $8 per employee per month with a monthly base fee, and that the total depends on the products you add. It does not publish the base fee, the payroll price or any bundle, so a Rippling quote is the only way to compare like for like. Rippling offers eligible US venture-backed startups six months free.

Hiring employees outside the US

Rippling sells its own employer of record service in 115 countries, and global payroll through its entities or yours. Gusto does not run an employer of record. Its Gusto Global page says it partners with Remote for full-time international employees, and Remote handles compliance, payroll, taxes and benefits.

That makes the Gusto route two relationships: Gusto for the US team and international contractors, Remote for employees abroad, which Remote prices from $599 per employee per month on annual contracts. Toku covers the same ground in one contract, with employer of record at $599 per employee per month in 100+ countries.

Paying international contractors

Gusto pays contractors in more than 120 countries with no monthly per-contractor fee. Instead each payment carries one fee: $5 to a US bank account, 1.5% to 2% to a local bank in local currency, 0.75% to 1.5% to a local bank in USD with a $15 minimum and $100 maximum, and 1.5% to an eligible digital wallet. Gusto's help center says its exchange rates include partner-bank rates, fees and markups, and from November 2, 2026 a failed company debit costs $100.

Rippling does not publish a contractor price. It says contractors in 180+ countries can choose from 15+ payout options, with funds typically arriving two to four days after approval.

Gusto requires a US-based employee, or a US contractor on contractor-only plans, before you can pay anyone abroad, and it does not pay US citizens working in other countries. Teams without a US payroll should check that first.

Stablecoins

Gusto pays eligible international contractors in USDC to a crypto wallet, for the 1.5% digital wallet fee. Rippling lists stablecoin as a contractor payout option without saying which coin. Neither describes stablecoin pay for employees.

Toku pays contractors in USDC or USDT through contractor management at $19 per contractor per month, and lets employees opt in to receive net pay in USDC where local rules allow, with salary still valued and withheld in local currency. If you keep Gusto for US payroll, Toku can also connect stablecoin payouts to it.

Which one fits

This is Toku's reading of each provider's public pages as of November 2026, not a product test.

• Gusto fits a US small business that wants predictable published pricing and pays a few people abroad as contractors.
• Rippling fits a scaling company that wants payroll, HR, devices and spend on one record, in the US and abroad, and will negotiate a bundle.
• Toku fits a team whose people are mostly outside the US, or paid partly in stablecoins, and that wants published per-worker prices.