Gusto vs Keeper Comparison 2026
Both cover creator finance and accounting & tax. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
At a glance
- Gusto starts cheaper, at $49.
- Neither has a free tier.
Side by side
Gusto | Keeper | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $49 | From $199 |
| Pricing model (they differ) | Paid subscription | One-time purchase |
| Free tier | No | No |
| Billing (they differ) | Monthly or annual | One-time purchase |
| Free trial | Not stated | Not stated |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on (they differ) | Web | Web, iOS, Android |
| Covers | Creator Finance, Accounting & Tax | Accounting & Tax, Creator Finance |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
Gusto
Payroll for the first person you hire
Gusto is what a creator business turns to on the day an editor stops being a contractor and becomes an employee. It runs the payroll, files the taxes in the states you owe them, handles onboarding and offers benefits on top. The per-person fee is the number to watch: the base looks small and the headcount is what actually sets the bill. Contractor-only payments are cheaper than full payroll and sold separately.
Our note
Work the total at your actual headcount rather than comparing base prices, because the per-person charge doubles between Simple and Plus and that is where the real difference sits. If everyone you pay is a contractor, this is the wrong product and you are paying a payroll price for an invoicing problem.
Keeper
Tax filing that hunts for freelance write-offs
Keeper connects to the accounts a freelancer actually spends from and proposes deductions transaction by transaction, then files the return at the end of it. A tax professional reviews and signs what gets sent. The pricing is per filing rather than per month, so it is bought once a year and the deduction hunting is what you are paying for in between.
Our note
Priced per filing rather than per month, which is the whole comparison against Wave or FreeAgent. Two hundred dollars once a year suits anybody whose Schedule C is the only return they file. It is poor value for somebody who also needs the books kept in between, and that is a different purchase.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.