Gusto vs Workday

Gusto has recently focused on enhancing its payroll and HR offerings for small businesses. The company launched a redesigned Gusto Pro platform and expanded its partner program for accountants, aiming to improve service integration. It also addressed compliance challenges with new features and deepened its partnership with Chase for Business to offer an integrated payroll experience. Interestingly, Gusto also introduced a non-business product, the GTG carbon gravel bike, signaling some diversification beyond its core services.

Workday, on the other hand, is concentrating heavily on artificial intelligence and enterprise software innovation. It launched Workday Recruiting Autopilot and plans to add payroll features in early 2027. The company has made significant moves in AI by acquiring C1.ai, an identity platform, and is integrating agentic AI capabilities across contract lifecycle management. Despite these advances, some analysts remain cautious about near-term AI revenue contributions. Workday also forecasts strong double-digit revenue growth, reflecting confidence in its AI-driven strategy.

While both companies operate in HR and payroll software, Gusto is focusing on small business needs and partnerships to enhance compliance and user experience. Workday is pushing aggressively into AI and enterprise-scale automation. Sales and product teams competing with Gusto should emphasize ease of use and compliance support for smaller clients. Those up against Workday need to watch its AI innovations and enterprise integrations, which could redefine expectations for large-scale HR and finance solutions.