Tickin vs Gusto: attendance and payslips in Slack, or full-service US payroll
Gusto and Tickin both appear when a small team looks for payroll, but they do different jobs. Gusto is a full-service US payroll provider: it runs payroll for US employees, files and pays payroll taxes, and pays people by direct deposit. Tickin is attendance, leave and payroll software that runs from Slack: it calculates pay from the hours and leave it records and sends itemized payslips, but it doesn't file taxes or pay employees.
In short
Choose Gusto if you pay employees in the US and want a provider to file and pay your payroll taxes and handle direct deposit. Choose Tickin if you mainly need time tracking, attendance, leave and payslips run from Slack, including for teams outside the US, and you already file taxes and pay salaries through your bank or accountant.
| Tickin | Gusto | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Attendance, leave and payroll software, run from Slack (Microsoft Teams on the Scale plan) or the browser | Full-service US payroll, benefits and HR provider |
| Files and pays payroll taxes | No. Tickin calculates pay; filing stays with you or your accountant | Yes: tax filings and payments are included from the Simple plan |
| Pays employees | No. You pay salaries through your bank | Yes, by direct deposit (next-day pay on Plus and Premium) |
| Where it runs payroll | Any country, with income-tax presets for 17 markets that an admin reviews and confirms | US employees: single-state on Simple, multi-state on Plus; contractor payments in 120+ countries |
| US tax coverage | Federal income tax brackets (single filer) as a starting point; no FICA, no state tax | Federal, state and local payroll taxes |
| Time tracking and attendance | Included on every plan, with clock-in from Slack and the browser | Time tracking on Plus; a Time & Attendance add-on on Simple |
| Leave | Leave requests and approvals on every plan | Basic PTO policies and holiday pay on Simple |
| Free plan | Free for up to 10 employees (payroll is on Growth) | No free payroll plan; the contractor-only plan is $0 a month under a limited-time offer, plus $6 per person |
| Pricing (per month) | Starter $2, Growth $3, Scale $6 per employee | Simple $49 + $6 per person, Plus $80 + $12 per person, Premium $180 + $22 per person |
What Gusto is great at
Gusto takes US payroll off your hands. From its Simple plan it runs unlimited payrolls, files and pays federal, state and local payroll taxes, and pays people by direct deposit, with multi-state payroll and next-day pay on Plus. It adds benefits and HR tools on top. If you employ people in the US and want a provider accountable for getting taxes filed and paid, that is exactly the job Gusto is built for, and Tickin does not replace it.
Where Tickin is different
Tickin starts from the working day rather than the pay run. Your team clocks in and out from Slack with /tickin start and /tickin end, or from the browser, requests leave, and gets approvals in chat, on every plan including Free. On the Growth plan, Tickin turns those hours, that leave and approved overtime into pay and sends each person an itemized PDF payslip. It works for teams in any country, with income-tax presets for 17 markets that an admin reviews before using. What it does not do is file taxes or move money.
US teams: read this first
For US payroll, Tickin's preset covers federal income tax brackets for a single filer as a starting point. It does not calculate FICA (Social Security and Medicare) or state income tax, and it does not file or pay anything. A US employer that needs compliant payroll should use a provider like Gusto. Tickin can still run attendance, leave and time tracking for that team.
Which should you choose
If you pay US employees and want taxes filed and salaries paid for you, choose Gusto. If your team is outside the US, or your accountant already handles filing and payments, and what you need is attendance, leave and payslips driven from Slack, Tickin covers that in one tool, and a team of up to 10 can start free.
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Frequently asked questions
- Is Tickin a Gusto alternative?
- Only for part of what Gusto does. Tickin calculates pay from attendance, leave and overtime and sends payslips, but it doesn't file taxes or pay employees, which Gusto does. For US payroll that needs filing and direct deposit, Gusto is the better fit.
- Does Tickin file payroll taxes like Gusto?
- No. Tickin is payroll software, not a payroll service: it doesn't file taxes or pay employees. Gusto's plans include tax filings and payments.
- Can Tickin run payroll for US employees?
- It can calculate pay and produce payslips, but for US tax its preset covers federal income tax brackets for a single filer only, with no FICA or state tax, and it files nothing. Most US employers need a full-service provider for that part.
- Which is cheaper?
- On list prices, Tickin is $2, $3 or $6 per employee per month, and free for up to 10 employees; payroll is on Growth. Gusto lists Simple at $49 a month plus $6 per person, Plus at $80 plus $12 per person and Premium at $180 plus $22 per person. They do different jobs, so compare against what you need.
- Does Tickin work outside the US?
- Yes. Tickin works for teams anywhere, with currency set per workspace and income-tax presets for 17 markets, including the UK, Canada, India, Pakistan, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, that an admin reviews and confirms.
Competitor pricing and features change often. Gusto details on this page come from Gusto's own pricing page as of September 2026; Tickin details describe what Tickin does today. It is not an exhaustive feature audit, so please check each product's own website for current details.