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MG

Mike G.

Dir. of Operations

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

12/17/2024

"Guideline is Simple & Effective!"

5/5

What do you like best about Gusto 401(k)?

The ease of use for both employees and the administration side of the platform. Guideline support is also top-tier! Whenever we've needed support or encountered issues, they are easy to reach (even via email) and always ensure we resolve the problem at hand. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Gusto 401(k)?

There really isn't anything I don't like about them - I used to want them to integrate more fully with Paycor and now they do! Thank you for listening to your customers! Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Guideline Team of Gusto 401(k)

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Thank you for the positive feedback! We’re committed to providing the best service possible. If there’s anything more we can do for you, please let us know at clients@guideline.com.

ST

Stacy T.

Financial Controller / Accountant / HR & Benefits Administrator

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

7/30/2025

"The Retirement Adventure Begins"

5/5

What do you like best about Gusto 401(k)?

Seamless integration - we use QBO for HR and Payroll and have found the ease with which we hooked it to our Guideline account amazing. No continual maintenance for our HR staff to stress over - everything is handled by the employees and Guideline takes care of the rest. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Gusto 401(k)?

Inability to make additional personal investments to my account - this may be a federal investment law though, not Guideline in particular. But we have employees who want to add more to their account who can't do so unless it's through payroll. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Gusto 401(k) solving and how is that benefiting you?

Initially? Providing value to our employees by offering added benefits in lieu of pay raises. It's helping stabilize our workforce by offering them long term incentives to stay with the company and keep a solid eye on their financial future. Over 70% of our staff either opted in or decided to be auto-enrolled. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

NB

Nicole B.

CEO/Consultant

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

7/18/2025

"Streamlined, Affordable 401(k) Solution for Small Businesses"

4.5/5

What do you like best about Gusto 401(k)?

Guideline makes it incredibly easy to offer a 401(k) plan to my employees. The setup was straightforward, the platform is user-friendly, and the integration with our payroll provider is seamless. I especially appreciate the transparent, low-cost fee structure—there are no hidden surprises, and the pricing is clear for both the business and the employees. It feels like a modern, efficient solution tailored for small to mid-sized businesses. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Gusto 401(k)?

The investment options are somewhat limited compared to traditional 401(k) providers—this may not matter for everyone, but more experienced investors might find it restrictive. Lastly, the platform is mostly self-service, so if you’re looking for a highly hands-on advisor experience, this may not be the best fit. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Gusto 401(k) solving and how is that benefiting you?

Guideline takes the complexity out of offering a 401(k) plan as a small business owner. Before using Guideline, setting up retirement benefits felt overwhelming—too expensive, too complicated, and too time-consuming. Guideline simplifies the entire process with an intuitive platform, automated administration, and seamless payroll integration. This has saved me significant time and administrative burden, allowing me to focus on running my business while still offering a competitive benefit to my team. It’s also cost-effective, which makes it feasible to offer retirement savings without straining our budget. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

AH

Verified User in Hospital & Health Care

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

10/11/2022

"Guideline Review"

5/5

What do you like best about Gusto 401(k)?

How much support I got in selecting my 401K plan. Representatives responded fast and answered all my questions. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Gusto 401(k)?

Nothing. Everything was great, I don't have anything negative. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

JZ

Jerika Z.

Owner

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

9/23/2025

"Super simple to set up and maintain, reasonably priced"

5/5

What do you like best about Gusto 401(k)?

I started to use Guideline because this is the one my payroll provider (Gusto) recommended and linked up with, but it was a great choice. The setup was very easy to understand and quick to get through. Since it links up with my HR/Payroll system, I hardly ever have to log in to do anything, but when I do, it's a clear and easy-to-use customer interface. I only contacted customer service 1X at setup to better understand what I was doing, and the help was great. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Gusto 401(k)?

I have not found a downside yet, we have been using for a bit over a year Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

AW

Ayishah W.

Head of People Operations

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

9/25/2025

"Great 401(k) Option for Startups and Growing Teams"

5/5

What do you like best about Gusto 401(k)?

What I like best about Guideline is how user-friendly it is for both administrators and employees. The payroll integration makes managing contributions seamless, and the educational resources provided to employees are clear and practical. I also really appreciate the transparency of their pricing model, which gives peace of mind when budgeting as a smaller organization. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Gusto 401(k)?

The one area where Guideline could improve is the reporting dashboard. While it works and provides the essentials, it doesn’t offer much flexibility for customization. More robust options for slicing and analyzing data would make it even more powerful. That said, it met our needs without issue while we were using it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Gusto 401(k) solving and how is that benefiting you?

Guideline was an excellent partner in helping us introduce a 401(k) program to our employees for the very first time. As a start-up, we needed a solution that was simple, cost-effective, and easy to manage without a dedicated internal benefits team. Guideline checked all of those boxes.

The platform integrates smoothly with payroll, which reduced administrative burden and ensured contributions are handled accurately. Their onboarding process for employees is straightforward, with clear education materials that make it easy for first-time participants to understand their options. .

From a company perspective, Guideline maked compliance and reporting stress-free. The transparent fee structure is predictable, which is ideal for smaller organizations watching expenses closely. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

JA

Jesica A.

CEO

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

9/18/2025

"Simple and straightforward platform."

4/5

What do you like best about Gusto 401(k)?

Guideline was easy to set up. Communications from the company are clear, and the Gusto integration makes administration simple. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Gusto 401(k)?

It works well for our use case, but if a more complex plan is needed or more investment choices are needed, Guideline may not be the best option. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Gusto 401(k) solving and how is that benefiting you?

It is important to be able to offer 401k benefits to my employees (and for myself). Guideline made this easy. My employees can set their contribution percentages and mixes on their own without any action needed on my part. It's been a set it and forget it kind of service, which is fantastic as a busy business owner. We have simple needs, so the safe harbor plan is sufficient. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

LE

Level UP E.

9/16/2025

"Seamless Gusto Integration, But Pricing Could Improve"

4.5/5

What do you like best about Gusto 401(k)?

I love that Guideline is directly integrated with Gusto, making it seamless and hands-off to manage our 401k plan. The setup was easy with helpful support, and I haven't encountered any challenges since. It keeps us compliant with California's requirements and aids in retaining employees by offering a reliable retirement plan. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Gusto 401(k)?

I find the cost of using Guideline to be a bit high, particularly since the billing is based on active users rather than contributions. This pricing structure can be disproportionately expensive for us because we work with part-time employees who may earn less than a thousand dollars in a year. This means we could be spending $80 to $100 per year just to keep them on Guideline, essentially giving them a 10% raise in management fees, which isn't reflected in their earnings at all. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

JG

James G.

Executive Director

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

10/21/2025

"Effortless Retirement Planning for Nonprofits—So Far, So Good"

5/5

What do you like best about Gusto 401(k)?

Super simple and seamless retirement planning solutions for small nonprofits. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Gusto 401(k)?

Hmmm this is challenging since we haven't really had any negative experiences to date. We are still early in our use of their services, so perhaps there will be something we dislike that surfaces later. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Gusto 401(k) solving and how is that benefiting you?

As a small nonprofit, there aren't a lot of options we found to support retirement planning for our employees. Guideline not only solved this for us, but did so with digital-age ease, from super simple setup, QuickBooks Online integration, and easy for our employees to choose options, auto-draft, etc. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

AP

Amber P.

Administrator/Chief Executive Officer

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

6/26/2025

"User Friendly with Incredible Reports"

5/5

What do you like best about Gusto 401(k)?

As a small business owner, finding a 401(k) provider that was affordable, easy to manage, and employee-friendly felt like a tall order—until we found Guideline. From the start, their platform was intuitive and required far less administrative time than I expected. The setup process was smooth, and their customer support team walked us through every step with clarity and patience.

What I appreciate most is how transparent and automated everything is. Contributions, compliance, and reporting are all handled seamlessly, which gives me peace of mind and allows me to focus on growing the business. Our employees have also responded positively—they love how easy it is to log in, track their investments, and make changes without having to jump through hoops.

Adding a retirement plan used to feel like something only larger companies could afford to do well, but Guideline made it accessible and modern. I genuinely feel like we’re offering a competitive benefit that aligns with our company values and helps take care of our team’s future. I’d highly recommend Guideline to any business looking for a 401(k) solution that works as hard as you do. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Gusto 401(k)?

Overall, I’ve been really happy with Guideline for our company 401(k)—the platform is clean, the fees are transparent, and the automation has saved us so much time. If I had to nitpick one small downside, it would be that the dashboard could offer a few more customization options or visual reports for employers. Nothing critical, just a "nice to have" for data nerds like me who love digging into trends. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Gusto 401(k) solving and how is that benefiting you?

Problem: 401(k) plans traditionally come with a mountain of paperwork, confusing rules, and hours of manual work.

Solution: Guideline automates contributions, compliance testing, reporting, and Form 5500 filing—saving you time, reducing errors, and keeping you compliant without needing a dedicated HR team.

Problem: Many 401(k) providers charge layered fees—some of which fall on your employees—making it hard to offer a truly cost-effective benefit.

Solution: Guideline offers flat, transparent pricing with low fees for both employers and employees. That makes it easier for your team to grow their savings without getting hit with confusing charges.

Problem: Traditional 401(k) platforms often feel clunky and outdated, discouraging employees from actively participating.

Solution: Guideline offers a clean, modern interface that makes it easy for employees to enroll, choose investment strategies, and track progress—all from their phones or desktops.

Problem: Staying compliant with IRS and Department of Labor requirements can be overwhelming—and risky.

Solution: Guideline acts as both a 3(16) and 3(38) fiduciary, meaning they handle plan administration and investment management. This reduces your liability and simplifies your role as the employer. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.