Gusto runs payroll.
Sdine runs everything around it.
The classic startup stack is Gusto for payroll plus a traditional broker for benefits — which leaves compliance, renewals and employee support on your desk. Sdine keeps Gusto, replaces the once-a-year broker with a consultant and AI, and takes the compliance work off your plate.
Line by line
Sdine vs Broker + Gusto, compared honestly.
Gusto is great payroll software — and you keep it. The gap is everything a self-serve tool and a once-a-year broker leave undone: optimization, compliance execution and real support.
A dedicated consultant + AI, engaged every cycle.
A broker you email — active mostly at renewal.
Every carrier shopped, right-sized to your workforce.
Commission-driven; renewals often roll over.
AI models the market; claims data drives the ask down.
Annual quote, take-it-or-leave-it increases.
ACA, ERISA, 5500, multi-state, notices — done for you.
Gusto flags basics; the rest is on you.
AI triage in minutes; experts draft and resolve.
Letters land on your desk — you sort it out.
We run it on top of your Gusto — keep the tool.
Gusto payroll, operated by your team.
24/7 app: concierge, cards, pharmacy, bill defense.
Employees email HR or the broker and wait.
Free — carrier commission, like the broker.
Broker commission + Gusto per-seat software fee.
The gaps Gusto + a broker leave open.
Gusto handles payroll; the broker sells the plan. Sdine fills everything in between — and does it for the same commission your broker already earns.
An always-on broker
Not a once-a-year renewal. AI shops every carrier every cycle and a senior consultant negotiates with your own claims data — up to 25% off healthcare.
Compliance you don't touch
ACA, ERISA, COBRA, Form 5500 and state mandates — monitored across 10,000+ jurisdictions and filed for you, not left in a Gusto checklist.
Multi-state, handled
Hire in a new state and we open the SUI, withholding and new-hire reporting accounts in 3–5 days — instead of you learning each state's portal.
Notices resolved for you
IRS, DOL and state letters get AI-triaged in minutes and resolved by our experts — with penalty protection if we ever miss one we should've caught.
A real employee app
24/7 concierge, digital cards, pharmacy savings and bill negotiation. The Care Navigator disputes wrong medical bills — the average employee saves ~$340/yr.
You keep Gusto
Nothing to migrate. Sdine runs payroll on top of your Gusto and adds benefits, compliance and people ops around it.
Where each one actually fits.
Gusto is a genuinely good product — this isn't a rip-and-replace pitch. Here's the fair version.
Broker + Gusto is fine when…
- You're very small
At 2–5 people with simple needs, Gusto's self-serve payroll and a basic broker plan can be all you need — and Sdine still layers on when you grow.
- You love your broker
If you have a broker who genuinely shops the market and answers fast, and you enjoy owning compliance yourself, the DIY stack can work.
- You want to self-serve everything
Teams that prefer to run benefits and compliance in-house, in software, may not want a done-for-you service.
Sdine wins when…
- Compliance is piling up
Once you're multi-state or past ~10 people, ACA, 5500 and notices get real. Sdine executes them so they never hit your desk.
- Renewals keep climbing
If your broker roll-overs mean annual increases, AI optimization and claims-data negotiation change the trajectory.
- You want it off your plate
Sdine does the work for the same commission the broker already earns — plus it runs on the Gusto you keep.
Adding Sdine
Keep Gusto. Retire the busywork.
Connect your Gusto
We link to your existing Gusto for payroll and census data in under 10 minutes. No migration — Gusto stays exactly where it is.
We replace the broker
Sign the broker-of-record letter. Sdine shops your plans across every carrier, and moves ACA, 5500, multi-state tax and notices onto autopilot.
Live in 7–10 days
Your team gets the Sdine app for concierge and bill defense, and a named consultant picks up your renewals — while payroll keeps running on Gusto.
Sdine alongside Gusto, answered.
Do I have to leave Gusto?
No. Sdine runs on top of Gusto. You keep Gusto for payroll; Sdine replaces the separate broker and takes over compliance and employee support around it.
Isn't Gusto listed as a Sdine integration partner?
Yes — that's the point. Sdine isn't a payroll competitor; it operates on top of Gusto. The comparison here is against the broker + Gusto's do-it-yourself compliance, not Gusto's payroll.
What does Sdine cost if I already pay Gusto and a broker?
Sdine is free to your company — paid by carrier commission, the same commission your broker already earns. You keep paying Gusto's software fee; Sdine adds the team at no cost.
What about the compliance Gusto already does?
Gusto handles payroll-tax basics well. Sdine handles the benefits-side and multi-state work it doesn't — ACA reporting, ERISA/5500, COBRA, state registrations and .gov notice resolution — end to end.
Keep Gusto. Upgrade everything else.
Free savings estimate. We model your plans against the full market and show what Sdine would save — while Gusto keeps running your payroll.
Get my free estimate