Kontrable: The Gusto alternative for contractor management without payroll complexity

Gusto is built for employee payroll and HR: comprehensive payroll tax filings, benefits administration, health insurance, 401(k) management, time tracking, HR support. Their pricing model reflects this: base fees ($49-$180/month) plus per-person charges ($6-$22). Kontrable is built for contractor management: tracking projects, managing contracts, handling invoices, coordinating direct payments. These are fundamentally different needs requiring different tools.

If you're managing 1099 contractors who handle their own taxes and already have payment accounts, you don't need employee payroll infrastructure. You need contractor management.

Why Gusto isn't the right solution for contractors

Gusto is an employee payroll and HR system. It's designed around employment relationships: payroll tax calculations, W-4 forms, health insurance administration, 401(k) plans, payroll processing, benefits compliance. Every feature assumes W-2 employees.

If you use Gusto for contractors, you're paying for:

• Payroll tax filing infrastructure (contractors handle their own taxes)
• Health insurance administration (contractors manage their own benefits)
• 401(k) management (contractors don't get retirement plans from you)
• Payroll processing (contractors invoice you)
• Time tracking for employees (contractors track their own time)
• HR compliance (contractors aren't employees)

Contractors don't need any of this. Gusto's entire value proposition is built around employee management. Using it for contractors means paying base fees plus per-person charges for overhead you don't need.

What Kontrable actually solves for contractors

Contractor database: Store contractor information, payment details, business information, preferred payment methods in one organized place.

Contract and document management: Upload and organize contracts, statements of work, compliance documents. AI-assisted contract generation reviewed by your legal counsel. Track signatures and versions.

Project and milestone tracking: Create projects with specific milestones, deliverables, payment amounts. Track progress. Get alerts when milestones approach. Know what's pending.

Payment management with flexibility: Approve payments. Record transaction IDs and proofs from your chosen method (Wise, PayPal, Payoneer, or direct bank transfer). Track contractor confirmations. Complete audit trail.

Compliance organization: Centralize tax forms (W-9, W-8BEN), contractor status documentation, records for audits. Know what's on file.

Alerts and notifications: Automated reminders for deadlines, pending approvals, confirmations. No manual tracking.

Monthly reporting: Export contractor lists, payment records, status summaries for finance and operations.

This is what contractors actually need. Not payroll. Not tax filings. Not benefits administration. Organization, tracking, and direct payment coordination.

Payment control—the fundamental difference

Gusto processes employee payroll through their system. You pay their base fee plus per-person charges. Money flows through Gusto's infrastructure.

Kontrable lets you choose how to pay each contractor:

Wise transfers: Low foreign exchange fees (0.35-1%), fast delivery (1-3 days), strong global coverage. Best for cost-efficient international payments.

PayPal: Instant wallet delivery, ubiquitous, higher fees. Best for contractors who prefer PayPal.

Payoneer: Mass payout support, popular in emerging markets, 2-5 day delivery. Best for large contractor bases.

Bank transfers (ACH/SEPA/wire): Direct to contractor bank accounts, universal, auditable, fully traceable. Best for formal relationships and large payments.

You maintain complete control. Your money doesn't flow through a middleman's infrastructure. No base fees. No per-person charges.

The Gusto pricing trap for contractors

If you use Gusto for contractors, you're paying a two-tier pricing structure designed for employees:

Base fee: $49-$180/month regardless of how many contractors you manage

Per-person charge: $6-$22 per person per month

Example costs:

• 5 contractors: $49 + $30 = $79/month
• 10 contractors: $49 + $60 = $109/month
• 25 contractors: $49 + $150 = $199/month

Kontrable costs:

• 5 contractors: $49/month
• 10 contractors: $49/month
• 25 contractors: $99/month

For 10 contractors, you save $60/month with Kontrable. For 25, you save $100/month. And that's before considering that Gusto's features are designed for employees, not contractors.

Who should choose Kontrable

Small agencies, remote startups, and growing teams managing 3-25 contractors who:

• Have contractors who are properly classified as independent (1099)
• Contractors already have their own payment accounts
• Contractors handle their own taxes in their jurisdiction
• Need contractor management tools (not employee payroll)
• Want to pay contractors directly through Wise, PayPal, Payoneer, or bank transfers
• Need to avoid base fees and per-person charges
• Value simplicity and contractor-specific functionality
• Want direct control over contractor relationships

Key advantages of Kontrable as the Gusto alternative

Contractor-specific tools: Not employee payroll adapted for contractors. Built for contractor relationships from the ground up.

No base fees: Gusto charges $49-$180/month just to have an account. Kontrable charges based on contractor count only.

No per-person charges: Gusto adds $6-$22 per person per month. Kontrable flat pricing covers up to 10 or 25 contractors.

Milestone-based payments: Track deliverables. Pay when work is complete. Tie payments to specific outcomes. Gusto doesn't offer this for contractor workflows.

Project tracking: Create projects with milestones, deadlines, deliverables. Know what's pending. Gusto is payroll-focused, not project-focused.

Direct payment control: Choose your payment method (Wise, PayPal, Payoneer, bank transfer) for each contractor. Gusto forces payment through their payroll system.

No employee infrastructure overhead: No payroll tax calculation, no benefits administration, no health insurance management, no 401(k) setup. Clean contractor management.

Transparent pricing: $49/month for up to 10 contractors. $99/month for up to 25. No base fees. No hidden charges.

Understanding the Gusto model

Gusto makes money by:

• Charging base fees ($49-$180/month) to maintain accounts
• Charging per-person fees ($6-$22) for each employee
• Processing payroll tax filings
• Managing benefits administration
• Providing HR support

Their pricing model is built for businesses with employees. The base fee covers infrastructure costs. The per-person charge scales with headcount.

If you use Gusto for contractors, you're paying this entire infrastructure fee structure for features designed for employees. You pay the base fee even though contractors don't need it. You pay per-person charges for people who aren't employees.

Kontrable reverses this: we built contractor management from the ground up. No base fees. No per-person charges. Just straightforward pricing based on contractor count.

What you get with Kontrable

Contractor-specific management: Every feature designed for contractor relationships, not adapted from employee systems.

No base fees: Pay only for what you use. No infrastructure charges.

No per-person charges: Flat pricing covers all contractors in your tier.

Milestone-based payments: Track deliverables. Pay when work is complete. Connect payments to outcomes.

Direct payment methods: Wise, PayPal, Payoneer, or bank transfers. You choose. Your money stays with you.

Complete audit trail: All approvals, payments, confirmations documented. Clean records for finance and compliance.

Contract automation: AI-assisted contract generation reviewed by your legal counsel. Professional contracts without expensive legal fees.

Payment flexibility: Choose the method that works best for each contractor based on location, preference, cost.

The real cost comparison

For 10 contractors:

• Gusto Simple: $49 base + ($6 × 10) = $109/month
• Kontrable: $49/month
• Savings with Kontrable: $60/month ($720/year)

For 25 contractors:

• Gusto Simple: $49 base + ($6 × 25) = $199/month
• Kontrable: $99/month
• Savings with Kontrable: $100/month ($1,200/year)

Plus, Gusto's features don't actually work well for contractors. You're paying for employee infrastructure overhead that doesn't apply.

What contractors actually need vs what Gusto provides

What contractors need:

• Organization and tracking
• Contract management
• Project milestone tracking
• Payment coordination
• Tax form collection (W-9, W-8BEN)
• Payment history and audit trail

What Gusto provides:

• Payroll tax filing
• Health insurance administration
• 401(k) management
• W-2 payroll processing
• Benefits compliance
• Time tracking for employees
• HR compliance

These are completely different. Contractors need the first list. Gusto provides the second list (designed for employees) and bills you with base fees plus per-person charges.

Kontrable provides exactly what contractors need, nothing more.

Why Kontrable exists

We kept using Gusto for contractors and paying $100+/month for payroll infrastructure we didn't use. Base fees? We weren't using payroll processing. Per-person charges? Our contractors weren't employees. Tax filing? Contractors file their own taxes. Benefits? Contractors manage their own benefits.

We needed a platform built for contractor relationships. Not employee payroll adapted for contractors. Not base fees we don't need. Not per-person charges for non-employees. Just clean contractor management.

So we built Kontrable: contractor-specific tools, direct payment control, no base fees, no per-person charges, transparent pricing.

Get started

If you're managing independent contractors and need contractor management without employee payroll complexity, base fees, and per-person charges—Kontrable is the alternative.

Contractor-specific tools. Direct control. No hidden fees. Professional management.

Start organizing your contractor relationships today.