The short answer: yes as payroll, no as a fraud purchase
As a full payroll platform, Gusto is our SMB pick and the baseline fraud controls, account monitoring, hours-approval workflows, come at no extra cost on top of payroll you're already running. But don't buy it, or stay on it, under the impression it's dedicated fraud-detection software. It isn't, and it doesn't claim to be.
What's actually in the baseline
Two things do real work. Account activity monitoring flags unusual logins, a sign-in from an unrecognized IP, for instance. And manager approval workflows mean hours don't sync to payroll until someone signs off, which directly closes one of the most common small-business fraud patterns: an employee quietly inflating their own hours with nobody checking before the check goes out. Neither is exotic. Both are exactly the kind of control a lot of small businesses running payroll off habit rather than process are currently missing.
What's free with payroll
Login alerts + hours approval
Account monitoring and manager sign-off on hours ship with Gusto at no extra cost, the baseline most small businesses haven't actually turned on or configured.
What it doesn't do
No transaction-level anomaly scoring like MindBridge, no email-based social-engineering detection like Sublime. If you've already identified one of those specific risks, ghost employees, payroll diversion by email, don't assume Gusto alone covers it. Layer in the dedicated tool for that risk rather than hoping baseline monitoring stretches to cover it.
The real cost math
Gusto's Simple plan runs $49/month plus $6 per person, Plus adds time tracking and more HR tooling at $80 plus $12/person. Compare that against ADP RUN, which costs more and requires a negotiation, but adds a control Gusto genuinely lacks: a payroll preview that flags anomalous hours or a new direct-deposit destination before the money moves. That specific gap is the honest reason to pay more, not general brand reputation.
Bottom line
Worth it as your payroll platform for most businesses under 50 employees, the baseline controls are a real, free improvement over running payroll with no oversight at all. Not a substitute for a dedicated tool once you've identified a specific fraud risk. See the full alternatives list for when ADP's anomaly flag or Rippling's unified record actually earn their higher price.