RemoteTeam (acquired by Gusto)

What RemoteTeam (acquired by Gusto) does

RemoteTeam was a San Francisco-based SaaS company founded in 2019 that built automated payroll, time-off management, time-tracking, app integrations, and HR tools targeted at distributed and remote teams. Operating with a headcount of 11-50 employees, the company raised approximately $2.2M across three early-stage rounds (2019-2021) from investors including Braitman & Company, Atanova Ventures, Active Capital, Sadık Ventures, CapitalX, Flexport, Galata Business Angels, IT-Farm, Keiretsu Forum Turkey, and SeaFort Capital. RemoteTeam was subsequently acquired by Gusto, with the deal terms undisclosed in the available data; following acquisition, its distributed-team tooling capabilities were integrated into Gusto's broader platform.

The acquirer, Gusto, Inc., is a private US-incorporated (NMLS ID: 1737896) all-in-one HR and payroll platform serving 500,000+ small and medium-sized businesses. Its cloud-based, API-first architecture centers on Gusto Payroll (automated tax filing, compliance, tax-credit identification), with adjacent modules including Gusto HR (hiring, onboarding, talent management, insights/reporting), Employee Benefits (health, financial, workers' comp), Time Tools, Gusto Wallet (earned-wage access), R&D Tax Credit Software, and Gusto Solo (solopreneur payroll). International coverage is delivered through a partnership with Remote for Employer-of-Record services in Canada plus an international contractor add-on.

The business model is subscription-based with per-employee pricing ($49/mo + $6/mo per person on the entry Core plan, escalating through Plus and Premium tiers). Go-to-market combines a product-led self-serve motion (free account creation, no charge until first payroll) for SMBs, direct enterprise sales for complex/EOR needs, an accountant and bookkeeper partner channel via Gusto Pro, a developer ecosystem through Gusto Embedded Payroll API, and a marketplace of app integrations. Customer concentration is highly distributed across SMBs and verticals (legal, F&B, professional services, sports) with no large anchor logos, structurally limiting single-customer revenue risk while reinforcing switching-cost lock-in once onboarded.

Name

RemoteTeam (acquired by Gusto)

Legal name

Gusto, Inc.

Website

https://remoteteam.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RemoteTeam was a 2019-founded SaaS that built automated payroll, time-tracking, and HR tools for distributed teams and was acquired by Gusto, a US payroll/HR platform serving 500,000+ SMBs via subscription-based, per-employee pricing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Payroll and HR Software

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214), Professional Employer Organizations (561330)

akta.pro primary industry

Payroll Software & Payroll-as-a-Service (SaaS) (BPACAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Payroll Outsourcing & Pay Administration (Multi-country/Managed Payroll) (BPACAKAD), Human Capital Management (HCM) & Payroll Platforms (HDAEAEAJ)

Keywords

• Online payroll software
• HR platform SaaS
• Employee benefits administration
• Automated tax filing
• Time tracking software

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription - Core Payroll Platform: Monthly subscription model with per-employee pricing. Plans include core payroll processing with automatic tax filing and compliance support. Upsell opportunities to Plus and Premium tiers for additional features.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RemoteTeam, now part of Gusto, offers an all-in-one cloud-based HR and payroll platform that automates payroll processing, tax calculation and filing, compliance monitoring, employee benefits administration, time tracking, and hiring/onboarding for small and medium-sized businesses. The platform also supports international contractor payments and Employer-of-Record (EOR) hiring in Canada via the Remote partnership, alongside an embedded payroll API for partner integrations.

Product overview

Gusto is an all-in-one HR platform consisting of a unified core product with integrated modules. The platform centers on Gusto Payroll as the primary offering, supplemented by HR management, employee benefits administration, and time tracking tools. Additional modules include Gusto Talent Management, Insights and Reporting, Gusto Global for international employment, Gusto Embedded Payroll for API partners, and Gusto Pro for accountants. The platform serves small and medium-sized businesses with plans starting at $49/mo plus $6/mo per person, offering add-ons like Gusto Wallet and R&D tax credit software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gusto Payroll Core payroll platform that lets businesses run payroll in minutes with automated tax calculations and filings, compliance support, and proactive identification of tax credits. Targeted at US-based small and medium-sized businesses.
• Gusto HR Human resources platform covering hiring, applicant tracking, onboarding checklists, and talent management for SMBs. Targeted at businesses that want integrated people operations alongside payroll.
• Employee Benefits Comprehensive employee benefits administration including health insurance brokerage, financial benefits, and workers' compensation, offered without additional broker fees. Targeted at SMB employers.
• Gusto Embedded Payroll Developer-facing embedded payroll product that lets platforms and partners integrate Gusto's payroll functionality into their own products via API. Targeted at enterprises, fintechs, and software platforms building payroll-adjacent offerings.
• Gusto Pro Professional dashboard for accountants and bookkeepers to manage payroll across multiple SMB clients, with partner community, professional development, and People Advisory services. Targeted at accounting and bookkeeping firms serving SMB clients.
• Gusto Solo Payroll solution for solopreneurs and S-corp owners to run compliant self-pay and save on self-employment taxes. Targeted at individual solo business owners.
• Gusto Global (International EOR and Contractor Services) International employment service covering Employer-of-Record (EOR) hiring in Canada (powered by Remote) and international contractor payment administration. Targeted at US SMBs hiring abroad.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 out of 10 customers would recommend Gusto
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• RemotecoreTechnology or IntegrationRemote provides Employer-of-Record (EOR) services powering Gusto's ability to hire and pay full-time employees in Canada. Gusto leverages Remote's infrastructure to extend international employment capabilities to its customer base. Additionally, Gusto offers international contractor payment services through integration with Remote.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rippling: Rippling is the closest all-in-one competitor — combining payroll, HR, benefits, time tracking, and IT management for SMB and mid-market customers on a single cloud platform. Its product breadth and PLG motion closely mirror Gusto's positioning.
• Justworks: Justworks delivers payroll, benefits, and PEO services to SMBs via a SaaS-plus-licensed-broker model. It targets the same 'one-stop HR for small businesses' use case as Gusto.
• QuickBooks Payroll: Intuit's QuickBooks Payroll product bundles payroll with QuickBooks accounting for SMBs. It is a direct substitute for Gusto Core/Plus/Plus plans among QuickBooks-anchored small businesses.
• Square Payroll: Block's Square Payroll offers full-service payroll for SMBs, especially restaurants and retail. It competes head-to-head with Gusto for the high-volume, hourly-worker SMB segment.
• OnPay: OnPay is a payroll-plus-benefits SaaS for small businesses and accountants. It targets the same SMB, accountant-channel, price-sensitive buyer that Gusto serves.
• Zenefits: Zenefits combines HR, payroll, and benefits in a SaaS bundle for SMBs. It is a direct functional competitor with overlapping product modules and similar mid-market positioning.
• Wave Payroll: Wave offers low-cost payroll for very small businesses and solopreneurs, overlapping directly with Gusto Solo at the entry tier.
• Deel: Deel is the leading payroll/EOR platform for international hiring and global contractors. It overlaps with Gusto's international contractor and EOR capabilities, especially for global SMBs.

Broad incumbents

• ADP: ADP is the dominant incumbent in payroll services with Run/Workforce Now products spanning SMB through enterprise. It competes across every tier but with portfolio breadth that goes well beyond Gusto's SMB specialization.
• Paychex: Paychex is a major SMB-focused payroll and HR services incumbent with both SaaS and full-service offerings. It is Gusto's largest traditional competitor for small business payroll accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/remoteteamcom
• YouTubeyoutube.com/gusto
• Facebookfacebook.com/GustoHQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/remoteteam
• Instagraminstagram.com/gustohq
• TikToktiktok.com/@gustohq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors11 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RemoteTeam (acquired by Gusto)