Side-by-side comparison
Cabana vs. Gusto
Payroll, benefits, and HR for small businesses. See why Slack-first teams choose Cabana instead.
vsCommon pain points
Why teams look for a Gusto alternative
- PTO tracking is a payroll-adjacent feature, not the core product
- No Slack integration for leave requests or approvals
- Employees must log into Gusto's portal to submit time off
- Monthly base fee plus per-user adds up fast for small teams
Feature comparison
Cabana vs. Gusto — side by side
| Feature | | Gusto |
|---|---|---|
| Slack slash commands | ||
| Approve from Slack DM | ||
| Microsoft Teams support | ||
| Google Calendar sync | Limited | |
| Outlook / Microsoft 365 sync | ||
| Accrual policies (tiers, tenure, carryover) | ||
| Unlimited PTO support | ||
| Multi-location / holiday calendars | Basic | |
| Custom leave types | Basic | |
| Admin web app | ||
| Org chart | ||
| Reporting | Payroll-focused | |
| Setup time | ~5 minutes | Hours to days |
| Price per user/mo | ~$2–4 | $6–12 + $40 base |
| Free trial / no credit card | Demo only | |
| No minimum seat count | $40/mo minimum |
Why Cabana
What makes Cabana different
Set up in 5 minutes, not 5 days
Import your team from Slack or CSV, pick a policy template, and you're live. No implementation project. No onboarding call. A founder can do it between meetings.
Your team never leaves Slack
Request with /cabana request. Approve with one tap in a Slack DM. Check balances with /cabana balance. The whole workflow lives where your team already works.
One source of truth, always accurate
Balances update automatically — accruals, carryover, holiday deductions. Approved leave syncs to Google Calendar and Outlook. No more spreadsheet reconciliation.
Built for Slack
Your team never has to leave Slack
Employees request time off with /cabana request. Managers approve with one button tap in a Slack DM. The daily digest posts who's out every morning — automatically.
#general
Cabana App
Cabana App
Is Cabana right for you?
Switch from Gusto if…
Gusto is great for payroll — and it's often the right choice to keep it there. Cabana works alongside Gusto as the Slack layer for daily PTO management: employees request in Slack, managers approve with one tap, and you export clean data to Gusto at payroll time. You get the best of both without forcing your team to learn yet another portal.
- You run payroll in Gusto but want a better PTO experience inside Slack
- Employees keep asking how to request time off and nobody knows the Gusto portal
- You want PTO and payroll to stay separate tools, each best-in-class
Teams that made the switch
Join hundreds of small teams who ditched the spreadsheet.
“We were paying way too much for software nobody used. Cabana was running in Slack within minutes. The whole team adopted it instantly.”
Sarah L.
Head of Ops, 32-person startup
“The Slack integration is the real difference. Approving a PTO request used to mean logging into a portal. Now I just tap Approve in a DM.”
Marcus R.
Founder, 18-person agency
“Balance tracking used to be a monthly reconciliation nightmare. Cabana just… handles it. I haven't touched the spreadsheet in months.”
Priya T.
HR Lead, 55-person SaaS
Honest limitations
What Cabana doesn't do (yet)
We'd rather you pick the right tool than churn in month two. If any of these are dealbreakers, Gusto might still be the right fit.
Keep Gusto for payroll — Cabana doesn't replace it
Cabana is not a payroll tool. You still run payroll in Gusto. Cabana handles the day-to-day PTO workflow in Slack, then exports clean data when it's time to reconcile.
No benefits administration
Gusto handles health insurance, 401(k), and W-2s. Cabana doesn't touch any of that. The tools are complementary, not competitive.
Frequently asked questions
Can I run Cabana and Gusto at the same time?
Yes — this is the recommended setup for most small teams. Gusto handles payroll and benefits; Cabana handles the Slack-native PTO workflow day-to-day. At payroll time, export your leave data from Cabana and import it into Gusto.
Does Gusto have a Slack integration for PTO?
No. Gusto's time-off requests happen through their web portal. Cabana gives your team a /cabana request command in Slack so PTO requests never require a portal login.
Is Cabana cheaper than Gusto's time-off features?
Gusto includes time-off tracking in its base plan ($6–12/user/month plus a $40/month base fee). Cabana costs $2–4/user/month with no base fee. If you're already on Gusto and the time-off experience isn't working, Cabana adds the Slack layer for a small additional cost.
Give your team the time off experience they deserve
Set up in under 5 minutes. No credit card required.