{ "data": { "a": { "slug": "argyle", "name": "Argyle", "vendor": "Argyle Systems Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://www.argyle.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "payroll", "summary": "Argyle is a consumer-permissioned verification API run by Argyle Systems Inc. A worker connects a payroll account through Argyle Link, and applications read identity, employment, paystub and document records or order income and employment reports.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/argyle", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/argyle.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/argyle.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/argyle.json", "repo": "https://github.com/argyle-systems/argyle-link-react-native", "license": "Proprietary service under Argyle's Open Payroll Customer Terms. The React Native Link SDK on npm is Apache 2.0", "transports": [ "http" ], "remoteUrl": "https://api.argyle.com/v2", "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@argyleio/argyle-plugin-react-native" } ], "auth": "api-key", "authNotes": "A person signs up for Console with a work email, Google or Microsoft account and creates an API key ID and secret for Sandbox or Production. Every request uses HTTP Basic auth with that pair. Access to a worker's payroll data then needs that worker to sign in to the payroll account through Argyle Link. Keys have no per-key scopes in the reviewed documentation, and a 403 means the key lacks a permission enabled for the account. The Customer Terms grant a licence for the platform to legal entities only, and Production fees are set in a Service Order.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "No public prices. argyle.com/pricing lands on the home page, whose buttons are Sign in and Contact sales, and the Customer Terms put fees in a Service Order. A Sandbox with sample users comes with a Console sign-up, so an agent's owner can test without a contract. The sign-up page says Start your trial today. The docs list a `trial_connections_exhausted` error for a limit on free account connections in trial mode, with no number given (checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "Paid", "where": "hosted", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the documentation index, the OpenAPI specification or the vendor's site (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": null, "npmWeekly": 481, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.argyle.com", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.argyle.com/llms.txt", "openapi": "https://docs.argyle.com/openAPI/argyle-all.yaml", "capabilities": [ "payroll.employees", "payroll.contractors" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "payroll-data", "income-verification", "employment-verification", "api-key", "openapi", "llms-txt", "sandbox", "webhooks", "status-page", "sla", "security-txt", "sales-led" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-01", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 63.7, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 297, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 3, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 58, "maintenance": 75, "payments": 15, "reliability": 81, "schema": 86, "security": 48, "transparency": 83 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "Graded on the REST API. One OpenAPI file covers 91 operations, llms.txt indexes Markdown docs, and a Sandbox with sample users comes with a Console sign-up. Every payroll connection needs the worker to sign in through Link. No prices are published, no idempotency keys were found, and API keys carry no per-key scopes.", "bestFor": "A lender, tenant screener, benefits agency or background checker whose applicant can sign in to a payroll or gig account, and who needs paystubs, employment records or an income report.", "strengths": [ "One OpenAPI 3.0 file covers 91 operations and 119 schemas, and llms.txt indexes the documentation with every page served as Markdown", "Each payroll connection is made by the worker through Argyle Link, and the worker can remove it through Link or Argyle Passport", "A Sandbox at `https://api-sandbox.argyle.com/v2` has three sample users, simulated refreshes and its own API keys", "The rate limit is published as 50 requests a second, and Service Levels commit to 99 per cent monthly availability with credits", "The sub-processor list names 20 vendors with processing locations, and the DPA promises 30 days' notice before a new one is used", "Twelve dated changelog entries between 14 July and 1 October 2026, with a written definition of breaking changes" ], "weaknesses": [ "No price is published. The site has no pricing page, and fees are set in a Service Order agreed with sales", "No idempotency keys were found for `POST /users` or `POST /verifications`, and no `Retry-After` header is documented on 429 responses", "API keys are an ID and secret pair with no per-key scopes or read-only mode found in the reviewed documentation", "The OpenAPI file documents an error response on 2 of 91 operations, and general errors carry a `detail` string with no machine code", "No server-side SDK was found. The official SDKs are Link front ends for web, iOS, Android, React Native and Flutter", "The trust centre is drawn by script and could not be read, so no certification could be confirmed on the day" ], "agentNotes": [ "Send HTTP Basic auth with `api_key_id` as the username and `api_key_secret` as the password. Sandbox keys fail with 401 on Production and the reverse", "Create the user with `POST /v2/users` and an `external_id`, then look it up by `external_id` before retrying. No idempotency key was found", "Do not read data straight after an account connects. Wait for the account and data webhooks, or for the verification status, before fetching records", "Follow the full URL in `next` when paging. Do not build cursor values or fetch pages in parallel. `limit` defaults to 10 and stops at 200", "Stay under 50 requests a second. On 429, queue the request and retry later, not at once", "Treat `DELETE /v2/users/{id}` as permanent. It removes every resource tied to that user, with no confirmation step" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 63.7 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 58, "maintenance": 75, "payments": 15, "reliability": 81, "schema": 86, "security": 48, "transparency": 68 }, "provenanceScore": 97 }, "connect": { "http": "curl https://api-sandbox.argyle.com/v2/accounts \\\n -u api_key_id:api_key_secret" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/payroll.employees", "tool": "https://letme.dev/argyle" }, "area": "domain-data", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Argyle Systems Inc.", "domain": "argyle.com", "domainRegistered": "1997-06-08", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://www.argyle.com/legal/open-payroll/customer-terms", "privacy": "https://www.argyle.com/legal/consumers/privacy-notice", "statusPage": "https://status.argyle.com", "changelog": "https://changelog.argyle.com", "securityTxt": "valid", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The Open Payroll Customer Terms (last updated 1 October 2026) name Argyle Systems Inc. and, with a Service Order, form the agreement for the API. Disputes go to the courts of New York, New York.", "The Privacy Notice (last updated 1 October 2026) covers the records a worker shares through the platform. Argyle describes itself there as a financial institution under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. No separate privacy policy for business customers was found. Customer data is covered by the Data Protection Addendum at /legal/open-payroll/data-protection-addendum.", "The site also publishes Service Levels, a Support Policy, a sub-processor list and a Messaging Policy for Open Payroll, separate Open Banking Customer Terms, and Security Measures dated 6 June 2025.", "argyle.com/.well-known/security.txt gives security@argyle.com, a PGP key and an expiry of 7 May 2027.", "The API answers at api.argyle.com and api-sandbox.argyle.com. changelog.argyle.com redirects to docs.argyle.com/changelog.", "RDAP for argyle.com gives a registration date of 1997-06-08. The company's own llms.txt says it was founded in 2018." ], "score": 97 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/argyle.json", "live": { "slug": "argyle", "probe": { "target": "https://api.argyle.com/v2", "method": "get", "lastAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:04.288999451Z", "lastOk": true, "lastStatus": 404, "lastMs": 195, "authRequired": false, "uptime24h": 100, "uptime30d": 100, "p50ms24h": 220, "p95ms24h": 315, "samples24h": 21, "samples30d": 21, "days": [ { "date": "2026-10-08", "probes": 21, "ok": 21 } ] }, "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://status.argyle.com", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T21:05:51.399996556Z" }, "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T21:12:04.288999451Z" } }, "answer": "Argyle and Gusto score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 63.7 (B) and 63.3 (B). Gusto leads on agent ergonomics and security \u0026 auth.", "b": { "slug": "gusto", "name": "Gusto", "vendor": "Gusto, Inc.", "vendorUrl": "https://gusto.com", "kind": "http-api", "category": "payroll", "summary": "Gusto Embedded Payroll is a REST API for running US payroll inside another product, covering company and worker onboarding, payroll calculation and submission, tax filing and contractor payments. Production access needs a partnership with Gusto. A demo environment is self-serve.", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gusto", "markdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gusto.md", "slimMarkdownUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gusto.min.md", "jsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gusto.json", "repo": "https://github.com/Gusto/gusto-typescript-client", "license": "Proprietary service under Gusto's API Policy and Developer Terms of Service. The API clients on GitHub are MIT, and the React SDK and the Gusto CLI are Apache-2.0", "transports": [ "http" ], "packages": [ { "registry": "npm", "name": "@gusto/embedded-api" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@gusto/embedded-react-sdk" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "gusto-embedded" } ], "auth": "oauth", "authNotes": "Graded on the Embedded Payroll API, which needs a partnership. A developer signs up at dev.gusto.com, creates an organisation and an application, and gets a client ID and secret for the demo environment. POST /oauth/token with `grant_type` system_access returns a two-hour system token for partner-level calls, and creating a partner-managed company returns an access and refresh token pair for that company alone. Scopes are assigned by Gusto, and production keys follow commercial, security and implementation reviews. Access to an existing employer's Gusto account is separate. Partner apps use the App Integrations API with the OAuth 2.0 authorisation code grant after Production Pre-Approval and a security review. A customer's own company is reached through the Gusto CLI or the Gusto MCP server, which sign in by OAuth with dynamic client registration and PKCE.", "pricing": "paid", "pricingNotes": "No price could be read. gusto.com and embedded.gusto.com answered our reader with a bot check, and the developer docs carry no figures. The introduction says commercial conversations are required before production, and an invoices endpoint returns the active companies used to calculate a partner's invoice. The demo environment is open to any developer with a Developer Portal account, with generated demo companies and no contract (checked 2026-10-08).", "priceSummary": "Paid", "where": "local", "x402": { "level": "no", "evidence": "No x402, MPP or L402 in the developer docs, the API reference or the llms.txt index (checked 2026-10-08).", "endpoints": [] }, "toolCount": null, "popularity": { "githubStars": 2, "npmWeekly": 24731, "pypiWeekly": null, "asOf": "2026-10-08" }, "docsUrl": "https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/docs/introduction", "llmsTxt": "https://docs.gusto.com/llms.txt", "capabilities": [ "payroll.run", "payroll.employees", "payroll.embedded", "payroll.tax-filing", "payroll.contractors", "hr.onboarding", "hr.time-off" ], "tags": [ "hosted", "payroll", "oauth", "partner-approval", "sandbox", "llms-txt", "webhooks", "typescript", "python", "java", "csharp", "ruby", "mcp", "cli", "status-page" ], "lastRelease": "2026-10-01", "graded": true, "anchor": { "graded": true, "score": 63.3, "grade": "B", "agentReady": false, "rank": 314, "ranked": true, "rankOf": 722, "categoryRank": 4, "methodology": "0.4", "run": "2026-10-01", "scores": { "ergonomics": 82, "maintenance": 76, "payments": 15, "reliability": 58, "schema": 86, "security": 60, "transparency": 61 }, "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "assessment": { "confidence": "medium", "date": "2026-10-08" }, "negative": 0, "verdict": "This listing covers the Embedded Payroll API. Every reference page carries an OpenAPI 3.1 definition, payroll is calculated as a preview before submission, and each API version gets 12 months of deprecation support. Production needs commercial and security approval, no price was readable, and the status page lists 11 incidents between 14 July and 5 October 2026, five marked major.", "bestFor": "A software platform that wants to run US payroll for its own customers and can pass Gusto's partner reviews.", "strengths": [ "Each of 317 reference pages serves an OpenAPI 3.1 definition as Markdown, and llms.txt indexes both documentation projects", "Payroll runs in steps (prepare, calculate, submit). Calculate returns a preview with `submission_blockers` before any money moves", "Each API version gets 12 months of phased support after deprecation, with dates published and `Deprecation`, `Sunset` and `Link` response headers", "Company access tokens work for one company only, expire after two hours and rotate the refresh token on use", "Rate limit of 200 requests a minute per application and user, with `Retry-After` and `X-RateLimit-*` headers on responses" ], "weaknesses": [ "Production keys need commercial, security and implementation reviews with Gusto's partnerships team, and the docs say not all use cases are supported", "The Embedded API status page lists 11 incidents between 14 July and 5 October 2026, five marked major, one titled a complete outage", "No price was readable. gusto.com and embedded.gusto.com answered our reader with a bot check, and the docs carry no figures", "Idempotency keys were found only on the People Batch endpoint. Other POST calls rely on the caller not repeating them", "The five API clients are labelled beta, and the README warns of breaking changes without notice" ], "agentNotes": [ "Develop against https://api.gusto-demo.com. Production at https://api.gusto.com needs keys Gusto issues after its reviews", "Send `X-Gusto-API-Version: 2026-06-15` on every call. Without it the application's minimum version applies", "Send the resource's current `version` with every PUT, and only the fields to change. A stale version returns 409", "Calculate and submit return 202. Poll GET on the payroll until `calculated_at` is set or the status is processed, and read `submission_blockers` first", "For a company already on Gusto, the Embedded API is the wrong route. Use the Gusto CLI or the MCP server at https://mcp.api.gusto.com, which draft payroll but can't submit it" ], "metrics": { "kind": "remote", "measured": false }, "reviewCount": 0, "avgRating": 0, "history": [ { "basis": "public evidence", "confidence": "medium", "grade": "B", "methodology": "0.4", "pending": [ "performance", "tasks" ], "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run", "score": 63.3 } ], "editorialScores": { "ergonomics": 82, "maintenance": 76, "payments": 15, "reliability": 58, "schema": 86, "security": 60, "transparency": 44 }, "provenanceScore": 77 }, "connect": { "install": "npm add @gusto/embedded-api", "http": "curl --location --request POST 'https://api.gusto-demo.com/oauth/token' \\\n--header 'Content-Type: application/json' \\\n--data-raw '{\n \"client_id\": \"{{client_id}}\",\n \"client_secret\": \"{{client_secret}}\",\n \"grant_type\": \"system_access\"\n}'" }, "letme": { "capability": "https://letme.dev/payroll.run", "tool": "https://letme.dev/gusto" }, "area": "domain-data", "provenance": { "legalEntity": "Gusto, Inc.", "domain": "gusto.com", "domainRegistered": "1995-08-23", "endpointOnVendorDomain": true, "terms": "https://gusto.com/about/terms/developer-terms-of-service", "privacy": "", "statusPage": "https://gustoapi.statuspage.io", "changelog": "https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/changelog", "securityTxt": "unknown", "checked": "2026-10-08", "notes": [ "The NOTICE file in Gusto/gusto-cli reads Copyright 2026 Gusto, Inc.", "Production calls go to https://api.gusto.com. The demo environment is on a separate domain, api.gusto-demo.com.", "The terms URL is the one named in the OpenAPI definitions on the reference pages. gusto.com answered our reader with a bot check, so the terms, the privacy policy and /.well-known/security.txt weren't read.", "The API Policy published in the docs is dated 11 July 2022 and refers to Gusto's Privacy Policy without a readable link.", "RDAP for gusto.com gives a registration date of 1995-08-23.", "The docs embed https://gustoapi.statuspage.io as the API status page. status.gusto.com covers the Gusto product and also lists an API component." ], "score": 77 }, "pageJsonUrl": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gusto.json", "live": { "slug": "gusto", "vendorStatus": { "page": "https://gustoapi.statuspage.io", "indicator": "none", "summary": "All Systems Operational", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T21:06:07.702337686Z" }, "versions": [ { "registry": "github", "name": "Gusto/gusto-typescript-client", "version": "gusto_embedded_v_2025_11_15/v0.3.2", "released": "2026-10-01", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:15:29.553541966Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@gusto/embedded-api", "version": "0.16.2", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:15:25.588820008Z" }, { "registry": "npm", "name": "@gusto/embedded-react-sdk", "version": "0.56.5", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:15:29.142122622Z" }, { "registry": "pypi", "name": "gusto-embedded", "version": "0.2.4", "released": "2025-04-16", "seenAt": "2026-10-08T16:15:29.349450484Z" } ], "githubStars": 2, "npmWeekly": 24731, "pypiWeekly": 104, "securityTxt": { "url": "https://gusto.com/.well-known/security.txt", "state": "unknown", "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T15:38:35.992448629Z" }, "pages": [ { "url": "https://docs.gusto.com/embedded-payroll/changelog", "kind": "changelog", "status": 200, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:18:50.184946965Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z", "fingerprint": "fb0136facdba" }, { "url": "https://gusto.com/about/terms/developer-terms-of-service", "kind": "terms", "status": 403, "checkedAt": "2026-10-08T18:20:46.783185211Z", "changedAt": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z" } ], "updatedAt": "2026-10-08T21:06:07.702337686Z" } }, "facts": [ { "a": "HTTP API", "b": "HTTP API", "name": "Kind" }, { "a": "Argyle Systems Inc.", "b": "Gusto, Inc.", "name": "Vendor" }, { "a": "https://api.argyle.com/v2", "b": "no (local only)", "name": "Hosted endpoint" }, { "a": "HTTP", "b": "HTTP", "name": "Transports" }, { "a": "API key", "b": "OAuth", "name": "Auth" }, { "a": "Paid", "b": "Paid", "name": "Pricing" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "x402" }, { "a": "Proprietary service under Argyle's Open Payroll Customer Terms. The React Native Link SDK on npm is Apache 2.0", "b": "Proprietary service under Gusto's API Policy and Developer Terms of Service. The API clients on GitHub are MIT, and the React SDK and the Gusto CLI are Apache-2.0", "name": "Licence" }, { "a": "no", "b": "no", "name": "Read-only variant documented" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "yes", "name": "llms.txt" }, { "a": "2026-10-01", "b": "2026-10-01", "name": "Last release" }, { "a": "2026-10-01", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms last updated" }, { "a": "2026-10-01", "b": "no document linked", "name": "Privacy policy last updated" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Customer content may train models" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms restrict automated access" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms restrict benchmarking" }, { "a": "not found in the text", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Terms or service can change without notice" }, { "a": "yes", "b": "couldn't be read", "name": "Arbitration or class-action waiver" }, { "a": "481 npm/wk", "b": "2 stars, 25k npm/wk", "name": "Popularity" } ], "faq": [ { "answer": "Argyle and Gusto score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 63.7 (B) and 63.3 (B). Gusto leads on agent ergonomics and security \u0026 auth.", "question": "Which is better for AI agents, Argyle or Gusto?" }, { "answer": "Argyle needs an API key. Gusto uses an OAuth sign-in.", "question": "Do Argyle and Gusto need an API key?" }, { "answer": "Argyle has a hosted endpoint at https://api.argyle.com/v2. No hosted endpoint is listed for Gusto.", "question": "Can an agent call Argyle and Gusto without installing anything?" } ], "goodFor": [ { "aheadOn": [ "Reliability, 81 against 58", "Transparency \u0026 trust, 83 against 61" ], "also": [ "A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install" ], "goodFor": "A lender, tenant screener, benefits agency or background checker whose applicant can sign in to a payroll or gig account, and who needs paystubs, employment records or an income report.", "slug": "argyle", "watchFor": "No price is published. The site has no pricing page, and fees are set in a Service Order agreed with sales" }, { "aheadOn": [ "Agent ergonomics, 82 against 58", "Security \u0026 auth, 60 against 48" ], "also": null, "goodFor": "A software platform that wants to run US payroll for its own customers and can pass Gusto's partner reviews.", "slug": "gusto", "watchFor": "Production keys need commercial, security and implementation reviews with Gusto's partnerships team, and the docs say not all use cases are supported" } ], "job": { "capability": "payroll.employees", "name": "Payroll employees" }, "others": [ { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-check-payroll.json", "title": "Argyle vs Check", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-check-payroll" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-employment-hero.json", "title": "Argyle vs Employment Hero Payroll", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-employment-hero" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-everee.json", "title": "Argyle vs Everee", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-everee" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-finch.json", "title": "Argyle vs Finch", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-finch" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-paychex.json", "title": "Argyle vs Paychex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-paychex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-salsa.json", "title": "Argyle vs Salsa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-salsa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-zeal.json", "title": "Argyle vs Zeal", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-zeal" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-gusto.json", "title": "Finch vs Gusto", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-gusto" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-paychex.json", "title": "Gusto vs Paychex", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-paychex" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-gusto.json", "title": "Check vs Gusto", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-gusto" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/employment-hero-vs-gusto.json", "title": "Employment Hero Payroll vs Gusto", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/employment-hero-vs-gusto" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/everee-vs-gusto.json", "title": "Everee vs Gusto", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/everee-vs-gusto" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-salsa.json", "title": "Gusto vs Salsa", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-salsa" }, { "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-zeal.json", "title": "Gusto vs Zeal", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-zeal" } ], "scores": [ { "argyle": 81, "by": 23, "edge": "argyle", "gusto": 58, "key": "reliability", "name": "Reliability", "weight": 16 }, { "key": "performance", "name": "Performance", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "argyle": 86, "by": 0, "edge": "", "gusto": 86, "key": "schema", "name": "Schema \u0026 documentation", "weight": 13 }, { "argyle": 58, "by": 24, "edge": "gusto", "gusto": 82, "key": "ergonomics", "name": "Agent ergonomics", "weight": 13 }, { "argyle": 48, "by": 12, "edge": "gusto", "gusto": 60, "key": "security", "name": "Security \u0026 auth", "weight": 14 }, { "argyle": 15, "by": 0, "edge": "", "gusto": 15, "key": "payments", "name": "Payments \u0026 pricing", "weight": 10 }, { "key": "tasks", "name": "Task success", "pending": true, "weight": 10 }, { "argyle": 75, "by": 1, "edge": "gusto", "gusto": 76, "key": "maintenance", "name": "Maintenance \u0026 community", "weight": 7 }, { "argyle": 83, "by": 22, "edge": "argyle", "gusto": 61, "key": "transparency", "name": "Transparency \u0026 trust", "weight": 7 } ], "summary": "Argyle and Gusto score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 63.7 (B) and 63.3 (B). Gusto leads on agent ergonomics and security \u0026 auth. Both do payroll employees.", "verdicts": { "argyle": "Graded on the REST API. One OpenAPI file covers 91 operations, llms.txt indexes Markdown docs, and a Sandbox with sample users comes with a Console sign-up. Every payroll connection needs the worker to sign in through Link. No prices are published, no idempotency keys were found, and API keys carry no per-key scopes.", "gusto": "This listing covers the Embedded Payroll API. Every reference page carries an OpenAPI 3.1 definition, payroll is calculated as a preview before submission, and each API version gets 12 months of deprecation support. Production needs commercial and security approval, no price was readable, and the status page lists 11 incidents between 14 July and 5 October 2026, five marked major." } }, "kind": "anchor.page", "links": { "api": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json", "html": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-gusto", "json": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-gusto.json", "llms": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt", "markdown": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-gusto.md", "slim": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-gusto.min.md" }, "markdown": "Argyle and Gusto score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 63.7 (B) and 63.3 (B). Gusto leads on agent ergonomics and security \u0026 auth. Both do payroll employees.\n\n- Argyle: grade B, 63.7/100, rank #297 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/argyle.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/argyle.json\n- Gusto: grade B, 63.3/100, rank #314 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gusto.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gusto.json\n\n## Which one, for what\n\n### Argyle (B)\n\nGood for: A lender, tenant screener, benefits agency or background checker whose applicant can sign in to a payroll or gig account, and who needs paystubs, employment records or an income report.\n\nAhead on:\n- Reliability, 81 against 58\n- Transparency \u0026 trust, 83 against 61\n\nAlso in its favour:\n- A hosted endpoint, with nothing to install\n\nWatch for: No price is published. The site has no pricing page, and fees are set in a Service Order agreed with sales\n\n### Gusto (B)\n\nGood for: A software platform that wants to run US payroll for its own customers and can pass Gusto's partner reviews.\n\nAhead on:\n- Agent ergonomics, 82 against 58\n- Security \u0026 auth, 60 against 48\n\nWatch for: Production keys need commercial, security and implementation reviews with Gusto's partnerships team, and the docs say not all use cases are supported\n\n\n## Score by category\n\n| Category | Weight | Argyle | Gusto | Edge |\n| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |\n| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 81 | 58 | Argyle +23 |\n| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Schema \u0026 documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 86 | 86 | even |\n| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 58 | 82 | Gusto +24 |\n| Security \u0026 auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 48 | 60 | Gusto +12 |\n| Payments \u0026 pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 15 | 15 | even |\n| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |\n| Maintenance \u0026 community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 75 | 76 | Gusto +1 |\n| Transparency \u0026 trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 83 | 61 | Argyle +22 |\n| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |\n| **Total** | | **63.7 · B** | **63.3 · B** | |\n\n## Facts side by side\n\n| Fact | Argyle | Gusto |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |\n| Vendor | Argyle Systems Inc. | Gusto, Inc. |\n| Hosted endpoint | `https://api.argyle.com/v2` | no (local only) |\n| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |\n| Auth | API key | OAuth |\n| Pricing | Paid | Paid |\n| x402 | no | no |\n| Licence | Proprietary service under Argyle's Open Payroll Customer Terms. The React Native Link SDK on npm is Apache 2.0 | Proprietary service under Gusto's API Policy and Developer Terms of Service. The API clients on GitHub are MIT, and the React SDK and the Gusto CLI are Apache-2.0 |\n| Read-only variant documented | no | no |\n| llms.txt | yes | yes |\n| Last release | 2026-10-01 | 2026-10-01 |\n| Terms last updated | 2026-10-01 | couldn't be read |\n| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-10-01 | no document linked |\n| Customer content may train models | not found in the text | couldn't be read |\n| Terms restrict automated access | not found in the text | couldn't be read |\n| Terms restrict benchmarking | yes | couldn't be read |\n| Terms or service can change without notice | not found in the text | couldn't be read |\n| Arbitration or class-action waiver | yes | couldn't be read |\n| Popularity | 481 npm/wk | 2 stars, 25k npm/wk |\n\n## Verdicts\n\n**Argyle.** Graded on the REST API. One OpenAPI file covers 91 operations, llms.txt indexes Markdown docs, and a Sandbox with sample users comes with a Console sign-up. Every payroll connection needs the worker to sign in through Link. No prices are published, no idempotency keys were found, and API keys carry no per-key scopes.\n\n**Gusto.** This listing covers the Embedded Payroll API. Every reference page carries an OpenAPI 3.1 definition, payroll is calculated as a preview before submission, and each API version gets 12 months of deprecation support. Production needs commercial and security approval, no price was readable, and the status page lists 11 incidents between 14 July and 5 October 2026, five marked major.\n\n## Before you call either\n\n### Argyle\n\n1. Send HTTP Basic auth with `api_key_id` as the username and `api_key_secret` as the password. Sandbox keys fail with 401 on Production and the reverse\n2. Create the user with `POST /v2/users` and an `external_id`, then look it up by `external_id` before retrying. No idempotency key was found\n3. Do not read data straight after an account connects. Wait for the account and data webhooks, or for the verification status, before fetching records\n4. Follow the full URL in `next` when paging. Do not build cursor values or fetch pages in parallel. `limit` defaults to 10 and stops at 200\n5. Stay under 50 requests a second. On 429, queue the request and retry later, not at once\n6. Treat `DELETE /v2/users/{id}` as permanent. It removes every resource tied to that user, with no confirmation step\n\n### Gusto\n\n1. Develop against https://api.gusto-demo.com. Production at https://api.gusto.com needs keys Gusto issues after its reviews\n2. Send `X-Gusto-API-Version: 2026-06-15` on every call. Without it the application's minimum version applies\n3. Send the resource's current `version` with every PUT, and only the fields to change. A stale version returns 409\n4. Calculate and submit return 202. Poll GET on the payroll until `calculated_at` is set or the status is processed, and read `submission_blockers` first\n5. For a company already on Gusto, the Embedded API is the wrong route. Use the Gusto CLI or the MCP server at https://mcp.api.gusto.com, which draft payroll but can't submit it\n\n## Questions\n\n### Which is better for AI agents, Argyle or Gusto?\n\nArgyle and Gusto score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 63.7 (B) and 63.3 (B). Gusto leads on agent ergonomics and security \u0026 auth.\n\n### Do Argyle and Gusto need an API key?\n\nArgyle needs an API key. Gusto uses an OAuth sign-in.\n\n### Can an agent call Argyle and Gusto without installing anything?\n\nArgyle has a hosted endpoint at https://api.argyle.com/v2. No hosted endpoint is listed for Gusto.\n\n\n## For agents\n\n- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-gusto.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-gusto.min.md\n- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {\"a\": \"argyle\", \"b\": \"gusto\"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare argyle gusto`\n- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/argyle.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gusto.json\n\n## Other comparisons with Argyle or Gusto\n\n- [Argyle vs Check](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-check-payroll.md)\n- [Argyle vs Employment Hero Payroll](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-employment-hero.md)\n- [Argyle vs Everee](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-everee.md)\n- [Argyle vs Finch](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-finch.md)\n- [Argyle vs Paychex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-paychex.md)\n- [Argyle vs Salsa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-salsa.md)\n- [Argyle vs Zeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-zeal.md)\n- [Finch vs Gusto](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/finch-vs-gusto.md)\n- [Gusto vs Paychex](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-paychex.md)\n- [Check vs Gusto](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/check-payroll-vs-gusto.md)\n- [Employment Hero Payroll vs Gusto](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/employment-hero-vs-gusto.md)\n- [Everee vs Gusto](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/everee-vs-gusto.md)\n- [Gusto vs Salsa](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-salsa.md)\n- [Gusto vs Zeal](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gusto-vs-zeal.md)\n", "meta": { "attribution": "Anchor Terminal (https://www.anchorterminal.com)", "docs": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/docs/", "generatedAt": "2026-10-08", "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "method": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/benchmark/", "methodology": "0.4", "openapi": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/openapi.json", "preview": false, "run": "2026-10-01", "runLabel": "October 2026 research run" }, "page": { "breadcrumbs": [ { "name": "Home", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/" }, { "name": "Compare", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/" }, { "name": "Argyle vs Gusto", "url": "" } ], "description": "Argyle and Gusto score within a point of each other on agent readiness, 63.7 (B) and 63.3 (B). Gusto leads on agent ergonomics and security \u0026 auth. Both do payroll employees. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.", "facts": [ "Argyle B 63.7", "Gusto B 63.3", "scores" ], "h1": "Argyle vs Gusto", "image": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/assets/og/compare-argyle-vs-gusto.png", "path": "/compare/argyle-vs-gusto", "published": "2026-10-01", "section": "tools", "title": "Argyle vs Gusto for AI agents, B 63.7 vs B 63.3 | Anchor Terminal", "toc": null, "updated": "2026-10-08", "url": "https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/argyle-vs-gusto" }, "tokens": { "markdown": 2150, "slim": 680 }, "version": 1 }