Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll
Price, side by side
| Employees | Gusto Simple | QuickBooks (entry plan) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $55/mo | ~$56/mo |
| 3 | $67/mo | ~$69/mo |
| 5 | $79/mo | ~$82/mo |
| 10 | $109/mo | ~$115/mo |
Treat the QuickBooks column as approximate
Gusto publishes clear list pricing ($49 base + $6/employee, checked 28 August 2026). QuickBooks payroll pricing is quoted inconsistently across sources. We found base fees between $45 and $50 and per-employee fees between $6 and $6.50 for the entry plan, with a further change announced for 1 July 2026. Intuit also runs deep introductory discounts that make the first months much cheaper than list. Get a live quote before deciding on price.
The gap at any size this site cares about is a few dollars a month. That’s noise against the cost of the employee you are paying.
Where they actually differ
| Gusto | QuickBooks Payroll | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | The business owner running it themselves | The accountant or bookkeeper already in QuickBooks |
| Accounting integration | Syncs to QuickBooks, Xero and others | Native, since it’s the same product |
| Employee onboarding | Strong. Employee completes W-4, I-9 and direct deposit themselves before day one | Workable but less self-service |
| Tax filing | Automatic, federal and state, all plans | Automatic on all current plans |
| Interface | Assumes little accounting vocabulary | Assumes you live in QuickBooks already |
| Ecosystem lock-in | Low. Easy to leave | High. That is the point, for better and worse |
The question that actually decides it
Ask who touches payroll besides you. If the answer is "an accountant who works in QuickBooks", the integration wins and the debate is over You’ll spend more on reconciliation friction than you save.
If the answer is "nobody, it is just me", Gusto is the better tool. It is designed for someone who has never run payroll, and the employee self-onboarding removes most of the paperwork on our onboarding checklist.
What neither of them does
Neither schedules your crew or tracks hours at the job site properly. Both accept hours; neither is where hours should be captured once you have three or more people in the field. That is a separate purchase, and usually a later one. See Connecteam vs Housecall Pro.
What we have not done
We have not run a live payroll cycle in either product. This compares published pricing, documented feature sets, and the structural difference in who each one is designed for. It isn’t hands-on testing.
Common questions
Is Gusto or QuickBooks Payroll cheaper?
They are close enough that price should not decide it. Gusto Simple is $49/month plus $6 per employee; QuickBooks entry-level payroll is around $50/month plus roughly $6.50 per employee, though QuickBooks quotes vary by promotion and source. At three employees both land in the $65–70 range.
Should I use QuickBooks Payroll if I already use QuickBooks?
Usually yes. The integration is the whole argument. Payroll journal entries post themselves, and your accountant works in one system. That convenience is worth more than a few dollars a month, and switching costs are real.
Which is better for a business with no accountant?
Gusto, in our view. It is built to be operated by an owner rather than by a bookkeeper, the employee self-onboarding removes most of the paperwork, and the interface assumes less accounting vocabulary.
Can I switch payroll providers mid-year?
Yes, though the cleanest time is 1 January because year-to-date wage and tax totals have to be migrated accurately for W-2s to be correct. Mid-year switches are routine but you must carry over YTD figures precisely, and both providers offer help with this.