Gusto is rated #1 in payroll | G2 Fall 2025
Gusto vs. QuickBooks Payroll
What would you do with an extra 156 hours a year? That’s the average time Gusto customers save running payroll after switching from QuickBooks.¹
Gusto brings your payroll, benefits, and HR tools together in one simple platform. See why over 500,000 businesses trust Gusto to pay and manage their teams.
Thinking of switching from QuickBooks? Make the move to Gusto in less than 7 days and simplify payroll today!2 Learn more about switching.
4.5/5 stars
average rating from Gusto customers.*
156 hours
average time saved annually by Gusto customers on payroll after switching from QuickBooks.
9 out of 10
customers would recommend Gusto*
Why Gusto over QuickBooks Payroll?
Peace of mind with clear pricing
As opposed to QuickBooks, we offer simple, transparent plans with no surprise fees. Unlimited payroll runs and automatic tax filings are always included.
More integrations, more productivity
Gusto integrates with more accounting platforms than QuickBooks, including Xero, FreshBooks, and Sage. We also connect you with more benefits providers, over 9,000 health insurance plans and major 401(k) providers.
Award-winning customer support
When you need help, you’ll get support from a real person. Our team was ranked #1 in customer satisfaction by G2 in 2025‡, so you know you're in good hands.
Compare pricing and features: Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll
What to consider when choosing a payroll provider?
Evaluate the features your business needs today—and down the road.
Some payroll platforms might offer a lot of services, but they come at a cost. While a few dollars may not seem like much, these extras can eventually add up. Find a payroll platform that doesn’t charge you extra for every feature you add.
See if the provider has experience with businesses like yours.
Size is one of the most important factors to keep in mind. While some payroll solutions are great for large enterprises, they may not be able to cover the needs of small and midsize businesses. By choosing a payroll service that can serve you today and in the future, you can guarantee your needs will be met at each stage.
Consider how easy it is to switch.
Exporting and importing your existing data can be a tough task. If you’re planning on switching payroll providers, ask about the data migration process. While it’s important to understand the steps needed to transfer data, you should also ask who will oversee your migration to your new payroll service.
Get help when you need it.
Talking to customer service should be easy, especially when you’re in a bind. With so many ways to contact someone online, a good payroll service provider should offer plenty of assistance through chat, phone, and email.
Comparison details: Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll
Payroll
Running payroll
With Gusto, running payroll is done with your time in mind. Our platform cuts out the time-consuming parts of payroll, so it only requires a few clicks. It takes our customers 8 minutes, on average, to process payroll†. You can even set up Gusto to automatically process payroll each pay period, along with filing payroll taxes.
As part of Intuit, QuickBooks Payroll is an extension of the existing QuickBooks platform, meaning it wasn’t built to handle payroll exclusively.
Once your company’s setup is complete, the software can automatically handle payroll for salaried employees. Keep in mind that you may need to add more information to pay your hourly workers.
Processing payroll
Gusto allows you to run payroll as often as you need, regardless of whether you have one employee or 100. Each payroll run takes minutes to complete and comes with a summary so you can double-check that everything’s correct before submission.
QuickBooks Payroll also offers unlimited payroll runs.
Tax filings
It’s crucial that your payroll taxes are filed correctly. Gusto collects and files payroll taxes automatically, so you don’t have to think about it. Your employees’ W-2 forms and contractors’ 1099 forms are filed directly from our platform. In addition, we file your local, state, and federal taxes at no extra fee. We also handle tax filings in multiple states without additional charges.
QuickBooks Payroll can also take care of your company’s payroll tax requirements, however automated tax payments and filings for local taxes are only available on premium and elite tiers. The service can calculate, file, and pay your payroll taxes, similar to Gusto. However, only one state filing is included in the payroll package, and additional states cost $12 a month for the Core and Premium service tiers. Additionally, local tax filings require that users print out the forms and send them to their local tax collection agencies.
Gusto | QuickBooks Payroll | |
Unlimited Payrolls | ✔ | ✔ |
File 1099’s | ✔ | ✔ |
Benefits
Employee benefits
At Gusto, we know how important your benefits package is to your employees. That’s why we offer medical, dental, and vision benefits administration for free as an add-on to our payroll plans. Gusto offers more than 3,500 trusted health insurance plans, from top carriers such as BlueCross BlueShield, Humana, United Healthcare, and many more. If you want to offer health benefits to your team, you’ll only pay the premiums. Along with setting up new health benefits, you can transfer your existing plans without any coverage interruption.
With guidance from our licensed advisors, Gusto helps you find the right health care coverage that fits your budget.
We also offer other financial benefits, including 401(k) retirement plans, commuter benefits, workers’ compensation, and flexible spending accounts.
QuickBooks Payroll only offers health benefits and workers’ comp. While the platform’s benefits administration capabilities are available at all service levels, only the Premium and Elite levels have access to workers’ comp.
Gusto | QuickBooks Payroll | |
Health benefits | Pay premiums only | Through Allstate Health Solutions |
Workers’ comp | Pay premiums only | Premiums + fees (There is a $5 monthly fee for QuickBooks Online Payroll core users for the QuickBooks Workers' Comp Payment Service. This non-refundable fee will be automatically added to each monthly Intuit invoice at the then-current price until you cancel.) |
HR tools
Time tracking
With Gusto’s Plus and Premium plans, you unlock access to simple time tracking tools that can help you monitor employee hours and process PTO requests. We also integrate with popular time tracking software like Homebase, so you can automatically import your employees’ hours into Gusto.
QuickBooks Payroll includes time tracking features in its Premium and Elite packages through QuickBooks Time. Separately, the QuickBooks Time Premium service costs $8 per month for every user, with an additional $20 base fee per month. The Elite service has a monthly fee of $10 per user, with an additional $40 base fee per month.
Customer service
Support team
At Gusto, our products are backed with the full support of a sales and customer support team. We’re available every weekday through phone, email, and chat. All of Gusto’s products come with access to friendly customer support via phone, email, and chat Monday through Friday. Our FAQ and Help Center are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
QuickBooks has an extensive knowledge base that’s hosted on their website. For customers who want to speak with a live person, the QuickBooks support team can be reached by phone.
Integrations
Integration capabilities
Gusto’s small business platform is compatible with a wide range of popular accounting, time tracking, point of sale (POS), and expense management software, including FreshBooks, Expensify, When I Work, and Xero. All integrations are available for no additional cost and without any downtime. See the full list of integration partners.
Still deciding? Check out these 8 alternatives to QuickBooks for more options.
Best Payroll Software 2025 - Ranked #1
#1 Most Innovative Company in HR 2025
#1 Highest Satisfaction Software, G2 Review 2026
America's Best Online Platforms, Newsweek & Statista 2025
Gusto FAQs
At Gusto, our goal is to help business owners manage their teams so they can focus on growing their companies. Our payroll platform supports the employee experience from onboarding all the way to retirement. By offering a clear payment structure, our customers rest easy knowing they won’t be charged any hidden fees.
Read more about how Gusto can take payroll, benefits, and HR off your plate.
Getting payroll wrong can be a time-consuming and costly affair, especially because sensitive details like bank accounts and Social Security Numbers are involved. That’s why security is our main priority. Over 500,000 businesses trust us with their payroll, leading us to process tens of billions of dollars each year. Here’s how we keep your sensitive information safe:
At every stage, we employ industry-standard encryption. All stored data is encrypted using AES-256, while all data in transit is encrypted using TLS 1.2.
We regularly test our software so we can stop problems before they occur.
Each Gusto account is monitored for suspicious or fraudulent activity. If we notice something wrong with your account, we’ll notify you right away.
We only work with vendors and integration partners who demonstrate their commitment to exemplary security protocols.
Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is enabled on every account to ensure only the right people see sensitive information.
Each of our employees goes through security training, even if their role doesn’t involve interacting with sensitive information.
Along with our payroll security measures, we regularly make sure that our benefits administration is airtight. Our benefits platform is in line with COBRA, HIPAA, and ACA’s stringent security, privacy, and compliance standards. That means your team’s protected health information (PHI) is in safe hands.
Read more about our security practices across our payroll, benefits, and HR offerings.
Thanks to our intuitive migration process, you can join Gusto at any time of the year. When you switch to Gusto, your personal, dedicated payroll specialist will walk you through the entire process, saving you hours of time and reducing setup errors. If you have 10 or more employees, we’ll do it for you–you’ll be set up with your new payroll platform before you know it.
To set up a new account or transfer an existing payroll over to Gusto, we recommend that you gather some basic information before reaching out.You will need your EIN and your team’s addresses and salaries. If you’re making the switch in the middle of the year, it’s also important that you provide any documentation about the payroll taxes you’ve already.
If you need more information about Gusto, our sales team can answer any questions. You can reach our team directly by emailing [email protected], calling (855) 590-3993, or through live chat in the corner of our website. Our sales team is ready to chat Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT.
Many small businesses choose Gusto for its intuitive interface, transparent pricing, and all-in-one payroll and HR features. QuickBooks Payroll can be a strong choice for companies deeply embedded in the QuickBooks accounting ecosystem, but it focuses more narrowly on payroll and may require additional tools for HR and benefits. Gusto delivers a more complete solution for managing your team, with everything from onboarding to benefits administration included.
No—Gusto is not bookkeeping software. Our platform focuses on payroll, HR, benefits, and compliance tools, helping you manage the people side of your business. However, we integrate with popular accounting systems like QuickBooks, Xero, and FreshBooks, so your payroll data flows seamlessly into your books.
Some businesses pair Gusto with accounting platforms like Xero, FreshBooks, or Wave to create a complete back-office solution. This combination allows them to maintain robust accounting while also getting a more modern, integrated HR and payroll experience.
Our Simple plan starts at $49/mo + $6/mo per person, which includes full-service payroll, employee self-service, and core HR tools. Plus and Premium plans add advanced HR features, performance tracking, and compliance support. Pricing is straightforward and scales with your needs—no hidden fees.
No—Gusto does not include invoicing capabilities. However, we integrate with accounting and invoicing tools like QuickBooks, Xero, and FreshBooks, so you can manage billing and payroll side by side without duplicate data entry.
Gusto combines payroll, HR, benefits, compliance, scheduling, and performance tools into one easy-to-use platform designed for small businesses. Our emphasis on transparency, automation, and excellent customer support means you spend less time on admin work and more time focusing on your business.
Explore how Gusto stacks up to competitors
Join more than 500,000
businesses and their teams.
¹ Source: Survey of 538 Gusto Customers, September 2024
**Gusto was ranked G2’s Best Payroll Software of 2025
†according to Gusto's internal payroll data May 2025.
†according to Gusto's internal payroll data May 2025.