Gusto vs QuickBooks Workforce (formerly QuickBooks Payroll)
Editor Sebastiaan Smits ·
Published September 30, 2026 · Updated October 20, 2026
Both file US payroll taxes for you; the difference is what sits around the pay run. Gusto surrounds it with benefits, 401(k) administration and state registration. QuickBooks Payroll, now sold by Intuit as QuickBooks Workforce, surrounds it with the ledger, syncing payroll into QuickBooks Online. Companies already keeping books in QuickBooks lean that way; everyone else leans Gusto.
Side by side
 Gusto |  QuickBooks Workforce (formerly QuickBooks Payroll) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Full-service US payroll with benefits administration built in | Payroll and HR add-on, now sold as QuickBooks Workforce, posting into QuickBooks Online |
| Best for | US small businesses up to 100 people | Small businesses already on QuickBooks Online |
| Headquarters | United States | United States |
| Pricing model | Base fee + per person / month | Base fee + per employee / month |
| Pricing | Published tiers with a monthly base fee plus a per-person fee; a cheaper contractor-only plan is available. | Published Workforce tiers (Payroll, Premium, Elite) with a monthly base plus per-employee fee, also sold bundled with QuickBooks Online plans; frequent introductory discounts. |
| Free option | None | Free trial |
| Place in our Payroll software ranking | #1 of 11 | #6 of 11 |
| Website | gusto.com | quickbooks.intuit.com |
Both are reviewed in full in Best Payroll Software in 2026. Position in that ranking can be paid for; the wording of a review or of this comparison cannot. Placement disclosure.
Which one to choose
Choose Gusto if
your books are in Xero or another ledger, or you want health benefits, retirement plans and new-state registrations handled in the same product that runs payroll.
Gusto, #1 in the ranking · Visit Gusto →
Choose QuickBooks Workforce (formerly QuickBooks Payroll) if
your bookkeeper or accountant already works in QuickBooks Online and you want payroll synced into the same books, or you want same-day deposit and a tax penalty guarantee on a higher tier.
QuickBooks Workforce (formerly QuickBooks Payroll), #6 in the ranking · Visit QuickBooks Workforce (formerly QuickBooks Payroll) →
Where they differ
Getting payroll into the books
QuickBooks Payroll syncs employee data, payroll and time tracking with QuickBooks Online, so wages and taxes land in the books the bookkeeper already uses, and a QuickBooks Online customer can add payroll at any time. Gusto integrates with most accounting systems, which matters if your ledger is Xero or something else. On QuickBooks Online, the native sync wins; off it, QuickBooks Payroll has little to offer.
Edge: even
Benefits and HR around the pay run
Gusto administers benefits and 401(k) plans, sells health coverage and workers' comp through the product, registers new state tax accounts and collects tax and bank details from employees during onboarding. QuickBooks offers health insurance, 401(k) plans and workers' comp through partner providers, and keeps a personal HR adviser for its top Elite plan. A first-time employer gets more of its compliance stack from Gusto.
Edge: Gusto
Reading the price
QuickBooks lists Workforce Payroll at $50 a month plus $7 per employee, Premium at $88 plus $13 and Elite at $134 plus $17, with the base fee halved for the first three months, so the renewal price is the one to budget. Gusto also publishes tiers of a monthly base plus a per-person fee, and gates next-day deposit, time tracking and detailed permissions to higher ones. Compare the tier you actually need.
Edge: even
Deposit speed and penalty cover
QuickBooks' entry plan pays by next-day direct deposit; Premium and Elite offer same-day deposit if payroll runs by 7 am, and add time tracking. Elite also covers payroll tax penalties and interest up to $25,000 a year, subject to conditions such as submitting notices within 15 days. Gusto offers next-day deposit on higher tiers. For an owner who runs payroll at the last minute, QuickBooks has the edge.
Edge: QuickBooks Workforce (formerly QuickBooks Payroll)
Tally: Gusto 1, QuickBooks Workforce (formerly QuickBooks Payroll) 1, even 2.
When neither fits
Neither works once you have employees on foreign payroll or a few hundred staff across many states and cost centers. Rippling runs payroll from one employee record and extends to foreign payroll, and Deel is the most complete way to employ or pay people abroad.
See Rippling and Deel among the 11 products in Best Payroll Software in 2026.
Questions and answers
Does Gusto work with QuickBooks, or do I need QuickBooks Payroll?
Gusto integrates with most accounting systems, so QuickBooks Payroll is not required. What QuickBooks Payroll adds is a native sync: payroll, employee data and time tracking stay in step with QuickBooks Online without a connector. Decide whether that convenience outweighs Gusto's stronger benefits and HR tools.
Is support better at Gusto or QuickBooks Payroll?
Neither stands out. Gusto's answers can be slow and inconsistent in peak weeks, especially around year-end, and QuickBooks Payroll's support is inconsistent and hard to reach at busy times. QuickBooks sells more hands-on help on its upper plans: an expert reviews setup on Premium and completes it on Elite.
Do Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll both handle contractors and 1099s?
Yes. Gusto processes W-2s and 1099s, has a cheaper contractor-only plan and supports international contractor payments. Every QuickBooks Payroll plan includes unlimited e-filing of 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC forms. Both file payroll taxes as a full service rather than leaving filings to you.
How much does QuickBooks Payroll cost?
The payroll-only plans list at $50 a month plus $7 per employee for Workforce Payroll, $88 plus $13 for Premium and $134 plus $17 for Elite. The base fee is 50 percent off for the first three months. Bundles with QuickBooks Online accounting are priced separately.
Sources
Prices, plan limits and product facts on this page were checked against the vendors' own pages on September 30, 2026. Vendors change both without notice, so treat the figures as of that date.
- QuickBooks payroll-only pricing page: QuickBooks plan names and prices, the introductory discount, deposit speeds, time tracking, 1099 e-filing, setup help and the HR adviser on Elite
- QuickBooks payroll pricing page: the separate accounting bundles, adding payroll to QuickBooks Online and benefits through partner providers
- QuickBooks tax penalty protection page: penalty cover up to $25,000 a year on Elite and its conditions
- QuickBooks payroll overview: the QuickBooks Workforce name and payroll syncing with QuickBooks books