Gusto vs QuickBooks (Payroll)

Books already in QuickBooks Online, and you want payday inside that company: look at QuickBooks Workforce. On Intuit's products page, as of Oct 2026, the list prices shown next to a 50% off for 3 months offer are Workforce Payroll $50 a month plus $7 per employee, Workforce Premium $88 a month plus $13 per employee, and Workforce Elite $134 a month plus $17 per employee. The promo on that page cuts the monthly base in half for 3 months. The per-employee amounts stay. Recheck the card before you buy. Intuit's payroll pricing page also says Workforce Elite includes setup for you, and Workforce Premium includes a setup review.

You want payroll, basic HR, and a plan you can leave. Gusto's pricing page, as of Oct 2026, lists Simple at $49 a month plus $6 per person, Plus at $80 a month plus $12 per person, and Premium at $180 a month plus $22 per person. Gusto says every plan includes unlimited payroll runs, and that billing is month to month.

One state, no time clock: Gusto Simple is described as basic payroll in one state, with tax filings and basic PTO. Time tracking and scheduling, multi-state payroll, and next-day pay are listed on Plus. Do not buy Simple and assume a second state is included.

You want benefits in the same place as payroll. Gusto says health insurance administration has no Gusto fee when Gusto is the broker. You still pay the insurance premium. Keeping your own broker is listed at $6 a month per eligible employee. That is not 'benefits included.'

You are on Xero, not QuickBooks. Xero sells Xero Payroll powered by Gusto at $36 a month plus $6 per person, which is a different bill from standalone Gusto Simple at $49 plus $6. Read both pages before you add payroll inside Xero. The QuickBooks vs Xero page covers the ledger choice.

Gusto to QuickBooks Online is a journal entry, not 'payroll lives inside QuickBooks.' Gusto's help center says it pulls your chart of accounts and builds a journal entry each time you run payroll. You map wages, taxes, deductions, and the bank account. Unmapped categories are how the sync fails. Gusto's switch guide says that integration does not move employee history. History is a separate transfer. Do the mapping before the first payday you expect to see in the books.

QuickBooks Desktop is a different integration. Gusto's Desktop page describes exporting transactions from Gusto and importing them. It is not the same automatic journal as QuickBooks Online. If your accountant is on Desktop, plan on that export.

Gusto says it files federal, state, and local payroll tax forms, including W-2, 1099, 940, and 941. QuickBooks sells Workforce as payroll with taxes done for you. I still want you to confirm state and local coverage for your city on the plan you buy. Local tax is where a 'full service' plan surprises people.

Gusto bills US contractors at the per-person rate only in months you pay them. Global contractor payments are a per-payment fee, not that monthly per-person rate. Read the contractor section if you pay 1099s outside the US.

Same-day and instant pay on Gusto are included on Premium. On lower plans they are add-ons or per-payroll fees. Next-day pay is included on Plus and Premium, and listed as a paid add-on on Simple. I have not verified a contract length for QuickBooks payroll, so I will not claim one. Gusto says it is month to month.

If you switch mid-year, Gusto's signup notes say to have your EIN, addresses, pay rates, and the payroll taxes already filed. Do that before a payroll deadline, not the night before.

Payday itself should stay on the payroll system. The work around it is what I automate: the reminder before you have to submit, the new-hire checklist, PTO, and the books catching the journal. Write the new-hire steps down before you wire them.