Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll (2026): Workforce Plans Compared
At 20 staff, Gusto Simple costs $169 a month and QuickBooks Workforce Payroll costs $190. That gap follows Intuit's July 2026 per-employee increase. QuickBooks wins on native sync if your books are already in QuickBooks Online; Gusto wins on price, multi-state handling and HR tools.
Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll: which is better for Payroll teams?
If your books live in QuickBooks Online and you run payroll in one state, QuickBooks Workforce is the low-friction choice: $50 plus $7 per employee, synced into the same ledger your bookkeeper already reconciles.
Pick Gusto if you pay people in more than one state, want [onboarding](/categories/onboarding-software) and [HR](/categories/hr-software) tools, or use Xero or another ledger: Gusto Simple is $49 plus $6 per person, and Plus adds multi-state for $80 plus $12. Gusto still syncs a journal entry to QuickBooks Online after every payroll.
Don't pick QuickBooks Workforce if you want control of tax payments; since July 1, 2026 it pays and files all set-up taxes automatically. Don't pick Gusto Simple if you have staff in two states; you will need Plus.
Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll: what each tool does
Gusto is the payroll platform that most small businesses encounter first when they realize they need more than a spreadsheet and a quarterly trip to the accountant.
- Starting price
- $49/mo + $6 per person
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Free trial
- No standard free trial; promotional offers vary
QuickBooks Payroll, now sold as QuickBooks Workforce, is Intuit's payroll for small businesses already on QuickBooks, with tax filing on every plan.
- Starting price
- $50/mo + $7 per employee
- Deployment
- Cloud
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial, or 50% off the base fee for 3 months
Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll: side by side
Rows are grouped by the decision they belong to, and a row is marked where the two products answer differently. Rows they answer the same way stay visible: that is an answer too.
| Pricing | Gusto | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49/mo + $6 per person | $50/mo + $7 per employee |
| Typical cost | $80/mo + $12 per person on Plus ($680/mo at 50 staff) | $88/mo + $13 per employee on Premium ($413/mo at 25) |
| Billing unit | per month + per person | per month + per employee |
| Free trial | No standard free trial; promotional offers vary | 30-day free trial, or 50% off the base fee for 3 months |
| Price transparency | Prices published by vendor | Prices published by vendor |
Prices verified Sep 2026. Sources: Gusto pricing page, Gusto Help Center: Understanding Gusto plans, Gusto: CASRAI Gusto pricing guide (updated Aug 27, 2026), QuickBooks Payroll (QuickBooks Workforce): QuickBooks Workforce pricing page, QuickBooks Payroll (QuickBooks Workforce): QuickBooks payroll plans page (trial and discount terms), QuickBooks Payroll (QuickBooks Workforce): Firm of the Future: QuickBooks payroll price changes (June 14, 2026), QuickBooks Payroll (QuickBooks Workforce): QB-LA: Workforce payroll changes July 2026 (June 19, 2026).
Full plan tables: Gusto pricing, QuickBooks Payroll pricing.
| Criteria |  Gusto |  QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Commercials | ||
| Starting priceDiffers | $49/mo + $6 per person | $50/mo + $7 per employee |
| Pricing modelDiffers | Per-employee pricing | Tiered pricing |
| Free trialDiffers | No standard free trial; promotional offers vary | 30-day free trial, or 50% off the base fee for 3 months |
| Typical costDiffers | $80/mo + $12 per person on Plus ($680/mo at 50 staff) | $88/mo + $13 per employee on Premium ($413/mo at 25) |
| Who it fits | ||
| Best forDiffers | US small businesses wanting published payroll pricing and 50-state tax filing | QuickBooks Online users wanting payroll posted straight to the ledger |
| Rollout & platform | ||
| Deployment | Cloud | Cloud |
| Supported platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android |
Gusto vs QuickBooks Payroll: key differences
Your ledger decides most of this
QuickBooks Workforce writes payroll straight into QuickBooks Online. Gusto syncs a journal entry into QuickBooks Online, Desktop or Xero after each run.
- 6 employees, one state, books in QuickBooks Online: QuickBooks Workforce Payroll ($92 a month). Nothing new to learn. See payroll software.
- 15 employees across two states: Gusto Plus ($260 a month). QuickBooks can pay unemployment tax to only one state per employee.
- Books in Xero: Gusto. QuickBooks payroll is built for Intuit's own ledger.
- Owner wants protection from payroll tax penalties: QuickBooks Workforce Elite covers penalties up to $25,000 a year, with conditions.
Payroll plus QuickBooks Online: totals at 5 and 20 employees
| Setup | 5 employees / mo | 20 employees / mo |
|---|---|---|
| Gusto Simple ($49 + $6) | $79 | $169 |
| QuickBooks Workforce Payroll ($50 + $7) | $85 | $190 |
| Gusto Plus ($80 + $12) | $140 | $320 |
| QuickBooks Workforce Premium ($88 + $13) | $153 | $348 |
| Gusto Simple + QBO Simple Start ($38) / Essentials ($85) | $117 | $254 |
| Workforce Payroll + QBO Simple Start ($38) / Essentials ($85) | $123 | $275 |
Where QuickBooks Workforce and Gusto differ in practice
| Feature | Gusto | QuickBooks Payroll |
|---|---|---|
| Ledger connection | Journal entry per payroll to QBO, QuickBooks Desktop or Xero | Native inside QuickBooks Online |
| Multi-state | Plus plan and above | Supported, but unemployment tax goes to one state per employee |
| Tax payments | Automatic filing and payment | Automatic and mandatory since July 1, 2026 |
| Direct deposit | Next-day on Plus | Next-day on Payroll; same-day on Premium and Elite (run by 7am) |
| Penalty protection | Not offered as a guarantee | Elite: up to $25,000 a year, conditions apply |
| Time tracking | Plus plan and above | QuickBooks Time in Premium and Elite |
| Benefits | Gusto brokerage; 401(k) powered by Guideline | Allstate health, Vestwell 401(k); $5/employee admin add-on at 20+ staff |
| Contractors abroad | 120+ countries | Not offered |
Support, cancellation and data access
- QuickBooks support: Workforce Payroll weekdays 6am-6pm PT; Premium and Elite add longer weekday hours and weekend phone and chat. Elite adds an HR advisor.
- Gusto support: chat 5am-5pm PT on weekdays, shorter weekend hours, phone by callback; Premium adds a dedicated contact.
- Contracts: both month-to-month. Cancelling QuickBooks payroll does not cancel QuickBooks Online.
- After cancelling: QuickBooks keeps payroll data accessible for one year and charges $150 to prepare year-end forms. Gusto keeps view access and charges $100 federal, $100 per state and $5 per W-2 if it keeps filing.
Switching between Gusto and QuickBooks Workforce
- 1Switch at a quarter start if you can; only one provider files each quarter.
- 2Into QuickBooks: its import tool pulls most employee data and pay history from Gusto, ADP or Paychex. Social Security numbers and bank details are added by hand, and tax matching locks once confirmed.
- 3Into Gusto: its transfer tool imports employee details from QuickBooks Online Payroll; enter past payroll totals during setup.
- 4Keep the old provider's bank account funded until it has paid any outstanding liabilities.
- 5Check that the first new payroll posts to the right expense and liability accounts in your ledger.
QuickBooks' prior-payroll entry cannot be edited after the first paycheck. Have your bookkeeper check year-to-date totals before you run payroll.
Complaints from Gusto and QuickBooks payroll users
Themes from Capterra, Trustpilot, Intuit's community and G2, checked October 2026.
- QuickBooks, repeated price increases: most Capterra reviews that mention cost are negative.
- QuickBooks, hard-to-reach support and long holds for tax issues (Capterra; Trustpilot).
- QuickBooks, penalty disputes: users report tax penalties Intuit said it was not responsible for (Intuit community; SoftwareFinder).
- QuickBooks, multi-state limits: separate paychecks per state and a reported extra fee (Intuit community).
- Gusto, slow support and tax-notice fixes (Trustpilot, 1.9/5 from 2,530 reviews).
- Gusto, onboarding errors such as duplicate deductions (Trustpilot; Capterra).
Related: ADP vs QuickBooks Payroll, OnPay vs Gusto, Square Payroll vs Gusto, and how to do payroll.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gusto cheaper than QuickBooks Payroll?
Slightly, at entry level. Gusto Simple is $49 a month plus $6 per person; QuickBooks Workforce Payroll is $50 plus $7 per employee after Intuit raised per-employee fees on July 1, 2026. At 20 employees that is $169 against $190. At the next tier, Gusto Plus ($80 plus $12) and Workforce Premium ($88 plus $13) are also close.
Do I need QuickBooks Online to use QuickBooks Payroll?
Usually you buy them together. Intuit's pricing page sells Workforce bundled with QuickBooks Online plans, and an Intuit community answer says an accounting subscription is required, though Intuit help content also describes payroll used without accounting. Confirm with Intuit before buying. QuickBooks Online Simple Start lists at $38 a month and Essentials at $85.
Does Gusto integrate with QuickBooks Online?
Yes. Gusto posts a journal entry to QuickBooks Online after each payroll run, mapped to the accounts you choose; you need admin rights in both systems. Gusto also connects to QuickBooks Desktop and Xero. The difference from QuickBooks Workforce is that Gusto syncs a summary entry, while Intuit's payroll writes into the same file.
What changed with QuickBooks Payroll in 2026?
Intuit renamed its payroll plans QuickBooks Workforce in May 2026: Core became Workforce Payroll, alongside Workforce Premium and Elite. On July 1, 2026 it raised per-employee fees while keeping base fees, added a $5 per employee benefits administration option for companies with 20 or more employees, and made automatic tax payment and filing mandatory.
Can I switch from QuickBooks Payroll to Gusto mid-year?
Yes. Cancel QuickBooks payroll from Settings, then Subscriptions and billing; Intuit pays outstanding liabilities when it processes the cancellation and keeps your payroll data available for one year. Enter year-to-date totals in Gusto, which files from the quarter of your first Gusto check. Intuit charges $150 if you ask it to prepare year-end forms after cancelling.
Which is better for a bookkeeper managing several clients?
Whichever matches the client's ledger. QuickBooks Online Accountant lets firms add payroll to client subscriptions, bill through the ProAdvisor discount and see pay dates and tax deadlines on the Clients tab. Gusto Pro is free for firms, gives the firm its own Gusto Plus account once it onboards a client a year, and offers a multi-client dashboard.