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Recommended Comparisons

    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Gusto

    Score8.9 out of 10
    N/AGusto offers payroll, benefits and compliance capabilities. Gusto is scaled for small to mid-sized businesses, and emphasizes an easy to use interface.

    $49

    per month

    Paychex

    Score6.9 out of 10
    N/APaychex Flex, of Paychex' Online Payroll Services, is a cloud-based human resource management and payroll platform. Paychex offers core and specialized services, and scales to meet the needs of small businesses, SMBs, and large enterprises.N/A

    QuickBooks Desktop Premier

    Score8 out of 10
    N/AQuickBooks Desktop Premier is an installed version of QuickBooks for general business, contractors, manufacturing and warehouse accounting, as well as nonprofits, professional services, and retail.N/A
    Pricing
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Editions & Modules
    Simple: A streamlined set of automatic payroll features and benefits integrations
    $49/month + $6/mo per person
    per month
    Plus: Comprehensive payroll, benefits, and HR tools for employers building a great place to work
    $80/month + $12/mo per person
    per month
    Premium: Scalable payroll and benefits, expert HR, and dedicated support for the complex needs of growing teams
    $180/month + $22/mo per person
    per month
    Paychex Flex Pro
    Custom Pricing
    per month/+$4 per employee
    HR Pro
    Custom Pricing
    HR PEO
    Custom Pricing
    Paychex Flex Select
    Custom Pricing
    Paychex Flex Enterprise
    Custom Pricing
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Free Trial
    YesNoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeRequiredNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsGusto offers three pricing plans for payroll, benefits, and HR.——
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Considered Multiple Products
    Gusto
    Chose Gusto
    Paychex way to big for a small business. Never able to get immediate help when needed.

    Toast Payroll outsourced company with lots nice features but needs more time to figure it out.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    We switched from Paychex to Gusto due to challenges in employee management and onboarding. Gusto has significantly improved our experience with its efficient and error-free processes, making payroll and HR tasks smoother and more reliable for our team. One personal incident was …
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Gusto is young. They are nowhere close to the level of paychex or ADP, But as a payroll provider in time they can get there.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Gusto blows PayChex out of the water when it comes to small businesses. For a much larger business model, Paychex Flex might have the advantage though.

    I have used/seen Paychex Flex being used for a nationwide company with 100s of employees. For the accounting team in that …
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Gusto is more cost-effective and has been very responsive to inquiries.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Gusto is WAY easier to use!
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Gusto is the far superior product.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    I honestly don't remember any others besides Paychex.. I don't recall having the ability (as an employee) to split my own direct deposits, or even remember a nice portal to log into. Perhaps they do have it and it wasn't communicated well to me. Gusto has always been super easy …
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Far superior and easier to use.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    A lot easier to use and to set up. Employees have an easier time locating paystubs and keeping track of hours worked and PTO or days off.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Paychex was horrible. We were having problems with them on a monthly basis. We had a new account manager almost quarterly who never seemed to have note on the practice.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Gusto is more accurate and allows for more efficiency when tracking employee hours. While I am not the admin on our account, I notice that this product has impacted our team better.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Paychex didn’t have an app or easy access when I was using it
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    In my former job, we used this system to clock in and clock out for work. It was pretty hard to manage your hours because there was no mobile app that went with it. We also didn't get any sort of pay info because the only thing we would get on pay day was a direct deposit.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Gusto is far superior to other payroll software I have used! I can clock in and out using the app, so there is no longer a need for a workplace time clock. Gusto is the first software I've used that reminds employees to check their hours at the end of a pay period, …
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Much better, easier to find things.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Gusto has a glitch-free on-boarding process that surpasses all of the other systems that I have ever tried and used. Rippling is the only other platform that comes close to the Gusto online experience, but Rippling has its PEO/behind-the-scenes legacy system glitches, and it's …
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    I thought that Gusto's solution was more modern and flexible. All of that would be fantastic if they gave any care to onboarding correctly, customer service, and honest sales tactics... but in my opinion, they do not so I feel it's worthless.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Gusto has been my favorite option both as an end-user (ie. employee) and admin (ie. employer). It's easy to use, has all the features we need, integrates with Guideline (our preferred 401k provider), and priced well for great value.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Easier and less expensive
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Easier and faster payroll entry. Support is faster. Pricing is better.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Comparable prices are overall with other payroll service companies. I can't do all the complicated payrolls like a few others, but overall good to work with 90% of our clients.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    I selected Gusto due to the price point. It was much better priced for a small nonprofit association compared to others.
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Gusto is better than Paychex and ADP but worse than Rippling and PEOs, although it's much cheaper than PEOs.
    Incentivized
    Paychex Inc.
    Chose Paychex
    Better than Paylocity, it targets different company sizes than Gusto, but Gusto is much easier to use.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    We currently use Gusto. We would not switch back to Paychex.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    Gusto is more intuitive than Paychex and easier for smaller companies. Paychex has better customer support than Paylocity. Paychex is easier to navigate than Paycom.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    Gusto is a much easier platform to use and integrate with. It may lack a few features of Paychex, but it has most features, is easier to work with, costs less money and does most things better.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    I think the Paychex reporting menus are easier to use and navigate than ADP.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    I did not select Paychex. It was at 2 companies I started with and ended up having them switch out
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    I changed from Paychex Preview to Paychex Flex and have not evaluated other products.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    They used ADP before I started, but the previous office manager did tell me that Paychex was more streamlined, more user friendly, and she loved the features that Paychex had to offer over ADP. I will say in my experience, that customer service is a lot quicker with Paychex.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    Most of the reporting is a little easier to find and create in Paychex Flex. Most of the web interfaces for submitting payroll are fairly easy just like Paychex Flex.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    The system automates the whole process of managing HR tasks helping businesses be more productive, save time and stay compliant.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    Client chose Paychex.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    n/a
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    I do not recall the names of the software systems but they didn't compare in ease of use or functionality.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    I was not here when the decision was made to move to the Paychex Flex system. I had used Paychex as a payroll processing company at a previous job, so it has been interesting and beneficial to see the other things they can offer. It is also a much better team behind it than …
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    Paychex Flex is geared towards a larger and more sophisticated organization than Xero. Xero is really only the better solution to an organization that was previously keeping its books in Excel. Paychex Flex helps companies program future payroll decisions and inputs ahead of …
    Incentivized
    Intuit
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    563 Answers
    88%
    Would buy again
    269 Answers
    82%
    Would buy again
    14 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    464 Answers
    90%
    Delivers good value for the price
    242 Answers
    88%
    Delivers good value for the price
    14 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    576 Answers
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    283 Answers
    94%
    Happy with the feature set
    16 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    91%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    316 Answers
    88%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    203 Answers
    87%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    376 Answers
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    218 Answers
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    14 Answers
    Features
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    9.1
    611 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Paychex
    7.6
    323 Ratings
    8% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.5
    54 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Pay calculation9.5587 Ratings8.0305 Ratings9.252 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors8.58 Ratings6.56 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.7417 Ratings7.2182 Ratings8.425 Ratings
    Direct deposit files9.7592 Ratings8.3302 Ratings8.242 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management9.0462 Ratings8.0216 Ratings8.333 Ratings
    Reimbursement management9.0196 Ratings7.4124 Ratings8.336 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings7.4160 Ratings00 Ratings
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    7.0
    282 Ratings
    16% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    -
    Ratings
    Employee demographic data00 Ratings7.7228 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employment history00 Ratings7.9252 Ratings00 Ratings
    Job profiles and administration00 Ratings7.7185 Ratings00 Ratings
    Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.8183 Ratings00 Ratings
    Organizational charting00 Ratings4.66 Ratings00 Ratings
    Organization and location management00 Ratings7.1166 Ratings00 Ratings
    Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.4151 Ratings00 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    7.2
    163 Ratings
    13% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    -
    Ratings
    Approval workflow00 Ratings7.5117 Ratings00 Ratings
    Balance details00 Ratings7.6155 Ratings00 Ratings
    Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings6.3122 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employee Self Service
    Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    7.2
    280 Ratings
    14% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    -
    Ratings
    View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.1258 Ratings00 Ratings
    Update personal information00 Ratings7.6270 Ratings00 Ratings
    View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.4128 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employee recognition00 Ratings5.55 Ratings00 Ratings
    View job history00 Ratings7.6193 Ratings00 Ratings
    Asset Management
    Comparison of Asset Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    6.4
    46 Ratings
    23% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    -
    Ratings
    Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings6.446 Ratings00 Ratings
    HR Reporting
    Comparison of HR Reporting features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    6.1
    182 Ratings
    22% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    -
    Ratings
    Report builder00 Ratings6.5152 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pre-built reports00 Ratings6.8170 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings5.095 Ratings00 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    6.9
    180 Ratings
    15% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    -
    Ratings
    New hire portal00 Ratings7.0172 Ratings00 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools00 Ratings6.7116 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance and Goals
    Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    6.2
    3 Ratings
    26% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    -
    Ratings
    Corporate goal setting00 Ratings4.82 Ratings00 Ratings
    Individual goal setting00 Ratings5.73 Ratings00 Ratings
    Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings5.42 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance tracking00 Ratings8.82 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    5.8
    3 Ratings
    31% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    -
    Ratings
    Performance plans00 Ratings6.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance improvement plans00 Ratings6.03 Ratings00 Ratings
    Review status tracking00 Ratings5.73 Ratings00 Ratings
    Review reminders00 Ratings5.73 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple review frequency00 Ratings5.73 Ratings00 Ratings
    Succession Planning
    Comparison of Succession Planning features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    4.6
    4 Ratings
    52% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    -
    Ratings
    Create succession plans/pools00 Ratings3.62 Ratings00 Ratings
    Candidate ranking00 Ratings4.12 Ratings00 Ratings
    Candidate search00 Ratings5.53 Ratings00 Ratings
    Candidate development00 Ratings5.23 Ratings00 Ratings
    Recruiting / ATS
    Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    5.4
    73 Ratings
    38% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    -
    Ratings
    Job Requisition Management00 Ratings5.138 Ratings00 Ratings
    Company Website Posting00 Ratings5.235 Ratings00 Ratings
    Publish to Social Media00 Ratings5.729 Ratings00 Ratings
    Job Search Site Posting00 Ratings6.137 Ratings00 Ratings
    Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings4.635 Ratings00 Ratings
    Applicant Tracking00 Ratings4.741 Ratings00 Ratings
    Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings6.267 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    7.5
    24 Ratings
    1% below category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings00 Ratings8.017 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings00 Ratings7.024 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.3
    58 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings00 Ratings8.450 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings00 Ratings8.249 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.3
    69 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings00 Ratings8.758 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings00 Ratings8.468 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings00 Ratings7.766 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    7.8
    72 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings00 Ratings8.370 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings00 Ratings8.571 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings00 Ratings8.765 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings00 Ratings8.769 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings00 Ratings8.768 Ratings
    Time tracking00 Ratings00 Ratings7.535 Ratings
    Fixed asset management00 Ratings00 Ratings6.249 Ratings
    Multi-currency support00 Ratings00 Ratings7.623 Ratings
    Multi-division support00 Ratings00 Ratings8.239 Ratings
    Regulations compliance00 Ratings00 Ratings8.224 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing00 Ratings00 Ratings7.836 Ratings
    Self-service portal00 Ratings00 Ratings5.923 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings00 Ratings6.09 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings00 Ratings7.014 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings00 Ratings7.917 Ratings
    Localizations00 Ratings00 Ratings7.66 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings00 Ratings8.725 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings00 Ratings8.313 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings00 Ratings7.915 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings00 Ratings7.210 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings00 Ratings8.315 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.0
    43 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings00 Ratings8.342 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings00 Ratings7.321 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings00 Ratings8.825 Ratings
    Manufacturing module00 Ratings00 Ratings7.722 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.2
    47 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings00 Ratings7.937 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings00 Ratings7.838 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings00 Ratings9.134 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings00 Ratings8.943 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings00 Ratings7.58 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings00 Ratings8.59 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution00 Ratings00 Ratings7.56 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Premier
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    Patriot Payroll
    Score8.6 out of 10
    UZIO
    Score9.4 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.1 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    APS
    Score5.6 out of 10
    Zoho People
    Score8.6 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.1 out of 10
    PeopleStrong
    Score10 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.1
    (633 ratings)
    6.8
    (338 ratings)
    8.2
    (75 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (14 ratings)
    7.2
    (48 ratings)
    7.5
    (14 ratings)
    Usability
    9.4
    (457 ratings)
    7.2
    (279 ratings)
    8.9
    (26 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.2
    (12 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (12 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Support Rating
    4.4
    (27 ratings)
    6.5
    (278 ratings)
    4.0
    (13 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    4.5
    (1 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    2.7
    (4 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    5.1
    (13 ratings)
    7.2
    (7 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (9 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.1
    (27 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.3
    (12 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.7
    (34 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.2
    (35 ratings)
    6.0
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Gusto
    I think Gusto is well-suited for any business, big or small, to use for accounting purposes. It makes it easy to keep track of many things, such as pay stubs, benefits, paid time off, and much more. Where I could see it being less useful is maybe for enterprise businesses with way more employees.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paychex Inc.
    It is best suited for payrolls from 1 to 150 employees, because their constant attention and flex system are easy to use. Any problem is taking care by your Paychex Agent, and they always listen to you. Better yet, when you become a client with more than 5 years, you get special discount on your renewal. Honestly, I can't not think on nothing that will be less appropriate.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    We really think that ANY typical business would be a reasonable fit for QuickBooks Desktop Premier. While not necessary, even a comparatively unexperienced accounting person could look at the "Home" screen and follow their nose thru typical daily accounting processes without much detailed knowledge. Reporting is simple, looking up customer info and prior transactions is simple, looking up vendors and prior payments is simple... all in all, quite straightforward. I really can't think of an instance where it would be 'less appropriate'.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Gusto
    • New employee/contractor onboarding - all the documents are stored and easily accessible (the same goes for off-boarding).
    • A one-click option for syncing hours worked with payroll.
    • The option to run payroll on auto-pilot.
    • Ensuring I'm tax compliant with the states we have employees in.
    • Always having digital records of payroll runs.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paychex Inc.
    • It provides a well account of Retirement Plan Account Information.
    • Alerts are sent to email when there is new information to access.
    • Employee access both online and thru app.
    • Paperless options.
    • Easy and quick access to paystubs and tax forms.
    • Easy employee retirement management.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    • Employment - it makes creating paychecks a snap and tracks taxes.
    • Invoicing - they have a straightforward approach to creating invoices and you can even email them to your customers.
    • Customers - the program makes tracking customer information and balances easy.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Cons
    Gusto
    • Digital compliance tools for remote teams
    • Gusto upsold us labor law posters, but I later found them available for free online. Since we’re a fully remote team, I had to manually download and distribute them digitally. It would be much more efficient if Gusto offered free, auto-distributed digital posters tailored to remote compliance.
    • Benefits setup is unintuitive for startups
    • While our rep was helpful, navigating the benefits system felt complex and not tailored to early-stage companies. More guided flows or simplified options for small, remote startups would be a big help.
    • Limited dashboard customization for remote workflows
    • As a fully online company, we’d benefit from dashboard options that highlight relevant tools for remote operations—like compliance tracking, digital communications, or onboarding checklists.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Paychex Inc.
    • I understand logging you out is a security function, but I'd prefer it not to log you out so soon.
    • The training we received for the team's meeting was subpar, in my opinion. Probably better geared for people with little to no computer experience. Very slow pace; we could have easily received all of this from some tutorials in a few minutes.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Intuit
    • Support for older versions of QuickBooks ends after three years, then users must purchase the newest version at full price. Renewals should be deeply discounted for existing users.
    • I would like to see better in-product inventory tracking, so we can choose LIFO or FIFO rather than the ambiguous "average cost" method.
    • I would like to be able to assign payroll taxes to jobs for better job costing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Gusto
    Unless they break it, I'm never leaving. It's just too easy. Gusto is also really affordable, and for what I pay, it's worth having the historical record within the system. I like that I can go back and pull up W2's for year's past. This sort of easy access reporting, has been helpful especially when getting reports for PPP loans.
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    Paychex Inc.
    Overall I like the features that Paychex Flex offers. I am sure that there are other features that I am unaware of, so I am excited to see if there is more that Flex is capable of to make my job easier. The basic features are really user friendly and easy to access. If there ever is an issue customer service is great
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    Because we have been extremely happy with the product and our organization tends to be creatures of habit. We rarely leave a product that works this well for the latest and greatest. Typically we follow the "if it's not broken, don't fix it rule". While QB does make changes we typically just roll with it. If we do find something we don't like we work through it until we fully understand its functionality.
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    Usability
    Gusto
    Gusto is pretty user-friendly, and the website is easy to navigate overall. They also offer good, responsive customer support and have helpful articles available when needed. So far, I have not had any major issues with the platform and am overall very happy with it.
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    Paychex Inc.
    Once you are set up in the system, it is very user-friendly and usability is on par with my expectations. Onboarding new employees is simple, employee access is simple and easy for them to use. Tax documentation, reporting, and entering payroll is easy and user-friendly. Running reports and finding information necessary to keep the flow moving foward is easy to do
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    Intuit
    We switched to a more "robust" software program with the hiring of a new CFO. The migration of historical data and ancillary information has been cumbersome and riddle with errors and issues. In hindsight much of what the new software program was touted to accomplish is not come to fruition. QB Desktop Premier was sufficient for the organization needs
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    Reliability and Availability
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Paychex Inc.
    We have not experienced any difficulties with unplanned outages. Notifications are always made for outages, and they do not effect normal business operations.
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    This is very reliable software, the desktop version is fast. If there is a problem, it is most likely on your own hardware!
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    Performance
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Paychex Inc.
    Unless there is lag time within the internet, the Paychex Flex website loads exceptional fast, pages load quickly and reports that I need to print or download load quickly. If I need to create a specialized report, once I complete it I receive an e-mail telling me my report is ready to be downloaded. Changing between web pages is fast as well.
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    Intuit
    It takes forever to load.
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    Support Rating
    Gusto
    Gusto's customer service has really deteriorated lately and they seem to have really changed their focus. It used to be when you called you were routed to an individual who knew about payroll, benefits, reporting, etc. but now you get someone who seems to have not received the correct training. My last call about a dismissal payroll took me over an hour of my time and the person still could not help me and finally transferred me to someone else.
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    Paychex Inc.
    The dedicated support we are given is good and very responsive. If there is a change to the dedicated support, we are notified quickly and have temporary support in place while we wait for our new rep. The phone support is knowledgeable and quick to help if there is an immediate need. However, the chat support can be the slowest option and doesn't always launch so I rarely use it.
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    Intuit
    This is where QuickBooks falls short. Many times my staff has had questions that have not been able to get resolved easily with a chat or call. I personally have had more general questions that have not been answered easily as well. I think QuickBooks needs to provide the resources of having readily accessible help in order to make it simpler to get solutions.
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    In-Person Training
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Paychex Inc.
    We did online training only
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    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Online Training
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Paychex Inc.
    It was easy to understand and follow along. I do like the informational videos that we can utilize before we opt to call in for customer service support. It has made a difference since sometimes that resolves the issue I may have had and saved myself a phone call to Paychex support.
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    Intuit
    No answers on this topic
    Implementation Rating
    Gusto
    Reach out to support immediately if you are having trouble setting up Gusto. Rather than being confused and trying to figure it out yourself, it's much better to talk to someone who knows what they are doing. Save yourself time and frustration and reach out to support
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    Paychex Inc.
    Implementation was very smooth. The most cumbersome task was entering the current employees into the system during initial set up, but Paychex staff handled most of that and verified against prior system reports as well as internal reports provided to ensure 100% accuracy.
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    Intuit
    It is important to do your research. There are tutorial videos online that could help new user of this accounting system. These tutorials are straightforward and easily understandable.
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    Alternatives Considered
    Gusto
    While I never actually got to the point of trying out ADP, I had several conversations with an ADP representative, and it seemed that they would be able to provide the same (if not less) level of service for a significantly higher price
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    Paychex Inc.
    In addition to the ones listed above, we also used BenePay, a local payroll company. We found Paychex Flex priced in the middle, with ADP the most expensive and too complicated, with many features that were unnecessary for us. We found that Paychex Flex's features and reporting to be sized right for our size (around 30 employees). Paychex Flex also offered a very reasonable service to apply for the ERTC
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    QuickBooks Premier handles most of my business functions efficiently in one package. It is not my "everything." I use Replicon for time rather than QuickBooks. I don't want my WIP data interfering with my accounting. I use PaySimple for it's web interface and back office processing. I don't have security issues since I don't have any credit card data in my possession. With today's identity theft environment, I have to protect myself as much as I can. Not having credit card data in my accounting software lets me sleep much better at night. Quicken will do basic accounting but does not have all the double entry accounting systems contained in QuickBooks. QuickBooks Online does much of the basic business functions but I don't like the pricing structure. As a professional accountant, that is very important to me. Bill.com provided a good service but the ability of QuickBooks to add bills and receipts to transactions makes it redundant.
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    Scalability
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Paychex Inc.
    I generally do payroll at the office, however I have had to go remote due to internet issues and also had to take payroll on vacation with me. Very easy to log in wherever you are and manage your TAA and payroll
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    They're getting better. Still room for improvement.
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    Return on Investment
    Gusto
    • Time tracking + payroll calculations me 30-60 minutes every time I run payroll.
    • Integrated workers' comp, so I didn't have to find an outside carrier and get quotes—it's all taken care of in the same platform.
    • Improved employee experience with onboarding.
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    Paychex Inc.
    • With Paychex Flex we have been able to improve our compliance with required documentation for new/rehires
    • Moving everyone to direct deposit and mobile clock in/out eliminated lines at punching stations and paycheck pickup stations
    • Lost checks is a thing of the past
    Incentivized
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    Intuit
    • Most of our business clients use QuickBooks which makes it efficient for us to work on clients that use the program. We can import QuickBooks data into our software which adds efficiencies to our tax practice.
    • Having staff that are familiar with the software enables our firm to provide quality service to the clients that use QuickBooks.
    • We receive referrals from satisfied QuickBooks clients.
    Incentivized
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    ScreenShots

    Gusto Screenshots

    Screenshot of Gusto's automated payrollScreenshot of the time-off tracking interfaceScreenshot of the source of truth for HR data

    Paychex Screenshots

    Screenshot of Paychex Payroll DashboardScreenshot of Employee Background ChecksScreenshot of Paychex HR DashboardScreenshot of Paychex Flex Perks