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    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 Pro

    Score7.8 out of 10
    N/AQuickbooks Desktop Pro is accounting software from Intuit, Inc. It includes core accounting features, plus analytics and exportable reports. It is offered in on-premise and SaaS forms.N/A
    Pricing
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    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 Pro
    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 Pro
    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 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
    Paylocity was fairly easy to use like Gusto but could not accommodate the number of employees we have.
    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
    Having two different products to use left a lot of room for error and took way too much time. Employees needed to count out their hours themselves and email the hours from Excel over to the boss. Then the Boss had to send the hours over to our book keeper which used quick …
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    When it comes to Gusto versus ADP, I feel they both get the job done. The difference is Gusto is much more user friendly and easy to navigate without having to do a deep dive. Also, the Payroll portion is a lot smoother along with the approving hours portion of 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
    Paychex Inc.
    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 use QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Online for a few of my companies, however the times I've briefly looked into them for payroll services I couldn't picture making the transition. Additionally, when issues arise with those companies, (for other things like merchant …
    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
    N/A
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    We still use QB Desktop Pro to maintain a Check Register / Overall Balance for the company, but once having tried QB Payroll Online for about 3 months prior to finding Paychex Flex I can tell you that there's just no comparison. QB online is VERY EXPENSIVE and not so …
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    In our small business, Quickbooks was like a gorilla in the office. Far too complicated for simple payroll implementation and production on a bi-weekly basis. Paychex Flex is far superior and well-suited to our needs.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    Paychex far exceeds the QuickBook payroll system I used our first year. QuickBooks did not handle local taxes and I was responsible for filing those reports and returns.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    I previously used Quickbooks payrolls. I will never go back to that system for payroll. Paychex Flex is easier to use and more reliable.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    Paychex has dedicated customer service
    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
    Paychex Flex takes care of all the reporting to the various tax reporting agencies, which gives me peace of mind that everything is being taken care of. ADP also does the same thing, but Paychex Flex is a little easier to be in contact with as they are always available. …
    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
    Paychex Flex is always up to date and user friendly.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    Paychex is just right for our sized business. We do not need expanded features, just an ability to process payroll and pay taxes. We looked at Paycor, ADP, QuickBooks, Ahola and thought Paychex was the best value for what we needed.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    We used a local payroll company before Paychex. I appreciate the online aspects and the ability of employees to access their own info.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    Paychecx Flex is much more Affordable and efficient. Hard to choose any other company when using Paychex is a breeze.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    ADP is more user friendly and the customer service is better than Paychex Flex. The sales rep. marketed Paychex Flex as being just like RUN but they still need to grow by leaps and bounds to catch up to RUN's reports, interface, and customer service.
    Incentivized
    Chose Paychex
    I selected Paychex because they are the company my accountant steered me to. As far as I am concerned, they are perfect for me. I have been more than satisfied with their services for many years and I expect to remain with them as long as I remain in business.
    Incentivized
    Intuit
    Chose QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro is top-notch accounting software. It allows for a good bit of customization and drilling down on the reports. I've not had to use their support as our accountant and his IT staff are certified with Intuit. A little over one year ago, I started cloud-based …
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    563 Answers
    88%
    Would buy again
    267 Answers
    88%
    Would buy again
    29 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    464 Answers
    90%
    Delivers good value for the price
    240 Answers
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    28 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    576 Answers
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    281 Answers
    97%
    Happy with the feature set
    32 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    91%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    316 Answers
    89%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    202 Answers
    83%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    20 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    376 Answers
    89%
    Implementation went as expected
    216 Answers
    96%
    Implementation went as expected
    25 Answers
    Features
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    9.1
    611 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Paychex
    7.7
    319 Ratings
    6% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    6.6
    69 Ratings
    14% below category average
    Pay calculation9.5587 Ratings8.0301 Ratings6.364 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors8.58 Ratings7.44 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.7417 Ratings7.2179 Ratings6.338 Ratings
    Direct deposit files9.7592 Ratings8.3299 Ratings6.656 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management9.0462 Ratings8.0214 Ratings6.352 Ratings
    Reimbursement management9.0196 Ratings7.4122 Ratings7.754 Ratings
    Off-cycle/On-Demand payment00 Ratings7.4157 Ratings00 Ratings
    Human Resource Management
    Comparison of Human Resource Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    7.3
    278 Ratings
    12% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    -
    Ratings
    Employee demographic data00 Ratings7.7225 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employment history00 Ratings7.9248 Ratings00 Ratings
    Job profiles and administration00 Ratings7.7182 Ratings00 Ratings
    Workflow for transfers, promotions, pay raises, etc.00 Ratings7.8179 Ratings00 Ratings
    Organizational charting00 Ratings6.34 Ratings00 Ratings
    Organization and location management00 Ratings7.1163 Ratings00 Ratings
    Compliance data (COBRA, OSHA, etc.)00 Ratings6.4148 Ratings00 Ratings
    Leave and Attendance Management
    Comparison of Leave and Attendance Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    7.2
    161 Ratings
    13% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    -
    Ratings
    Approval workflow00 Ratings7.5115 Ratings00 Ratings
    Balance details00 Ratings7.6153 Ratings00 Ratings
    Annual carry-forward and encashment00 Ratings6.4120 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employee Self Service
    Comparison of Employee Self Service features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    7.4
    276 Ratings
    11% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    -
    Ratings
    View and generate pay and benefit information00 Ratings8.0254 Ratings00 Ratings
    Update personal information00 Ratings7.6266 Ratings00 Ratings
    View company policy documentation00 Ratings7.4125 Ratings00 Ratings
    Employee recognition00 Ratings6.33 Ratings00 Ratings
    View job history00 Ratings7.6190 Ratings00 Ratings
    Asset Management
    Comparison of Asset Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    6.4
    44 Ratings
    23% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    -
    Ratings
    Tracking of all physical assets00 Ratings6.444 Ratings00 Ratings
    HR Reporting
    Comparison of HR Reporting features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    6.1
    179 Ratings
    22% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    -
    Ratings
    Report builder00 Ratings6.5149 Ratings00 Ratings
    Pre-built reports00 Ratings6.8167 Ratings00 Ratings
    Ability to combine HR data with external data00 Ratings5.093 Ratings00 Ratings
    Onboarding
    Comparison of Onboarding features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    6.8
    176 Ratings
    17% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    -
    Ratings
    New hire portal00 Ratings7.0168 Ratings00 Ratings
    Manager tracking tools00 Ratings6.7112 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance and Goals
    Comparison of Performance and Goals features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    9.0
    1 Ratings
    10% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    -
    Ratings
    Corporate goal setting00 Ratings8.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Individual goal setting00 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Line-of sight-visibility00 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance tracking00 Ratings10.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance Management
    Comparison of Performance Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    9.0
    1 Ratings
    12% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    -
    Ratings
    Performance plans00 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance improvement plans00 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Review status tracking00 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Review reminders00 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multiple review frequency00 Ratings9.01 Ratings00 Ratings
    Succession Planning
    Comparison of Succession Planning features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    7.7
    2 Ratings
    2% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    -
    Ratings
    Candidate ranking00 Ratings7.31 Ratings00 Ratings
    Candidate search00 Ratings7.52 Ratings00 Ratings
    Candidate development00 Ratings8.21 Ratings00 Ratings
    Recruiting / ATS
    Comparison of Recruiting / ATS features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    5.3
    72 Ratings
    40% below category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    -
    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 Ratings6.037 Ratings00 Ratings
    Duplicate Candidate Prevention00 Ratings4.635 Ratings00 Ratings
    Applicant Tracking00 Ratings4.741 Ratings00 Ratings
    Notifications and Alerts00 Ratings6.266 Ratings00 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    5.7
    43 Ratings
    28% below category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings00 Ratings6.535 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings00 Ratings5.039 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    8.5
    101 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings00 Ratings8.482 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings00 Ratings8.695 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    8.5
    117 Ratings
    8% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings00 Ratings8.4100 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings00 Ratings8.9117 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings00 Ratings8.1114 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    7.5
    124 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings00 Ratings9.3119 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings00 Ratings9.2121 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings00 Ratings9.2107 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings00 Ratings9.7119 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings00 Ratings9.4108 Ratings
    Time tracking00 Ratings00 Ratings7.451 Ratings
    Fixed asset management00 Ratings00 Ratings5.669 Ratings
    Multi-currency support00 Ratings00 Ratings6.931 Ratings
    Multi-division support00 Ratings00 Ratings8.958 Ratings
    Regulations compliance00 Ratings00 Ratings8.342 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing00 Ratings00 Ratings8.355 Ratings
    Self-service portal00 Ratings00 Ratings5.941 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings00 Ratings4.217 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings00 Ratings7.140 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings00 Ratings7.943 Ratings
    Localizations00 Ratings00 Ratings4.219 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings00 Ratings8.876 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings00 Ratings6.838 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings00 Ratings7.647 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings00 Ratings5.427 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings00 Ratings8.555 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    5.8
    59 Ratings
    23% below category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings00 Ratings6.056 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings00 Ratings6.035 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings00 Ratings6.032 Ratings
    Manufacturing module00 Ratings00 Ratings5.218 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Gusto and Paychex and QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    Paychex
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Pro
    6.8
    77 Ratings
    8% below category average
    Pricing00 Ratings00 Ratings7.555 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings00 Ratings8.555 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings00 Ratings7.251 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings00 Ratings8.063 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings00 Ratings5.220 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings00 Ratings6.123 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution00 Ratings00 Ratings5.218 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Small Businesses
    Patriot Payroll
    Score8.6 out of 10
    UZIO
    Score9.4 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.3 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    APS
    Score5.7 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
    Score5.5 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.1
    (633 ratings)
    6.8
    (334 ratings)
    8.5
    (135 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (14 ratings)
    7.2
    (48 ratings)
    8.0
    (19 ratings)
    Usability
    9.4
    (457 ratings)
    7.2
    (275 ratings)
    9.1
    (42 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.2
    (12 ratings)
    8.3
    (2 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (12 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Support Rating
    4.2
    (27 ratings)
    6.5
    (274 ratings)
    1.2
    (29 ratings)
    In-Person Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    4.5
    (1 ratings)
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    2.7
    (4 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    5.1
    (13 ratings)
    9.0
    (6 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.0
    (9 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.5
    (22 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.4
    (12 ratings)
    8.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    5.7
    (34 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.2
    (35 ratings)
    -
    (0 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    GustoPaychexQuickBooks Desktop Pro
    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
    For a small business, QuickBooks Desktop Pro is great! For a larger, more complex business, another system may be more beneficial. We actually run multiple businesses on QuickBooks Desktop Pro, but all are very small. The help feature is sometimes so beneficial, and sometimes it seems like you just can't get the right answer and need to find a workaround - but this is usually for more complex issues.
    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
    • It is easy to manage and adjust inventory on hand.
    • It is easy to make reports and customize them to your needs.
    • We also use it to pay our employees directly.
    • It is easy to make year-to-year comparisons to see where we can make improvements and the current financial situation.
    Incentivized
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    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.
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    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
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    Intuit
    • QuickBooks Desktop Pro has been around for a few years and after an update[,] they force you to look at the changes/updates before you can use [them] after updating.
    • QuickBooks Desktop Pro does not have 2FA.
    • QuickBooks Desktop Pro should offer a way to store backups to a personal cloud without having to map a local network drive.
    Incentivized
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    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
    I'd love to keep using it, and do intend to - though we've not been pleased with price increases over the past several years. In fact, we used to subscribe to the payroll service, but QuickBooks priced themselves out of reach for us, so we discontinued that. Currently, pricing would be the primary reason for NOT renewing, if we didn't.
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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
    The set up was quite easy. I took some online training causes, and figured our the rest pretty quickly. The only issue I had during the implementation process was it was very hard to change some of the GL Account name to reflect the needs of a non-profit organization, such as Net Assets. At the end I had to scratch what I did, and used the existing formats that the third-party bookkeeping firm shared. Everything else is simple and easy to manage and implement.
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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.
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    Intuit
    I haven't experienced a time when QuickBooks Pro was unavailable when I needed it in the entire 20 years of using the software
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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
    No answers on this topic
    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
    They are awful. Intuit doesn't spend real money on support. They appear to have typically said, first-level script readers who are sending messages to the senior people for anything even a little bit difficult. Many of them don't speak particularly good English. Considering that they recently doubled (or, if you are paying annually, tripled) their pricing, and touted as one of the benefits that it includes [..] support, it's a real ripoff. However, we have to use the product because it is ubiquitous. I look forward to the day a competitor comes up with something good enough, which has excellent support, that matches all the features QuickBooks Desktop Pro currently has [...] or at least gives us a way to have all the functionality we currently have without excessive sacrifice [...] so that we can switch. I was very satisfied with QuickBooks for many years. This latest [rise] in price, and their sheer gall at touting the benefit of the 100 to 200% increase as being [the] inclusion of support, is what turned me so far against them.
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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
    Best thing I ever did was to attend a two day training seminar on QuickBooks, I learned an immense amount in a short time with hands on training by experts. I strongly recommend such training for anyone using any part of the software. It will pay for itself in the first month.
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    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.
    Incentivized
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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
    Incentivized
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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
    We implemented the software ourselves. The training we received on the software was done by taking a community course teaching us how to use QuickBooks. It allowed me to get started with some basics of how to use the program and have not needed much assistance since completing the course work.
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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
    We tried switching from QuickBooks Desktop Pro to QuickBooks Online, but there were a lot of issues and bugs so we ultimately decided to stay with Desktop Pro. Unfortunately, we are losing a lot of Online Banking capabilities on 5/31 as we have an older version of QB, but we plan to stick with Desktop Pro. In terms of invoicing, SaaSOptics beats QuickBooks in almost all aspects as it's all automated and takes seconds to create and send invoices. However, SaaSOptics is not really a full ERP program so it wouldn't serve us as a main bookkeeping software like QB.
    Incentivized
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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
    No answers on this topic
    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.
    Incentivized
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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
    • Training time is low compared to other accounting packages
    • It was difficult to adapt to DCAA requirements, [which] required [the] hiring of [a] special consultant for that
    • QuickBooks Desktop Pro is a standard for small companies and makes it easy to hire bookkeepers
    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