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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

    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
    GustoQuickBooks 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
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    GustoQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Free Trial
    YesNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    YesNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsGusto offers three pricing plans for payroll, benefits, and HR.—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    GustoQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Considered Both Products
    Gusto
    Chose Gusto
    Gusto is WAY easier to use!
    Incentivized
    Chose Gusto
    Far superior and easier to use.
    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
    It’s the easiest to use, visually.
    Incentivized
    Intuit
    No answer on this topic
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    92%
    Would buy again
    563 Answers
    82%
    Would buy again
    14 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    93%
    Delivers good value for the price
    464 Answers
    88%
    Delivers good value for the price
    14 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    95%
    Happy with the feature set
    576 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
    87%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    13 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    94%
    Implementation went as expected
    376 Answers
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    14 Answers
    Features
    GustoQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Payroll Management
    Comparison of Payroll Management features of Gusto and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    9.1
    611 Ratings
    9% above category average
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.5
    54 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Pay calculation9.5587 Ratings9.252 Ratings
    Support for external payroll vendors8.58 Ratings00 Ratings
    Benefit plan administration8.7417 Ratings8.425 Ratings
    Direct deposit files9.7592 Ratings8.242 Ratings
    Salary revision and increment management9.0462 Ratings8.333 Ratings
    Reimbursement management9.0196 Ratings8.336 Ratings
    Customization
    Comparison of Customization features of Gusto and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    7.5
    24 Ratings
    1% below category average
    API for custom integration00 Ratings8.017 Ratings
    Plug-ins00 Ratings7.024 Ratings
    Security
    Comparison of Security features of Gusto and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.3
    58 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Single sign-on capability00 Ratings8.450 Ratings
    Role-based user permissions00 Ratings8.249 Ratings
    Reporting & Analytics
    Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Gusto and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.3
    69 Ratings
    6% above category average
    Dashboards00 Ratings8.758 Ratings
    Standard reports00 Ratings8.468 Ratings
    Custom reports00 Ratings7.766 Ratings
    General Ledger and Configurable Accounting
    Comparison of General Ledger and Configurable Accounting features of Gusto and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    7.8
    72 Ratings
    2% above category average
    Accounts payable00 Ratings8.370 Ratings
    Accounts receivable00 Ratings8.571 Ratings
    Cash management00 Ratings8.765 Ratings
    Bank reconciliation00 Ratings8.769 Ratings
    Expense management00 Ratings8.768 Ratings
    Time tracking00 Ratings7.535 Ratings
    Fixed asset management00 Ratings6.249 Ratings
    Multi-currency support00 Ratings7.623 Ratings
    Multi-division support00 Ratings8.239 Ratings
    Regulations compliance00 Ratings8.224 Ratings
    Electronic tax filing00 Ratings7.836 Ratings
    Self-service portal00 Ratings5.923 Ratings
    Global Financial Support00 Ratings6.09 Ratings
    Primary and Secondary Ledgers00 Ratings7.014 Ratings
    Intercompany Accounting00 Ratings7.917 Ratings
    Localizations00 Ratings7.66 Ratings
    Journals and Reconciliations00 Ratings8.725 Ratings
    Enterprise Accounting00 Ratings8.313 Ratings
    Configurable Accounting00 Ratings7.915 Ratings
    Centralized Rules Framework00 Ratings7.210 Ratings
    Standardized Processes00 Ratings8.315 Ratings
    Inventory Management
    Comparison of Inventory Management features of Gusto and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.0
    43 Ratings
    9% above category average
    Inventory tracking00 Ratings8.342 Ratings
    Automatic reordering00 Ratings7.321 Ratings
    Location management00 Ratings8.825 Ratings
    Manufacturing module00 Ratings7.722 Ratings
    Order Management
    Comparison of Order Management features of Gusto and QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Feature
    Gusto
    -
    Ratings
    QuickBooks Desktop Premier
    8.2
    47 Ratings
    10% above category average
    Pricing00 Ratings8.037 Ratings
    Order entry00 Ratings7.838 Ratings
    Credit card processing00 Ratings9.134 Ratings
    Cost of goods sold00 Ratings8.943 Ratings
    Order Orchestration00 Ratings7.58 Ratings
    End-to-end order visibility00 Ratings8.59 Ratings
    Order exception Resolution00 Ratings7.56 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    GustoQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Small Businesses
    Patriot Payroll
    Score8.6 out of 10
    QuickBooks Self-Employed (discontinued)
    Score4.2 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    APS
    Score5.7 out of 10
    MYOB
    Score8.3 out of 10
    Enterprises
    ADP Streamline Payroll
    Score6.1 out of 10
    Microsoft Dynamics GP
    Score5.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    GustoQuickBooks Desktop Premier
    Likelihood to Recommend
    9.1
    (633 ratings)
    8.2
    (75 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (14 ratings)
    7.5
    (14 ratings)
    Usability
    9.4
    (457 ratings)
    8.9
    (26 ratings)
    Availability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    10.0
    (6 ratings)
    Performance
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Support Rating
    4.3
    (27 ratings)
    4.0
    (13 ratings)
    Online Training
    -
    (0 ratings)
    1.0
    (1 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    9.1
    (3 ratings)
    7.2
    (7 ratings)
    Configurability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (2 ratings)
    CPA Rating
    -
    (0 ratings)
    8.1
    (27 ratings)
    Ease of integration
    -
    (0 ratings)
    7.0
    (1 ratings)
    Product Scalability
    -
    (0 ratings)
    9.0
    (5 ratings)
    Vendor post-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (1 ratings)
    Vendor pre-sale
    -
    (0 ratings)
    6.0
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    GustoQuickBooks 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
    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
    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
    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.
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Reliability and Availability
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    This is very reliable software, the desktop version is fast. If there is a problem, it is most likely on your own hardware!
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Performance
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    It takes forever to load.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Scalability
    Gusto
    No answers on this topic
    Intuit
    They're getting better. Still room for improvement.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    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
    Read full review
    ScreenShots

    Gusto Screenshots

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