Gusto vs ADP vs QuickBooks Payroll: Small Business Pricing Compared

The three vendors price payroll differently: Gusto and QuickBooks Payroll publish a monthly base fee plus a fee per person, while ADP RUN gives custom quotes based on the features, workers and add-ons you choose. For a very small team, the published per-person vendors let you calculate a monthly total yourself, and ADP requires a conversation with sales. The numbers below were checked on 2026-10-30 and will change, so treat them as a way to structure your comparison, not as a final quote.

Who this is for and what you will have at the end

This guide is for US small business owners, office managers and bookkeepers choosing payroll software for a team of one to roughly fifty people. You will end with a clear picture of how each vendor charges, which numbers are published and which are not, and a worksheet to produce your own monthly estimate.

A note on sourcing: Intuit's and ADP's pricing pages could be read directly for this guide. Gusto's own pricing pages refused automated access, so the Gusto figures here come from Gusto's own marketing pages as summarized in search results and from Gusto's help center. Check Gusto's pricing page yourself for the current plan names and the prices for each tier, and do the same for the other two before you buy. Prices exclude taxes and are in US dollars.

The pricing models at a glance

Gusto

Gusto's marketing pages describe plans that start at $49 per month plus $6 per month per user, which is $55 per month for a single person. An older Gusto page that appeared in search results gave a $40 starting price, so older blog posts and cached pages may show lower numbers than the current $49 figure.

Gusto's help center explains how billing works. Gusto bills monthly, and the invoice includes the plan base fee plus per-contractor and add-on fees. The help center lists some benefits add-ons, including a flat annual fee of $200 for all tax-advantaged benefits and $30 per month for COBRA administration. Gusto also sells a separate 401(k) product, whose Starter plan is listed at $49 per month plus $6 per month per active participant as of February 23, 2026, according to its help center. That retirement plan is a separate product from payroll.

Gusto's higher tiers add HR features beyond the entry plan. Third-party reviews quote specific base and per-person prices for the middle and top tiers, but they could not be confirmed against Gusto's own pricing page for this guide, so they are not repeated here.

Estimate a Gusto bill

For a business with eight employees and two 1099 contractors, the formula is:

Monthly cost = base fee + (employees x per-person fee) + (contractors x contractor fee) + add-ons

Use the entry plan figures and look up the current contractor fee on Gusto's pricing page. Eight employees at $6 each plus the $49 base is $97 before contractors and add-ons, based on the published entry figure.

ADP RUN

ADP's pricing explainer says RUN has a tiered pricing structure based on features used, and that pricing is custom. The ADP sales team gathers details about your business before building a proposal, and you receive a contract after you agree to it. The page, last modified September 17, 2026, does not state a starting price and does not list the exact fees for payroll runs and payroll tax services.

ADP says these factors affect your cost:

• The number and type of workers (W-2, 1099, part-time, contract).
• Pay frequency.
• Payment methods: direct deposit, paper checks or paycards.
• Support level.
• Add-ons such as timekeeping or benefits administration.
• Payroll tax calculation, filing and payment.

ADP's comparison pages describe four RUN packages: Essential (core payroll and tax features), Enhanced (adds HR tools, background checks and ZipRecruiter job posting), Complete (adds live HR support, compliance tools and handbooks) and HR Pro (adds advanced HR help, training and legal support). ADP's pages also mention a promotion of up to six months of free payroll, subject to terms, and some older ADP pages cite a starting price of $39 per month plus $5 per employee. Because ADP's current explainer states no starting price, do not budget from that older figure. The phone number for quotes on ADP's explainer is 800-225-5237.

Questions to ask ADP

1. Which package covers what I need, and what does each fee line cost?
2. Is there a per-payroll-run fee as well as a per-employee fee?
3. What do payroll tax filing and year-end forms cost?
4. What is the contract length, and what happens on cancellation?
5. Is the promotion applied to the quoted price, and for how long?

QuickBooks Payroll

Intuit's payroll pricing page, checked 2026-10-30, showed bundled payroll and accounting plans. The page does not label the base fees as monthly, but the promotional prices are exactly half of them, so they are almost certainly monthly. The list prices were:

Each plan showed a promotional 50 percent off the base fee for three months, with terms on the page; the per-employee fee is not discounted. A promotion is not a price, so compare list price over twelve months, and ask what the price becomes after the promotion ends. The page also shows an annual-billing discount, but its terms were not clear enough to calculate, so confirm it in the checkout.

What the plans include, according to the page:

• Simple Start bundle: full-service payroll with tax calculation, filing and payment, auto payroll, 1099 e-file, expert support and next-day direct deposit.
• Essentials bundle: the same payroll features plus same-day direct deposit when you run payroll by 7:00 am, and more accounting features.
• Premium bundle: adds an expert setup review, time tracking, HR tools and project and inventory tracking.

Intuit's page did not show contractor pricing. The page says you can get payroll only or add payroll to an existing QuickBooks Online account, but it does not list payroll-only prices (they are on Intuit's "See all plans" page), so check that page if you do not want the bundle. The FAQ also mentions a Workforce Elite plan whose price was not on the portion of the page reviewed. For the accounting subscription side of this comparison, see QuickBooks Online plans and pricing compared.

Build your own estimate

Fill this in for each vendor with the numbers on the vendor's current page or quote.

Counting both the first three months and the full year gives a fair picture, because promotions can make the first quarter look cheap.

What price does not tell you

A cheaper monthly price does not mean a cheaper payroll if the product does not cover your situation. Check these before deciding:

• States you pay employees in. Confirm that the vendor files and pays taxes in every state where you have employees.
• Direct deposit speed. QuickBooks' page distinguishes next-day from same-day deposit by plan.
• Contractors. Look for the 1099 fee and whether 1099 forms are filed for you.
• Support. ADP lists support level as a pricing factor, so confirm what support is in each plan you are quoted.
• Accounting integration. If you already use QuickBooks Online, a bundled plan may save time on posting payroll entries. Otherwise check how payroll syncs with your accounting tool.
• Contract terms. ADP provides a contract after you accept a proposal, so read the term and cancellation rules.

Troubleshooting the comparison

The prices you see differ from a blog post. Vendors change prices and plan names. One Gusto page still showed a $40 entry price while newer pages showed $49. Use the vendor page dated closest to today.

A vendor will not give a number without a call. That is ADP's published approach. Ask for the quote by email so you have it in writing.

The promotion hides the true price. Ask for the monthly total after the promotion ends and enter it in the worksheet.

Your headcount changes during the year. Per-person pricing grows with each hire, so run the worksheet at your current headcount and at the headcount you expect in twelve months.

Checklist

1. List employees, contractors, states and pay frequency.
2. Open each vendor's current pricing page and record the date.
3. Request a written ADP quote.
4. Fill in the worksheet at current and future headcount.
5. Compare list price, not promotional price.
6. Confirm state tax filing coverage and contract terms before signing up.

References

• ADP, small business payroll pricing transparency: https://www.adp.com/resources/articles-and-insights/articles/u/understanding-small-business-payroll-and-hr-platform-pricing-transparency.aspx
• ADP, RUN Powered by ADP: https://www.adp.com/what-we-offer/products/run-powered-by-adp.aspx
• Intuit, QuickBooks payroll pricing: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/pricing/
• Intuit, QuickBooks payroll: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/payroll/
• Gusto, Help Center billing invoice and details: https://support.gusto.com/article/101421371100000/View-your-Gusto-billing-invoice-and-details-for-admins
• Gusto, 401(k) pricing plans, invoicing and billing: https://support.gusto.com/article/178052192555356/gusto-401k-pricing-plans-invoicing-and-billing
• Gusto, payroll software for small business: https://gusto.com/product/solutions/size/small-business