QuickBooks Payroll vs Square Payroll
Two payroll & HR tools side by side. Prices are the starting plan a small business would pick, in USD.
Short version
Square Payroll costs less for a six-person team.
QuickBooks Payroll fits service business, agency or studio, trades or contractor, online store.
| Compare | QuickBooks PayrollIntuit | Square PayrollBlock |
|---|---|---|
| In one line | Payroll inside QuickBooks Online, sold as a bundle | Payroll that pulls hours and tips from Square POS |
| Starting price | From $88/mo + $7/person | From $35/mo + $6/person |
| Six-person team | $130/mo | $71/mo |
| Plans | Now sold as QuickBooks Workforce: Payroll + Simple Start $88/mo; Payroll + Essentials $135/mo, both + $7/employee; Premium + Plus $228/mo + $13/employee; often 50% off for 3 months | Full service $35/mo + $6 per person paid (tax filings, multistate); contractors only $6 per person; no contract; paper W-2s $3 each |
| Pricing model | Paid | Paid |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Users | Per employee | No minimum |
| Both connect to | QuickBooks Online, Homebase Scheduling, When I Work | |
| Also connects to | Connecteam, Buddy Punch, Planday | No others on record |
| Team size | 2–10 people · 11–50 people | Just me · 2–10 people · 11–50 people |
| Available in | US | US |
| Phone support | Plans not stated (US) | Every plan (US) |
| Live chat | Every paid plan | Plans not stated |
| Support hours | Help center: Mon–Fri 6 AM–6 PM PT, weekends closed (Workforce Payroll), Mon–Fri 5 AM–7 PM PT, Sat–Sun 6 AM–3 PM PT (Workforce Premium and Elite) · Phone: Monday- Friday 6am -6pm PST | Phone: M–F 6 a.m.–6 p.m. PT |
| Incidents posted | 5 incidents posted on Intuit's status page, which covers all Intuit products and regions, in the 90 days to Oct 27, 2026; 2 marked major or critical by Intuit. Status page | 14 incidents posted on Block's status page, which covers all Block products and regions, in the 90 days to Oct 27, 2026; 0 marked major or critical by Block. Status page |
| Capterra score | Not listed | 4.7 / 5 from 622 reviews |
| Fit: Retail shop | 85 | 85 |
| Fit: Restaurant or café | 82 | 88 |
| Fit: Service business | 88 | 75 |
| Fit: Agency or studio | 85 | 55 |
| Fit: Trades or contractor | 88 | 70 |
| Fit: Online store | 78 | 55 |
| Why people pick it |
|
|
| Where it falls short |
|
|
| Visit QuickBooks Payroll | Visit Square Payroll | |
Six-person prices are what a team of six would pay on the published plans; "Not listed" means those plans don't cover six. How we calculate prices
QuickBooks Payroll: partner link. We may earn a commission; it never affects rankings.
More comparisons with QuickBooks Payroll or Square Payroll
Gusto vs QuickBooks PayrollGusto vs Square PayrollRippling vs QuickBooks PayrollRippling vs Square PayrollHomebase vs QuickBooks PayrollHomebase vs Square PayrollDeel vs QuickBooks PayrollDeel vs Square PayrollQuickBooks Payroll vs OnPayQuickBooks Payroll vs Patriot PayrollQuickBooks Payroll vs Roll by ADPQuickBooks Payroll vs Wave PayrollQuickBooks Payroll vs Payroll4FreeQuickBooks Payroll vs Payoneer Workforce ManagementOnPay vs Square PayrollPatriot Payroll vs Square PayrollRoll by ADP vs Square PayrollSquare Payroll vs Wave PayrollSquare Payroll vs Payroll4FreeSquare Payroll vs Payoneer Workforce Management